Psychodynamic group therapy for chronic complex post-traumatic stress disorder victims

The complexity of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder is expressed in the intensity of the changes it generates in different dimensions of the personality, and in their continuation over a long period of time. The intensity and duration of the personality changes lead to persistency of symptoms, which makes their treatment both difficult and undefined. Long-term psychodynamic group therapy has shown promising potential for the treatment of chronic and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. The present research examines the effectiveness of a group therapy model formulated and implemented in recent years by the Combat Stress Reaction Unit of the Israel Defense Forces Mental Health Division. For the study, 36 participants were divided into two research groups, according to age and the amount of time that had elapsed since exposure to the traumatizing event: these were the 'young group' and the 'old group.' Two measures were used to evaluate therapy effectiveness: the post-traumatic stress level and the functioning level. Testing was done at three different times: the beginning of therapy, the end of year-long therapy, and six months post-therapy. The results indicate a significant decrease in the intensity of the post-traumatic symptoms, alongside a significant increase in the functioning level among both groups, with no significant differences between the groups. The discussion raises the claim that long-term psychodynamic group therapy can be positioned as a major therapy for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder victims.