Lecture
This type of psychological debriefing has an individual character with regard to the events discussed, and a group character with regard to the form of work. The group serves as the background, and the client with their event serves as the figure. We have given this variant of the "debriefing" psychocorrectional procedure the name
self-debriefing.
Self-debriefing (sometimes also called auto-debriefing) is a process in which an individual or a group conducts a debriefing independently, without the participation of a professional psychologist. This method can be used after crisis situations or traumatic events and can take either an individual or a group form. Here are some key aspects of self-debriefing:
Individual self-debriefing:
Personal reflection: In this form of self-debriefing, a person independently reflects on the event and on the experiences and emotions associated with the crisis situation. They may record their thoughts in a diary or journal format.
Self-reflection: A person may review the events that occurred and analyze their reactions to them. This may include questions such as "What did I feel?" and "What can I take away from this experience?"
Developing coping strategies: Individual self-debriefing may involve developing strategies for coping with crisis situations and ways of improving psychological well-being.
Group self-debriefing:
Joint discussion: A group of people who have experienced a similar crisis event may come together to jointly discuss what happened. This allows them to share their experiences, emotions, and ways of coping.
Support: Group self-debriefing creates an atmosphere of mutual support, in which participants can feel that they are not alone in their experiences.
Joint meaning-making: The group can help one another give meaning to the event and find ways of understanding and overcoming it.
The instructions, the introductory part, the rules of group work, and the goals and objectives of the debriefing do not differ from the classic version. The fundamental difference between this procedure and classic debriefing is the absence of a single traumatic event — every event is unique and individual. Hence the name of this psychotherapeutic procedure. Self-debriefing presupposes self-analysis, in which the group acts as the background and group facilitator.
The facilitator gives the following instruction: "Please tell us what the word, for example, "Chernobyl", means to you. When did you first (day,
hour, place) learn of the disaster? Who was with you at that time?" The participants in the group discussion take turns describing the event of "Chernobyl". In the course of the discussion, all the stages of classic debriefing take place: analysis of facts, thoughts, feelings, phases of reaction, and symptoms. The procedure is based on the analysis of memories of events or occurrences that were traumatic in nature for the person in the past. The exercise is carried out in the form of an inner dialogue followed by discussion in the group. The procedure is based on the principles of visualization and levitation. The term "visualization" is well known in practical psychology and refers to evoking, through special techniques, visual, auditory, and olfactory representations of events that have occurred. We are introducing a new term, "levitation". The levitation procedure makes it possible to mentally relocate to the site of the event, reproducing the space
against which this event took place.
Sequential scheme of the inner dialogue (introspection):
1. Characteristics of the event.
2. The time when the event occurred.
3. The place where the event occurred.
4. Levitation (mental relocation to the site of the event).
5. Your age at the time of the event.
6. Appearance (features of clothing).
7. Surroundings (nature, urban buildings, etc.).
8. Weather and season.
9. Bodily sensations during the event.
10. The event itself (its content).
11. Sensations during the event.
12. Localization of the sensations during the event.
13. Your experiences.
14. First thoughts about the event.
Depending on the individual characteristics of the client's personality, the last point of the inner-dialogue scheme, in the course of subsequent self-analysis, splits into two lines. The first line is figurative and may take the following sequence: image - metaphor - drawing — changing the drawing. The second line is object-related: finding an object - color, shape, smell of the object - touching the object - moving the object -
changing the object.
Self-debriefing can be useful for some people, especially if they do not have access to professional psychological support or prefer a more independent way of processing events. However, it is important to remember that it does not replace professional help, especially in cases of serious trauma or the development of psychological disorders. If a person experiences serious psychological symptoms after a crisis, it is important to seek help from a qualified psychologist or psychotherapist.
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