Lecture
We note the paradigms for analyzing the results of any study:
the deterministic (explanatory) and the phenomenological (descriptive).
Psychobiographical debriefing is a crisis-intervention method that combines elements of debriefing and psychobiography. It is aimed at helping people who have experienced crisis events by exploring and reflecting on their life history and biography, in order to understand how a crisis event may be connected with their past experience and may affect their future.
Here are some key aspects of psychobiographical debriefing:
Exploring the biography: Psychobiographical debriefing begins with an analysis and exploration of the participant's life history. This may include discussing important events, relationships, achievements, and traumas that occurred in the past.
Connection with the crisis event: The participant then examines how the crisis event is connected with their past experience and biography. This can help the participant understand why they react to the crisis the way they do.
Making sense of it: Psychobiographical debriefing promotes making sense of the events and emotions associated with the crisis. The participant is given the opportunity to look at their experience from different angles and find new ways of interpreting it.
Meaning and growth: This method can help the participant find meaning in the crisis and determine what growth or changes it may bring to their life. This can contribute to the process of psychological recovery and personal growth.
Support: It is important that psychobiographical debriefing be conducted by a specialist trained in this method, who can provide emotional support and guidance during the process.
"Psychological Autobiography" is a technique that makes it possible to analyze an individual's biography and to model subjective
reality, correlating the results of the diagnosis not with the characteristics of the subject as such, but with the characteristics of how the subject reflects certain
fragments of objective reality, with the events of their own life. Here we consistently follow the methodological requirement for the
holistic study of an event put forward by K. Lewin: the description of the situation
should be subjective rather than objective, that is, the situation should be described more from the standpoint of the individual whose behavior is being studied than from the standpoint of the observer. A phenomenological description
of subjective reality, as a modeling of how the subject sees the threatening situation, what they attribute to it and bring into it, how they
reflect and distort it, and, ultimately, exactly what they fear (M.S. Kagan and A.M. Etkind).
The technique known as psychobiographical debriefing combines diagnosis (psychological autobiography) and correction (psychological debriefing). The method that combines diagnosis and correction we have called psychobiographical debriefing.
The "Psychobiographical Debriefing" technique involves two stages.
Stage I – the diagnostic stage. At the first stage, the client is asked to
fill out a form using the "Psychological Autobiography" technique. This technique was developed to assess the situational
features of a person's life path. It is a projective technique for studying the experiences associated with the most significant facts of the life path. The technique makes it possible to obtain information about significant events in a person's life (past and future) and the experiences associated with them (sad and joyful). The number of events is not limited; each event is given a quantitative rating and its approximate date is indicated.
The main parameters for interpreting the data of the technique are:
The productivity of the perception of images of the life path is determined by the number of events named. The more events named, the higher the subject's productivity. Productivity characterizes the richness of psychological time, that is, the richness and ease of actualizing images of the past and future, as well as the adequacy of the mental state and social adaptability. A particularly important indicator is the presence of answers about future events, especially sad ones. The fewer such answers, the greater the anxiety about the future.
Rating the events makes it possible to determine the significance of a given event for the individual compared with others.
The degree of influence of events. The main life events that have a significant influence on its course are named, with preference given to high ratings of events. It is proposed that events be distinguished by degree of influence on the subject: significant influence (4-5 points), moderate (3 points), minor (1-2 points).
The average time of retrospection and anticipation of events. To obtain the indicator of the average retrospection time, one should sum the time elapsed since each indicated fact and divide the resulting sum by the total number of past events. The average time of anticipation (foreshadowing) of events is calculated in a similar way.
Content of events. Of greatest importance to the psychologist is the qualitative (content) analysis of events. It is this that makes it possible to identify which events of the life path are experienced (evaluated) by the individual as positive and negative, even traumatic. A characteristic feature of a traumatized personality is the concentration of attention on one or several interrelated events.
Stage II – the corrective stage. After studying the features of the subject's life path, in cases where a traumatic event is identified, it is advisable to conduct an interview using the "Psychological Debriefing" technique.
The purpose of this technique is to minimize psychological suffering.
The objectives of the technique are:
– reducing tension and normalizing states (well-being): creating the opportunity to share one's experiences;
– "working through" impressions, feelings, and reactions;
– cognitive organization of the experience: awareness of the traumatic event and of the symptoms and reactions that accompanied it;
– mobilization of internal resources.
The interview using the "Psychological Debriefing" technique includes the following stages: introductory, clarification of the content and nature of the event, clarification of the nature of thoughts, restoration of feelings or reactions, symptoms, informational,
and concluding.
The introductory stage. Conducting the interview at this stage is in no way
different from the beginning of any counseling session. The first thing that must be done is to greet the person warmly. A client
coming to the psychologist for the first time experiences a certain feeling of discomfort and anxiety, so they need to be given time to collect themselves,
settle in, get used to the new setting, and look around at whatever has caught their interest. A pause of about a minute can help with this.
The literature offers many specific recommendations regarding ways of establishing contact, but every experienced
counselor has their own manner of ensuring psychological comfort. For example, if you work with young children in a specially equipped
room where there are toys and materials for modeling and drawing, the child can be invited to look around the room at the
objects that interest them, and to play. In the practice of psychological counseling, the aim, as a rule, is intensive, unique, and emotional contact. Contact unites, forming a common "field" into which the
participants are "included". Of course, there are strict rules and limits here that are agreed upon in advance. The most important of them are:
1. A benevolent and non-judgmental attitude toward the subject. This is the ability to listen, to provide the necessary psychological support, and to analyze the problem without critical judgments, uncontrolled emotions,
or inappropriate questions.
2. Orientation toward the client's norms and values. During the work, the psychologist should be guided not by socially accepted norms and rules, but by the life principles and ideals that the subject adheres to.
3. It is not recommended to give advice to the subject. By giving advice, the counselor
takes on full responsibility for what is happening, which does not contribute to the development of the client's personality. The main task of the psychologist is to shift the locus of the complaint during the consultation from others to the self. Only in this case will the person feel responsible for what is happening and try to change themselves and the situation; otherwise they will only wait for help and advice from those
around them.
4. Guarantee of anonymity and confidentiality of the information obtained. Any information communicated to the psychologist may not be
disclosed without the subject's consent to any public or governmental organizations, private individuals, relatives, or friends. There are certain exceptions (which are disclosed in advance), specifically stipulated by law in many countries, primarily information related to a threat to someone's life.
The psychologist's position in relation to the subject is a position of equality.
A child should be addressed by name, without forgetting to introduce oneself right away. Some authors advise finding out at the start of the conversation what the child
is called by their mother. With adolescents and older schoolchildren, it is important for the psychologist to behave tactfully, more as with adults, and initially, as a rule, to address
them formally. For adults, it is advisable to introduce oneself in the same way the subject introduces themselves: by first name or by first name and patronymic.
Stage of clarifying the nature and content of the event. The psychologist begins the interview with questions that make it possible to find out what
happened to the client. "Tell me what happened to you. What could you tell me about what you saw? Try to describe what happened
to you in more detail. Where were you at that time? Who told you
about ... ?" The client describes the event, trying to give a complete picture
of the fact under discussion, and describe it down to the smallest detail. The goal is to see the situation adequately, with a complete picture of the fact. It is known that the more detail a person gives about something, the more specific details are in the account, the weaker the imprint of subjectivity on it (small details are very hard to invent or distort), and the greater the possibilities for the counselor to understand those aspects of reality which are not perceived or not noticed by the narrator.
The interview using the "Psychological Debriefing" technique follows a certain scheme of conduct, which
it is recommended to adhere to. At this phase a condition can be stipulated: for example, "try not to talk about feelings". If a person begins
to talk about what they feel and begins to cry, this is not bad, but an attempt should be made to bring them back to the account of the event: "It is very hard for you, I
understand that, but we will not talk about this right now, we will return to your feelings later".
The stage of clarifying the nature of the thoughts accompanying the given
event means recording judgments about the event. At this stage
questions may be asked: "What were your first thoughts? When did you
find out about the event that happened to you?" The first thoughts, as a rule,
reflect what may later form the basis of anxiety. The goal
of this stage of the conversation is to revive memories and activate thoughts.
The stage of restoring feelings or reactions during the
critical event is the longest. Questions may be
formulated as follows: "What feelings did you experience then? Tell me about
them. How did you feel when the event happened?" Some people
speak easily about their feelings and experiences (hyperactive types), while others find it hard
to talk about them (hypoactive types). In such cases the psychologist helps
actualize feelings using certain techniques and methods.
1. The technique of alternative formulations (a special prompting of variants of experiences that could arise in the
situation under discussion, in order to stimulate the interlocutor's activity, giving them an example for describing their emotions).
2. The technique of clarifying the "depth of experience", which helps to formulate one's experiences and feelings more precisely. For example, a person speaks of
confusion in some situation. The psychologist may ask the question: "And how did you feel your confusion?" – and reformulate what was said: "You
felt confused, that is, you had a feeling of not understanding what was happening?" The use of such formulations makes it possible
gradually to deepen the account, moving from superficial experiences toward deeper ones.
3. The technique of "paradoxical questions", which makes it possible to shake
"absolute truths". One can shift the conversation to a new plane and call some
statement into question with the remark: "And
why not?"
Reflecting on experiences and feelings is, as a rule, the most
informative side of the conversation, since feelings are most closely connected with
subconscious desires and drives hidden in the depths of the soul. In
the conversation, attention should be paid to the following:
– the words and expressions that the client uses to
describe feelings (for example: "I got angry…", " I am suffering…");
– nonverbal reactions (facial expressions, gestures, intonation, etc.), which are little
subject to conscious control.
The stage of symptoms accompanying the event. At this stage
symptoms (emotional, cognitive, and physical) are identified
that appear after the event has ended. At this stage the following
questions are possible: "How have you changed since the event happened? How has this
event affected your life?"
It is worth clarifying whether sleep has been disturbed, using questions such as: "Have you had
nightmares since it happened? And now? What dreams have you had?
Tell me about them". Disturbed sleep is the first sign of psychological
trauma.
It is necessary to find out whether it was difficult to return to work, study,
or one's usual way of life: "How did you react to the event? What for you
was the most terrible part of what happened?".
The informational stage. At this stage the psychologist tells the client
what usually happens to a person in a critical situation, and that such
behavior and symptoms are a normal reaction of the organism to an abnormal
situation. All this helps to remove the sense of "uniqueness", since the client
believes that their situation is exceptional and that no one has ever experienced anything
like it.
The concluding stage ends with a summing-up of the conversation
(the psychologist, avoiding direct answers and judgments, should try to
minimize the impact of the past and activate the future), as well as
discussing questions concerning the further relationship between the client and
the psychologist, and saying goodbye.
Psychobiographical debriefing can be especially useful in cases where crisis events have deep psychological and emotional roots connected with past experience. This method helps participants create a fuller and more integrated picture of their life and of their own reaction to the crisis.
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