The following is a treatment protocol that has been developed in Israel. Although it doesn't offer a specific form of treatment such as those detailed above, it does offer a treatment model that could possibly be adapted for one's personal use.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>

From combat experience in recent years, and on the basis of treatment in whole army units that experienced combat traumas from the Yom Kippur War onward, we have found that sticking to the unit structure is of utmost importance. The trauma victims themselves have indicated that the assistance they received from their friends at division or platoon level was more vital for them than professional help. We have also learned that the correct psychological approach entails preventive measures before battle and immediately after it.

Another lesson learned through work with army units suffering from combat trauma is the need to make a professional distinction between treatment for mourning over comrades who have fallen in battle and treatment for post-trauma symptoms. Failure to do so can result in either pathological mourning or the perpetuation of combat trauma.

In consequence of the recent war on the northern border, we suggest taking innovative measures for the prevention and treatment of combat trauma victims:

We need to establish a professional framework that would operate within the psychological-educational system at Retorno, for the prevention of combat trauma. Set up workshops on two levels: daily workshops for regular combat units, and workshops to be held twice or three times a day for units that have suffered difficult traumas such as the death of comrades in battle or physical wounds among many of the participants, the two major causes of combat trauma. The proposed workshops are suitable for both regular army and reserve units.

Preparation for the workshops:
Prior to each workshop a meeting will be held between the staff in charge of the workshop and army unit commanders, to identify the unit’s special needs and to prepare the commanders for the workshop. The scope of the workshop should be determined at these meetings.

Workshop Activities:

Unit Meetings – At the start and conclusion of the workshop, a meeting with the whole unit (at platoon level) to set expectations and provide information. These meetings will include the participation of both Retorno staff and unit commanders.

Division Meetings – Division level meetings will raise the following issues:
1. What have you been through since the traumatic event?
2. What did you go through during the traumatic event itself?
3. Mourning over friends who are no longer with us.
4. How can we carry on in a positive manner?

These meetings provide preventive means and include psychological-educational guidance in the area of reaction to battle, which plays an important role in both prevention and treatment.

The coordinators of the meetings will be professionals in the fields of psychology and spiritual health who served as morale officers in the IDF, joined by professional staff from Retorno. The coordinators and staff that will participate in the meetings will receive steady instruction from the professionals in charge of the workshops, Dr. Haim Kanobler and Yoram Ben Yehuda.

Group Activities:
In parallel to the meetings there will be group activities, enabling participants to learn different kinds of relaxation:
Challenging sports such as horseback riding and mountain biking; group musical activities; group art workshop; group meditation workshop; field trips in the region.

Detecting Post-Trauma Cases:
From our experience with similar workshops in the areas of combat trauma and drug abuse prevention, there have been cases in which post-trauma symptoms are detected, and other cases when participants apply for treatment in the course of a workshop. Participants at the workshops who are interested in continuing treatment will be referred to the appropriate therapists by our professional staff. For this purpose each workshop will include a senior staff member in charge of giving referrals to all those attending the workshops who are in need of therapy.

Follow-up and Assessment:
In units for which the IDF/ Ministry of Defense are interested in follow-up, it will be possible to evaluate both the influence of the meetings and the state of the participants’ post-traumatic symptoms over a length of time. It is advisable to set up at least one follow-up meeting for units at risk, a half year after the initial intervention.

Retorno will conduct reviews to assess the efficiency of the workshops by handing out questionnaires that relate to the satisfaction of the participants and the post-traumatic symptoms.

Conclusion
There is no substitute for the prevention of combat trauma under a full professional framework. Treatment should take place within a year following a battle, with the most effective period for treatment falling between one month and half a year after the wartime event.

The main causes of late treatment for chronic cases of combat trauma include:
1. Lack of awareness and stigmas (among victims and therapists alike)
2. Inability to deal with post-trauma victims through bureaucratic channels
3. Delayed appearances of Late Onset and Reactivation syndromes

Source:

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">