Next Article in Journal
Advances in Radiotherapy Management of Esophageal Cancer
Next Article in Special Issue
Ashamed and Afraid: A Scoping Review of the Role of Shame in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Previous Article in Journal
Repurposing Treatments to Enhance Innate Immunity. Can Statins Improve Neutrophil Functions and Clinical Outcomes in COPD?
Previous Article in Special Issue
The Influence of Parental Emotional Neglect on Assault Victims Seeking Treatment for Depressed Mood and Alcohol Misuse: A Pilot Study
Article Menu

Export Article

Open AccessArticle
J. Clin. Med. 2016, 5(10), 90; doi:10.3390/jcm5100090

Guilt, Shame and Compassionate Imagery in War: Traumatized German Soldiers with PTSD, a Pilot Study

1
Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Berlin, Abt. VIB Psychotraumazentrum, Scharnhorststr. 13, 10115 Berlin, Germany
2
Klinik am Waldschlösschen, Zentrum für Psychotherapie, 01067 Dresden, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Frances Kay Lambkin and Emma Barrett
Received: 1 September 2016 / Revised: 9 October 2016 / Accepted: 14 October 2016 / Published: 20 October 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 2016)
View Full-Text   |   Download PDF [225 KB, uploaded 20 October 2016]

Abstract

Background: The consideration of specific trauma-associated emotions poses a challenge for the differential treatment planning in trauma therapy. Soldiers experiencing deployment-related posttraumatic stress disorder often struggle with emotions of guilt and shame as a central component of their PTSD. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which soldiers’ PTSD symptoms and their trauma-related guilt and shame may be affected as a function of their ability to develop compassionate imagery between their CURRENT SELF (today) and their TRAUMATIZED SELF (back then). Method: The sample comprised 24 male German soldiers diagnosed with PTSD who were examined on the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and two additional measures: the Emotional Distress Inventory (EIBE) and the Quality of Interaction between the CURRENT SELF and the TRAUMATIZED SELF (QUI-HD: Qualität der Interaktion zwischen HEUTIGEN ICH und DAMALIGEN ICH) at pre- and post-treatment and again at follow-up. The treatment used was imagery rescripting and reprocessing therapy (IRRT). Results: Eighteen of the 24 soldiers showed significant improvement in their PTSD symptoms at post-treatment and at follow-up (on their reliable change index). A significant change in trauma-associated guilt and shame emerged when compassionate imagery was developed towards one’s TRAUMATIZED SELF. The degree and intensity of the guilt and shame felt at the beginning of treatment and the degree of compassionate imagery developed toward the TRAUMATIZED SELF were predictors for change on the PDS scores. Conclusions: For soldiers suffering from specific war-related trauma involving PTSD, the use of self-nurturing, compassionate imagery that fosters reconciling with the traumatized part of the self can effectively diminish trauma-related symptoms, especially when guilt and shame are central emotions. View Full-Text
Keywords: PTSD; combat; military; imagery rescripting; emotions; compassionate imagery; IRRT PTSD; combat; military; imagery rescripting; emotions; compassionate imagery; IRRT
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).

Scifeed alert for new publications

Never miss any articles matching your research from any publisher
  • Get alerts for new papers matching your research
  • Find out the new papers from selected authors
  • Updated daily for 49'000+ journals and 6000+ publishers
  • Define your Scifeed now

Share & Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Alliger-Horn, C.; Zimmermann, P.L.; Schmucker, M. Guilt, Shame and Compassionate Imagery in War: Traumatized German Soldiers with PTSD, a Pilot Study. J. Clin. Med. 2016, 5, 90.

Show more citation formats Show less citations formats

Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Related Articles

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

1

Comments

[Return to top]
J. Clin. Med. EISSN 2077-0383 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert
Back to Top
{"cc_re__cc_re__cc_by_3_0": ["tina Alliger-Horn\">\n            <meta name=\"dc.creator\" content=\"Peter Zimmermann\">\n            <meta name=\"dc.creator\" content=\"Mervyn Schmucker\">\n    \n    <meta name=\"dc.type\" content=\"Article\">\n    <meta name=\"dc.source\" content=\"Journal of Clinical Medicine 2016, Vol. 5, Page 90\">\n    <meta name=\"dc.date\" content=\"2016-10-20\">\n            <meta name =\"dc.identifier\" content=\"10.3390/jcm5100090\">\n    \n    <meta name=\"dc.publisher\" content=\"Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute\">\n    <meta name=\"dc.rights\" content=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/\">\n    <meta name=\"dc.format\" content=\"application/pdf\" >\n    <meta name=\"dc.language\" content=\"en\" >\n\t<meta name=\"dc.description\" content=\"Background: The consideration of specific trauma-associated emotions poses a challenge for the differential treatment planning in trauma therapy. Soldiers experiencing deployment-related posttraumatic stress disorder often struggle with emotions of guilt and shame as a central component of their PTSD. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the ext"], "cc_re__cc_re__cc_by_4_0": ["/a>;                                <a href=\"/search?q=emotions\">emotions</a>;                                <a href=\"/search?q=compassionate imagery\">compassionate imagery</a>;                                <a href=\"/search?q=IRRT\">IRRT</a></span>\n                                    </div>\n            \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n            \n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"licenseText in-tab\" style=\"padding: 1em 0;\">\n                                    This is an open access article distributed under the <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\" target=\"_blank\">Creative Commons Attribution License</a> which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).\n                \t\t\t</div>\n\t\n\t   </div>\n\t   \n\t\t<div class=\"show-for-small\" >\n            <h1>Scifeed alert for new publications</h1> \n            <strong>Never miss any articles</strong> matching your research <strong>from any publisher</strong>\n            <ul>\n                <li>Get alerts for new papers matching your "], "copyright__copyright__copyright": ["mpassionate Imagery in War: Traumatized German Soldiers with PTSD, a Pilot Study. J. Clin. Med. 2016, 5, 90.\n\nShow more citation formats Show less citations formats\n\nNote that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.\n\nRelated Articles\n\nArticle Metrics\n\nArticle Access Statistics\n\n1\n\nComments\n\n[Return to top]\nJ. Clin. Med. EISSN 2077-0383 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert\nBack to Top", "mpassionate Imagery in War: Traumatized German Soldiers with PTSD, a Pilot Study. J. Clin. Med. 2016, 5, 90.\n\nShow more citation formats Show less citations formats\n\nNote that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.\n\nRelated Articles\n\nArticle Metrics\n\nArticle Access Statistics\n\n1\n\nComments\n\n[Return to top]\nJ. Clin. Med. EISSN 2077-0383 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert\nBack to Top", "mpassionate Imagery in War: Traumatized German Soldiers with PTSD, a Pilot Study. J. Clin. Med. 2016, 5, 90.\n\nShow more citation formats Show less citations formats\n\nNote that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.\n\nRelated Articles\n\nArticle Metrics\n\nArticle Access Statistics\n\n1\n\nComments\n\n[Return to top]\nJ. Clin. Med. EISSN 2077-0383 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert\nBack to Top"]}