Psychological Debriefing: What Is It?

The psychological debriefing is a brief intervention that is realized in the first days after a traumatic event: a natural disaster (earthquake, flood), a plane or train crash, etc.

It involves a group of people who have lived the same experience and aims to foster intra-group support. It is a space in which it is possible to freely express all the feelings, thoughts and reactions related to the lived experience. The  psychological debriefing  helps prevent the onset of post-traumatic forms or mental disorders.

Participants come together to lighten the emotional burden associated with the experience. Directed by a psychologist, the meeting is based on the verbal account of what has been experienced.

The the debriefing is a technique designed to end potentially traumatic events. It is considered of great use especially in professionals working in the field of emergencies.

Emergency health care professionals also suffer trauma

An emergency worker is a person who emotionally participates in the dramatic event, suffers and may need support. Often they are the forgotten greats, the professionals who carry out an activity with a high risk of psychological trauma, especially in situations that require immediate intervention.

Often assigned to work assignments regardless of experience or age, they can experience acute stressful episodes. In other cases it is the professional who does not recognize that the situation is beyond his own strength.

The request for intervention in the event of a disaster is not predictable. The shifts are tight and the commitment that is required is varied and immediate. The resources to be activated (if you have them) are many.

In such a situation, less effective or less effective responses must also be taken into account; they are, from a certain point of view, normal and predictable if we consider the extent and gravity of the situation faced.

Stress symptoms experienced by emergency professionals

The symptoms of stress that those who intervene after a catastrophic event and work under pressure can experience are varied. They can range from nausea and chills, to lack of air to weakness.

Certainly on a cognitive level, the professional is very attentive and alert, but will have negative thoughts that are difficult to block. The emotional response will be fear, anxiety, irritation and even emotional shock.

On the physical plane, reactions such as inability to rest and accelerated, shouted verbal communication are common . To prevent these symptoms from escalating, psychological debriefing is used. Certainly an exceptional tool.

Why is it important to recognize stress and take action?

The effects of stress on emergency professionals can be truly damaging. Let’s see some of them:

In a working environment

• Lower quality of work.
• Increased absenteeism.
• Less involvement or interest.
• Increased conflicts with colleagues, superiors or subordinates.

In the family environment

• Conflicts with partner or other family members.
• Need to discharge emotions or provide reports for which the family member is not prepared.
• Tendency towards closure and isolation, in an attempt not to involve the family member.

Start of the psychological debriefing

Psychological debriefing should be an integral part of the organization of work. It should be considered as a kind of “maintenance” to avoid damaging the most important gears: people.

On the other hand, group support or emotional release meetings elicit approval and criticism. Many organizations use this technique, in some of its versions, to support those who help manage emotions.

These meetings have precise rules and are conducted by an expert. During the session, the participants relate the events in an objective way and the cognitive and emotional reactions that have arisen.

Once the work shift or the entire rescue operation is over, a relaxed work group meeting should be encouraged, encouraging participants to:

• Describe the lived experience.
• Talk about the sensations experienced.
• Inform about any physical or mental symptoms resulting from the trauma.
• Receive information on how to deal with these symptoms.

Phases of psychological debriefing

The debriefing is not left to improvisation, but is divided into the following phases:

• Presentation of the objectives.
• Facts : Each participant introduces himself and explains what happened.
• Thoughts : Each participant describes feelings and thoughts.
• Reactions : Individual reactions are commented on. Each participant is invited to focus on the worst aspects of the experience.
• Symptoms : Each participant exhibits the stress responses experienced during and after the accident.
• Reflection : we insist on the normality of such reactions and we teach or remember the mechanisms of coping.
• Closure : questions are answered, the opportunity is given to voice any unexpressed thoughts and the possibility of additional support is offered.

After the debriefing, when you are back to “normal”, you may continue to experience some symptoms.  Among these: refusing to rest, making an excessive self-criticism of one’s modus operandi, feeling misunderstood by loved ones or acquaintances, etc.

The stress experienced after surgery, in the event of an emergency or catastrophe, can reach very high levels and are difficult to manage. It is useful to carry out the psychological debriefing between the first 24 and 72 hours after the event.

Debriefing, in other words, attempts to give voice to suffering, to provide structure to the traumatic event, to relieve stress.

It is about learning to understand and manage the normal reactions resulting from a traumatic event. For this purpose, a space is created in which people finally feel safe, accompanied and therapeutically guided in the process of integration and resolution.