The therapeutic value of trauma stabilisation in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder - A Southeast Asian Study

Abstract

Objective: Southeast Asia suffers from various forms of natural disasters and interpersonal violence. This creates a large trauma population, while at the same time mental health services in this area are limited. The humanitarian organisation Trauma Aid Germany established trauma capacity building by training 37 local therapists in psycho-traumatology, including trauma stabilisation, in Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand. This analysis examines the impact of trauma stabilisation as a sole treatment for traumatized clients.

Method: Clients were screened for PTSD using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire pre- and post-treatment. Analysis only included clients who had received trauma stabilisation, including psychoeducation, but no confrontation with the traumatic event.

Results: Trauma stabilisation was highly effective in reducing PTSD symptoms, with high remission from PTSD post-treatment. Trauma stabilisation affected all subscales of PTSD and was effective in clinical as well as subclinical traumatized clients.

Conclusion: The research supports the notion that trauma stabilisation is a treatment effect for PTSD. It was highly effective in its own in reducing PTSD symptoms. Based on the analysis, trauma stabilisation was a safe, language independent treatment for PTSD sufficiently flexible to be sensitive to the client's context. Therapists can adapt the techniques to the individual client and his cultural, spiritual, developmental, cognitive and situational background. Trauma stabilisation is suitable for implementation in crisis areas. The research has also implications to the potential utilisation of para-professionals.

Keywords: Cultural sensitivity; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Southeast Asia; Therapeutic relationship; Trauma capacity building; Trauma stabilization.