Chronic combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder can be difficult to treat. The investigators believe that hypnosis, with a stress on the sensation of scent which often plays a role in the traumatic memories, can offer help for victims of this disorder who continue to suffer after receiving other treatments.
Our study examines the effect of hypnosis upon 36 individuals who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder incurred in battles or training. The hypnotherapy stresses elements of odor, both in conditioning the subject to relate certain pleasant odors with security and calm, and in gradually reexposing the patient to the olfactory aspects of the traumatic memories. All subjects are taken form the Israel Defense Forces Mental Health Clinic, treated with 6 one-and-a-half-hour hypnotherapy sessions, and evaluated at baseline, end of treatment, after 6 months, and after 12 months, on a battery of clinical scales.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
36
Combat Stress Reaction Unit, Medical Corps, Mental Health Department, Israel Defense Forces
Tel Litwinsky, Ramat Gan, Israel
Impact of Event Scale
Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months, one year
Beck Depression Inventory
Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months, one year
Dissociative Experience Scale
Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months, one year
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