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Debriefing is the process of support in the form of allowing emotional expression under controlled circumstances, rendered to people suffering from acute stress after a traumatic incident.
There are two types of trauma: 'manmade' and 'natural traumas' (Acts of God) Because there is usually some warning, people are often to some extent prepared for natural traumas like floods, earthquakes and fires, but are not prepared for manmade traumas like accidents, rape and hijackings which are usually quite unexpected.
Traumatic events are extraordinary not because they occur rarely, but because they overwhelm the normal coping mechanisms and affect people long after the event has come to an end.
Myths surrounding Trauma
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Debriefing is not therapy in the true sense of the word. As frightening new experiences may be confusing or totally overwhelming, responses are often repressed into the unconscious and they are not properly dealt with. Debriefing prevents this 'quick dumping' into the 'miscellaneous' file of the unconscious. Therapy on the other hand is a longer deeper process of healing undertaken when a trauma victim experiences persisting symptoms.
Goals of Debriefing
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