Vietnam Grief Work Using Hypnosis

Abstract

Problems unique to the veteran of the Vietnam War are discussed, and a new strategy using hypnosis for assisting some of these veterans in coming to terms with their psychological and physical losses is presented. Many Vietnam veterans suffer from losses common to any war: of friends, of body parts, of a sense of self as hero. Putting these losses into perspective has been made more difficult by the absence of a sense of national purpose for the war. This deprives the suffering of a sense of meaning, giving rise to a delayed stress response syndrome. Treatment should take into account the lack of social support for these veterans. Previous uses of hypnosis in treating traumatic neurosis have focused on abreaction. The limitations of this technique are discussed in relation to Freud's conception of psychotherapy as “remembering, repeating, and working through.” The working through can be conceptualized as a kind of grief work in which the patient puts losses into perspective, and it is this element which is often overlooked when hypnosis is used. Four case examples are presented.

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