These include techniques to reduce characteristic posttraumatic symptoms like intrusion, hyperarousal, avoidance, depression, feelings of insecurity, cognitive deficits, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, bad dreams, dissociation processes, social isolation, achievement difficulties, concentration problems, etc. However, as the theoretical model predicts, and our empirical data show, social, economic, and educational support is important too, and has a synergistic effect on the outcome of psychological intervention. In general, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical patients, particularly in the posttraumatic phase, show great motivation for therapy provided the therapist is ready

to work with them on their symptoms. However, the patient’s motivation often undergoes fluctuations due to the interference of intrusions, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical avoidance patterns,

or plain socioeconomic problems, which affect the dialectical (social interactional) aspect and the selfprocesses. ‘Ihe social interaction model of the traumatized self allows symptom-oriented or psychosocial therapy to be more effectively focused, thus helping patients whose self-processes are shattered by traumatic experiences to restore self-assertiveness and self-stability. This therapeutic approach was used in a series of training programs Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical throughout Bosnia. Actual training started during the war in 1993 and was continued after the war, with the support of UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) and Volkswagen-Stiftung. During the war, the training program was offered to local professionals Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and paraprofessionals, who worked in camps, for nongovernmental organizations, and in hospitals. The training was offered in various towns in Bosnia to groups of up to 30 participants. ‘Ihe principal Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical goals of this training were to provide role

models for therapy and technical skills, but we also helped to combat burnout and treat trauma disorders of participants whose war-shattered self-processes badly needed support. During this period, research was not in the forefront of our work. As a feedback for us, as trainers, and for the participants, we used the SCL-90-R12 checklist to assess the SB203580 mouse stresses the participants were exposed to and their reactions to these stresses. Figures 4 and 5 show some of the results using group averages (before and after training sessions). It can be seen that, at the beginning of the two different workshops until (in 1994 and 1995), most of the participants were in a severe state, with a large number of symptoms and scores on the scale clearly above the clinical norms, and that these scores had already dramatically changed during the first week of training (Figure 4). The second training session took place in 1995 in the same group. Figure 5 shows evidence of the stresses of another year of war, with scores even higher than at the beginning of the 1994 workshop.