Time-driven battlemind psychological debriefing: a group-level early intervention in combat

Abstract

Military personnel who experience combat-related events are more likely to report mental health problems yet few early interventions have been designed to do more than assess those with problems or treat those with diagnoses. Psychological debriefing is one early intervention technique that has been used with military populations to reduce symptoms across entire groups. Although there are several different kinds of debriefings, this article describes time-driven Battlemind Psychological Debriefing procedures for use during a combat deployment. The five phases include: Introduction, Event, Reactions, Self and Buddy Aid, and Battlemind Focus. The paper reviews implementation guidelines, scientific support for Battlemind Psychological Debriefing, and feedback from military behavioral health providers in Iraq. Comparisons with other military debriefing models identify unique features and how Battlemind Psychological Debriefing is integrated into the larger Battlemind Training system.