The Effectiveness of Gestalt Therapy on Emotional Disorders and Post-Traumatic Growth in Girls with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Emotional schemas make people avoid treatment. Emotional schemas have been related to post-traumatic stress disorder, knowing and treating these schemas can be effective in improving the symptoms of this disorder. On the other hand, psychological issues such as post-traumatic stress at older ages are among the consequences related to traumatic experiences, and these consequences are not limited to negative ones, and according to researches, some stressful situations and suffering They can provide a suitable platform for people's development, and injured people not only return to their previous state, but also reach a higher level of psychological functioning, and this higher level psychological functioning, growth after injury. Post-traumatic growth is characterized by positive psychological changes after coping with challenging life circumstances and has five domains; a) communication with others, which means developing a network of relationships and more intimacy with them; b) new possibilities that indicate the creation of a new path or opportunities; c) Personal strength, which refers to the increase of inner strength and the ability to rely on oneself in difficulties; e) spiritual change, which refers to understanding experiences and strengthening spiritual beliefs; f) Appreciation of life, which means realizing the value of life. There are several intervention approaches to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder and improve their emotional schemas and post-traumatic growth, among which Gestalt therapy has useful and significant effects in treating problems caused by post-traumatic stress disorder. They have the assumption that people have the basic ability to be alert, introspective and reflect, people have the potential freedom of understanding and action and a responsible attitude in relation to others and life in society. Personal growth and fulfillment is possible if the existing potential is not blocked by limiting expectations and norms and this personal growth is supported by the utilitarian resources of others. Based on the background of the research, group gestalt therapy can be used as an independent therapy or along with other treatments to improve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. It has also been shown that Gestalt therapy is effective for helping teenagers with traumatic experiences, and by combining cognitive-behavioral elements and committed to an interactive and conversational approach, it can help reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. But what has not been paid attention to in previous researches is the effectiveness of this treatment method on emotional schemas and post-traumatic growth in girls suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Therefore, based on what was said, the research question is, is Gestalt therapy effective on emotional schemas and post-traumatic growth in girls with post-traumatic stress disorder?

In this research, the statistical population of all girls aged 14 to 19 years with post-traumatic stress disorder who referred to the welfare of Boushehr city was 91 in 2019, and by using simple random sampling method, 40 of them were selected and They were replaced in two groups (gestalt therapy test group of 20 people and control group of 20 people). The experimental group underwent Gestalt therapy (10 sessions of 90 minutes); But the control group did not receive any Gestalt therapy intervention and remained on the waiting list. Foa et al.'s PTSD scale (1993), Leahy's emotional schemas (2002) and Tedeschi and Calhoun's post-traumatic growth (1996) were used to collect information. The analysis of the information obtained from the implementation of the questionnaires was done through SPSS software version 24 in two descriptive and inferential parts (variance analysis with repeated measurements and Ben-Ferroni post hoc test).

The results showed that the above-mentioned treatment had a significant effect on emotional schemas and post-traumatic growth in girls with post-traumatic stress disorder compared to the control group (P<0.05).

Based on the results of the present study, it can be said that Gestalt therapy can be used as a therapeutic method to reduce emotional schemas and increase post-traumatic growth in girls suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in medical centers. be taken away It is suggested that similar researches be conducted in other cities and other cultures on girls suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in other cities as well as male students so that the results of the researches can be compared. Applied research should be conducted with similar topics on the effectiveness of Gestalt therapy on other problems of girls with post-traumatic stress disorder such as aggression, resilience, distress tolerance, anxiety and depression. Conducting research on the comparison of Gestalt therapy with other treatment methods such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, commitment-acceptance therapy, self-compassion therapy, etc., can lead to effective results in improving the problems of girls with post-traumatic stress disorder. have In addition to the use of self-reporting tools, in which the possibility of bias is possible, it is suggested to use other research methods such as interview and observation to measure this variable in order to reduce the biases to a minimum. Considering the prevalence of this disorder and that the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder can have negative psychological, physical and social consequences for girls; Psychological interventions with the Gestalt therapy approach can reduce the severity of these negative consequences, and carrying out this therapeutic intervention with the aim of increasing growth after injury and improving emotional schemas can help the psychological health of these girls, and counselors and clinical psychologists. They can use the results of this research in counseling centers and psychological services.