Aim: The aim is to investigate the peculiarities of psychological trauma manifestation in police officers-combatants with different combat experience and to substantiate recommendations for their psychological rehabilitation based on the Gestalt approach Materials and Methods: The research, conducted in 2023-2024, involved 69 male police officers–combatants with different combat experience: up to 1 year (Group A, n = 33) and more than 1 year (Group B, n = 36). Research methods: analysis and generalization, psycho-diagnostic, mathematical statistics. Results: It has been found that armed conflict participants with more combat experience had more pronounced symptoms of PTSD; the difference between the indicators of Groups A and B is significant (p ≤ 0.05). It has been found that the dominant type of response to a traumatic event in both groups of combatants is the protective mechanism of physiological arousal (63.6 % in Group A and 66.7 % in Group B). Practical recommendations for the psychological rehabilitation of combatants who suffered psychological trauma using Gestalt therapy have been proposed. Conclusions: It has been found that the Gestalt approach allows solving the following tasks of working with psychological trauma: to help combatants realize and respond to traumatic experiences, to overcome existing traumas, to increase the adequacy of self-perception and self-esteem, to reduce anxiety, tension, emotional instability, and self-doubt in difficult life situations.
Yevdokimova et al. (Mon,) studied this question.