Effectiveness of Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP®) Associated with Wartime Events.

Among the expected consequences of war are the frequent and recurrent detrimental effects on the mental health of military and civilian populations. Inconceivable traumatic experiences and ongoing threats of violence and death are prevalent. Furthermore, as wars drag on, the psychological resiliency of the population declines, particularly for wars fought on a country's soil. Following traumatic events, early psychological intervention techniques are needed to address the severe impact on victims' mental health and psychological resiliency. Dr. Gary Quinn developed the Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP®) as a psychological stabilization technique to address the effects on persons exposed to wartime events and terrorist attacks in Israel. During the Russian-Ukrainian War, ISP®-trained Ukrainian psychologists provided ISP® sessions via telehealth as a psychological stabilization intervention for military and civilian personnel experiencing symptoms of acute stress reaction (ASR). Data were collected from 155 Ukrainian participants, in-country and abroad. Following a single ISP® intervention session, the levels of distress experienced by the participants related to wartime events were significantly reduced. The findings also suggest that psychological resiliency may be improved for those receiving consecutive sessions of ISP®. This study is among the first formal research reports on ISP®'s effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]