Interactive psychoeducational group therapy for traumatized women

A specialized form of outpatient group therapy with traumatized women is described. Interactive psychoeducational group therapy (IPGT) aims to help the survivor differentiate her self-representations from traumatic schemata that she may have assimilated since the traumatic event. Such assimilation is viewed as leading to a number of negative effects, including shame, social isolation, distorted body image, and sense of meaninglessness. Using a membership with heterogeneous trauma, cognitive-distancing techniques, corrective interpersonal enactments, and specifically designed ceremonies, IPGT attempts to encourage survivors to alter their relationship to the traumatic event and the illness of posttraumatic stress disorder. Clinical examples demonstrate members' improvement in self-image, interpersonal relationships, and sense of belonging to the community at large.