The Warrior’s Journey Intervention
A Chaplain-Led Motivational, Preparatory Exercise for Enhancing Treatment Success
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21744758 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wesley H Fleming (0000-0003-4334-5554, SUNY Upstate Medical University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 74 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 99-107 |
| Publication date | 2020-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling Advancing theory and professional practice through scholarly and reflective publications (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1542-3050 • E-ISSN: 2167-776X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1542305020919684 |
| PMID | 32496954 |
| OpenAlex | W3033013543 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 52 |
Outcome literature has shown poor treatment engagement in efficacious, evidence-based post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) programs among returning veterans with combat-related psychological symptoms and calls for the development of motivational, preparatory exercises that circumvent stigma-related barriers and are delivered before or during the orientation phase of treatment. The psychological states of hope, meaning, and guilt have been found to impact motivation for treatment and the development and maintenance of post-trauma pathology and symptom severity. Given a chaplain’s less stigmatized role, as compared to mental health providers, and proficiency in assessing these states and providing interventions that mediate change, often before a veteran is enrolled in a PTSD treatment program, this paper introduces a brief, chaplain-led, preparatory exercise called the “Warrior’s Journey Intervention” (WJI). This narrative based, meaning-making exercise is designed to improve motivation for treatment and mitigate post-trauma symptoms by impacting hope, meaning, and guilt through use of a universally shared, metaphoric story of trauma recovery. A case study will demonstrate use of the intervention, observe its effects, and analyze mechanisms of change. Research is recommended at the end of the article to test the hypothesis that the intervention promotes motivation for treatment and reduces symptoms of PTSD and Moral Injury (MI). A standardized manual for the exercise is available from author
Bibliotherapy · Mental health · Narrative · Narrative therapy · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Psychotherapist · Clinical Psychology · Migration, Health and Trauma · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health
Dissociation and the fragmentary nature of traumatic memories
Stigma as a Barrier to Seeking Health Care Among Military Personnel With Mental Health Problems
Trauma, Change in Strength of Religious Faith, and Mental Health Service Use Among Veterans Treated for PTSD
A comparison of cognitive-processing therapy with prolonged exposure and a waiting condition for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in female rape victims.
Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the Moral Injury Questionnaire—Military Version
Narrative Identity
An exploration of the viability and usefulness of the construct of moral injury in war veterans.
The many methods of religious coping
Brain-to-brain coupling
The development of a clinician‐administered PTSD scale
What do I do? Developing a taxonomy of chaplaincy activities and interventions for spiritual care in intensive care unit palliative care
A Multidimensional Meta-Analysis of Psychotherapy for PTSD
Moral injury and moral repair in war veterans
Trauma, Culture, and Metaphor
Moral Injury, Spiritual Care and the Role of Chaplains
Achilles in Vietnam. Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character
Hope as a change mechanism in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder
Using a Spiritual Distress Scale to Assess Suicide Risk in Veterans
Living into the story
Narrative meaning making, attachment, and psychological growth and stress
The will and the ways
Existential Meaning's Role in the Enhancement of Hope and Prevention of Depressive Symptoms
The meaning in life questionnaire
Episodic memory, perceptual memory, and their interaction
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |