title: Libido and PTSD.
abstract: The most frequent PTSD treatment is group therapy. Experiences gained from this kind of work warn us of big difficulties, especially if psychotherapist is an analytically oriented person. He has to do with non-presence of insight. These groups are dominated by projection and catharsis, which is often a source of secondary traumas. However, patients are fond of these group sessions. In the dynamics of such group sessions, what can be recognized is the tendency towards repression of the actual problems a PTSD patient has in his family, at work and in social relations. One of these problems, marked for the intensity of repression and negation, is the problem of libido. Weakness of potency and other libidinous problems are often the source of family problems as well as auto-aggressive acts. Libidinous problems are a taboo topic and the task of a psychodynamically oriented psychotherapeutist is to point out at this problem. Psychotherapeutic process changes its dynamics while directing verbalization to the problem of libido. Apart from readiness for solving the problem, patients with PTSD diagnosis show an interest in the members of their family being involved into psychotherapy. A special dynamics is being developed while solving the libidinous problems of the widows whose husbands were killed in war.
authors.affiliation: Psychological Medicine Clinic, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gruden
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gruden
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007989:Libido; D008297:Male; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy