Stress Inoculation

The Concept of "Psychological Vaccine".

Stress Inoculation is based on the medical analogy of immunization: exposing the individual to controlled, manageable doses of stress to strengthen his or her "psychological antibodies" or coping skills, before facing situations of greater intensity.

The goal is not to eliminate stress from life, but to increase the patient's resilience and confidence in his or her ability to handle it.

The process begins with an educational phase where stress is demystified, explaining it as a manageable reaction to perceived demands, and not as a sign of uncontrollable weakness.

The specific current triggers that generate discomfort in the patient are identified.

Skills Acquisition and Rehearsal

In this central phase, the patient is equipped with an arsenal of tools. These include physical relaxation techniques (such as progressive muscle relaxation) and cognitive techniques (thought stopping, positive self-instructions).

Imaginal exposure is used to practice these skills. The therapist guides the patient to visualize a stressful situation (e.g. an argument or a reminder of the trauma) and simultaneously apply coping techniques to reduce physiological and emotional arousal.

It is a mental rehearsal of success: the patient sees him/herself coping with the stressor and remaining regulated and functional.

Application and Consolidation

Finally, real-life application is encouraged. The patient is encouraged to gradually expose him/herself to everyday stressful situations using what has been learned.

Results are reviewed: Which technique worked best, at what point did the anxiety decrease? This training helps to modify helplessness beliefs ("I can't handle this") to self-efficacy beliefs ("I have the tools to deal with this").

Unlike PD which focuses on traumatic recall, stress inoculation focuses more on managing anxiety in the face of current triggers and challenges stemming from the trauma.