Crossing the Rivers of the Tartarus: The Grief Process among Combat-Related PTSD Patients

Abstract

The third stage of Pierre Janet’s model of trauma-focused treatment focuses on personality reintegration and rehabilitation and includes psychoeducation and hypnosis. According to the Jungian conceptualization presented herein, therapeutic work with combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients at this stage involves the completion of the grief process, during which there is a metaphoric descent to the underworld and a crossing of the rivers of the underworld, which represent complex emotional states. During the treatment of these patients, the therapist embodies, or personifies, the ancient Greek god Hermes, a psychopomp and mediator between different worlds who facilitates the healing process.