ACTIVATION OF THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM IN PSYCHOTRAUMATED PERSONS USING THE KORPAN MASK
Authors:   Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University, Kohut Оleksandra 
Published: April 2024

The article presents the results of using an innovative tool for stabilizing the autonomic nervous system in psychological practice - "Korpan's salt mask". The obtained scientific data are presented in the context of modern research on current global issues of humanity regarding gaps in the field of mental health. Purpose: to highlight the results of the study of the impact of the innovative tool "Korpan's mask" on the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system in people who suffered from psychotraumatic situations as a result of the war in Ukraine. Research methods: theoretical orientation: theoretical-methodological interdisciplinary analysis of scientific literature in order to determine the state of development of the problem; synthesis, generalization of research results; summarizing the research results; methods of empirical orientation: use of standardized psychodiagnostic methods: observation, conversation, questionnaire, formative experiment. The unified Ukrainian clinical protocol of primary, secondary and tertiary medical care according to ICD-10, diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders of the 5th edition of DSM-5 was also applied; "Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire" (PSQI); "Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale" (HADS); questionnaire "Diagnosis of PTSD"; methods of mathematical statistics: Wilcoxon's T-test. The results. The search for alternative effective models and tools of psychological assistance to people with post-traumatic stress disorders contributed to the application of Korpan's innovative mask, which is a simple, affordable, safe and reliable means of restoring the basic element of a person's stress resistance - its psychophysiological component. The authors present their own algorithm for providing primary psychological assistance to people who have experienced psychological trauma: psychophysiological stabilization of the autonomic nervous system by applying a Korpan mask, psychoeducation (explaining the cause of the symptoms to the victim); regulation of emotional balance (application of stress management practices), recovery of cognitive cognitive processes and acquisition of constructive coping strategies for mastering stress (methods of CBT, catathymic-imaginative psychotherapy); restoration of the meaning of life, which provides an opportunity to survive the crisis period of life. Conclusions. Through a scientific experiment, the effectiveness of using the Korpan salt mask was proven on a wide sample of subjects: military personnel (diagnosed with acute stress disorder, contusion, post-traumatic stress disorder), children with re-traumatic experiences, people who survived the occupation and live in the zone of constant shelling, internally displaced persons (who survived the loss of property and loved ones), volunteers (who were burnt out at work). The versatility of the mask is that it is effective for people of various age categories, gender, status, psychological diagnosis with post-stress symptoms.