Anna Topchylo – Lead Researcher of the Laboratory of Extreme and Crisis Psychology. National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Cherkasy (Ukraine)
ORCID 0009-0001-1762-9257
Vladyslav Platonov – Ph.D. in Psychology. Researcher of the Laboratory of Extreme and Crisis Psychology. National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Cherkasy (Ukraine)
ORCID 0000-0001-7013-8660
Snizhana Yevpak – Senior Researcher of the Laboratory of Extreme and Crisis Psychology. National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Cherkasy (Ukraine)
ORCID 0009-0004-9129-2690
Valentyn Kerdyvar – Ph.D. in Psychology. Head of the Laboratory of Extreme and Crisis Psychology. National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Cherkasy (Ukraine)
ORCID 0000-0001-6560-6028
Eduard Mykhliuk – Ph.D. in Psychology. Associate Professor. Head of the Department of Advanced Training, National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Cherkasy (Ukraine)
ORCID 0000-0003-4850-3566
DOI - https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2026.1.17
Keywords: sensory immersion, psychological recovery, SES of Ukraine personnel, emotional states, psychotraumatic factors, extreme working conditions, psychophysiological reactions.
The article examines the problem of stabilizing the emotional state of emergency rescue personnel under conditions of increased workload and exposure to psychotraumatic factors of a military nature. The relevance of the study is обусловлена by the constant increase in the workload of rescuers due to the significant volume of emergency response operations and the performance of tasks under conditions of missile and drone attacks. It is emphasized that the specific nature of the activities of specialists in extreme professions is often accompanied by manifestations of sensory inertia, fatigue, psycho-emotional exhaustion, and a decrease in self-regulation capabilities, which actualizes the need to search for short-term and simple psychological interventions.
The paper provides a theoretical analysis of modern approaches to the application of sensory immersion within the framework of psychological recovery and emergency psychological assistance. Contemporary views on interoception as a system of perception and interpretation of bodily signals involved in the formation of emotional states and adaptive reactions of the organism are considered. The role of temperature, tactile, and olfactory stimuli in switching emotional states, stabilizing, and restoring a sense of safety is analyzed. At the same time, it is noted that most existing studies on sensory immersion are fragmentary in nature and mainly examine psychophysiological effects only through individual sensory channels without a comprehensive review of the application of multisensory interventions in work with specialists in extreme professional activities.
Based on the obtained results, a structured sensory immersion session was developed, including a set of short-term exercises using tactile, temperature, olfactory, and gustatory stimuli. A sensory immersion kit is presented as a practical tool for psychologists of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and other institutions within the security and defense sector of Ukraine. The proposed set of exercises is focused on rapid application without the need for deep verbalization of traumatic experiences and is aimed at reducing psycho-emotional tension, muscular stiffness, and restoring self-regulation mechanisms. At the same time, it is noted that the presented work has a theoretical and applied character, while the effectiveness of the proposed exercises requires further empirical verification to determine the effects of sensory immersion, changes in individual characteristics of responses to sensory stimuli, and possible limitations of application in the professional activities of rescuers.
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Date of initial submission of the article to the journal: 22.04.2026
Date of receipt of the revised article: 8.05.2026
Date of acceptance for publication after peer review: 18.05.2026
Date of publication of the article: 31.05.2026
Publisher National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, 2026
This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode.en
How to cite: Topchylo A., Platonov V., Yevpak S., Kerdyvar V., Mykhliuk E. Sensory immersion as a method of psychological stabilization of the emotional state of emergency rescue personnel. Disaster and Crisis Psychology Problems. 2026. Vol. 1(11). P. 207-218 https://doi.org/10.52363/dcpp-2026.1.17
