مجلة الروائز
Volume 10, Numéro 1, Pages 69-85
2026-07-02

Cognitive Processing And Post-traumatic Symptoms Among Two First Responders Exposed To Terrorist Attacks: A Clinical Case Study Using The Rorschach Inkblot Test (exner Method)



Authors : Bahmed Anas . Bedad Nadia .

Abstract

This clinical case study aims to explore cognitive processing and post traumatic symptoms in two first responders who survived terrorist attacks. The research was conducted in a clinical practice context and employed a qualitative approach grounded in psychodynamic and cognitive frameworks. Three instruments were used: the Rorschach Inkblot Test (Exner Comprehensive System), the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and a non-directive exploratory clinical interview. Results reveal a significant intrusion syndrome in both participants, marked by vivid re-experiencing of traumatic events through flashbacks, nightmares, and sensorimotor symptoms, severely disrupting their cognitive and emotional balance. The Rorschach findings highlight a predominant under-incorporative scanning style, reflecting hasty and superficial cognitive processing. Both subjects displayed cognitive rigidity, weak attentional flexibility, and a tendency toward avoidance, with L-index scores of 1.55 and 4.50 respectively. These traits contributed to an ineffective integration of trauma-related information, impeding resilience-building processes. Overall, the study confirms that poor cognitive plasticity and avoidance-based coping hinder the assimilation and accommodation processes essential for trauma recovery. These deficits likely obstruct resilient adaptation, supporting theoretical models by Horowitz (1986) and Brillon (2004) on post-traumatic cognitive processing.

Keywords

Information Processing ; Psychological Resilience ; PTSD ; First Responders ; Terrorism

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