TY - JOUR
T1 - Affective change in psychodynamic psychotherapy
T2 - Theoretical models and clinical approaches to changing emotions
AU - Subic-Wrana, Claudia
AU - Greenberg, Leslie S.
AU - Lane, Richard D.
AU - Michal, Matthias
AU - Wiltink, Jörg
AU - Beutel, Manfred E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Objectives: Affective change has been considered the hallmark of therapeutic change in psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic writers have begun to incorporate theoretically the advanced un-derstanding of emotional processing and transformation of the affective neurosciences. We ask if this theoretical advancement is reflected in treatment techniques addressing the processing of emotion. Methods: We review psychoanalytic models and treatment recommendations of maladaptive affect processing in the light of a neuroscientifically informed model of achieving psychother-apeutic change by activation and reconsolidation of emotional memory. Results: Emotions tend to be treated as other mental contents, resulting in a lack of specific psychodynamic techniques to work with emotions. Manualized technical modifications addressing affect regulation have been successfully tested in patients with personality pathology, but not for psychodynamic treatments of axis I disorders. Conclusions: Emotional memories need to be activated in order to be modified, therefore, we propose to include techniques into psychodynamic therapy that stimulate emotional experience.
AB - Objectives: Affective change has been considered the hallmark of therapeutic change in psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic writers have begun to incorporate theoretically the advanced un-derstanding of emotional processing and transformation of the affective neurosciences. We ask if this theoretical advancement is reflected in treatment techniques addressing the processing of emotion. Methods: We review psychoanalytic models and treatment recommendations of maladaptive affect processing in the light of a neuroscientifically informed model of achieving psychother-apeutic change by activation and reconsolidation of emotional memory. Results: Emotions tend to be treated as other mental contents, resulting in a lack of specific psychodynamic techniques to work with emotions. Manualized technical modifications addressing affect regulation have been successfully tested in patients with personality pathology, but not for psychodynamic treatments of axis I disorders. Conclusions: Emotional memories need to be activated in order to be modified, therefore, we propose to include techniques into psychodynamic therapy that stimulate emotional experience.
KW - Emotion focused psychotherapy (EFT)
KW - Emotional activation
KW - Emotional memory
KW - Levels of emotional awareness (LEA)
KW - Psychodynamic psychotherapy
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U2 - 10.13109/zptm.2016.62.3.207
DO - 10.13109/zptm.2016.62.3.207
M3 - Review article
C2 - 27594599
AN - SCOPUS:85017644362
SN - 1438-3608
VL - 62
SP - 207
EP - 223
JO - Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie
JF - Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie
IS - 3
ER -