{"title":"Affect-Focused and Exposure-Focused Psychotherapies.","authors":"John C Markowitz, Barbara L Milrod","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230012","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The authors discuss the two broad domains of affect-focused and exposure-focused psychotherapies, defining the characteristics and potential advantages and disadvantages of each. The two domains differ in their theoretical approaches, structures, and techniques. Exposure-focused therapies have come to dominate research and practice, leading to the relative neglect of affect-focused therapies. When the two approaches have been examined in well-conducted clinical trials, they generally appear to be equally beneficial for treating common mood, anxiety, and trauma disorders, although further research may better define differential therapeutics. The authors argue for better training in affect awareness and tolerance across psychotherapies and use a brief case vignette to illustrate several aspects of these different approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"104-111"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139513857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trauma and Dream Work: Mending Tears in the Fabric of Time.","authors":"Cory K Chen, Nicole Nehrig","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230051","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Working with dreams in the context of trauma can open unique avenues for healing, in particular for patients who report feelings of numbness or a loss of meaning in their lives. Dream exploration can make facing aspects of trauma and dissociated experience more tolerable than explicitly addressing them at a conscious level. It can also reignite the capacities for reflection and meaning making disrupted by trauma. Dreams also reconnect patients to aspects of their history that can provide context for and meaning to experiences from which they have come to feel emotionally disconnected. Finally, dreams offer a way of regaining the capacity to connect with wishes, hopes, and desires that have become difficult to access because of trauma. In this article, the authors present case examples of patients with trauma and discuss how therapists worked with dream material to unlock new possibilities for these patients' lives.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"129-134"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141477695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matthew A Robinson, Juliann B Purcell, Laura Ward, Sherry Winternitz, Milissa L Kaufman, Kim A Baranowski, Lauren A M Lebois
{"title":"Advancing Research on and Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder With People With Lived Experience.","authors":"Matthew A Robinson, Juliann B Purcell, Laura Ward, Sherry Winternitz, Milissa L Kaufman, Kim A Baranowski, Lauren A M Lebois","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230024","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dissociative identity disorder is a posttraumatic, psychobiological syndrome that develops over time during childhood. Despite empirical evidence supporting the validity of this diagnosis and its relation to trauma, the disorder remains a misunderstood and stigmatized condition. This article highlights expert consensus guidelines and current empirical research on the treatment of dissociative identity disorder. In addition, the authors describe the Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP), which was designed to leverage the expertise of individuals with dissociative identity disorder to combat stigma and improve research, clinical programming, professional education, and public outreach related to the disorder. This article also describes how LEAP members have partnered with other researchers to create new knowledge through participatory action research in order to advance equitable service provision and effect positive change.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"141-145"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140867330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Meta-Analysis of Interpersonal and Psychodynamic Psychotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.","authors":"John R Keefe, Duncan Kimmel, Erica Weitz","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230043","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Established trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have remission rates of approximately 30%-40%. Alternatively, interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and psychodynamic psychotherapy (PDT) focus on disrupted attachment, mentalization, and social connection in PTSD and may help some patients. The authors conducted a meta-analysis on these interpersonal and affect-oriented approaches to treating PTSD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Building on a prior meta-analysis, the authors searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing IPT or PDT with other established PTSD treatments or control conditions for adults diagnosed as having PTSD. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to assess outcome effect sizes and dropout rates. RCTs were rated via the Randomized Controlled Trial Psychotherapy Quality Rating Scale.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ten RCTs (eight of IPT) comparing IPT or PDT with control (k=7) or active treatment (k=4) conditions were identified, nine of which were of adequate quality. IPT (k=5) and PDT (k=2), when analyzed together, were superior to control conditions overall (g=-1.14, p=0.011 [as was IPT alone: g=-0.88, p=0.034]) and to waitlist (g=-1.49) and treatment-as-usual (g=-0.70) groups. Effect sizes, however, may have been inflated by outliers or publication bias. IPT (k=3) and PDT (k=1), when analyzed together, were equally efficacious compared with other active PTSD treatments (primarily exposure-based psychotherapies), as was IPT alone, and had lower dropout rates (relative risk=0.63, p=0.049 for IPT and PDT analyzed together; relative risk<i>=</i>0.61, p=0.098 for IPT alone).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Affect-focused therapies hold promise in the treatment of PTSD. IPT has demonstrated efficacy in multiple trials, whereas the evidence base for PDT is sparse.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"119-128"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141894533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Affect-Focused Psychotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.","authors":"John R Keefe","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240033","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240033","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":"77 3","pages":"101-103"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142298479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clinical Case of Trauma-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for a Veteran With PTSD and Race-Based Trauma.","authors":"Michelle Kehn, Barbara Milrod, Cory K Chen","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230040","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230040","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":"77 3","pages":"146-150"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142298480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah J Kay, John R Keefe, Barbara L Milrod, Jacques P Barber
{"title":"Childhood Trauma and Panic Disorder: The Impact of History of Child Abuse on Illness Severity and Treatment Response.","authors":"Sarah J Kay, John R Keefe, Barbara L Milrod, Jacques P Barber","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230060","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Patients who have experienced child abuse often have complex clinical presentations; whether a history of child abuse (HCA) affects psychotherapy outcomes is unclear. The authors examined relationships between HCA, clinical baseline variables, and change in these variables after three different psychotherapies for panic disorder (PD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Two hundred adults with PD (with or without agoraphobia) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments across two sites: panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or applied relaxation training (ART). Differences in demographic and clinical variables between those with and without HCA were compared. The primary analysis addressed odds of meeting clinical response criteria on the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) between treatments, as moderated by HCA. This effect was examined via continuous outcomes on the PDSS and psychosocial functioning (Sheehan Disability Scale).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with patients without HCA (N=154), patients with HCA (N=46) experienced significantly more severe symptoms of PD (d=0.60), agoraphobia (d=0.47), and comorbid depression (d=0.46); significantly worse psychosocial impairment (d=0.63) and anxiety sensitivity (d=0.75); greater personality disorder burden (d=0.45)-particularly with cluster C disorders (d=0.47)-and more severe interpersonal problems (d=0.54). HCA significantly moderated the likelihood of clinical response, predicting nonresponse to ART (B=-2.05, 95% CI=-4.17 to -0.30, OR=0.13, z=-2.14, p=0.032) but not CBT or PFPP. HCA did not interact with treatment condition to predict slopes of PDSS change.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of this study highlight the importance of HCA in formulating treatment recommendations. Increased awareness of HCA's effects on severity of PD and treatment responsiveness among patients with PD may improve outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"112-118"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141894534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michaela B Swee, Allison G Corman, Jessica M Margolis, Alexandra M Dick
{"title":"Compassion-Focused Therapy for the Treatment of <i>ICD-11</i>-Defined Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.","authors":"Michaela B Swee, Allison G Corman, Jessica M Margolis, Alexandra M Dick","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230019","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The most effective treatments for <i>ICD-11</i>-defined complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) remain unknown. Further research is needed to determine whether such treatments for CPTSD are the same as or different from-or require integration with-existing gold standard treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals with CPTSD experience the hallmark symptoms of PTSD (i.e., reexperiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and the pervasive sense of perceived threat) and pervasive disturbances in self-organization, including affective dysregulation, negative self-concept, and difficulties with interpersonal relationships. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is a transdiagnostic approach that was originally developed to treat shame and self-criticism. CFT helps individuals learn how to regulate their emotions, shift their emotional response style from shaming and self-critical to wise and understanding, and engage in more compassionate and rewarding patterns of relating to self and others. This article describes CFT's possible application in the treatment of CPTSD and delineates areas for future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"135-140"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140853135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Should Psychotherapy Be Approved and Prescribed Like a Drug?","authors":"Holly A Swartz, Lauren M Bylsma Ph D","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":"77 2","pages":"43-45"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141321797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Telehealth-Delivered Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (RO DBT-A): A Pilot Mixed-Methods Study.","authors":"Molly Fennig, Uchechukwu Agali, Melinda Looby, Kirsten Gilbert","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230025","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20230025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Disorders related to overcontrol frequently first appear during adolescence, are highly comorbid, and show limited treatment response, necessitating the adaptation of radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO DBT; a transdiagnostic treatment targeting overcontrol) for adolescents (RO DBT-A). This study tested the preliminary efficacy of telehealth-delivered RO DBT-A in a heterogeneous clinical sample of youths.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The sample consisted of 20 female participants ages 13-21 with elevated overcontrol; most were White (75%) and non-Hispanic/Latino (80%). RO DBT-A was provided over 20 weeks via skills group and individual sessions (N=13 participants). Participants seeking other treatment or no treatment formed the control group (N=7). Outcomes included self-reported symptoms and overcontrol. Follow-up interviews were analyzed by using inductive, contextualist thematic analysis to examine participant perceptions and reasons for dropout.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The RO DBT-A group showed significant improvements in depression (t=-1.78, df=10, p=0.011) and quality of life (QOL; Wilcoxon W=75, p=0.021) compared with the control group. From baseline to posttreatment, youths receiving RO DBT-A demonstrated significant improvements in maladaptive overcontrol (t=2.76, df=12, p=0.043), anxiety (t=2.91, df=12, p=0.043), depression (Wilcoxon signed rank V=82.5, p=0.043), and QOL (t=-3.01, df=12, p=0.043). Qualitative analysis revealed themes related to treatment barriers, facilitators, and timing.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting telehealth-delivered RO DBT-A in targeting overcontrol, decreasing symptomatology, and improving QOL in a heterogeneous clinical sample of youths. Qualitative follow-ups highlighted that dropout was driven by barriers related to therapy (e.g., structure- and therapist-related issues) and the timing of RO DBT-A compared with other treatments.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"46-54"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11325626/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140177157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}