International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001
Brief psychodynamic psychotherapy (BPP) comprises a group of psychotherapeutic interventions char... more Brief psychodynamic psychotherapy (BPP) comprises a group of psychotherapeutic interventions characterized by their short-term adaptations of psychoanalytically inspired psychotherapy. The following criteria represent the constituents of a prototypic definition of BPP: the theory of psychopathology explaining the disorder and treatment techniques employed are psychoanalytic in origin (clarification, interpretation and confrontations), patients are selected for their ability to withstand intensive psychotherapy, treatment is time-limited with brevity maintained by maintaining treatment focused on a specific issue or conflict, and the intent of treatment is to provide limited personality or character change. Historically, there has always been a subgroup of psychoanalysts who have attempted to keep psychoanalysis brief, and their efforts have led to the development of BPP. In contrast to psychoanalysts and long-term dynamic therapists, therapists who conduct BPP see patients once or twice a week, sitting up, for a limited number of sessions. Recent proponents of BPP have developed treatment manuals detailing their specific therapeutic techniques. In addition to aiding clinicians, many of these manuals have been implemented in efficacy studies of BPP to ensure that therapists followed treatment guidelines. Although a meta-analytic review of several studies indicates that BPP is an effective treatment, well conducted research for specific psychological problems remains scarce.
To examine process of changes in two distinct psychotherapies-cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) ... more To examine process of changes in two distinct psychotherapies-cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PFPP). Two hypothesized processes of change-misinterpretation of bodily sensations and Panic Specific Reflective Function (PSRF)-were tested in the CBT and PFPP arms of the Cornell-Penn Study of Psychotherapies for Panic Disorder. The Brief Bodily Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire (BBSIQ) measures misinterpretation of bodily sensations-a focus of CBT interventions. PSRF, a target of PFPP, assesses the capacity to reflect on the underlying meaning of panic symptoms. A sample of 138 patients (37.7% men, 72.56% Whites, and 16.7% Latinx) with primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) panic disorder were included in the present analyses. Mixed effects models tested the effects of early change in BBSIQ and PSRF (intake through Week 5) on subsequent change in the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS; Week 5 through termination). Early change on both PSRF and BBSIQ predicted subsequent change in panic severity across the two treatments. As predicted, PSRF changed more in PFPP than in CBT, but, contrary to expectation, BBSIQ showed comparable changes in both groups. Counterintuitively, CBT patients benefited more in terms of panic symptom improvement when their PSRF improved than did PFPP patients. This is the first demonstration of general processes of change (PSRF and BBSIQ) across psychotherapies for panic disorder, suggesting that to the extent patients change their beliefs about the meaning of panic, their panic symptoms improve in time-limited, panic-focused psychotherapies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
In panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP), exploration and interpretation of avoided an... more In panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP), exploration and interpretation of avoided and conflicted emotions and fantasies surrounding anxiety are thought to promote panic-specific reflective functioning (PSRF), which drives panic disorder improvements. Patient emotional expression within a session may be a marker of engaged processing and experiencing of affectively charged material. Degree of in-session expressed emotion, indicating both verbal and nonverbal emotions, was examined across three early therapy sessions for prediction of subsequent outcomes. We further investigated whether personality disorder traits, theorized to relate to constricted (obsessive-compulsive) or heightened (borderline) emotions, moderated this relationship. Emotional expression in Sessions 2, 5, and 10 of a 24-session PFPP protocol was assessed by blinded observers in 44 patients randomized to PFPP in a two-site randomized controlled trial of psychotherapies for panic disorder. Robust regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between average emotional expression across the measured sessions and symptom and PSRF changes subsequent to the sampled sessions, as well as moderation by personality disorder criteria, controlling for early outcomes. Higher levels of emotional expression across the early sessions predicted greater subsequent symptom and PSRF improvement. Elevations in expression of grief/sadness drove the symptomatic finding. Patients meeting more borderline criteria experienced a smaller and potentially negative relationship between emotional expression and symptom improvement. Emotional expression in PFPP may be an indicator of positive therapy process for patients without comorbid borderline personality traits, predicting prospective improvements in both a key mediator (PSRF) and symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
BackgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and one of... more BackgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and one of the most heterogeneous mental health disorders. Although there are effective treatments for MDD, about 50% of patients do not respond to treatment. One of the greatest challenges in improving current treatments is identifying the mechanisms responsible for therapeutic change in MDD. The proposed study aims to identify patient-specific mechanisms of change in two treatments for MDD by investigating whether subpopulations of patients differ in the mechanisms of change that operate when receiving a given treatment. Based on theories of targeting weakness and building on strength, we will examine whether the mechanism of change operating when a treatment is provided depends on whether the treatment targets the patient’s strength or weakness.MethodTo test our hypothesis that two treatments, supportive-expressive treatment (SET) and emotion-focused treatment (EFT), differ in their mechanisms ...
Background.The hippocampus plays an important role in psychopathology and treatment outcome. Whil... more Background.The hippocampus plays an important role in psychopathology and treatment outcome. While posterior hippocampus (PH) may be crucial for the learning process that exposure-based treatments require, affect-focused treatments might preferentially engage anterior hippocampus (AH). Previous studies have distinguished the different functions of these hippocampal sub-regions in memory, learning, and emotional processes, but not in treatment outcome. Examining two independent clinical trials, we hypothesized that anterior hippocampal volume would predict outcome of affect-focused treatment outcome [Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT); Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PFPP)], whereas posterior hippocampal volume would predict exposure-based treatment outcome [Prolonged Exposure (PE); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Applied Relaxation Training (ART)].Methods.Thirty-five patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 24 with panic disorder (PD) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before randomization to affect-focused (IPT for PTSD; PFPP for PD) or exposure-based treatments (PE for PTSD; CBT or ART for PD). AH and PH volume were regressed with clinical outcome changes.Results.Baseline whole hippocampal volume did not predict post-treatment clinical severity scores in any treatment. For affect-focused treatments, but not exposure-based treatments, anterior hippocampal volume predicted clinical improvement. Smaller AH correlated with greater affect-focused treatment improvement. Posterior hippocampal volume did not predict treatment outcome.Conclusions.This is the first study to explore associations between hippocampal volume sub-regions and treatment outcome in PTSD and PD. Convergent results suggest that affect-focused treatment may influence the clinical outcome through the ‘limbic’ AH, whereas exposure-based treatments do not. These preliminary, theory-congruent, therapeutic findings require replication in a larger clinical trial.
International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001
Brief psychodynamic psychotherapy (BPP) comprises a group of psychotherapeutic interventions char... more Brief psychodynamic psychotherapy (BPP) comprises a group of psychotherapeutic interventions characterized by their short-term adaptations of psychoanalytically inspired psychotherapy. The following criteria represent the constituents of a prototypic definition of BPP: the theory of psychopathology explaining the disorder and treatment techniques employed are psychoanalytic in origin (clarification, interpretation and confrontations), patients are selected for their ability to withstand intensive psychotherapy, treatment is time-limited with brevity maintained by maintaining treatment focused on a specific issue or conflict, and the intent of treatment is to provide limited personality or character change. Historically, there has always been a subgroup of psychoanalysts who have attempted to keep psychoanalysis brief, and their efforts have led to the development of BPP. In contrast to psychoanalysts and long-term dynamic therapists, therapists who conduct BPP see patients once or twice a week, sitting up, for a limited number of sessions. Recent proponents of BPP have developed treatment manuals detailing their specific therapeutic techniques. In addition to aiding clinicians, many of these manuals have been implemented in efficacy studies of BPP to ensure that therapists followed treatment guidelines. Although a meta-analytic review of several studies indicates that BPP is an effective treatment, well conducted research for specific psychological problems remains scarce.
To examine process of changes in two distinct psychotherapies-cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) ... more To examine process of changes in two distinct psychotherapies-cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PFPP). Two hypothesized processes of change-misinterpretation of bodily sensations and Panic Specific Reflective Function (PSRF)-were tested in the CBT and PFPP arms of the Cornell-Penn Study of Psychotherapies for Panic Disorder. The Brief Bodily Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire (BBSIQ) measures misinterpretation of bodily sensations-a focus of CBT interventions. PSRF, a target of PFPP, assesses the capacity to reflect on the underlying meaning of panic symptoms. A sample of 138 patients (37.7% men, 72.56% Whites, and 16.7% Latinx) with primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) panic disorder were included in the present analyses. Mixed effects models tested the effects of early change in BBSIQ and PSRF (intake through Week 5) on subsequent change in the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS; Week 5 through termination). Early change on both PSRF and BBSIQ predicted subsequent change in panic severity across the two treatments. As predicted, PSRF changed more in PFPP than in CBT, but, contrary to expectation, BBSIQ showed comparable changes in both groups. Counterintuitively, CBT patients benefited more in terms of panic symptom improvement when their PSRF improved than did PFPP patients. This is the first demonstration of general processes of change (PSRF and BBSIQ) across psychotherapies for panic disorder, suggesting that to the extent patients change their beliefs about the meaning of panic, their panic symptoms improve in time-limited, panic-focused psychotherapies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
In panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP), exploration and interpretation of avoided an... more In panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP), exploration and interpretation of avoided and conflicted emotions and fantasies surrounding anxiety are thought to promote panic-specific reflective functioning (PSRF), which drives panic disorder improvements. Patient emotional expression within a session may be a marker of engaged processing and experiencing of affectively charged material. Degree of in-session expressed emotion, indicating both verbal and nonverbal emotions, was examined across three early therapy sessions for prediction of subsequent outcomes. We further investigated whether personality disorder traits, theorized to relate to constricted (obsessive-compulsive) or heightened (borderline) emotions, moderated this relationship. Emotional expression in Sessions 2, 5, and 10 of a 24-session PFPP protocol was assessed by blinded observers in 44 patients randomized to PFPP in a two-site randomized controlled trial of psychotherapies for panic disorder. Robust regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between average emotional expression across the measured sessions and symptom and PSRF changes subsequent to the sampled sessions, as well as moderation by personality disorder criteria, controlling for early outcomes. Higher levels of emotional expression across the early sessions predicted greater subsequent symptom and PSRF improvement. Elevations in expression of grief/sadness drove the symptomatic finding. Patients meeting more borderline criteria experienced a smaller and potentially negative relationship between emotional expression and symptom improvement. Emotional expression in PFPP may be an indicator of positive therapy process for patients without comorbid borderline personality traits, predicting prospective improvements in both a key mediator (PSRF) and symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
BackgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and one of... more BackgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and one of the most heterogeneous mental health disorders. Although there are effective treatments for MDD, about 50% of patients do not respond to treatment. One of the greatest challenges in improving current treatments is identifying the mechanisms responsible for therapeutic change in MDD. The proposed study aims to identify patient-specific mechanisms of change in two treatments for MDD by investigating whether subpopulations of patients differ in the mechanisms of change that operate when receiving a given treatment. Based on theories of targeting weakness and building on strength, we will examine whether the mechanism of change operating when a treatment is provided depends on whether the treatment targets the patient’s strength or weakness.MethodTo test our hypothesis that two treatments, supportive-expressive treatment (SET) and emotion-focused treatment (EFT), differ in their mechanisms ...
Background.The hippocampus plays an important role in psychopathology and treatment outcome. Whil... more Background.The hippocampus plays an important role in psychopathology and treatment outcome. While posterior hippocampus (PH) may be crucial for the learning process that exposure-based treatments require, affect-focused treatments might preferentially engage anterior hippocampus (AH). Previous studies have distinguished the different functions of these hippocampal sub-regions in memory, learning, and emotional processes, but not in treatment outcome. Examining two independent clinical trials, we hypothesized that anterior hippocampal volume would predict outcome of affect-focused treatment outcome [Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT); Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PFPP)], whereas posterior hippocampal volume would predict exposure-based treatment outcome [Prolonged Exposure (PE); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Applied Relaxation Training (ART)].Methods.Thirty-five patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 24 with panic disorder (PD) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before randomization to affect-focused (IPT for PTSD; PFPP for PD) or exposure-based treatments (PE for PTSD; CBT or ART for PD). AH and PH volume were regressed with clinical outcome changes.Results.Baseline whole hippocampal volume did not predict post-treatment clinical severity scores in any treatment. For affect-focused treatments, but not exposure-based treatments, anterior hippocampal volume predicted clinical improvement. Smaller AH correlated with greater affect-focused treatment improvement. Posterior hippocampal volume did not predict treatment outcome.Conclusions.This is the first study to explore associations between hippocampal volume sub-regions and treatment outcome in PTSD and PD. Convergent results suggest that affect-focused treatment may influence the clinical outcome through the ‘limbic’ AH, whereas exposure-based treatments do not. These preliminary, theory-congruent, therapeutic findings require replication in a larger clinical trial.
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