Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Abreaction”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Considerations and techniques in the treatment of persons with multiple personality disorder.

Occupational therapy intervention with the patient with multiple personality disorder requires an understanding of the complex psychotherapeutic goals for the patient and of the process involved in resolution of the trauma that led to the development of multiple personality. The psychotherapeutic techniques of hypnosis and abreaction affect the provision of occupational therapy services. Hypnotic communication, particularly the use of ideomotor hand signals, often facilitates work with various alter personalities. Occupational therapists may use a developmental approach with both child and adult alter personalities and may also use projective techniques, self-care training, and role and task management techniques. Occupational therapy can act as a stabilizing force for the person with multiple personality disorder through the enhancement of function and competency during the psychotherapeutic process.

Abreaction↗
PubMed1990

Post traumatic stress disorder: an eclectic approach.

A number of victims of post traumatic stress disorder, apart from the rest of their symptom constellation, suffer flashbacks. These flashbacks occur during the waking state and frequently are very disabling. From among this group of patients, we have identified a few who demonstrate epileptiform discharge emanating from temporal lobe foci. We have postulated that indeed the flashbacks might represent an amalgam of abnormal neuronal firing along with the expression of a dynamically charged event. Eight cases are documented which illustrate this pattern. In all eight cases, the flashbacks were completely controlled through the use of anticonvulsant medication (carbamazepine and one case of valproate). Other symptoms were treated more traditionally. A modification to a conventional psychotherapeutic approach is introduced which does not merely foster abreaction but also introduces a process of desensitization to the highly charged events. The sessions during which the patient relives the precipitant to the syndrome are audiotaped. Following the experience of working through in therapy, the patient is encouraged to replay the tape(s) repeatedly over several months to facilitate flooding/desensitization. The two case summaries which are presented illustrate the integration of pharmacotherapeutic intervention, a focal short-term dynamic approach, and a behavioral model.

Abreaction↗
PubMed1996

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: effectiveness and autonomic correlates.

Eighteen subjects distressed by memories of a specific traumatic event were randomly assigned to a single session of one of three conditions: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a Time Interval Condition (TIC), or Tapping Alternate Phalanges (TAP). All subjects treated in the EMDR group showed desensitization as monitored by SUDs, which correlated with the physiological data and cessation of pronounced symptomatology. Only one subject in a control group showed desensitization. Compared to TIC and TAP, autonomic measures showed distinct changes during EMDR: (1) respiration synchronized with the rhythm of the eye movements in a shallow, regular pattern; (2) heart rate slowed significantly overall; (3) systolic blood pressure increased during early sets, invariably declined during abreactions, and decreased overall; (4) finger tip skin temperature consistently increased; and (5) the galvanic skin response consistently decreased in a clear "relaxation response". This relaxing effect of the eye movements suggests that at least one of the mechanisms operating during EMDR is desensitization by reciprocal inhibition, by pairing emotional distress with an unlearned or "compelled" relaxation response.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

"Recovered-memory" therapy: profession at a turning point.

Six hundred Massachusetts-registered psychiatrists were surveyed for their opinions on items plausibly related to the production of false memories of childhood sexual abuse. One hundred fifty-four psychiatrists completed the written questionnaire. A majority of respondents (69%) endorsed the following statement: "The numbers of false accusations of childhood sexual abuse, appearing to emerge from the psychotherapy of adults, constitute a real problem needing public acknowledgment as such by the mental health professions." Nevertheless, a substantial minority endorsed the following practices: 37% endorsed searching for childhood roots of presenting complaints; 36% endorsed validation (expressed belief) of the patient's memories as an essential part of therapy; 36% believed in appropriateness of affect as an indicator of truth in memories; 36% believed in the therapeutic value of abreaction; 26% would refer presumed survivors of abuse to specialists in incest recovery; 18% believed in ritual abuse as an important cause of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative disorders; 18% trusted symptom checklists as indicators of sexual abuse histories; and 15% believed that memory is a complete record of the individual's history. Small minorities (6% to 8%) endorsed these practices: using hypnosis to gain access to repressed memories of childhood abuse; patient confrontation of alleged abusers; and recommending the severing of contacts with skeptical family members. A factor analysis was performed, and it was found that self-designated specialists were more likely than nonspecialists to score toward the riskier pole of the four factors extracted.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Playing for time: temporizing techniques in the treatment of multiple personality disorder.

The treatment of multiple personality disorder (MPD) is often a prolonged and grueling enterprise, which imposes taxing demands upon the therapist and the patient alike. It becomes quite important to pace the therapy, lest the already beleaguered patient become both acutely and chronically overwhelmed. The majority of the extant literature on the use of hypnosis for the treatment of MPD addresses the processes of accessing the alters, abreacting traumata, arranging reconciliations among the alters, and facilitating integration. This communication discusses the necessity of titrating the amount of discomfort the patient must endure against the patient's resources and capacity to achieve mastery and self-efficacy. Several hypnotherapeutic techniques for offering respite and temporary asylum are explained and illustrated: alter substitution, the provision of sanctuary, distancing maneuvers, bypassing time, bypassing affect and/or memory, attenuating affect and/or memory retrieval, and rearranging the configuration of the alters by bartering or "shuffling the deck."

Affect↗
PubMed1991

Bandaging a "broken heart": hypnoplay therapy in the treatment of multiple personality disorder.

Hypnoplay therapy is beneficial in two stages of the treatment of multiple personality disorder, as illustrated in two cases. First, when applied to child alters, this method provides an alternative route to the disclosure of secrets, the nonverbal expression of thoughts and feelings, and the safe abreaction of powerful emotion. Second, during postfusion, hypnoplay therapy can help the patient to establish a reliable self-object and to complete developmental periods that were absent or severely curtailed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Antecedents of posttraumatic stress disorder: wasn't being raped enough? A brief communication.

Many rape victims, like those traumatized by war, accidents, and natural disasters, are able to recover from their ordeal with supportive, crisis-oriented treatment. For others, however, symptoms may persist and require more intensive treatment. Hypnosis allows a modulated re-experiencing and abreaction of the traumatic event that can help to provide the victim with a relieving sense of mastery, and it fosters a receptive context for reassurance and interpretation regarding the irrational or exaggerated thoughts and feelings involved. 2 case examples are presented in which earlier conflicts appeared to play a role in perpetuating the patients' symptoms. Detecting and addressing these antecedents resulted in complete alleviation of long-standing problems through relatively brief treatment using hypnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

"Wild Child": how three principles of healing organized 12 years of psychotherapy.

Methods of conducting psychotherapy in the most severe forms of childhood posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially in those traumas discovered very early in life, are rarely reported. This paper presents such a report and in the process emphasizes three elements of treatment: abreaction (full emotional expression of the traumatic experience), context (understanding and gaining perspective on the experience), and correction (finding ways personally or through society to prevent or repair such experiences). With traumatized children, all three elements may be inserted into their therapeutic play, art, and/or talk. An overarching mood of light humor helps the transference stay positive and the child interested. The case of "Cammie," an infant who was bitten, shaken, and sexually abused, and whose 25-day-old sister was discovered at home, murdered, is the subject of this report. This little girl, upon removal at 13 months of age from her home of origin, growled, bit, sniffed sexual organs, rarely spoke, and behaved like the "feral children" described in the classic psychiatric literature. Two respected professionals diagnosed her as mentally retarded. A year in an outstanding foster home did little to improve her. At 29 months of age she was brought to the author, who saw enough imagination and pithy language to believe the child to be intelligent but severely traumatized. The author had begun to conceptualize three principles of PTSD treatment after a study of normal schoolchildren's reactions to the 1986 Challenger disaster. These three principles were used with varying emphases at different phases throughout the "wild child's" 12-year course of once-monthly therapy. Improvement beyond anyone's expectations ensued.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

From fragmentation to wholeness: an integrative approach with clients who dissociate.

TOPIC: Three domains of treatment with the client who dissociates. SOURCE: Author's clinical work, review of literature. GOAL: To describe the use of building ego strength, modulating affect, and supporting abreaction to decrease fragmentation. CONCLUSION: The nurse psychotherapist can use these interventions to decrease fragmentation with clients who dissociate.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or ecstasy: the neuropsychobiological implications of taking it at dances and raves.

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or 'ecstasy' is a ring-substituted amphetamine derivative, which is widely used as a recreational drug, most particularly at dances and raves. Around 80-95% of dancers/ravers report using ecstasy/MDMA, compared to 5-15% of young people in general. This paper will consider the possible contribution of stimulatory environmental conditions to the neuropsychobiological effects of MDMA. Animal research shows that heat and crowding potentiate the acute effects of MDMA. Social interaction and intravenous drug self-administration in laboratory rats are significantly enhanced when MDMA is given under hot ambient temperatures. Loud noise and physical activity can also contribute to the general overarousal. Furthermore, MDMA impairs homeostatic thermal control in rats, leading them to overheat in hot environments. The human implications of these findings are that the hot, noisy and overcrowded conditions at raves may be providing the ideal environment to heighten the acute drug response. In recreational users, the acute medical dangers of MDMA comprise a constellation of hyperthermia-related abreactions, which generally only occur when it has been taken in hot and crowded environments. MDMA is well established as a serotonergic neurotoxin in laboratory animals, but heat and overcrowding increase the degree of distal axon terminal loss. If this also occurs in humans, then the stimulatory environments of clubs and raves may heighten the likelihood of adverse neuropsychological sequelae in recreational ecstasy users. Consistent with this prediction, the extent of self-reported dancing/exercise when on MDMA has recently been shown to be associated with significantly more psychobiological problems afterwards.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Controlled neuropsychological investigation of patients with neurotic excoriations.

On the basis of preliminary empirical findings and the pertinent neuropsychological literature the following hypothese are put forward: (1) Because of a certain amount of abreaction (scratching), patients with neurotic excoriations will obtain higher scores in tests of verbal learning and long-term memory than "common' neurotics but probably lower scores in such tests than a group of "normal' subjects. (2) Visual long-term memory is relatively impaired both in patients with neurotic excoriations and in "common' neurotics compared to a "normal' group. (3) Performances IQ for both patient groups mentioned will be relatively low compared to verbal IQ. - The first and second of these suppositions were confirmed but not the third.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Emotion as personal creation: a psychoanalytic and psychological perspective.

In their daily work psychotherapists rely on theoretical underpinnings derived from psychoanalysis. Many have come to rely on exaggerations of the notion of abreaction or catharsis, the so-called "expressing of feelings." This notion, implicit in psychoanalytic metapsychology, consists of a substantive, thing-like conception of emotion. Patients are seen as victims of demonic emotions that overwhelm them and compel them to act in various ways and "cause" them to suffer painfully. The author believes that a truly psychoanalytic and psychological perspective views patients as the creators of their emotional behaviors.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Overview: clinical applications of the Amytal interview in psychiatric emergency settings.

The authors review the evidence for the efficacy of the sodium amytal interview with particular reference to psychiatric emergencies and rapid assessment and treatment. Amytal interviews have a valid role in the assessment and initial management of catatonia, hysterical stupor, and unexplained muteness as well as in distinguishing between depressive, schizophrenic, and organic stuporous states. Valid therapeutic indications include the abreaction of traumatic neurosis, recovery of memory in amnesic and fugue states, and recovery of function in conversion disorders. The authors offer a protocol for application of the amytal interview in emergency settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Psychiatric interventions for AIDS-spectrum disorders.

Although the medical and psychosocial problems posed by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are unique, interventions to treat AIDS-related psychiatric disorders are currently available. The depression, delirium, and denial that occur in medically hospitalized patients with AIDS respond to standard psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological approaches. Outpatients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex benefit from clarification, abreaction, and support if the therapist accepts the regression associated with the sick role, focuses initially on somatic rather than on psychological concerns, and overcomes unwarranted fears of contagion. Patients with AIDS-related dementia are helped considerably by early diagnosis and planning, and patients with antibodies to the AIDS virus require a psycho-educational approach that includes stress inoculation and problem-solving techniques. The authors describe the above interventions as well as common countertransference responses that impede their implementation.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Social issues in the management of released hostages.

Mental health clinicians have assumed a more important role in the release of individuals held hostage by international terrorists. The author uses his experiences during three hostage releases in the late 1980s--the Achille Lauro incident, the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan, and the release of a single hostage from Beirut--to illustrate important factors in managing victims. He describes an intervention model that emphasizes the importance of creating a healing social environment immediately after release. Such an environment encourages strong cohesiveness within the victim group, isolates the victims from external groups, promotes abreaction, and provides an opportunity for rest and replenishment. Interventions are made to restore a sense of power to the victims and to reduce their feelings of isolation and helplessness and of being dominated by the terrorists.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMed1996

Does managed care permit appropriate use of psychotherapy?

The author reviews the history of the development of managed care, the restrictions it has placed on psychiatric treatments, including psychotherapy, and the concerns it has raised about access to and quality of care. He discusses research studies documenting that psychotherapy is a fundamental component of psychiatric treatment and that it must be included in all health plans and organized systems of care. Several false beliefs about the use and cost of psychotherapy are considered, such as that dyadic psychotherapy is based on abreaction, a technique that Freud abandoned, and that costs for psychotherapy will skyrocket if it becomes universally accessible. Research has indicated that inappropriate limitations on psychotherapy in prepaid settings lead to poor mental health outcomes. The author emphasizes that cost-based constraints on established psychiatric treatments are not acceptable until carefully constructed scientific outcome studies demonstrate that the use of such constraints does not lead to adverse consequences.

Health Care Costs↗
PubMed1989

A dementia syndrome of dependency?

The diagnostic process in a case of dementia associated with physical and emotional dependence is described. The utility of sodium amylobarbitone abreaction is considered. The role of both psychodynamic and organic factors are emphasised in the aetiological work-up. The organic factors discussed include alcohol, sedative tranquillisers, solvents, and metals. The term 'pseudodementia' is not favoured, and the phrase 'dementia syndrome of dependency' is proposed.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2005

The "Wall of Fear": the bridge between the traumatic event and trauma resolution therapy for childhood sexual abuse survivors.

A multitude of published books and papers on child sexual abuse (CSA) describe symptoms, long-term effects, and therapy for survivors of abuse. However, the parallels between the nature of the sexual trauma event(s) as originally experienced by the victim and the therapeutic process into which the survivor later becomes engaged have not been reported. This paper attempts to fill that gap and proposes that the concept of a Wall of Fear is the bridge connecting the two. In the first part of the paper, a model of the CSA experience based upon Furniss (1991) will be explained in order to point out the basis for the dissociation and other symptomatology demonstrated by the CSA victim. Following that, the stages of therapy will be mapped out, with special attention to the concept of the Wall of Fear (Oz, 1999) and traumatic memory resolution (abreactions) and with reference to the experience of the original traumatic events. Therapist fear of decompensation will be addressed.

Child↗