Antonio Pascual-Leone

This book of theory and practice offers an unprecedented exploration of the nature of emotion and the process by which it changes. Written for mental health providers and psychotherapy researchers, this innovative and unique volume offers an extraordinary synthesis of psychotherapy research, neuroscience, and practical observations to propose a new paradigm of emotion change. The book presents a general theory of how a difficult emotional state changes. Integrating findings across treatment approaches, it resolves contradictions found in different lines of research and reconciles existing theories that have seemed at odds. It explains the different kinds of emotional change, the hypothesized mechanisms driving that change, and when each type of change is most applicable. Dr. Pascual-Leone demonstrates that having a clearer understanding of how emotion change happens enables clinicians to apply more impactful and effective interventions. Chapters explore everything from moment-by-moment work (through engagement, labelling, and expression) to broader process formulations (such as narrative, re-framing, and purpose in life). Extensive clinical examples help therapists get a better grip on what each kind of processing really means.

This fully updated second edition presents theory, research, and practice guidelines for short term, evidence based individual treatment for adults experiencing the effects of complex relational trauma. Disrupted narrative and emotional processes are common effects of complex trauma, and emotion focused therapy for trauma (EFTT) is well suited to address these difficulties. Clients with complex trauma often suffer long term challenges after repeated exposure to violence and betrayals of trust, typically by attachment figures in the form of child abuse and neglect. The authors bring more than 25 years of research and clinical expertise to this evidence-based treatment model, which enables therapists to skillfully navigate the unique challenges facing these clients. Chapters present practical aspects of EFTT alongside supporting research, allowing clinicians from different theoretical perspectives to either apply the complete package, or integrate aspects of the model into their current practice. This comprehensive and essential resource is fully updated with current developments in research, clinical practice, and training.

Psychotherapy clients with histories of childhood abuse and complex relational trauma are ubiquitous, and have notoriously high drop-out rates. These clients have been unable to heal past emotional injuries and often have difficulty handling exposure-based therapies, which usually are not designed for attachment related problems. Successful therapy requires helping clients access and explore painful feelings in order to modify maladaptive emotions. Emotion-Focused Therapy for Trauma (EFTT) is the only trauma therapy that is based on an empirically-verified model that identifies steps in the process of resolving past relational issues. In this book, the authors plumb fifteen years of research involving clinical trials, observation and analysis of therapy sessions, as well as their own extensive clinical experience to describe precisely how EFTT works to heal complex trauma. The book is organized into two main sections: Part I describes the EFTT treatment model and the theory behind it, while Part II examines clients' progress through the four phases of treatment, each of which can be revisited in a recursive fashion. The authors focus on the typical progression, beginning with cultivating the therapeutic alliance, through modifying self-concept, resolution of attachment injuries, and termination. Throughout the text, the authors make comparisons with other treatment approaches, and provide clinical examples of different kinds of emotion and emotional processing difficulties. This book will appeal to clinicians and researchers alike and is particularly suitable for use in outpatient trauma clinics and graduate programs that emphasize service and training in empirically-supported treatments.