Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Alexithymic Patients

Abstract

Starting from the psychosomatic patients in clinico-medical wards and the inherent two primary alexithymic features ‘highly limited introspective capacity’ and ‘very low motivation concerning dynamic psychotherapy’, which we proved empirically, we describe the therapist’s attitude and the three steps of supportive psychotherapy which initially represent the most indicated procedure in this patient group. In Hannover, this supportive psychotherapeutic procedure is applied by student auxiliary therapists. On the basis of our empirical findings, the effectivity of supportive psychotherapy, accomplished by students, in the alexithymic psychosomatic clinico-medical inpatients could be clearly demonstrated. Furthermore, we comment on some previous psychotherapeutic findings with regard to Crohn patients. Starting from our pretreatment and our follow-up measurements, we were able to prove that patients who were treated by both supportive psychotherapy and psychoanalytically orientated inpatient ward psychotherapy, showed remarkable improvements at all levels of the measurement techniques. Finally, we outline some clinico-psychosomatic aspects with regard to secondary alexithymia.

Effect of psychological therapy on disease activity, psychological comorbidity, and quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Several of the studies included in the 2011 Cochrane review 22 addressing this issue did not fulfil our inclusion criteria for various reasons. These included a lack of randomisation, 43,44 recruitment of patients with both active and quiescent disease, with no reporting of data separately for these distinct groups of patients, 45 being conducted in an adolescent population, 46 redundant publication, 47 or providing no extractable data. 48 In addition, we made every effort to contact the authors of potentially eligible studies, where dichotomous or continuous data of interest were not available in the published manuscript.…”

Alexithymia and Depressed Mood in the Psychiatric Patient

“…The relevancy of these Findings remains unclear but sug gests that the clinician treating the psychiat ric patient with alexithymic characteristics should be cognizant of the psychothera peutic difficulties with these patients. Freyberger et al [20] have emphasized the com plexity of working with patients with limited introspective capacity and low motivation for dynamic psychotherapy. His work with alexithymic patients has emphasized those with psychosomatic disorders, but utiliza tion of similar strategies to offer support while recognizing the limitations of insight ful change may also be useful in conceptual izing work with psychiatric patients with alexithymic traits.…”

ALEKSİTİMİ: KURAMSAL ÇERÇEVE TEDAVİ YAKLAŞIMLARI ve İLGİLİ ARAŞTIRMALAR

“…Yukarıdaki açıklamalarda aleksitimiklere yönelik olarak yapılan e itici grup çalı malarının birçok ara tırmacı tarafından tercih edilmekte ve öneril-mekte oldu u anla ılmaktadır (Sifneos, 1988., Taylor, 1991., Swiller,1998., Lane ve Schwartz, 1987., Freyberger, 1985., Bergson, 1990.…”