Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy
Habib Davanloo have conceptualized and developed Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) based on the psychodynamic theory. The aim of the therapy is to attain a permanent transformation in one’s characteristics in a short span of time, unlike the traditional psychoanalysis. Habib Davanloo, began with the development of this model, first realizing that a client could experience a swift change in character by releasing and understanding all inhibitions relating to his or her emotional experiences. By transferring these resistance, this method of therapy enlists and makes use of the client’s unconscious efforts for therapeutic progress. The client willingly divulges the source of his or her character issues and thereby begin with prognosis.
What to expect?
This specific method has now been studied for more than three decades and have depicted swift, significant and powerful outcomes. ISTDP, as the name suggests, it affects change in minimal time and with minimal cost, indicating it is both time and cost effective and thereby has found the recognition as an important treatment option for a broad spectrum of disorders and wide range of clients. By procedural targeting and actively removing obstacles that block the unconscious emotions, the healing process begin and transformation occurs rapidly, as can be seen in the character of the client.
How does it work?
The primary goal of ISTDP is to make the patient competent to overcome his or her own internal struggle. This process engages with the client’s subjective or own feelings and emotions about past and present experiences. The experiences which is found to overwhelm him or her due to their frightening, threatening, or painful nature momentarily, at addressed first. There onwards, the therapy proceeds as a flow, whose direction is determined by the client and endorsed by the therapist. This form of therapy is categorized as intensive therapy because it takes a note of the hidden emotions and exposes the client to them to the fullest extent in the shortest time possible. The client is given the necessary access and made aware about himself or herself and of his or her hidden emotions. This therapy is looked into as a dynamic process since it employs the unconscious as an associate in the internal struggle and the transference of emotional conflict and upheaval to understand and work with the problems. The therapist efficiently carry out the therapeutic process in a which would reduce the time required in classical psychoanalysis procedure. The therapy is terminated once the therapist is convinced that the patient have been equipped enough to function well singly with his or her emotions.
When is it used?
Clients who seek this form of therapy usually requires to restore their occupational functionality and improve personal relationships. Often patients with clinical depression, social anxiety ad other neurotic symptoms are administered this therapy. The ISTDP theory works upon these manifestations are the result of traumas, memories, and emotions that are quite vivid and painful to emerge on a conscious level and hence are kept away from awareness of an individual.
Role of therapist:
Therapist who employs this type of therapy usually proceeds in a similar way as that the one practicing classical psychoanalysis. The therapist acts both as the guide and co operator. The therapeutic transference is follows after the rapport establishment. Once the transference is ensured, the therapist slowly starts working with the resistances of the client. The process becomes easy when the transference is positive. Working through the resistances allows the therapist to gain access to the unconscious of the individual which helps in the process of intervention.
REFERENCE