problem solving as overview

1
problem solving as overview
problems difficulties
symptoms
therapeutic responses
2
therapeutic responses
3
biochemistry outer change
outer change
biological factors
inner change
general activation exercise, interests
relationships
medication, herbs, supplements, food, light,
sleep, etc
targeted activation responses to trigger factors
desensitisation
4
inner change
outer change
biological factors
inner change

• challenge current beliefs education/normalisation
  and behavioural experiments to change viewpoint
• inner focus calming skills, mindfulness,
  internal desensitisation, attention training and
  imagery
• emotional processing simple complex

5
key points of this handout

• trauma memories are very common in depression and
  anxiety as well as in ptsd
• elicit these memories and images gently and
  carefully
• disorder onset, severity and persistence seem
  contributed to by memories and images
• lessons from ptsd treatment may well improve
  treatment of depression and anxiety

6
involuntary memories are normal

• involuntary memories of personal life events are
  reported at least 5 or 6 times daily by normals
• typically these memories are cued by identifiable
  aspects of ones current situation
• memories often take their emotional tone from
  ones current mood - typically happiness or
  sadness - and then reinforce this mood
• memories are often of recent or of unusual events
• intrusive thoughts are even more common and when
  negative tend to be characterised by fear

Berntsen D Involuntary autobiographical memories
Appl Cog Psychol 199610435-54 Brewin CR et al
Intrusive thoughts and intrusive memories in a
nonclinical sample Cognition Emotion
199610107-12