ISTDP common roots

Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy

(ISTDP) is a unique form of psychodynamic treatment that facilitates the rapid resolution of a broad spectrum of emotional disorders. It is an evidence-based psychotherapy that is strongly supported by current clinical research studies. ISTDP interventions are specifically designed to resolve anxiety, depression, somatization and personality disorders, as well as alleviate a variety of self-defeating behaviors, many of which derive from unstable or troubled early life attachments.

ISTDP has common roots with classical psychoanalysis aimed at treating patients with psychoneurosis(environmentally acquired mental illness). Both treatments focus on unconscious mental processes (perceptions, past events, feelings about events, and distorted beliefs) as the cause of neurotic disorders. What distinguishes practitioners of ISTDP is that we believe that psychological treatment should be both:

Comprehensive and efficient – (usually under 40 hours) to

• Remove symptoms
• Change character traits when necessary

To accomplish the above goals, the ISTDP therapist is an active advocate of change rather than a neutral observer as in traditional analysis. The attitude of the ISTDP therapist is that the patient’s time is irreplaceable and comprehensive change is possible in a reasonable, cost-effective time frame.

In ISTDP, experience of core emotion from the past is seen as the transformative vehicle and the therapist relies on non-interpretive techniques: encouragement to feel; challenge to take responsibility to change; and confrontation of resistance to change.

ISTDP therapists ask patients to address the historical roots of their difficulty through highly focused attention on transference phenomenon or life events that activate defences.

ISTDP therapists strive to uncover repressed emotions or “complex feelings” about the past attachment failures. Many patients develop punitive self-structures to cope with these unresolved emotions during their development. ISTDP actively addresses the existence of these punitive structures beginning with the first interview.

Whenever in life we experience conflicts with others we also experience feelings.  These feelings, make us aware of what we want.   However, most patients seek therapy because they cannot channel their feelings into effective action.  Instead, they become anxious and use certain coping methods which may not be helpful to him. During sessions the primary task continues to be to generate awareness on a moment to moment basis in the client so that he may be able to notice how unconscious self defeating patterns may be causing problems to him, help him choose to turn against unhealthy patterns and then regulate his emotions to work towards effective action.

ISTDP is an evidenced-based (scientifically researched) psychotherapy and particularly found to be helpful where behaviour patterns have formed which are difficult to overcome with conventional therapies and can be overcome in a shorter amount of time than most traditional psychotherapies.

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