Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T08:57:26.473Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Emotion regulation as a main mechanism of change in psychotherapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2015

Natali Moyal
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. moyaln@post.bgu.ac.ilnoga.cohen@weizmann.ac.ilhenik@bgu.ac.ilganholt@bgu.ac.ilhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/Pages/staff/NataliMoyal.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/alumni/Pages/staff/NogaCohen.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/Pages/staff/AvishaiHenik.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/humsos/psych/eng/Pages/staff/ganholt_en.aspx Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
Noga Cohen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. moyaln@post.bgu.ac.ilnoga.cohen@weizmann.ac.ilhenik@bgu.ac.ilganholt@bgu.ac.ilhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/Pages/staff/NataliMoyal.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/alumni/Pages/staff/NogaCohen.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/Pages/staff/AvishaiHenik.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/humsos/psych/eng/Pages/staff/ganholt_en.aspx Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
Avishai Henik
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. moyaln@post.bgu.ac.ilnoga.cohen@weizmann.ac.ilhenik@bgu.ac.ilganholt@bgu.ac.ilhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/Pages/staff/NataliMoyal.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/alumni/Pages/staff/NogaCohen.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/Pages/staff/AvishaiHenik.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/humsos/psych/eng/Pages/staff/ganholt_en.aspx Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
Gideon E. Anholt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel. moyaln@post.bgu.ac.ilnoga.cohen@weizmann.ac.ilhenik@bgu.ac.ilganholt@bgu.ac.ilhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/Pages/staff/NataliMoyal.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/alumni/Pages/staff/NogaCohen.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Labs/CNL/Pages/staff/AvishaiHenik.aspxhttp://in.bgu.ac.il/humsos/psych/eng/Pages/staff/ganholt_en.aspx

Abstract

A model that suggests reconsolidation of traumatic memories as a mechanism of change in therapy is important, but problematic to generalize to disorders other than post-traumatic and acute-stress disorder. We suggest that a more plausible mechanism of change in psychotherapy is acquisition of adaptive emotion regulation strategies.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aldao, A., Nolen-Hoeksema, S. & Schweizer, S. (2010) Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review 30:217–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Amstadter, A. (2008) Emotion regulation and anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders 22:211–21.Google Scholar
Arch, J. J. & Craske, M. G. (2009) First-line treatment: A critical appraisal of cognitive behavioral therapy developments and alternatives. Psychiatric Clinics of North America 32:525–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arntz, A., Tiesema, M. & Kindt, M. (2007) Treatment of PTSD: A comparison of imaginal exposure with and without imagery rescripting. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 38:345–70.Google Scholar
Azizi, A., Borjali, A. & Golzari, M. (2010) The effectiveness of emotion regulation training and cognitive therapy on the emotional and addictional problems of substance abusers. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry 5:6065.Google Scholar
Baer, R. A. (2003) Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 10:125–43.Google Scholar
Barlow, D. H., Allen, L. B. & Choate, M. L. (2004) Toward a unified treatment for emotional disorders. Behavior Therapy 35:205–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berking, M., Wupperman, P., Reichardt, A., Pejic, T., Dippel, A. & Znoj, H. (2008) Emotion-regulation skills as a treatment target in psychotherapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy 46:1230–37.Google Scholar
Blackledge, J. T. & Hayes, S. C. (2001) Emotion regulation in acceptance and commitment therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology 57:243–55.Google Scholar
Carpenter, R. W. & Trull, T. J. (2013) Components of emotion dysregulation in borderline personality disorder: A review. Current Psychiatry Reports 15:18.Google Scholar
Chambers, R., Gullone, E. & Allen, N. B. (2009) Mindful emotion regulation: An integrative review. Clinical Psychology Review 29:560–72.Google Scholar
Cooper, M. J. (2011) Working with imagery to modify core beliefs in people with eating disorders: A clinical protocol. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice 18:454–65.Google Scholar
Ellard, K. K., Fairholme, C. P., Boisseau, C. L., Farchione, T. J. & Barlow, D. H. (2010) Unified protocol for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders: Protocol development and initial outcome data. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice 17:88101.Google Scholar
Frets, P. G., Kevenaar, C. & van der Heiden, C. (2014) Imagery rescripting as a stand-alone treatment for patients with social phobia: A case series. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 45:160–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geller, J. & Srikameswaran, S. (2014) What effective therapies have in common. Advances in Eating Disorders: Theory, Research and Practice (ahead-of-print), 17. Available at: http://doi.org/10.1080/21662630.2014.895394.Google Scholar
Gross, J. J. (1998b) The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology 2:271–99.Google Scholar
Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T. & Fang, A. (2012) The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research 36:427–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holmes, E. A., Arntz, A. & Smucker, M. R. (2007) Imagery rescripting in cognitive behaviour therapy: Images, treatment techniques and outcomes. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 38:297305.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kellogg, S. H. & Young, J. E. (2006) Schema therapy for borderline personality disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology 62:445–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kring, A. M. & Werner, K. H. (2004) Emotion regulation and psychopathology. In: The regulation of emotion, ed. Philippot, P. & Feldman, R. S., pp. 359–85. Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
Lynch, T. R., Chapman, A. L., Rosenthal, M. Z., Kuo, J. R. & Linehan, M. M. (2006) Mechanisms of change in dialectical behavior therapy: Theoretical and empirical observations. Journal of Clinical Psychology 62:459–80.Google Scholar
Mennin, D. S. (2004) Emotion regulation therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy 11:1729.Google Scholar
Ollendick, T. H., King, N. J. & Muris, P. (2002) Fears and phobias in children: Phenomenology, epidemiology, and aetiology. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 7:98106.Google Scholar
Quirk, G. J. & Milad, M. R. (2010) Neuroscience: Editing out fear. Nature 463:3637.Google Scholar
Schiller, D., Monfils, M. H., Raio, C. M., Johnson, D. C., LeDoux, J. E. & Phelps, E. A. (2009) Preventing the return of fear in humans using reconsolidation update mechanisms. Nature 463:4953.Google Scholar
Tolin, D. F. (2010) Is cognitive–behavioral therapy more effective than other therapies? A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review 30:710–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vocks, S., Tuschen-Caffier, B., Pietrowsky, R., Rustenbach, S. J., Kersting, A. & Herpertz, S. (2010) Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments for binge eating disorder. International Journal of Eating Disorders 43:205–17.Google Scholar
Whelton, W. J. (2004) Emotional processes in psychotherapy: Evidence across therapeutic modalities. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy 11:5871.Google Scholar
Wilamowska, Z. A., Thompson-Hollands, J., Fairholme, C. P., Ellard, K. K., Farchione, T. J. & Barlow, D. H. (2010) Conceptual background, development, and preliminary data from the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders. Depression and Anxiety 27:882–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed