About the Book
The book opens with an introduction to and history of the experiential dynamic therapies (EDT) including the groundbreaking Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) of Habib Davanloo and its subsequent development. The centrality of relationship in therapy is emphasised and the current state of the art and science described. Material from interviews with David Malan is presented, sharing some of his experiences, thoughts and insights over decades of clinical practice, research into and promotion of short-term dynamic therapies. The essential ingredients of experiential dynamic therapies are described, and the reader is orientated to the practice of EDT. Key characteristics of taking care of the real relationship, mirroring, history taking, and putting into perspective are also presented. In addition, high technical content, experiential-dynamic interventions, including defence re-structuring, emotional maieutics, anxiety regulation, dealing with the Super-ego, connecting corners of the Triangle of Others, and Self- and Other- Re-structuring are introduced and discussed. A coding system used throughout the clinical chapters to clarify the nature, and application, of therapist interventions is described. The conceptualization of 'character hologram' is explained in detail, and illustrated with clinical material. Throughout the book, annotated extracts from real therapy sessions are presented to illustrate characteristics of EDTs in clinical practice and, wherever possible, follow-up is presented. The clinical chapters describe the application of experiential dynamic individual and group approaches within the UK National Health Service and Counselling Services, primarily, but also in other Countries having similar public health services (Holland, Israel and Italy). The relevance of experiential dynamic approaches in providing case management and supervision, and in treating the more complex presentations of common mental health problems is discussed. A research chapter provides an overview of EDT-related research to date. It is argued that EDTs represent a promising integration of a number of therapeutic principles, and their place within current mental health policy in the National Health Service in the UK is outlined.
About the Author :
Ferruccio Osimo, MD, psychiatrist, is one of the founders of the International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association and was its first president. He trained in dynamic psychotherapy at the Tavistock Clinic in London, where he carried out in-depth clinical studies on the quality of outcome, co-authoring with David H. Malan the book 'Psychodynamics, Training, and Outcome in Brief Psychotherapy' (1992). He attended Habib Davanloo's core training in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, and took part in the Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy Research Programme directed by Leigh McCullough at Harvard Medical School. His model of Intensive Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (IE-DP) is described in the 'Comprehensive Handbook of Psychotherapy' (2002), in his book 'Experiential Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy: A Manual' (2003), and in several scientific articles. Dr Osimo founded the Italian, UK, and Israeli core trainings in IE-DP. He maintains a psychotherapy practice in Milan, where he teaches at Universit#261; Statale, School of Psychiatry. He is the president of the Italian EDT Association. His clinical work has been presented internationally. Mark J. Stein, PhD., DClinPsy, is a Health Professions Council (HPC) registered chartered clinical psychologist at the Adult Psychological Therapies Service in Kirklees. He has completed core trainings in Intensive Experiential-Dynamic Psychotherapy with Ferruccio Osimo, and Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy with Josette ten Have-de Labije and Kees Cornelissen. His background has included research in clinical health psychology at the universities of Kent at Canterbury, Warwick, and Sheffield. In addition to treating patients in the National Health Service, he is a clinical supervisor for clinical psychologists in training at the universities of Leeds, Sheffield, and Staffordshire, and provides teaching on the experiential dynamic psychotherapies to clinical psychology doctoral students at the universities of Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham.
Review :
'I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It enables the reader to observe closely the therapeutic process, highlighting the healing ingredients across different therapeutic styles. One of the book's strengths is in displaying plenty of variations on the theme of Experiential Dynamic Therapy (EDT) therapeutic techniques, always highlighting the real, personal aspects of the therapeutic relationship. This is consistent with research findings that emotional experiencing, therapeutic alliance, and motivation lie at the core of successful outcome. Annotations to the clinical material are accurate and well to the point, giving the reader a direct view and understanding of the change process.'- Leigh McCullough, PhD, Associate Clinical Professor, Harvard Medical School'This original and thoughtful book is distinctive in the way it emphasises that EDT is an over-arching term, embracing a number of therapeutic approaches. All of them, however, have a common conceptual core, which is outlined very clearly at the beginning. Ferruccio Osimo and Mark Stein, with a group of talented therapist colleagues (many working in the British NHS), have demonstrated how effective EDT can be with a range of patients in many settings. Impressively inclusive of a number of different techniques, each therapist gives a comprehensive, clear account of the methods that they are using, illustrating them with verbatim vignettes of actual therapies, all of which are touching stories in themselves. Additionally, the therapists explain as each therapy unfolds, why they made the interventions that they did, and do so in a refreshingly honest way that not only brings the whole process to life, but adds an important quality to the book as a whole.'- David Malan, DMFRC Psych, FRCPsych; IEDTA Emeritus President, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Tavistock Clinic, London (retired)
