Mindful Happiness

Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC

  • Home
  • Dr. Anthony Quintiliani
    • About
  • Mindful Happiness
  • Mindful Expressions Meditation CD
  • Contact

March 11, 2017 By Admin

Object Relations Therapy for Trauma

Trauma: Object Relations Therapy

Object relations therapists, D. W. Winnicott especially, have presented a logical analysis on how to provide object-relations-oriented therapy to people suffering from the effects of psychological trauma. Such attachment-based trauma therapy provides support and healing from trauma, loss and long-term trauma-effects.  The interventions below combine the best of object relations therapy, mindfulness therapy (MBSR, ACT), and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Here is the listing of therapeutic functions and interventions.

  1. Provide support for “going-on-being” in the therapeutic alliance and the therapy itself. (Winnicott)
  2. Unconditional positive regard is a must. (Rogers)
  3. Recognize, work with and work through the splitting process as it activates in therapy. (Lineman)
  4. Safely and with effective skill help to re-connect the person with safe transitional space. (Winnicott)
  5. Carefully build and monitor the emotional “holding environment” in both alliance and therapy. (Rogers, Winnicott)
  6. Include contextual stimuli and symbols of the traumatic experience, from very general to specific and shift slowly over time. (Briere)
  7. Once there is a firm alliance and safety in the therapy, be more specific in exposure to traumatic experiences – monitor carefully. (Briere)
  8. In all exposure work, best to utilize SUDs scores from 0 to 100 – larger range between numbers allows deeper investigation and specificity.
  9. Work hard to understand and utilize body-based communications. (Ogden, Fisher, van der Kolk)
  10. Use mindfulness attention and skills (MBSR, ACT) to remain in The Middle Way between traumatic re-exposure and the safety of “going-on-being.” (Briere, van der Kolk)
  11. Check in with the experiences of transference and countertransference as you use images and defenses to support progress. (A. Freud)
  12. Use multi-sensory interventions in gentle, safe, re-exposure to traumatic materials – using one step removed and cognitive processes first. (Quintiliani)
  13. If skilled in its use, utilize the Attachment-CABs-VAKGO-IS-Rels formula for interventions. (Quintiliani – see mindfulhappiness.org for more details)
  14. Using items #s 8-13 above, aim for development of a safe cognitive schema and narrative clarification about the traumatic event/s.
  15. Work closely with the person to help them internalize the growth-benefits of all of the above. Take time with this process.
  16. Be a “good object” and always return to safety over and over again – check-in and stabilizes often.
  17. Slowly and with safety move up the hierarchy of trauma exposure process, possibly experiencing the full array of sensory experience. (Briere, Foa)
  18. Listen, support emotionally, radically accept, validate and understand the process and the person. This is your best way to develop a “good enough” self-object via “transmuting internalization.” (Kohut)  Various mindfulness and CBT skills will be used here.
  19. Use mindfulness and good CBT to make space for acceptance and validation for post-traumatic growth. (Lineman)
  20. Help to impact these positive changes into a “different” memory system as you expand and deepen the narrative.
  21. Support and directly reinforce (behaviorally) the improved self – a “felt sense” of a healthier self psychologically and physically.
  22. Place more and more safety into the transitional space, and generalize this process into therapy and life practices.
  23. Finally, expand the person’s capacity for pleasure, joy, self-esteem, success and HAPPINESS before therapy ends.

For more information refer to Savage Scharff, J. and Scharff, D. E. (1994).  Object Relations Therapy of Physical and Sexual Trauma. Northvale, NJ: J. Aronson.

Note: The ideas have been presented in this text, but I have added more current interventions and details based on new research and treatments.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

Filed Under: Activities, Featured, MIndfulness, MIndfulness Activities, Mindfulness Training, Object Relations Therapy, Therapy, Trauma Tagged With: ACT, COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY, D.W.WINNICOTT, MBSR, MINDFULNESS, OBJECT RELATIONS THERAPY, THERAPY., TRAUMA

Twitter

Mindful Happiness -Currently in Production

Mindful Happiness Posts

Mindfulness & Happiness – Tools In this post I will provide basic instructions for several mind-body practices that allow calm equanimity both at rest and in action.  We will cover RAIN, RAINDROP, Cloud Journeying, Gratitude, Tapping, and other Body-Based practices. RAIN (Tara Brach) – This simple to use approach helps you to maintain a cognitive […]

The “I AM THAT” Meditation Elena Brower’s new book, Practice You: A Journal (Sounds True, 2017) has many thoughtful suggestions on how to connect with the true inner self, and – more importantly – how to improve your self-views and the experience of your deep inner self. Below I have modified her presentation of the “I Am […]

Use of Breathing Techniques – Do a Polyvagal Test First Polyvagal Test The polyvagal theory (S.Porges) and polyvagal functions are complex, highly important, evolutional processes with powerful influences on human survival, overall physical health, and emotion regulation.  The tenth cranial nerve (from scull base to anus) functions in various ways, the most important of which […]

Zen Buddhist Practices – Egolessness In our practice we often inquire, and sometimes experience, the no-self and/or egolessness. What is egolessness? Who and what do we think we are? Some say that when we die the essence but not the ego lives on into new experiences. Karma and re-birth are givens in this spiritual view. […]

Interoceptive Practices for Generic  Tai Chi  & Chi Kung  Postures By Anthony R. Quintiliani, Ph.D. From The Eleanor R. Liebman Center  for  the  Study  of  Secular  Meditation  in  Monkton,  Vermont These practices will require either knowledge of Tai Chi/Chi Kung postures or following pictures of the same postures.  Be prepared before you begin to practice. […]

Enhancing Hope in Psychotherapy The enhancement of personal hope is a key part of successful psychotherapy practice. Some view this requirement as a foundational aspect of the therapeutic alliance; others do not hold the same view.  In the case of serious co-occurring disorders, especially trauma and substance misuse, initiating, developing, and sustaining a hopeful future-view […]

Pursuit of Happiness – Mindful Happiness Gilbert, a professor of Psychology at Harvard University and the author of Stumbling on Happiness, implies that we make mind-errors in our search for happiness.  Happiness is a core human emotion, most often activated into consciousness via the midbrain reward centers and dopamine activation. Perhaps our hardwired brains are made to […]

Self-Reality Checks Are Needed in Your Mindful Clinical Practice It is highly important for helpers working in the co-occurring conditions field to become keenly aware of their own realities in practice and life that impact clinical effectiveness.  Below I have listed four areas that show up in clinical surveys and added four more that I […]

Tonglen Meditation or Giving and Taking I have added various posts about many compassion practice.  Earlier posts have covered a range of practices – from super-easy to more demanding. Here, I will add a more advanced practice.  This Tibetan compassion meditation practice has been taught often in the Vajrayana school of Buddhism.  In my opinion […]

Essential Knowledge for Clinical Supervisors This post will include information and skills dealing with research on role induction practices, quality of clinical supervision, psychodynamics of alliance, and progress measurement.  Since the information and skills for all these topics is complex, I will do my best to keep it as clear as possible. This information aims […]

Consciousness of Your Emotions Besides common scientific reflections on human emotions – that is neuro-chemical-electrical cellular impulses in response to sensory inputs – our emotional response system includes you and your innermost emotional reactions to both internal and external stimuli (people, places, things, memories, experiences, phenomena). Your mental state in response to sensory contact with […]

How to Find & Choose an Effective Therapist Recently The Harvard Health Newsletter posted some interesting questions to ask while seeking out a psychotherapist. I will add a few more details and areas of inquiry in this post. Keep in mind that these questions and inquiries do not mean you will be happy and improve […]

Cognitive Defusion in Mindfulness Psychotherapy A well-meaning therapist might ask: What is cognitive defusion. Well this practice, as used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is beyond cognitive restructuring of cognitive distortions and automatic negative thoughts ( I call “Red Ants”). The practice concretely de-literalizes the personal truth and meaning of unhelpful, repetitive thoughts and words. […]

Quasi Self-Hypnotic Pain Relief To be successful in this intervention you will have to let go of ego-based defensiveness and remain quite focused for quite some time. These are not easy things to do. DO NOT do this intervention if you are feeling highly vulnerable at this time, or if you are not working with […]

Trauma Informed Care – Avoidance Process Although more and more clinicians are learning about and using principles/practices of Trauma Informed Care, too few understand the behavioral dynamics of negative reinforcement in the avoidance of trauma-related cues (people, places, things, internal sensations, emotions and images). This post will give a very brief description of negative reinforcement […]

Mindful Observation  Through Mindful Breathing The following guided meditation is a combination meditation from Asanga’s Grounds of Hearers, Jam-Yang-Shay-Pa’s concentration meditation on the breath, and the Anapanasati Sutta. These guided meditation instructions have been simplified and combined for contemporary use by lay meditators. Observation of Observation – Mindfulness in Breathing Contemplate breathing in and out with complete […]

Intervention Skills to Calm Your Anxiety It is estimated that approximately 40,000,000 American suffer from an anxiety disorders, especially generalize anxiety and panic disorder. Sometimes general “talk therapy” fails to help improve your condition; you may need cognitive-behavioral therapy with research-based mindfulness skills or dialectical behavior therapy.  CBT, MBSR, ACT and DBT are the evidence-based, […]

ACT – The Absolute Basics; Acceptance & Commitment Therapy In this post I begin a series of writing dealing with ACT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The details below are basic, but perhaps just enough to develop more interest in learning about ACT. Here we go! 1) Act, developed mainly by Steven Hayes Ph.D.and based on […]

Mindfulness Expands the Art of Journal Writing T. Merton, J. Kerouc, I. Progoff, J. Upton, and others have helped to expand the art or journal writing practice.  This type of practice can become your mindfulness practice.  You will need to write on a daily basis (even if briefly), and you will need to be highly […]

My third posting on self-medication- Comes from the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont. Now we will turn our attention to how people become habituated to self-medication to obtain brief moments of joy and/or to avoid emotional suffering.  Recall that self-medication becomes a habit (dopamine released in reward centers of the […]

Mindful Happiness Tags

JOURNALING VIPASSANA ENLIGHTENMENT BRAIN ELEANOR R LIEBMAN CENTER MEDITATION ACTIVITIES DR ANTHONY QUINTILIANI PSYCHOTHERAPY THICH NHAT HANH CONSCIOUSNESS BUDDHISM BREATHING MBSR THERAPY. TRAINING TRAUMA MINDFUL MEDITATION ANTHONY QUINTILIANI MINDFUL HAPPINESS WISE MIND MINDFULNESS MINDFUL SELF ESTEEM VERMONT MEDITATION PRACTICE SUFFERING MINDFULNESS TRAINING WALKING MEDITATION VIPASSANA MEDITATION SELF CARE SELF COMPASSION EXERCISES SELF MEDICATION MINDFUL TRAINING CLINICAL SUPERVISION PRACTICE EMPTINESS HAPPINESS ACTIVITY SELF COMPASSION ADDICTION PRACTICES COVID-19

Mindful Categories

Mindful Happiness Pages

  • About
  • Contact
  • Dr. Anthony Quintiliani
  • Mindful Expressions Meditation CD
  • Mindful Happiness
  • Site Map

Copyright © 2023 · Mindful Happiness