A Phenomenological Case Study of the Therapeutic Impact of Imagery: Rescripting of Memories of a Rape and Episodes of Childhood Abuse and Neglect

A review of the transportability of cognitive therapy for the treatment of PTSD among South African rape survivors

“…A comparative study of different types of traumatic events (Seedat Nyamai, Njenga, Vythilingum & Stein 2004) concluded that sexual assault, when compared to all other traumas, was associated with the greatest risk of PTSD. Studies conducted in community settings (Dinan, McCall, & Gibson, 2004) and university contexts (Padmanabhanunni & Edwards, 2015) have further corroborated these findings. E-mail address: apadmana@uwc.ac.za.…”

“…Often the client's family does not have an understanding of the impact of trauma and this may hinder their ability to help the survivor to cope. This was evident in the case of Zinhle (Padmanabhanunni & Edwards, 2015), an adult survivor of CSA. Her family, believing that speaking about the trauma would only exacerbate her distress, enforced silence on the topic.…”

“…Only once the client had acquired the capacity to tolerate strong emotions, developed a sense of trust in the therapist and was not in crises would treatment progress to the next phase involving exposure-based interventions. This type of phased approach was beneficial in promoting recovery in three cases (Padmanabhanunni & Edwards, 2014;Sokutu, 2010;Van der Linde & Edwards, 2013 ). Issues related to personal safety hampered stabilisation efforts in two cases and led to dropout (Padmanabhanunni & Edwards, 2012, 2013.…”

“…In four of the case studies, the client displayed symptoms characteristic of complex PTSD and was diagnosed with co-morbid borderline personality disorder (BPD) Padmanabhanunni & Edwards, 2012, 2013Sokutu, 2010;Van der Linde & Edwards, 2013). In one case, the client was diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder (APD) (Padmanabhanunni & Edwards, 2014). Existing CT treatment protocols like ECCT are designed to treat single isolated incidents of trauma.…”

“…In certain cases (e.g. Sokutu, 2010;Padmanabhanunni & Edwards, 2014), Schema Therapy (ST) (Young, Klosko, & Weishaar, 2003) was used to guide treatment planning and to achieve goals related to stabilisation. Only once the client had acquired the capacity to tolerate strong emotions, developed a sense of trust in the therapist and was not in crises would treatment progress to the next phase involving exposure-based interventions.…”