Alexithymic Characteristics and Patient-Therapist Interaction: A Video Analysis of Facial Affect Display

Rasting, Marcus; Brosig, Burkhard; Beutel, Manfred E.

doi:10.1159/000085772

Cited by 55 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…This clearly limits the generalization of our results to emotional processing. At least, one could associate the fi nding of a facilitated inhibitory activity in the motor system with a reduced motor activity in facial expression and gesture and melody of speech that is frequently observed in alexithymic subjects and was empirically confi rmed [34,35] . However, inhibitory and excitatory networks are basic components of the brain which also regulate and process emotional-cognitive functions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcallosal Inhibition in Patients with and without Alexithymia

et al. 2006

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Objective: Previous results indicated a facilitated transcallosal inhibition via the corpus callosum (CC) in alexithymic male students. This study investigates transcallosal inhibition in alexithymic and nonalexithymic psychiatric inpatients. Method: Transcallosal inhibition was elicited by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex. Seven right-handed male and 12 female psychiatric patients with Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) scores of ≧61 and 12 patients with TAS-20 scores of <51 were investigated. The transcallosal conduction time (TCT) reflects the TMS-induced inhibitory cortical activity that is mediated via the CC. Results: There was a significant effect of alexithymia on TCT (Wilks λ = 0.76; F = 4.1; d.f. = 2, 26; p = 0.027) indicating that alexithymic patients had shorter bidirectional TCTs than nonalexithymic patients. The in-between models showed a significant impact of alexithymia on both right to left TCT (F = 4.8; d.f. = 1; p = 0.038) and left to right TCT (F = 5.0; d.f. = 1; p = 0.033). Neither gender nor scores of depression (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale) had any significant effects on TCT. Conclusion: Our results confirm and extend the previous findings of a facilitated, bidirectional transcallosal inhibition in alexithymia to male and female psychiatric inpatients. Facilitated transcallosal inhibition should be considered as a neurobiological correlate of alexithymia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcallosal Inhibition in Patients with and without Alexithymia

et al. 2006

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“…As such it has been observed that alexithymic patients have a tendency to avoid confl ict and to approach others in an unempathic, cold or detached way [1,[5][6][7][8] . These patients avoid close social relations, and when they do relate to others, they tend to position themselves as dependent or as impersonal such that the relation becomes superfi cial [1,5,9] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship Patterns in Alexithymia: A Study Using the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme Method

et al. 2006

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Background: Alexithymia is a disturbance in regulating affective states. Clinical observations suggest that alexithymic patients relate to others in a specific way. This paper explores whether specific relationship or transference patterns are typical of alexithymia. Sampling and Methods: Relationship patterns were assessed by means of the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme method, standard categories version. This method examines transference patterns and was applied to clinical interview data collected from a sample (n = 31) of mental health outpatients. Alexithymia was assessed by means of a score on the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale corrected for the degree of depression (measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II). Data were analysed by means of the leaps and bounds regression algorithm for selecting optimal subsets of indicators and by bootstrapping to determine 95% confidence intervals. Results: First, we observed that alexithymia can be meaningfully explained by typical wishes, typical subjective perceptions of how others respond and one’s own typical responses to others. This result indicates that the more marked a patient’s alexithymic traits are, the more probable it is that specific transference themes come to the fore. Second, a set of three core indicators of trait alexithymia was mapped: little concern about being good to others, a strong perception of others as cooperative, and weak levels of reacting to others and to conflict by means of somatic symptoms. Conclusion: Alexithymia is related to a double interpersonal indifference: not much is expected from others, nor is there a personal urge to fulfill the expectations of others. Moreover, in alexithymia somatic symptoms proved to be non-reactive to interpersonal situations. Implications for diagnosis and treatment are highlighted. Limitations of our study are that alexithymia was only assessed with a self-report measure and that conclusions are based only upon data from a heterogeneous mental health sample.

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“…Aleksitimik hastaların dinamik psikoterapiye yanıt verme oranının çok düşük olması da bu hipotezi doğrular niteliktedir. [2] Ancak bu hastaların "terapiye dirençli" olarak tanımlanması, [22,23] hastalarda aradıkları içgörüyü bulamadıklarından dolayı terapistlerde baskın olarak ortaya çıkan karşı-aktarımsal tepkinin "küçümseme" olması, [24] bu hastaların terapistte sıklıkla tekdüze, değişmez ve duygusuz tepkilere yol açmasından hareketle terapinin başarısızlığının tüm sorumluluğu hastanın omuzlarına yüklenmiştir. [25] Bu aynı zamanda hastanın diğer kişilerle yaşadığı ilişkinin terapi odasında tekrar edilmesi anlamına gelmekte ve hastanın sorunlarını pekiştirmektedir.…”

Section: Psikoterapide Bağlanma Ve İlerleme Sorunuunclassified

Alexithymia: Treatment Interventions

Şaşıoğlu¹,

Gülol²,

Tosun³

2014

Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychia

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ÖzetAleksitimi "duygular için söz yokluğu" anlamına gelmekte ve kişideki aleksitimi düzeyi arttıkça, psikoterapi sürecinin de olumsuz etkilendiği bilinmektedir. Dolayısıyla aleksitimi skorlarından da hastaların klinik tedavisinde uzmanlara yol gösterecek önemli bir araç olarak yararlanılabileceği düşünülmektedir. Bu kuramsal derleme çalışmasında, aleksitimi tedavisinin günümüzde ne noktada olduğu sorusuna yanıt aranmıştır. Bu soruyu yanıtlamak için aleksitimik özelliklerin uzun vadede terapi sonucu üzerindeki etkileri ve aleksitimi tedavisinde öne çıkan psikoterapi yaklaşımlarına odaklanılmıştır. Bu bağlamda, ilgili araştırmaların sonuçları ışığında, aleksitimi tedavisinin farmakoterapiden psikoterapiye gelişimi; aleksitimik bireylerin psikoterapide bağlanma ve ilerleme sorunu; tedavilerindeki engelleri aşmak için yararlanılabilecek psikoterapötik yöntemler ve aleksitimi tedavisinde diğer yaklaşımlara kıyasla öne çıkan grup terapisi ve bilişsel davranışçı terapi alt başlık-ları ele alınmıştır.Anahtar sözcükler: Aleksitimi, tedavi, psikoterapi, grup terapisi, bilişsel davranışçı terapi. AbstractAlexithymia means "no words for emotions" and the psychotherapy process is known to be negatively influenced, as the level of alexithymia increases. Therefore, alexithymia score is considered as an essential tool helping clinicians treat the patients. In this literature review, ongoing discussions on the alexithymia treatment will be studied by focusing on the long-term effects of the alexithymic characteristics on the treatment results and the prominent psychotherapy approaches in the alexithymia treatment. In the light of the related studies' results, the treatment of alexithymia will be examined in terms of its progress in time from pharmacotherapy to psychotherapy; problems of attachment and progress in psychotherapy; psychotherapeutic techniques, which help clinicians overcome the obstacles in the treatment process. At this point, the focus will be on group therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, as they are considered as the prominent therapies in comparison with the other therapy approaches in the treatment of alexithymia.

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Alexithymic Characteristics and Patient-Therapist Interaction: A Video Analysis of Facial Affect Display

Cited by 55 publications

References 44 publications

Transcallosal Inhibition in Patients with and without Alexithymia

Transcallosal Inhibition in Patients with and without Alexithymia

Relationship Patterns in Alexithymia: A Study Using the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme Method

Alexithymia: Treatment Interventions

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