What is the common ground for modern psychotherapy? A discussion paper based on EACLIPT’s 1st webinar

Abstract

Psychotherapy as it is implemented today, can be seen as the composition of unconnected groups of practitioners and scientists pursuing different theories. The idea of finding a common “umbrella” for all evidence-based treatments in the field of psychotherapy is gaining more interest. Based on this background, experts in clinical psychology from various backgrounds led a fundamental discussion about modern psychotherapy and its basic mechanisms. Process-Based Therapy (PBT) was presented by Stefan Hofmann as a possible novel approach to clinical research and practice. In this article we present the different perspectives of the four panelists on PBT and in how far the model builds a common ground for different treatment approaches. Learning mechanisms and the therapeutic alliance were almost unanimously considered as indispensable factors in a global model of psychotherapy. In conclusion, the panelists emphasized a much-needed focus on characteristics and competencies of therapists themselves e.g., in communication, listening and empathy. These core competencies should be trained and promoted independently of the therapeutic approach.

Functional contextual implementation of an evolutionary, entropy-based, and embodied free energy framework: Utilizing Lagrangian mechanics and evolutionary game theory’s truth vs. fitness test of the veridicality of phenomenological experience

“…W (world), X (experience), and G (conscious action) are measurable sets, while P (perceive), D (decision), and A (action) are Markovian kernels, and t is an integer parameter [Reprinted with permission from Elsevier (Fields et al, 2018)]. 2022) that could be interoceptively related. Embodiment, such as interoceptive awareness and related vagal function, has been shown to play an important role in emotional regulation and coping (Pinna and Edwards, 2020).…”

“…Given such an a-ontological alignment, and the fact that recent developments within clinical psychology are suggesting a move away from protocols of syndromes, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ), and toward a more process-based therapeutic (PBT) approach ( Hayes and Hofmann, 2018 ; Hayes et al, 2019 , 2020 ) that highlights evolution as central (evolutionary variation, selection, retention, and context; Hayes et al, 2020 ; Hofmann et al, 2022 ) within the therapeutic practice, it seems appropriate to explore how the evolutionary game theory ( Smith and Price, 1973 ; Smith, 1982 ; Nowak, 2006 ) can be applied within the context of this study. This specifically relates to evidence provided through mathematical simulations that show phenological experience (e.g., perception) to be non-veridical and instead act through a perceptual interface based on evolutionary fitness functions ( Mark et al, 2010 ; Hoffman and Prakash, 2014 ; Hoffman et al, 2015 ; Prakash et al, 2021 ).…”

Meaningful and lasting change – Psychotherapy in the light of evolutionary processes

“…One such attempt to conceptualize and organize empirically verified change processes in psychotherapy around evolutionary concepts is the process-based approach to psychotherapy ( Hayes et al, 2019 ; Hofmann et al, 2022 ). Although its implications are not yet established, the theoretical groundwork is now ready to guide the next steps of empirical examination of candidate processes of change ( Hayes et al, 2022 ).…”