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This handout provides an overview of involuntary memories, their impact on mental health, and therapeutic responses. Learn how to identify trigger factors, desensitize emotional processing, and challenge negative beliefs to promote inner change. By understanding the biological factors and outer changes that influence involuntary memories, you can work towards improving therapeutic outcomes and building a strong therapeutic alliance.
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problem solving as overview problems & difficulties symptoms therapeutic responses
symptoms therapeutic alliance biological factors outer change inner change therapeutic responses
therapeutic alliance biochemistry & outer change biological factors outer change inner change general activation: exercise, interests & relationships medication, herbs, supplements, food, light, sleep, etc targeted activation: responses to trigger factors & desensitisation
therapeutic alliance inner change biological factors outer change inner change • challenge current beliefs: education/normalisation and behavioural experiments to change viewpoint • inner focus: calming skills, mindfulness, internal desensitisation, attention training and imagery • emotional processing: simple & complex
key points of this handout • trauma memories are very common in depression and anxiety as well as in ptsd • elicit these memories and ‘images’ gently and carefully • disorder onset, severity and persistence seem contributed to by memories and ‘images’ • lessons from ptsd treatment may well improve treatment of depression and anxiety
involuntary memories are normal • involuntary memories of personal life events are reported at least 5 or 6 times daily by “normals” • typically these memories are cued by identifiable aspects of one’s current situation • memories often take their emotional tone from one’s current mood - typically happiness or sadness - and then reinforce this mood • memories are often of recent or of unusual events • intrusive thoughts are even more common and when negative tend to be characterised by fear Berntsen D Involuntary autobiographical memories Appl Cog Psychol 1996;10:435-54 Brewin CR et al Intrusive thoughts and intrusive memories in a nonclinical sample Cognition & Emotion 1996;10:107-12