Assimilation of problematic experiences by clients in psychotherapy.

• DOI: 10.1037/0033-3204.27.3.411
• Publication Date: 2006-10-31T14:30:56Z
• Authors: William B. Stiles; Robert Elliott; Susan P. Llewelyn; Jenny A. Firth-Co...; Frank R. Margison; David A. Shapiro; Gillian Hardy
• Keywords: Integrative psychotherapy

DAVID A. SHAPIRO AND GILLIAN HARDYMRC/ESRC Social and Applied Psychology UnitUniversity of SheffieldIn successful psychotherapy,problematic experiences (threatening orpainful thoughts, feelings, memories,etc.) are gradually assimilated intoschemata that introduced by thetherapist or developed in the therapist-client interaction modification oldschemata. As it is assimilated, aproblematic experience passes throughpredictable stages. The client movesfrom being oblivious, to experiencingthe content as acutely painful, then asless distressing, merely puzzling, thenunderstood, finally confidentlymastered.