Module 2: Understanding Emotions

Author(s):  
David H. Barlow ◽  
Todd J. Farchione ◽  
Shannon Sauer-Zavala ◽  
Heather Murray Latin ◽  
Kristen K. Ellard ◽  
...  

Chapter 7 of Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Therapist Guide provides psychoeducation on the functional, adaptive nature of emotions and assists patients in developing greater awareness of patterns of emotional responding, including potential maintaining factors (e.g., common triggers, environmental contingencies, and/or the maintaining role of avoidance). Patients also learn how to monitor and track their emotions by focusing on three core components of their emotional experiences (thoughts, physical feelings, and behaviors).

Author(s):  
David H. Barlow ◽  
Todd J. Farchione ◽  
Shannon Sauer-Zavala ◽  
Heather Murray Latin ◽  
Kristen K. Ellard ◽  
...  

Chapter 10 of Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Therapist Guide focuses on the behavioral component of the emotional response and begins by reviewing the role of emotional behaviors (i.e., behaviors that are used to control strong emotions) in the development and maintenance of maladaptive emotional responding. In this module, therapists help patients to identify relevant emotional behaviors and then work with them to develop and engage in Alternative Actions. Over time, it is expected that these Alternative Actions will help remediate cognitive and behavioral patterns contributing to the frequent occurrence of strong negative affect and maintaining patient distress in response to experience of strong emotions.


Author(s):  
David H. Barlow ◽  
Shannon Sauer-Zavala ◽  
Todd J. Farchione ◽  
Heather Murray Latin ◽  
Kristen K. Ellard ◽  
...  

Chapter 5 of Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Workbook teaches that emotions are necessary and helpful in our day-to-day lives and explains why we wouldn’t actually want to get rid of all “bad” feelings. Instead of getting rid of negative emotions, the goal of this treatment is to help people respond differently when these emotions come up. The chapter looks at how emotions (such as fear, sadness, anxiety, and anger, as well as positive emotions, like happiness, excitement, and pride) can go from providing useful input to feeling totally overwhelming. Emotional experiences are made less overwhelming by breaking them down into more manageable parts—thoughts, physical sensations, and behaviors.


Author(s):  
Hannah Boettcher ◽  
Laren R. Conklin

This chapter describes a transdiagnostic, emotion-focused approach to case formulation that facilitates individualized application of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP). We begin by highlighting the advantages of dimensional assessment and classification in the domain of emotional disorders. Next, we describe the elements of case conceptualization essential to the UP, including assessment of strong uncomfortable emotions, aversive reactions to emotional experiences, and efforts to escape or avoid these experiences. We provide examples of such processes, suggestions for how to elicit relevant information from patients, and a worksheet for conducting case formulation within the UP framework. Finally, we preview a recently developed self-report instrument that uses dimensional assessment to yield a transdiagnostic profile of emotional disorder features, which may further facilitate treatment planning.


Author(s):  
David H. Barlow ◽  
Kristen K. Ellard ◽  
Christopher P. Fairholme ◽  
Todd J. Farchione ◽  
Christina L. Boisseau ◽  
...  

This online patient workbook is a radical departure from disorder-specific treatments of various emotional disorders, and is designed to be applicable to all anxiety and unipolar mood disorders, as well as other disorders with strong emotional components, such as many somatoform and dissociative disorders. It covers the Unified Protocol (UP), which capitalizes on the contributions made by cognitive-behavioral theorists by distilling and incorporating the common principles of CBT present in all evidenced based protocols for specific emotional disorders, as well as drawing on the field of emotion science for insights into deficits in emotion regulation. It discusses the seven modules of UP, and focuses on four core strategies: becoming mindfully aware of emotional experience; reappraising rigid emotion laden attributions; identifying and preventing behavioral and emotional avoidance; and facilitating exposure to both interoceptive and situational cues associated with emotional experiences.


Author(s):  
David H. Barlow ◽  
Shannon Sauer-Zavala ◽  
Todd J. Farchione ◽  
Heather Murray Latin ◽  
Kristen K. Ellard ◽  
...  

Chapter 13 of Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Workbook reviews the treatment program. (1) All emotions, even the ones that feel negative or uncomfortable, provide important information that can motivate us to take action in helpful ways. (2) Staying present in the moment and taking a nonjudgmental view of emotions can help to prevent emotions from increasing in intensity. The way we think about a situation influences how we feel, and how we feel affects the way we interpret a situation. (3) Although avoiding uncomfortable emotional experiences can work well in the short-term, it isn’t an effective long-term coping strategy. The chapter helps us to evaluate our progress and revisit our treatment goals. The most effective way to maintain progress and to keep improving is to continue to practice the skills learned in this program, and therefore a practice plan is developed in this last chapter.


Author(s):  
David H. Barlow ◽  
Shannon Sauer-Zavala ◽  
Todd J. Farchione ◽  
Heather Murray Latin ◽  
Kristen K. Ellard ◽  
...  

Chapter 7 of Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Workbook presents the benefits of applying mindful awareness, a nonjudgmental present-focused stance, to emotional experiences. Mindful awareness is first practiced through a formal meditation exercise that introduces readers to applying this quality of attention to their emotions. Next, readers are encouraged to continue practicing mindful emotion awareness though the use of a Mindful Mood Induction exercise. Finally, the chapter continues by focusing on the Anchoring in the Present skill, which allows us to apply the concept of mindful emotion awareness to emotional experiences as they are coming up in daily life.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate H. Bentley ◽  
Shannon Sauer-Zavala ◽  
Clair F. Cassiello-Robbins ◽  
Laren R. Conklin ◽  
Stephanie Vento ◽  
...  

We provide a theoretical rationale for applying a transdiagnostic, shared mechanism treatment (the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders [UP]) to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. We also present results from a proof of concept study examining the feasibility and acceptability of adding a modified UP to treatment as usual (TAU) in an inpatient setting for individuals reporting a recent suicide attempt or active suicidal ideation. Participants ( N = 12) were randomly assigned to receive UP + TAU or TAU alone. Findings indicate good feasibility and acceptability of the adjunctive intervention. Among participants who were responsive to contact attempts postdischarge ( n = 6), there were no observable differences in suicidal thoughts or behaviors during a 6-month follow-up. This application represents a promising initial extension of a cognitive-behavioral, emotion-focused treatment to suicidal individuals within an inpatient setting. Future studies adequately powered to speak to efficacy of the modified UP intervention are warranted.


Author(s):  
Jill Ehrenreich-May ◽  
Sarah M. Kennedy ◽  
Jamie A. Sherman ◽  
Emily L. Bilek ◽  
Brian A. Buzzella ◽  
...  

Chapter 10 introduces the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children (UP-C). This is also called the “Emotion Detectives” program, which reflects the guiding treatment metaphor: teaching children to “solve the mystery of their emotions,” as detectives might. The UP-C is intended to reduce the intensity and frequency of symptoms common to youth with emotional disorders by using core evidence-based treatment strategies in a broad manner that applies to a wide range of aversive emotional experiences characteristic of youth emotional disorders (i.e., anxiety, depression, other internalizing disorders). Many anxiety, depression, adjustment, traumatic stress-related, or obsessive-compulsive or related disorders would be appropriate targets for this intervention. The UP-C is intended for children between the ages of 7 and 13, although children slightly above or below this age group may benefit from this format.


Author(s):  
David H. Barlow ◽  
Shannon Sauer-Zavala ◽  
Todd J. Farchione ◽  
Heather Murray Latin ◽  
Kristen K. Ellard ◽  
...  

Chapter 4 of Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Workbook focuses on identifying ways that your emotional responding is interfering with your lives—the top problems you would like to change and how determine the specific steps needed to address these problems. The importance of maintaining motivation for making these difficult changes is also discussed. The topics covered in this chapter form the necessary foundation for building a healthier relationship with our emotions. The rest of the skills in this book build upon this groundwork. This chapter also explores the costs and benefits of changing and remaining the same.


Author(s):  
David H. Barlow ◽  
Todd J. Farchione ◽  
Shannon Sauer-Zavala ◽  
Heather Murray Latin ◽  
Kristen K. Ellard ◽  
...  

Chapter 8 of Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Therapist Guide introduces patients to cultivating a nonjudgmental, present-focused stance toward their emotional experiences. The previous module asked patients to monitor to how their emotions unfold over time. This module builds on that work by encouraging patients to incorporate mindful awareness that moves beyond simply paying attention to these experiences. The principles of mindfulness are very consistent with the overall goal of the UP—to develop a more open, approach-oriented relationship with emotions.


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