A view of human functioning is presented in which functioning is seen as integrating head and heart, emotion and reason, in a process by which people are constantly making sense of their lived emotional experience to form narratives of told experience. Because much of the processing involved in the generation of emotional experience occurs…

In this study, we measured emotional processing and the alliance across 3 phases of therapy (beginning, working, and termination) for 74 clients who each received brief experiential psychotherapy for depression. Using path analysis, we proposed and tested a model of relationships between these 2 processes across phases of therapy and how these…

Qualitative analyses of 2 clients' psychotherapies (client centered and process-experiential) investigated the developmental progression from formulating a problem to achieving an understanding of it. The results elaborated one segment in the 8-stage Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Sequence (APES), through which problematic parts of a…

Research on change processes is needed to help explain how psychotherapy produces change. To explain processes of change, it is important to measure three types of outcomes and three levels of process. Emphasis will need to be placed on specifying different types of in-session change episodes and the intermediate outcomes they produce. (Author/BL)

Responds to Mahoney and Lyddon's review in previous article and notes that it clarifies differences between rationalist and constructivist approaches to cognitive theory. Asserts that principles of constructivist therapy are highly consistent with principles of experiential therapy. (NB)

Responds to previous article by Gelso and Carter (this issue) on components of psychotherapy relationship: working alliance, transference configuration, and real relationship. Considers difficulty in discriminating between transference and real relationship, both at conceptual and measurement levels. Also sees concept of real relationship as vague…

Presents a marker-based method for tracking the assimilation of a previously outcast voice into the self, conceived as a community of voices. Using a qualitative assimilation analysis of a sample case, tracks two major themes, excerpts 43 passages, and rates each passage on the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale (APES). APES ratings…

Examines four methods of training therapists (didactic, skill training, experiential, and personal growth) and proposes combination of these methods as best means of training experiential therapists. Reviews current developments in manualization and adherence measurement in experiential approaches. Discusses advantages of context-sensitive,…

Clients (n=34) with unresolved feelings related to a significant other were randomly assigned to either experiential "empty chair" dialogue intervention or a psychoeducational group offering information about "unfinished business." Treatment outcomes were evaluated before and after the treatment period. Results indicated that…

Early-, middle-, and late-phase client emotional arousal, perceptual processing strategies, and working alliance were examined in relation to treatment outcome on 4 measures in 32 clients who previously underwent experiential therapy for depression. Hierarchical regression analyses relating these variables to outcome indicated that results varied…