Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder and Wisdom Therapy

Abstract

Posttraumatic embitterment disorder (PTED) is a psychological reaction to negative life events, and as such is a special type of adjustment disorder. It is a very disabling disorder and is burdensome for the person and for the people in his or her environment. It often takes a chronic course. There are similarities as well differences with other posttraumatic disorders. PTED is seen after life events that are experienced as insulting or humiliating while at the same time causing feelings of helplessness. Symptoms include prolonged feelings of embitterment, intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, feelings of dejection, phobic avoidance of places or people related to the negative event, suicidal ideation, and homicidal thoughts or fantasies. People with PTED often reject help for their disorder. A promising new treatment approach is wisdom therapy, which is a form of cognitive therapy based on recent developments in the field of wisdom psychology. Treatment involves presenting the patient with case vignettes of unsolvable life problems and teaching patients to attain a change of perspective, distance from oneself, empathy with the aggressor, acceptance of unwanted emotions, emotional serenity, contextualism, value relativism, relativism of aspirations, and long-term perspectives.