Schema Therapy for psychosomatic disorders

Abstract

Schema Therapy for psychosomatic disorders Abstract. Schema Therapy (ST) was developed as an advancement of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to form a comprehensive psychotherapeutic concept for patients with profound and chronic mental disorders. In this integrative psychotherapeutic treatment, cognitive, emotional, and behavioural interventions as well as the work with the therapeutic relationship are connected to establish a goal-oriented, flexible and transparent approach. The efficacy of schema therapy is particularly emphasised by studies investigating the treatment of different personality disorders. Moreover, pilot studies exist for different axis-I disorders, such as eating disorders or obsessive-compulsive disorders. Furthermore, schema therapy seems promising for patients with chronic psychosomatic symptoms. With this approach, symptoms, behavioural patterns, and central biographic events underlying the complex set of conditions, may be approached with the aid of the schema mode model, which can be conceptualised and processed in a way that is easily accessible for the patient.