Anyone have information on treatment that has been successful for people diagnosed ( or who feel they have) alexithymia?
Also info about interoception and alexithymia.
Many thanks
Jane
Hi Jane,
There is good evidence that high levels of alexithymia reflect poorly developed emotion schemas (i.e., those cognitive structures used to process emotions) and/or high usage of emotional avoidance as an emotion regulation strategy. So from this perspective, a key focus in treatment should be on developing patients' emotion schemas and reducing their use of experiential avoidance as an emotion regulation strategy. Difficulties attending to and appraising emotions can be targeted by guiding the patient in focusing on the most pertinent features of an emotional response, and guiding them in mentally representing, labelling, and linking the visceral sensations, behavioural tendencies, and eliciting events surrounding this affect. Techniques like mindfulness of emotions can therefore be quite relevant. Some co-authors and I discuss these concepts in this paper:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319086475_Establishing_the_theoretical_components_of_alexithymia_via_factor_analysis_Introduction_and_validation_of_the_attention-appraisal_model_of_alexithymia
There is evidence that levels of alexithymia can be improved with interventions. Here are some references that discuss treatment approaches or test their effectiveness for improving alexithymia:
Edwards, E., Shivaji, S., & Wupperman, P. (2018). The Emotion Mapping Activity: Preliminary evaluation of a mindfulness‐informed exercise to improve emotion labeling in alexithymic persons. Scandinavian journal of psychology, 59, 319-327.
Kennedy, M., & Franklin, J. (2002). Skills-based treatment for alexithymia: An exploratory case series. Behaviour Change, 19, 158-171.
Neumann, D., Malec, J. F., & Hammond, F. M. (2017). Reductions in alexithymia and emotion dysregulation after training emotional self-awareness following traumatic brain injury: a phase I trial. Journal of head trauma rehabilitation, 32, 286-295.
Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., & Parker, J. D. (1999). Disorders of affect regulation: Alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness. Cambridge University Press.
Samur, D., Tops, M., Schlinkert, C., Quirin, M., Cuijpers, P., & Koole, S. L. (2013). Four decades of research on alexithymia: moving toward clinical applications. Frontiers in psychology, 4, 861.
Lane, R. D., Weihs, K. L., Herring, A., Hishaw, A., & Smith, R. (2015). Affective agnosia: Expansion of the alexithymia construct and a new opportunity to integrate and extend Freud's legacy. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 55, 594-611.
Hi Jane,
There is good evidence that high levels of alexithymia reflect poorly developed emotion schemas (i.e., those cognitive structures used to process emotions) and/or high usage of emotional avoidance as an emotion regulation strategy. So from this perspective, a key focus in treatment should be on developing patients' emotion schemas and reducing their use of experiential avoidance as an emotion regulation strategy. Difficulties attending to and appraising emotions can be targeted by guiding the patient in focusing on the most pertinent features of an emotional response, and guiding them in mentally representing, labelling, and linking the visceral sensations, behavioural tendencies, and eliciting events surrounding this affect. Techniques like mindfulness of emotions can therefore be quite relevant. Some co-authors and I discuss these concepts in this paper:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319086475_Establishing_the_theoretical_components_of_alexithymia_via_factor_analysis_Introduction_and_validation_of_the_attention-appraisal_model_of_alexithymia
There is evidence that levels of alexithymia can be improved with interventions. Here are some references that discuss treatment approaches or test their effectiveness for improving alexithymia:
Edwards, E., Shivaji, S., & Wupperman, P. (2018). The Emotion Mapping Activity: Preliminary evaluation of a mindfulness‐informed exercise to improve emotion labeling in alexithymic persons. Scandinavian journal of psychology, 59, 319-327.
Kennedy, M., & Franklin, J. (2002). Skills-based treatment for alexithymia: An exploratory case series. Behaviour Change, 19, 158-171.
Neumann, D., Malec, J. F., & Hammond, F. M. (2017). Reductions in alexithymia and emotion dysregulation after training emotional self-awareness following traumatic brain injury: a phase I trial. Journal of head trauma rehabilitation, 32, 286-295.
Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., & Parker, J. D. (1999). Disorders of affect regulation: Alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness. Cambridge University Press.
Samur, D., Tops, M., Schlinkert, C., Quirin, M., Cuijpers, P., & Koole, S. L. (2013). Four decades of research on alexithymia: moving toward clinical applications. Frontiers in psychology, 4, 861.
Lane, R. D., Weihs, K. L., Herring, A., Hishaw, A., & Smith, R. (2015). Affective agnosia: Expansion of the alexithymia construct and a new opportunity to integrate and extend Freud's legacy. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 55, 594-611.
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