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Like jumping off a ledge into the water - A qualitative study of trauma-focussed imaginal exposure for hearing voices264.58 kB
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
'Like jumping off a ledge into the water': A qualitative study of trauma-focussed imaginal exposure for hearing voices
Psychology and Psychotherapy, Vol.95(1), pp.277-294
2022
Abstract
Objective. There is growing evidence of a link between the experience of hearing voices and past traumatic events, and trauma-focussed psychological interventions are being applied to hearing voices as an emerging treatment direction. To inform the ongoing development and implementation of this application, there is a need to understand clients' therapy experiences. Design. Qualitative study exploring the experience of people who received an intervention for voices linked to a previous traumatic event. Method. Ten participants experiencing voices with some connection to a previous traumatic event participated in individual semi-structured interviews following six sessions of imaginal exposure, an exposure-based trauma-focussed intervention. Participant responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Results. Participants reported a range of benefits from the intervention, including improved mental health, reduction of distressing voice-hearing experiences, and increased clarity of the traumatic event. The therapy was perceived as distinctly different to previous therapy experiences, and participants noted that therapy could be intense and challenging, yet helpful later. Participants also reported that outside circumstances impacted on their progress in therapy and their voice-hearing experience. Conclusions. The findings suggest that exposure-based trauma-focussed therapies may be beneficial for people who hear trauma-related voices. However, this intervention can be intense and clinicians and consumers need to consider the timing of delivery, and pay attention to internal and external resources that can increase participants' sense of safety.
Details
- Title
- 'Like jumping off a ledge into the water': A qualitative study of trauma-focussed imaginal exposure for hearing voices
- Authors
- Natalie Feary (Author) - Swinburne University of TechnologyRachel Brand (Author) - Swinburne University of TechnologyAnne Williams (Author) - Swinburne University of TechnologyNeil Thomas (Corresponding Author) - Swinburne University of Technology
- Publication details
- Psychology and Psychotherapy, Vol.95(1), pp.277-294
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Date published
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1111/papt.12372
- ISSN
- 2044-8341; 1476-0835
- Copyright note
- This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Thompson Institute; School of Health - Psychology; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99585107802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Psychology, Clinical
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