Psychotherapeutic intervention for disturbed emotional regulation in complex post-traumatic stress disorder

Pervasive disturbances in emotional regulation are a frequent problem for patients with complex trauma disorders. Emotional instability is a core diagnostic criterion of borderline personality disorder, in which a high prevalence of physical and sexual childhood abuse has been found. Self-injury, substance abuse, and binge-eating are strategies for coping with unbearable traumatic emotions. Therapeutic strategies for improving emotion regulation include pharmacological and psychological approaches. For the former, serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been shown to improve emotion regulation. The latter, psychotherapeutic techniques are: refocusing attention on positive emotions, imaginative distancing, resource activation, cognitive methods for improving affect differentiation, and fostering confidence in relationships and emotional attachment through the experience of a positive therapeutic relationship.