Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Department of Nursing and Allied Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Psychol Psychother. 2022 Mar;95(1):277-294. doi: 10.1111/papt.12372. Epub 2021 Nov 19.
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.
Qualitative study exploring the experience of people who received an intervention for voices linked to a previous traumatic event.
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.
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.
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.
Imaginal exposure may be an effective intervention for people who hear voices that they perceive to be associated with a past traumatic event. Positive changes associated with the intervention may be highly variable between individuals, and encompass changes in sense of self, changes to internal states, and changes to voice-hearing experience. Imaginal exposure interventions may involve some temporary discomfort and symptom exacerbation, which may affect the acceptability of the intervention. This needs to be considered in both future research and clinical delivery.
越来越多的证据表明，经历幻听与过去的创伤事件之间存在关联，而以创伤为焦点的心理干预正被应用于幻听，作为一种新兴的治疗方向。为了为这一应用的持续发展和实施提供信息，有必要了解客户的治疗体验。
探索经历过与先前创伤事件相关的幻听干预的人治疗体验的定性研究。
10 名经历过与先前创伤事件有一定关联的幻听的参与者在接受六次想象暴露治疗后（一种基于暴露的以创伤为焦点的干预）接受了个人半结构化访谈。参与者的反应使用主题分析进行分析。
参与者报告了该干预的一系列益处，包括改善心理健康、减少困扰性的幻听体验，以及增加对创伤事件的清晰认识。该疗法被认为与以前的治疗经历明显不同，参与者指出治疗可能很强烈且具有挑战性，但之后会有所帮助。参与者还报告说，外部环境会影响他们在治疗中的进展和幻听体验。
研究结果表明，基于暴露的以创伤为焦点的疗法可能对听到与创伤相关的幻听的人有益。然而，这种干预可能很强烈，临床医生和消费者需要考虑交付的时间，并注意可以增加参与者安全感的内部和外部资源。
想象暴露可能是一种有效的干预措施，适用于那些认为自己听到的声音与过去的创伤事件有关的人。与干预相关的积极变化可能在个体之间高度可变，包括自我意识的变化、内部状态的变化以及幻听体验的变化。想象暴露干预可能会涉及一些暂时的不适和症状恶化，这可能会影响干预的可接受性。这需要在未来的研究和临床实施中加以考虑。
