Interview with mara selvini palazzoli and giuliana prata

Abstract

As anyone who has encountered her in person or through her writings knows, Mara Selvini Palazzoli is an impressive woman. 1 found her to be powerful, attentive and, most of all, intellectually restless impatient with psychotherapeutic approaches that work slowly or not at all, with the reluctance of family therapists to undertake thorough training, and with my inability to understand immediately some of her explanations.

Giuliana Prata, in contrast, is quiet, stable, ready to supply the correct English word or to expand on one of Palazzoli's comments. She seems ideally suited to her job of conducting the intensive telephone interview required before a family comes to the Milan Family Institute.

Although I had corresponded with Mara Selvini Palazzoli before our interview in Milan on March 30, 1982, I had not sent her any actual questions. Nevertheless, showing a certain prescience, she launched into an answer to my first question before I had a chance to voice it! That question was: Would you talk about your evolution from psychoanalyst to family therapist to paradoxical therapist SEB     

Self-starvation and the performance narrative in competitive sport

ObjectivesTo provide an alternative to medical understanding of disordered eating in sport through an emphasis on personal perspectives.DesignThis study draws on narrative theory to interpretively analyse the life of Holly, a female athlete who engages in severe self-starvation.MethodsMore than 7 hours of life history data was gathered over a period of 8 months through unstructured interviews. Holly's story was analyzed through principles of narrative analysis, with attention afforded to both narrative content and structure.ResultsHolly's life is characterized by a struggle to align her life experiences with a culturally specified “performance narrative” that lauds normative success. When neither her academic nor sporting endeavors are perceived to fulfil the achievement narrative, Holly is thrust into emotional turmoil and begins to conceive of self-starvation as a means to achieve.ConclusionsThe performance narrative spans both academic and sporting cultural domains and it can play a role in athlete disordered eating.     

Male and female internal images in a case of frigidity

Abstract

This is the case of a young woman suffering from a narcissistic personality disturbance with Oedipal aspects. The development of the analytic treatment is stressed through the analysis of her dreams. The analytic setting provided an appropriate mirroring Self-object. Thereby the patient has had the opportunity to express her own defective female grandiose Self, which was at the base of her disturbances.     

The Divine,The Deviant and the Diabolical: A Journey Through An Artist's Paintings During Her Participation in a Creative Process Group: An Evolution of "Developmental Mourning"

Participation in writing and creative process offers a unique window to view the evolution of the mourning process. This study traces how a painter's work as shown to such a group reveals and interacts with her developmental progress as she goes through the mourning process in individual therapy with the author, who is also the leader of the writing and creative process group to which the artist belongs. Through these mutually beneficial exchanges, the patient is able to relinquish her constructed false self-identity for an authentic female identity, as seen in the evolution of her painting over her two-year participation in the writing and creative process group.     

I Belong

ABSTRACT

This essay focuses on the experience of an immigrant returning for a visit to her home country after forty years. She describes her surprise at finding herself “at home,” her changed relationship to her family, and her desire to be buried in her ancestors' crypt. She alludes to the immigrant's fate of not belonging to either country.     

A Narrative Model of Recovery

Abstract

In this paper I defend the suggestion that narratively understanding her experience of rape can help a survivor in her recovery from the harm that she has suffered. Susan Brison defends a similar suggestion, but, I argue, does not get all of the possible mileage out of narrative understanding because she does not explore what she takes to be the necessary features of a successful narrative itself. I hope to supplement her, primarily relational, account with a richer understanding of narratives themselves, as it is only, I argue, through coming to understand the essential characteristics of a narrative that we are able to grasp the particular explanatory force of narratives and, thereby, all of the potential benefits of narratively understanding her experience for a rape survivor.     

Conclusion

Abstract

The influence of culture within a parent-child activity group is analyzed in order to explore how leaders of parent-child activity groups can use knowledge of group culture to design effective interventions. This chapter concludes with the author describing revisions to her original guidelines for parent-child activity group intervention which developed through her reflections on the findings of her qualitative study about one parent-child activity group.     

Dementia–A Spiritual Journey Towards the Divine: A Personal View of Dementia

SUMMARY

This chapter presents a moving account of one woman's journey into fronto-temporal dementia. Bryden grapples with the difficult issues of loss of self and relationship with God. She examines the significance of memory in the Christian journey, and finally, she proposes ways for relating to her as she moves further into dementia. The strategies suggested uphold her as a fellow member of the Body of Christ, where others may become her memory, and where she can still be nurtured through the love of others and feel God's love through them.     

From theory to practice: The integration of goal perspective theory and life development approaches within an injury-specific goal-setting program

Abstract

The psychology of sport injury rehabilitation is an awa of increasing research and practical interest (Heil, 1993: Pugman, 1993). However. there has been little exploration of how contemporary motivation theory might provide a theoretical basis for sport psychology interventions within the sports injury context. The present paper suggests that goal perspective theory and life development intervention (LDI) provide a conceptual base from which an injury-specific goal-setting program could be designed. The notion that goal-setting can empower the injured athlete with skills that encourage a stronger task orientation. create an enhanced sense of control during a life crisis, and improve lifestyle management is discussed. Opportunities for these skills to be used across different rehabilitation phases and through changing rehabilitation contexts are also explored. Finally. guidelines for the implementation of a rehabilitation-specific, task-oriented goal-setting program are suggested.     

Older adults’ experiences of internet-based vestibular rehabilitation for dizziness: A longitudinal study

Objective: Factors influencing engagement with self-managed rehabilitation are not well understood, but evidence suggests they may change over time. Despite increasing digitalisation of self-managed interventions, little is known about the role of internet-based interventions in patients’ experiences of self-directed rehabilitation. This longitudinal qualitative study investigated individuals’ ongoing experiences of internet-guided, self-managed rehabilitation within the context of rehabilitation for dizziness.

Methods: Eighteen adults aged fifty and over who experienced dizziness used the ‘Balance Retraining’ internet intervention for six weeks. Participants took part in semi-structured telephone interviews at two-week intervals to explore their experiences. Data were inductively thematically analysed.

Results: The internet intervention was reported to facilitate engagement with rehabilitation exercises, providing motivation to continue through symptom reduction and simple but helpful strategies. It was perceived as informative, reassuring, visually pleasing and easy to use. Barriers to engagement included practicalities, symptoms and doubts about exercise efficacy. Participants’ perceptions did not always remain consistent over time.

Conclusion: The internet intervention may be a feasible method of supporting self-managed vestibular rehabilitation. More generally, longitudinal findings suggest that appearance-related perceptions of online interventions may be especially important for initial engagement. Furthermore, intervention features targeting self-efficacy seem important in overcoming barriers to engagement.     

Assessment,Treatment, and Rehabilitation for Interpersonal Violence Victims

Abstract

Psychotherapists who have received minimal training in neuropsychology do not consider cognitive rehabilitation among the treatment options for their clients who have mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Historical perspectives on mTBI did not acknowledge brain plasticity and/or rehabilitation, yet rehabilitation might provide a necessary foundation for a client to be able to benefit from traditional feminist psychotherapy. This article provides an overview of two treatment modalities, biofeedback and neuropsychologically-informed feminist psychotherapy, for women with mTBI who sought relief from interstitial cystitis and headaches. Assessment for neuropsychological treatment planning and monitoring is illustrated with employment of the Ackerman-Banks Neuropsychological Rehabilitation Battery. Clinical examples are provided to demonstrate a variety of manifestations of mTBI and responses to treatment.     

Me,You, Them: The Subjective Camera in the Brazilian Bush Country

Andrucha Waddington is the director of a Brazilian movie named Me, You, Them . It can be defined as a laboratory which demonstrates the possibilities and obstacles that inhabit human relationships. A woman from the northeastern region of Brazil proves herself capable of creating new forms of female/male relations by inaugurating an original model of family structures which do not aim toward completeness. The diversity of each unfolding relationship demonstrates the certainty of unfulfilled need. Instead of subverting the established order, this woman experiences new perspectives through her love affairs, as these reveal a new space for her feminine condition without denying masculinity. This dynamic process is a consequence of her refusal to accept the passive melancholia of mythic femininity. The possibility of refusing this mortal feminine condition results from the internal process of mourning which reveals a novel dimension of issues that shall be worked through and elaborated. Femininity and masculinity permeate the transitory space between similarities and differences as both are structured upon the human condition of helplessness.     

Sex in the War: An Aesthetics of Resistance in the Diaries of Etty Hillesum

Abstract

This article explores the wartime journals of Etty Hillesum who chronicled her life in the Netherlands under Nazi occupation and her experiences in the transit camp of Westerbork from where she was transported to Auschwitz. In the midst of appalling circumstances Hillesum constructed an aesthetics of resistance in which eroticism played a significant part. This was a mystical aesthetics in which God is encountered through beauty. Hillesum's work is a major resource for those who are seeking to reflect upon the relationship between aesthetics and politics in the current context as illustrated with reference to the work of Hélène Cixous.     

Effects of Behavioral Group Therapy on chronic Pain

Abstract

Benign chronic pain is frequently reported among rehabilitation patients. The present study investigates a behavioral treatment model used with 3 consecutive groups of 8 chronic pain outpatients. The behavioral strategy used was to identify specific pain behaviors such as verbal expression of pain, consumption of analgesics and inactivity and to teach the patient to modify these patterns. The treatment was provided by a rehabilitation team and included contingency management of pain behaviors, applied relaxation and social skills training. Results showed significant 6 month follow-up reductions in the expression of pain, analgesics intake and level of rest for the group as a whole subsequent to intervention. In addition, two thirds of the group were engaged in formal pre-occupational training at follow-up.     

Treatment of Insomnia within an Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program: A Randomized Trial

Background/ObjectivePrior research indicates interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program (IPRP) usual care (UC) does not sufficiently address sleep problems among individuals with comorbid chronic pain and clinical levels of insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based insomnia intervention. The current study investigates the translation of CBT-I into an IPRP.MethodIn this single-site, prospective, randomized controlled pilot study, insomnia and pain-related outcomes were examined for adults participating in a 10-week IPRP (N = 79) who were allocated to a 4-session group-based CBT-I (IPRP+CBT-I) or usual care (IPRP-UC) condition.ResultsPatients in the IPRP+CBT-I group showed improvements in insomnia symptoms at the end compared to the beginning of the CBT-I group; however, there were no IPRP outcome differences relative to the IPRP-UC condition. Both groups reported statistically significant reductions in insomnia, pain severity, pain-related life interference, and depressed mood. Fewer than one-third of participants reported clinically meaningful reductions in insomnia symptoms following IPRP participation.ConclusionsFurther efforts are needed to address sleep problems in pain rehabilitation settings.     

Dressing Up/Dressing Down: Power,Performance and Identity in the Book of Judith

Abstract

In this paper Sawyer reads the book of Judith through the lens of queer theory and contemporary French feminist philosophy. She argues that the story of Judith is a clear example of gender subversion in the ancient world, a rupture in the metanarrative, a disruption of boundaries. Particularly interesting is the depiction of Judith as becoming feminine, putting on drag, as it were, in order to entice Holofernes. Judith puts on a particular performance of gender to achieve her purpose and then resumes her role as gender subverter imitating a male warrior at the end of battle by loading up her mules with booty!     

Stoic Warriors and Stoic Torturers: The Moral Psychology of Military Torture

Abstract

Nancy Sherman’s book Stoic Warriors provides an interesting reflection on how a modified version of the ancient teachings of stoicism may be applicable to the concerns and needs of the modern military. In the course of her book, she explains different aspects of the Stoic teachings, such as the importance of outward comportment and control of the emotions, and discusses how they might be relevant to the modern military. In this paper I will focus on her discussion of Abu Ghraib and other atrocities such as the My Lai massacre in the Vietnam War. I argue that her analysis of the contributing factors that lead to those abuses demonstrates a lack of understanding of how systematic atrocities come to occur and how military torturers are trained. In this paper I show that systematic torture arises not only out of unrestrained rage and hatred, but through a training process that builds on many of the features of basic military training and, ironically, incorporates many of the techniques of self-control and detachment that are characteristic of stoicism.     

Virginia Prince: Transgender Pioneer

SUMMARY

This article gives an overview of the life and work of Virginia Prince. It provides a synopsis of her major publications, situates her work in the context of its time and assesses her contribution as a major pioneer of transgendering.     

‘Sticking to a healthy diet is easier for me when I exercise regularly’: Cognitive transfer between physical exercise and healthy nutrition

Objective: Long-term rehabilitation success depends on regular exercise and healthy nutrition. The present study introduces a new framework to explain this association on a psychosocial level. The exercise–nutrition relationship was investigated by exploring the sequential mediation of habit strength and transfer cognitions.

Design: Analyses were performed at two measurement points in time (at 12 and 18?months after rehabilitation), involving 470 medical rehabilitation patients who participated in an exercise intervention.

Main outcome measures: Patients filled in paper-pencil questionnaires assessing exercise (t1) and habit strength, transfer cognitions and healthy nutrition at follow-up (t2).

Results: Habit strength and transfer cognitions mediated the relationship between exercise and nutrition.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that habit strength and transfer cognitions are important factors underlying the relationship between exercise and nutrition.