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Painful Affect in the Experience and Treatment of Schizophrenia

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An Experiential Approach to Psychopathology

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Abstract

Observations of painful affect in the experience of schizophrenia are available in a wide range of writings, including psychoanalytic, biomedical, and quantitative research. To date, though phenomenology has often stressed self-disturbances in terms of perception and thought content, risking neglect of the role of distressing emotional experience in the disorder. As a result, while phenomenology has produced rich accounts of schizophrenia with important implications for treatment, clinical application of these models may lack important attention to emotional distress. To address this, this chapter explores the case of one man diagnosed with schizophrenia, with emphasis on painful affect and its role in treatment. A review of the writings that might inform an integrative conceptualization is reviewed, followed by a discussion of treatment implications in regard to the incorporation of recognition of painful affect in a phenomenologically informed treatment approach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eskenazi Health, Midtown Community Mental Health, 1700 N Illinois St, Indianapolis, IN, 46240, USA

    Jay A. Hamm Psy.D.

  2. Richard L. Roudebush VAMC, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Paul H. Lysaker Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Jay A. Hamm Psy.D.
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  2. Paul H. Lysaker Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Jay A. Hamm Psy.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psycho,Humanis.&Terr. Sci, Uni"D.Portales",Chile,&Uni“G.D’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy

    Giovanni Stanghellini

  2. Sapienza Univ&Crossing Dialogues Assoc., Rome, Italy

    Massimiliano Aragona

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Hamm, J.A., Lysaker, P.H. (2016). Painful Affect in the Experience and Treatment of Schizophrenia. In: Stanghellini, G., Aragona, M. (eds) An Experiential Approach to Psychopathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29945-7_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29945-7_19

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29945-7

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