Affect Phobia Therapy (AFT)

Affect Phobia Therapy (AFT) is suitable for people who are afraid of feelings and emotions. For example, you can be afraid of feeling sadness and therefore react angrily when you are sad. We call this defense. In AFT you learn to recognize, let go and change defensive behavior, so that you can live more freely and make choices that suit you.

The program also has an intensive variant that is suitable for clients who have been stuck in several areas of their lives for a longer period of time and who experience fear of feelings, emotions or struggle with a negative self-image.

The AFT program consists of various therapies, such as group psychotherapy, sociotherapy, psychomotor therapy, systemic therapy and possibly pharmacotherapy.

Purpose
The goal of AFT is initially to become more aware of how you are yourself, in a relationship with another person, that you can think and feel differently than the other person and that this is okay. Then you learn to experience and express feelings in daily life.

In the intensive AFT you learn to experience, process and tolerate your fears, emotions, feelings and needs. This creates room for new experiences in various areas of life, such as picking up work or study. This intensive form of treatment gives clients the opportunity to bond with fellow group members and practitioners, creating a safe setting to change.

Duration, frequency and form
Within the NPI we have an extensive AFT offer, both individual and group therapy. There is also an intensive program: a one-day day treatment. The individual therapy consists of 25 or 50 weekly sessions. The treatment lasts 6 to 12 months.

Intensive
The AFT Intensive program is a one-day day treatment with various group therapeutic components. Starting phase: introductory training of 6 sessions of group therapy. This group consists of two parts and lasts 2.5 hours including a break.
Intensive phase: module of 8 hours per week in one day for 9 months.
Post-treatment: 1 x 2 weeks 90 minutes, for 3 months.

An intensive program of 4 hours/week is also offered at the Amersfoort location. The treatment consists of two groups per week: sociotherapy and psychotherapy.

Blended
AFT can also be followed in a blended way, combining face-to-face contact with online interventions.

Method
At the beginning of the treatment, we formulate a focus that matches the conscious experience of your complaints and problems. This can be, for example, a recurring conflict in contact with others or that you find it difficult to trust others and do not make contact or that you experience problems with loss and bereavement.

If you want to know more about AFT, watch the animation below.

Factsheets
AFT individuele therapie
AFT groep
AFT 1-daagse
Systeemtherapie

Proven effective
Research shows that AFT is especially helpful for people who avoid emotional confrontations. It helps them to understand themselves better and be less avoidant. This is covered in the following scientific sources:

• Svartberg M., Stiles T.C., Seltzer M.H. (2004) Randomized, controlled trial of the effectiveness of short-term dynamic psychotherapy and cognitive therapy for cluster C personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, May; 161(5):810-7. Link to the article.
• Winston, A, Laikin M, Pollack J, Samstag L, McCullough L, Muran C. Short-Term Psychotherapy of Personality Disorders: 2 year follow-up. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1994, 151(2):190-194. Link to the article.
• Leigh Mc Cullough, Changing character Short Term Anxiety-Regulating Psychotherapy For Restructuring Defenses, Affects, And Attachment, 1997
• Leigh McCullough et al., Guilford Press, New York, 2003 . Treating affect phobia, a manual for short-term dynamic psychotherapy.
• "Short and good enough" : Praktijkboek kort-termijn groepstherapie,  Marja van Aken- van der Meer, Bohn Stafleu van Loghum, 2008.

Informational links

More information about Affect Phobia therapy can also be found on the following website:
www.psychotherapyresearch.org (The Society for Psychotherapy Research)