Research

At ISTDP-UK we believe in having informed practitioners striving to provide the highest quality ISTDP methods available. This supports patients to achieve the best outcomes in the shortest time for their wellbeing and long-term happiness. ISTDP is an evidence-based approach for a range of emotional and mental health difficulties (e.g. somatoform disorders, treatment resistant depression, anxiety and personality disorder). The effectiveness of therapy is evaluated through research that is aimed to address various important questions: Does the approach help to solve particular target problems (e.g. depression) following therapy and is this sustained in the long-term after treatment? Is the approach comparable, superior or inferior to other treatment options? Is the approach cost-effective by reducing costs associated with the target problem at a reasonable cost of delivering the therapy? Research explores these questions using a range of methods. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence identified different methods as having different levels of importance for evaluating treatment effectiveness. For more information, click here. Research into ISTDP includes different research methodologies that are listed in NICE guidelines for reviewing and grading evidence (reviews, random control trials, case series data and individual case studies). ISTDP research also covers a range of target problems, in different health settings across a diverse group of countries. Please see below a list of references of some ISTDP research for different levels of evidence described above. We would especially like to thank Allan Abbass and his colleagues for their summaries of the research that enable us to provide the list below. More about their work can be found at
http://reachingthroughresistance.com/publications/
http://istdp.ca/

Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of outcome research
Abbass, A., Town, J., & Driessen, E. Harvard Review of Psychiatry 2012, Volume 20(2), pp97-108.

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy: A review of the treatment method and empirical basis
Abbass, A., Town, J. T., and Driessen, E. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome 2013, volume 16 (1), pp6-15

Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Functional Somatic Disorders: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Abbass, A., Town, J., Holmes, H., Luyten, P., Cooper, A., Russell, L., Lumley, M.A., Schubiner, H., Allinson, J., Bernier, D. and De Meulemeester, C., 2020. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, pp.1-8.

Randomised Controlled Trials

A randomized prospective study comparing supportive and dynamic therapies
Hellerstein, D. J., Rosenthal, R. N., Pinsker, H., Wallner Samstag, J., Muran, J. C., & Winston, A. Psychotherapy Practice and Research 1998, volume 7, pp 261-271.

Does brief dynamic psychotherapy reduce relapse rate of panic disorder?
Wiborg, I. M. & Dahl, A. A. Archives of General Psychiatry 1996, volume 53, pp 689-694.

Short-term psychotherapy of personality disorders
Winston, A., Laikin, M., Pollack, J., Wallner Samstag, L., McCullough, L., & Moran J. C. American Journal of Psychiatry 1994, volume 151, pp190-194.

Psychotherapeutic perspectives in urethral syndrome
Baldoni, F., Baldaro, B., & Trombini, G. Stress Medicine 1995, volume 11(1), pp 79-84

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy for DSM-IV personality disorders
Abbass, A,. Sheldon, A. Gyra, A,. Kalpin, A. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 2008, volume 196, pp 211-216

The consequences of overcoming resistance and emotional disclosure on lymphocyte T-helper and T-suppressor and psychological pathology
Ghorbani, N., Dadsetan, P., Ejei, J., & Motiyan, H.Journal of Psychology (Persian) 2000, volume 3, pp368-389

Case Series and Non-Randomised Outcome Studies

Long-term follow-up of a residential form of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy in personality disorders
Cornelissen, K. L. M., Smeets, D., Willemsen S. P., Busschbach, J. J. V., & Verheul R. In Press

Indexing resistance in short-term dynamic psychotherapy (STDP): Change in breaks in eye contact during anxiety (BECAS)
Callahan, P. Psychotherapy Research 2002, volume 10, pp 87-89.

Office based research in intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP): data from the first 6 years of practice
Abbass, A. Ad Hoc Bulletin of Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy 2002, volume 6(2), pp. 5-14.

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy of treatment-resistant depression: A pilot study
Abbass, A. Depression and Anxiety 2006, volume 23, pp. 449-452

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy in a private psychiatric office: Clinical and cost-effectiveness
Abbass, A. American Journal of Psychotherapy 2002, volume 56, pp. 225-232.

A naturalistic study of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy trial therapy
Abbass, A., Joffres, M. R., and Ogrodniczuk, J. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 2008, volume 8, pp. 164-170.

Modified short-term dynamic psychotherapy in patients with bipolar disorder: Preliminary case report series
Abbass, A. Canadian Child Psychiatry Review 2002, volume 11, pp. 151-155.

Single-blind clinical trial of psychotherapy for treatment of psychogenic movement disorders
Hinson, V. K., Weinstein, S., Bernard, B., Leurgans S. E., & Goetz, C.G. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders 2006, volume 12, pp. 177-180.

The role of emotional repression in chronic back pain: A study of chronic back pain patients undergoing psychodynamically oriented group psychotherapy as treatment for their pain
Hawkins, J. R. New York: New York University. 2003

Direct diagnosis and management of emotional factors in chronic headache patients
Abbass, A., Lovas, D., and Purdy, A. Cephalalgia 2008, volume 28, pp. 1306-1314.

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy trials of therapy; qualitative description and comparison to standard intake assessment
Abbass, AA, Joffres, M. R. & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. Ad Hoc Bulletin of Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy 2009, volume 13, pp. 6-13.

Cost-Effectiveness Studies

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy in a private psychiatric office: Clinical and cost-effectiveness
Abbass, A. American Journal of Psychotherapy 2002, volume 56, pp. 225-232.

Direct diagnosis and management of emotional factors in chronic headache patients
Abbass, A., Lovas, D., and Purdy, A. Cephalalgia 2008, volume 28, pp. 1306-1314.

The cost effectiveness of short-term dynamic psychotherapy
Abbass, A. Journal of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcome Research 2003, volume 3, pp. 535-539.

Treatment outcome of residential treatment with ISTDP
Cornelissen, K. L. M., & Verheul, R. Ad Hoc Bulletin of Short Term Dynamic Psychitherapy 2002, volume 6, pp 14-23.

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy to reduce rates of emergency department visits for patients with medically unexplained symptoms: preliminary evidence from pre-post intervention study
Abbass, A. A., Campbell, S., Magee, K., & Tarzwell R. Canadian Journal of Emergency Medical Care 2009, volume 11, pp. 529-534.

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy of treatment-resistant depression: A pilot study
Abbass, A. Depression and Anxiety 2006, volume 23, pp. 449-452

Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy for DSM-IV personality disorders
Abbass, A,. Sheldon, A. Gyra, A,. Kalpin, A. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 2008, volume 196, pp 211-216

Cost savings of treatment of medically unexplained symptoms using intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) by a hospital department
Abbass, A., Campbell, S., Magee, K., Lenzer, I., Hann, G., Tarzwell, R. Archives of Medical Psychology 2010, volume 2, pp. 34-44.

ISTDP Technical Papers, Process Studies and Single Case Design

Intensive short−term dynamic psychotherapy Central dynamic sequence
Head−on collision with resistance Davanloo H International Journal of Intensive Short−Term Dynamic Psychotherapy Dec 1999, vol. 13, no. 4, p263−282

Intensive short−term dynamic psychotherapy Central dynamic sequence
Phase of challenge Davanloo H International Journal of Intensive Short−Term Dynamic Psychotherapy Dec 1999, vol. 13, no. 4, p 237−262

Intensive short−term dynamic psychotherapy Central dynamic sequence
Phase of pressure Davanloo H International Journal of Intensive Short−Term Dynamic Psychotherapy Dec 1999, vol. 13, no. 4, p211−236

Neborsky R (2006)
Brain, Mind and Dyadic Change Processes Journal of Clinical Psychology: in Session Vol. 62(5), 523–538

Paving the Royal Road
An overview of Conceptual and Technical Features in the Graded Format of Davanloo’s ISTDP Whittemore J International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Psychotherapy Vol 11 1996 pp21-39

Resistance and Transference in ISTDP and Classical Psychoanalysis
Similarities and Differences: Pt I Davis D International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Psychotherapy Vol 4 1989 pp 313-331

Resistance and Transference in ISTDP and Classical Psychoanalysis
Similarities and Differences: Pt II Davis D International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Psychotherapy Vol 5 1990 1-24

Single-blind clinical trial of psychotherapy Technical and Metapsychological Roots of Davanloo’s ISTDP
Central Dynamic Sequence: Phase of Pressure Gottwick G, Ostertag I, Weiss M European Psychotherapy Vol 2 No 1 2001 pp71-88

Technical and Metapsychological Roots of Davanloo’s ISTDP
Head on Collision with the Resistance Gottwick G, Orbes I European Psychotherapy Vol 2 No 1 2001 pp103-117

Technical and Metapsychological Roots of Davanloo’s ISTDP
The Entry of the Transference Gottwick G, Kettner-Werkmeister I, Wagner G European Psychotherapy Vol 2 No 1 2001 pp118-136

The perpetrator of the unconscious in Davanloo’s new metapsychology
Part I: review of classic psychoanalytic concepts Beeber A International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Psychotherapy Volume 13 Issue 3, 1999
Part II: comparison of the perpetrator to classic psychoanalytic concepts Beeber A International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Psychotherapy Volume 13 Issue 3, 1999
Part II: comparison of the perpetrator to classic psychoanalytic concepts Beeber A International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Psychotherapy Volume 13 Issue 3, 1999
Part III: Specifics of Davanloo’s Technique Beeber A International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Psychotherapy Volume 13 Issue 3, 1999

The Rise in the Transference in Davanloo’s Technique of ISTDP
Principles, Technique and Issues for Training Lebeaux D International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Psychotherapy Vol 13 1999 pp3-16

The Significance of Attachment Theory for the Practice of ISTDP
Della Selva P International Journal of Short-Term Psychotherapy Vol 8 1993 pp189-206

Other Research into Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapies

Depression Studies Pertinent to NICE Guidelines
Short-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapies Allan Abbass, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Dalhousie University, Canada

The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in specific psychiatric disorders: a meta-analysis
Leichsenring, F,. Rabung, S., & Leibing E. Archives of General Psychiatry 2004, volume 61(12), pp. 1208-1216.