How does ISTDP help?
ISTDP can be effective for people struggling with a wide range of difficulties, including:
- anxiety and phobic symptoms,
- obsessive-compulsive problems,
- post-traumatic stress,
- depression,
- eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.
Beneath these symptoms, many clients also suffer from challenges in intimacy and autonomy. Painful past experiences often teach us to avoid closeness—with ourselves or with others. As a result, people may:
- ignore or minimize their true feelings,
- rationalize or intellectualize emotions,
- prioritize others’ needs over their own,
- hide feelings because they are linked with anxiety or guilt.
The therapy process
In ISTDP, the working alliance between therapist and client is central. The therapist helps the client to:
- recognize self-defeating patterns and defense mechanisms,
- understand how these patterns suppress natural longings, values, and emotions,
- manage anxiety while learning to experience feelings directly.
As therapy progresses, painful or traumatic memories often surface. Together, therapist and client explore the connections between past relationships and present struggles. This process, called working through, allows the client to face suppressed emotions until they no longer need to be avoided.
The goal of ISTDP
The aim is not only symptom relief, but also a deeper change:
- the ability to recognize and understand one’s true feelings, needs, and values,
- the freedom to choose when and how to express them constructively,
- healthier and more authentic relationships with others.
Both therapist and client play an active role on this path. Step by step, the client learns to face feelings with honesty, precision, and care—opening the door to lasting growth and emotional freedom.