Short term dynamic psychotherapy is rooted in psychoanalytic theory.

It focuses on the contributions of Freud, Ferenczi, Rank,

Alexander and French.

Sigmund Freud- earliest psychoanalytic treatments conducted by Freud were of quite short duration
● Bruno Walter, the conductor, described in his autobiography about his six successful sessions with Freud in 1906.
● Jones, related that in 1908 Freud was able to get to the psychodynamic roots of Gustav Mahlet’s potency problem
with his wife and relieve it in a single 4-hour session.
● Even Freud’s earlier didactic analyses were almost of relatively short duration ranging from several months to about
one year.

Sandor Ferenczi- was the first psychoanalytic pioneer to methodically explore modifications in psychoanalytical techniques for
shortening the length of classical analysis.
● In 1918, he began to experiment with a technique called active therapy, which involved the therapist taking a more
active role in the therapeutic process.
● Ferenczi contributed to the understanding of transference and countertransference dynamics in the therapeutic
relationship
● He also introduced some active methods like - restrictive/pressuring (forbidding masturbation or insisting patients to
control certain body movements) or loving/indulgent (included hugging kissing,etc)
● These interventions were called reparative, based on the theory that an analyst is a surrogate parent making amends
for the rejections suffered by patients.

Otto Rank- asserted the goal of psychoanalysis is to substitute by the means of techniques,affective factors of experience for
intellectual processes. Greater understanding of the practical principles would ultimately shorten and simplify psychoanalytic
treatment.
● His central work was on birth trauma and separation anxiety.
● As his ideas evolved, Rank played down the importance of birth trauma and recognised that the issue of separation
anxiety and individuation was the core problem
● He considered setting time limit central to the therapeutic work and thus the issue of separation anxiety and
individuation critical to adaptation and maturation of human existence.
● His emphasis on the client’s will, therapist-client relationship and the importance of addressing interpersonal conflicts
helped shape the relational aspect of STDP.

Alexander & French- Paternity for short-term dynamic psychotherapy is customarily attributed to Franz Alexander (Eisenstein,
1986).Although he credited Ferenczi and Rank for their contributions and described his work as a continuation and realisation
of their ideas on shortening the length of treatment.
● Alexander and French's seminal work, Psychoanalytic Therapy (1946) introduced the concept of "the corrective
emotional experience" and reintroduced the use of time limitations
● He suggested that the curative aspect of psychotherapy is mastery of emotional conflict in the transference. What he
described as the "corrective emotional experience" is the ability to express emotion in the transference without being
punished or censured.
● He emphasised the importance of the early establishment of rapport and of dealing with both positive and negative
feelings toward the therapist to guard against the transference neurosis.
● Alexander recommended that the therapist use two important tools. First, the frequency of interviews should be
regulated to modulate the dependency. Second, Alexander emphasised that interpretation that connects the actual
life situation with past experience and with the transference situation is total interpretation and that this further
mobilises the unconscious process.
● Alexander and French (1946) indicated that a comprehensive treatment plan is the "sine qua non" of brief treatment
and protects the therapist from drifting into an interminable analysis.

Selection Criteria
Short term dynamic psychotherapy rests on two basic structures
1. Selection
2. Technique
Not every patient is suited for STDP.The therapist looks for the following qualities in the patient for conducting psychodynamic
psychotherapy
1. Evidences of ego strength
2. At least one meaningful interpersonal relationship in past
3. The ability to interact with the therapist in the first session
4. The ability to think in psychological terms.
5. The ability to experience feelings
The additional points required for short term psychotherapy
6. Existence of a focal point
7. Existence of a clear cut motivation to change
Technique
1. Release of tension (catharsis) in a setting of expectation of help
2. A constructive patient-therapist relationship (therapeutic alliance) based on unconscious factors (transference
factors)
3. Cognitive learning based on interpretation (insight)
4. Operant conditioning (overt/covert indications of approval/disapproval from therapist) that moves patient in correction
of mental health
5. Identification with the therapist in which the patient (mostly unconsciously)models himself after the therapist,
incorporating some of their belief system
6. Elements of suggestion, persuasion (overt/covert)
7. Some aspects of practise rehearsal of new adaptive techniques and their utilisation (working through/reality testing)
Additional 4 techniques specific to short term dynamic psychotherapy
8. Patient is always seen sitting up, facing the therapist
9. Setting of time limit
10. Persistent focus on the core conflict and refusal to permit defensive digressions from the central focus
11. Activity of therapist- first reflection of therapist’s interest in and concern for patient and therapist’s wish to be helpful,
second insisting on adhering to central focus and actively discouraging digressions