LIBRI DI NICOLINO RAGO

Tomorrow I stop it. Interrupting harmful behaviors: the exploratory use of pseudo-orientation in time. In recent years the pseudo-orientation in time has been mainly used as a therapeutic intervention (for example, arousing images and pleasant scenes in depressed patients) or with the evaluation function of the estate of an intervention. The authors want to reconsider the importance of the exploration of the pseudo-orientation in time, recovering the function of insight, that Erickson had already experienced in the 40’s. The method of the "Bridge of the Future", which it will be presented, seems to increase the success’s predictability of an hypnotic intervention. According to the authors, giving more importance to an initial exploratory phase protects the patient from the consequences of a failure for exposing himself at change interventions too early compared to his emotional-motivational disposition at the time of the request. It also allows the patient to discover the blocker factors, to be helped to accept the valid reasons and/or to engage him in a elaboration process of the emotions resulting from the change, even before working for change.

The Fascination: use of classical hypnosis and naturalistic hypnosis in the popular treatment. The term "fascination" refers to a mental condition of impediment and inhibition, and at the same time to a sense of domination, to a sense of being possessed by an occult and powerful force, which leaves no margin of autonomy to the person and his decision-making capacity. "Fascination" is often accompanied by headache, drowsiness, and fatigue, but the experience of an indomitable and deadly force, along with the desire to be freed from this domination, remains the hallmark of the underlying condition. In this work, the authors propose a comparison between the popular treatment of "fascination" and hypnotherapy. In particular, they want to explore three areas: 1) the related state of trance (both of the "rimediante", i.e., the person who exercises the procedure, and of the "fascinated" subject); 2) the associated metaphorical language (the metaphorical element is central to the rite of "fascination" and to all formulae used by the "rimedianti", since it allows the introduction of the dimension of the "as if" and to operate for a positive change); 3) the rapport.

An important aim of the Residential Therapeutic Program for substance abusers, carried out in the Therapeutic Community of Città della Pieve (PG), is to enhance participants’ ability in identifying, describing and regulating emotions and feelings. According to Taylor’s reconceptualization of substance abuse disorders as disorders of affect regulation, the aim of the present study was to examine changes in alexithymia levels in 48 substance abusers, attending the therapeutic program, over a two years period. To this end levels of alexithymia were assessed every three months using the TAS-20. On the whole participants showed a significant decrease of alexithymia levels over two years of treatment. The distribution of total TAS-20 scores was examined, and two groups were formed based on TAS-20 scores at baseline: Alexithymic group (scores > 56), Non Alexithymic group (scores =55). Alexithymic subjects showed a significant 10.4 points-decrease in TAS-20 scores during 24 months of treatment; Non Alexithymic subjects showed a 4.1 pointsdecrease. A further categorization into High (=56), Intermediate (=41 =55), Low (=40) alexithymics showed a significant decrease in scores over treatment in the first two groups, while the Low showed a significant increase, reaching proximity with the national average. This last pattern is interpreted as due to softening of an attitude of denial of difficulties. It is worth noticing that changes in alexithymia levels, examined during two years of treatment, are significantly associated with the different phases of the therapeutic program (first 6 months of treatment, first contacts with the external environment, end of the treatment). On the whole a moderate and progressive change in alexithymia levels seems to be a predictive factor of positive treatment outcome.