Affect Regulation Theory: A Clinical Model

Theory of Bodymind In this section of the course we look at how regulation theory employs a trauma model of psychopathology (in this case early attachment trauma ) for its understanding of the aetiology of deficits in the capacity to regulate affect.  We then look at how such deficits lead to chronic dissociation, pervasive dissociated shame, character disorders and vulnerability to discrete psychiatric disorders. Session 1: Affect and Its Regulation (read: Hill, Introduction and Ch.1) Session 2: Self-states: Regulated-integrated vs Dysregulated-dissociated (Affect is at the core of self-states) (read ahead: Hill, Ch.2) Session 3: The Neurobiology of Self-States: The Primary Affect Regulating System and the Right Brain (read: Hill, Chapter 3 and 4) Learning goals: Students will be able to:

• Study the affect regulation theory’s approach to mind as a subsystem of the organism (Brain-Mind-Body).
• Define Affect
• Inspect affect regulation processes
• Appraise the nature Self-states as states of bodymind that can be either regulated and integrated or dysregulated and dissociated.
• Analyze the neurobiology of self-states.

Both mentalization theory (Fonagy and his collaborators) and regulation theory (Schore) posit that the capacity to regulate affect develops in the attachment relationship.   In this section we first look at classical attachment theory and it’s extension into mentalization theory.  We then take up Schore’s modern attachment theory to look at how the primary affect regulating system develops. Session 4: Classical Attachment Theory (read ahead: Hill, Ch. 5) Session 5: The Mentalization of Affect: The Secondary Affect Regulating System (read: Hill,Ch. 6) Session 6: Modern Attachment Theory: The Development of the Primary Affect Regulating System (read: Hill,Ch.7). Learning goals: Students will be able to:

• Describe the two affect regulating systems.
• Explain the development of the primary and secondary affect regulating systems.
• Identify the developmental milestones of human developmental neurobiology present for Affective Regulation functions.
• Distinguish the relevance of affective states for early attachment relationships.
• Differentiate Bowlby’s Classical Attachment Theory from Allan Schore’s Modern Attachment Theory.

In this section of the course we look at how regulation theory employs a trauma model of psychopathology (in this case early attachment trauma) for its understanding of the aetiology of deficits in the capacity to regulate affect. We then look at how such deficits lead to chronic dissociation, pervasive dissociated shame, character disorders and vulnerability to discrete psychiatric disorders. Session 7: Relational Trauma and Insecure Attachment (read ahead: Hill, Ch.8) Session 8: The Developmental Origins of Chronic Dissociation (read: Hill, Ch. 9) Session 9: The Developmental Origins of Pervasive Shame and Character (read: Hill, Ch. 10 and 11) Learning goals: Students will be able to:

• Integrate a trauma informed approach to psychopathology
• Indicate the connection between primary affect regulation deficits and Chronic dissociation, pervasive shame and character disorders.
• Diagram the impact of early attachment trauma for vulnerability to discrete psychiatric disorders.

Parte 4: Teoría de las intervenciones terapéuticas

En esta sección retomamos las acciones terapéuticas y los objetivos terapéuticos de la terapia de regulación del afecto. Los objetivos fundamentales incluyen la modificación de los sistemas primarios y secundarios de regulación del afecto y la restauración del autodesarrollo. Con estos fines, examinaremos las acciones terapéuticas implícitas y explícitas y nos centraremos en la sintonización vitalizadora y la regulación interactiva como mecanismos clave en la reparación del sistema primario de regulación del afecto.

Sesión 10: Los objetivos de la teoría de la regulación de los afectos (lectura del capítulo 12)
Sesión 11: Acciones terapéuticas implícitas y explícitas (lectura del capítulo 13)
Sesión 12: Regulación interactiva, sintonía vital y surgimiento del yo. (lectura del capítulo 14).

Objetivos de aprendizaje
Los estudiantes serán capaces de:

• Esbozar los objetivos terapéuticos de la terapia de regulación del afecto.
• Investigar las modificaciones propuestas para los sistemas de regulación del afecto primario y secundario.
• Revisar la reparación del sistema primario de regulación del afecto a través de la sintonización vitalizadora y la regulación interactiva.