Psychiatr. praxi. 2012;13(1):38-41

Using the therapeutic letters to emotional processing of traumatic emotions from childhood

prof.MUDr.Ján Praško, CSc., Aneta Sandoval, MUDr.Daniela Jelenová, MUDr.Dana Kamarádová, PhDr.Tomáš Divéky, doc.MUDr.Klára Látalová, Ph.D., MUDr.Zuzana Sigmundová, MUDr.Kristýna Vrbová

Klinika psychiatrie, LF UP a FN Olomouc

The letter writing is a psychoterapeutic strategy, which can help to the patients to cope with the relationship to the significant people

from their childhood. The social and the interpersonal experience from the childhood significantly affect behavior of the individual

in the adult age. The purpose of writing letters is to experience and to understand their own feelings, to cope with strong emotional

experiences, which are related to the injuries in the childhood. The letter-writing process is carried out in a safe atmosphere of the therapeutic

relationship, where the patients can learn to deal with these emotions. The basic types of therapeutic letters are these four: not

censured letter, emphatic letter from the “other side”, the letter to the “inner child” of the significant person and the letter “visit-card”.

We present specific examples of the letters from our patients in last more than 15 years of our experience, when this technique is mainly

used in patients with personality disorders, affective and anxiety disorders.

personality disorders, traumatic experiences from childhood.

Keywords: emotional schemas, therapeutic letters, emotional processing, cognitive behavioral therapy, anxiety disorders, depression,

Published: January 3, 2012  Show citation