ABSTRACT
The goal of the Interpersonal Discrimination Exercise (IDE) is to establish felt safety in the dyad. The core fear is made explicit in the Transference Hypothesis (TH) and whenever a TH hot spot occurs in sessions, the IDE may be administered. Emotional discriminations are never accomplished in a few trials. Emotional shifts are slow and sluggish and only occur after repeated exercises are administered. Patients are also encouraged to perceptually include the 'toxic others' in mind. Cognitive behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) accomplishes the goal in a structured manner by requiring patients to focus on a specific maltreatment context and then to recount how toxic persons have reacted to them in this specific context. The disorder is a catastrophic avoidance reaction arising out of a history of serious maltreatment. The felt dysphoria, despair, and helplessness are not modified by the reactions of others, positive or negative; unless treated effectively, Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) continues for a lifetime.
