ABSTRACT
In the initial phase of treatment, the therapist focuses on symptom relief and the memory-retrieval process with the survivor. This chapter describes the techniques we use for relieving some of the more common anxiety and depressive disorders. It also discusses the therapeutic role, strategies, and techniques needed to facilitate memory retrieval and the role of the partner in the process. The therapist must be completely open to hearing about the incest traumas in order for them to emerge into the client’s consciousness and be shared in the therapy. The therapist looks for gaps in childhood memories by reviewing the client’s history in two- to three-year periods, starting from age 2. When issues and feelings remain unresolved, they will often surface as inappropriate countertransference reactions in the treatment. In the progressive work, cognitive-behavioral treatment is the approach of choice for the various anxieties and phobias that survivors usually exhibit.
