Attachment-focused iMAgery therapy for PSychosis V2

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Attachment-focused iMAgery therapy for PSychosis (A-iMAPS): a case series

• IRAS ID

  302915

• Contact name

  Katherine Berry

• Contact email

  katherine.berry@manchester.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Manchester

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  NCT05042050

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 4 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  Summay of Research
  The relationships we have in childhood affect how we relate to others across our life, including how safe or secure we feel. If our caregivers do not meet our needs well enough in childhood, this can lead to an ‘insecure attachment style’. This means we may push others away or cling to them, but never feel fully safe or secure with them. This style is common in people who have mental health problems. This includes psychosis, when people have unusual experiences such as hearing voices others cannot hear. A lot of people with psychosis have difficult experiences with mental health services. This includes involuntary treatments, traumatic interactions and hospital stays, where they may think staff are trying to harm rather than help them. As a result they may not feel safe working with staff and they might re-experience the negative memories of these events. This is known as psychosis-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PR-PTSD) and can lead to ongoing problems.

  Imagery is often defined as mental pictures but it includes imagining our senses (smell, touch, taste) too. It can be a useful therapy tool to help people to work with difficult memories and can help them to feel more safe and secure. Research shows that this is helpful for people with psychosis and people who have been through trauma. Hence it may be helpful for people with PR-PTSD. The study aims to see if it is viable to do a 6-session therapy using imagery to target PR-PTSD memories. The study will use a case series design where up to 12 people with psychosis will be able to try the therapy. They will be asked to complete questionnaires to understand any potential benefits of the therapy. The findings could inform the research and allow for further development of therapies in this area.

  Summary of Results
  People with psychosis were able to engage with a therapy that targeted trauma related to their psychosis using imagery. Eight out of twelve participants attended all sessions. The therapy was found to be safe with minimal adverse effects. The therapy also used imagery to try and help people with psychosis to feel more safe. The results found that participants felt significantly more safe and secure (‘felt security’) when they were taking part in the therapy. A general reduction in trauma symptoms was seen but this was not statistically significant. Some reliable changes were seen in paranoia and beliefs about self and others. Varied clinical outcomes were seen, including some deteriorations, which could often be understood when a participant’s personal circumstances were considered. Overall, the study found the A-iMAPS therapy to be feasible in terms of recruitment, retention and safety. It showed that imagery therapy can be used to help improve participant’s feelings of safety when engaging with trauma therapy

• REC name

  London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  21/LO/0741

• Date of REC Opinion

  18 Nov 2021

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion