Generalised longitudinal formulation Sample Clauses

Generalised longitudinal formulation. Cognitive theory posits the particular content of intrusions and appraisals relate to idiosyncratic assumptions or beliefs shaped by early experiences, which may become more salient following stressful life events. As it was clear Xxxxxx’s OCD had multiple and shifting manifestations, including intrusive images, urges and doubts which led to compulsive neutralising, checking and washing a longitudinal formulation (Xxxx, 1979) was developed with Xxxxxx to aid her understanding of her OCD (figure 4). This helped Xxxxxx identify which early experiences (e.g. her father being ‘obsessed’ with germs and cleanliness) and critical incidents (e.g. being subject to sexual abuse from her older cousin when they were children) may have made her more vulnerable to developing OCD. It also helped highlight key assumptions (e.g. belief in karma) that were likely to feed into her intrusions and resultant misinterpretation of the significance of responsibility. Importantly the longitudinal formulation supported Xxxxxx to generalize, so that she could see all of her separate obsessions and compulsions as part of the same OCD problem. This was particularly valuable for Xxxxxx as this understanding minimised her concerns about her OCD manifesting differently after treatment, by providing her with a structure to manage this.