Innovative moments in recovered cases treated with the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders

Abstract

Objective Innovative moments (IMs) are moments in which the previous problematic pattern of meaning is challenged. Studies have shown that IMs are associated with good psychotherapy outcomes. A three-level hierarchy of IMs was observed in recent studies, with level 1 IMs being more elementary and levels 2 and 3 being more complex and associated with treatment success. However, studies with manualized protocol treatments are thus far lacking. This study analyzed the longitudinal progression of IMs in the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) and explored its associations with changes in psychological distress. Methods Data were collected from a Portuguese university-based outpatient clinic and included 18 cases with positive outcomes. Nine sessions of each case were coded with the IM coding system (N=162). Results Multilevel analyses showed a significant increase in all IM levels across treatments. The decrease in psychological distress predicted an increase in level 2 IMs in the same session. Conclusion The evolution of IMs is similar to what was found previously in other studies. Contrary to what was found in previous studies, IMs did not predict outcomes in the following session, whereas the reduction in psychological distress predicted the emergence of level 2 IMs.