The core map of ISTDP: feeling activates anxiety; anxiety activates defense; defense blocks feeling and maintains symptoms.
Step-by-step guide
- Identify the feeling or impulse
- Track the anxiety signal
- Name the defense
- Show the sequence to the client
- Return to the feeling once anxiety is regulated
When to use
- In almost every ISTDP session
- When the client is confused by symptoms
- When teaching the model early in therapy
Key phrases
Here is the sequence: feeling, anxiety, defense.
Follow-up questions
Where is the feeling?
Where is the anxiety?
What defense came in?
Alternative phrasings
The symptom makes sense when we see the triangle.
Let us locate ourselves on the triangle.
Warnings
- ⚠️ Do not use the model as a lecture instead of live tracking
- ⚠️ Do not ignore anxiety channel
- ⚠️ Do not skip defense
Source: Malan, D. Davanloo, H. Frederickson, J
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.