Glossary // Glossary term Clinical
Emotional processing
In Foa and Kozak's account, the modification of a fear memory structure through activation of the fear together with information that is incompatible with it, which is the rationale for exposure therapy. Exposure is structured, graded and repeated, and it is not the same as simply reliving or expressing distress. More broadly the term refers to working through an emotional experience so that it becomes less disruptive, as opposed to discharging it. What clinical psychology learned about emotional release: emotional processing theory and exposure, the Cochrane evidence against single-session psychological debriefing, and meta-analyses of regulation strategies across psychopathology. Single-session psychological debriefing did not prevent post-traumatic stress disorder in a Cochrane review. Effective trauma treatments are structured and combine emotional activation with new learning. When and how to look for help. The works the definition rests on, with the level of evidence each was appraised at. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.99.1.20 Supports the claim that emotional processing theory requires activation of the fear structure plus corrective information. Theory; the efficacy of exposure therapies rests on later trials not cited here.Where the site uses it
Studies behind it