Positive emotions play a central role in human functioning and development. Contemporary theories suggest that positive emotions might also be important as a therapeutic change mechanism. However, little empirical work has examined the effects of positive emotions on treatment outcomes. The present study aimed to examine the role of positive emotions in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), a psychotherapy approach specifically designed to evoke and process positive emotion. This research project utilizes data from a large naturalistic study of 115 patients with a wide variety of psychopathologies who were treated by highly experienced AEDP therapists in their private practice clinics. Each patient received 16 therapy sessions according to the AEDP protocol and completed process and outcome questionnaires throughout therapy. The primary goal of this project was to investigate how positive and relational emotions contribute to therapy outcomes. The dissertation project consists of three studies. The first, already completed, analyzed self-report data on a session-by-session basis, to examine associations between positive emotions, various session outcomes, and overall treatment outcomes. The goal of the second study is to develop and collect psychometric information on observer-rating codes for assessing positive and relational emotional states during therapy sessions. These codes will be tested on one successful therapy case and one case with poor outcomes. The third study will use the entire sample to investigate the relationship between these emotional states and treatment outcomes. This dissertation project addresses the underexplored role of positive emotions in psychotherapy, potentially leading to improved therapeutic interventions and outcomes.

Supervisor: Prof. Ben Shahar