Preliminary Study of Psychological Changes in Feeling Therapy

S~lmmary.-10 early, 10 middle, and 10 late participants in an intense, community-oriented psychotherapy (feeling therapy) were measured for differences on two standardized psychological tests (Personal Orientation Inventory and Eysenck Personality Inventory) and on responses to individual and group post-session report questionnaires. Two earlier studies had found measurable physiological changes associated with this form of therapeutic intervention and it was hypothesized that associated psychological changes might be observed. Results partially bore out this prediction; the three groups evidenced some significant differences on the Personal Orientation Inventory and Postsession Report Forms. Eysenck Personality Inventory data did not distinguish between the groups. Three earlier studies of the physiological effects of psychotherapy yielded measurable changes in body tension as reflected in several indices. In the first two, reductions in core body temperature, pulse, and blood pressure were found immediately following therapy sessions (Karle, Corriere, & Hart, 1973; Woldenberg, Karle, Gold, Corriere, Hart, & Hopper, 1976). These findings suggested that the therapeutic processes observed-primal therapy (Janov, 1970) in the first study and feeling therapy" (Hart, Corriere & Binder, 1976) in the second-had some measurable physiological effects on their patients. Autogenic therapy (Luthe, 1970) had previously been shown to have similar short-term effects. The third study (Karle, Corriere, Hart, Gold, Maple, & Hopper, 1976) compared experienced subjects in Feeling Therapy to less experienced ones (those who had been in therapy for a shorter period of time). The experienced clients maintained consistenciy lower levels on all the parameters measured over an extended period of time. It was hypothesized that these physiological changes might be accompanied by measurable psychological changes as well. The present study was designed to pursue this question by examining the psychological characteristics of participants in this therapeutic modality.