Transformational affects and core state in AEDP: The emergence and consolidation of joy, hope, gratitude, and confidence in (the solid goodness of) the self.
Positive affects in the context of positive dyadic interactions are fundamental to mental health and the development of the self, and are here considered from within the vantage point of Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) an attachment and emotion model of psychotherapy. We explore three phenomenological/affective/behavioral sets of positive affects mastery affects, healing affects, and core state in the context of positive dyadic interactions and understand their adaptive values by referencing the realms of attachment, intersubjectivity and affective neuroscience. We detail an experiential process in which the regulation of painful emotion in the context of a positive dyadic therapeutic relationship naturally culminates in the emergence of positive affects and positive emotional states, which in turn are vehicles for accessing emotional resources and resilience associated with resilient functioning and emotional flourishing. Detailed transcripts from two videotaped sessions are microanalyzed so as to delineate the moment to moment phenomenology and dynamics of the AEDP therapeutic process and to document the spontaneous emergence of these positive affective phenomena in a therapeutic context designed to make the most of their therapeutic effectiveness.