Guidelines on the construction of a post-rationalist therapeutic approach

In the post-rationalist approach, independently of their semeiological characteristics, the symptoms refer to an alteration of the internal balance, which can produce embarrassing, unstable and severe changes in self-perception. By analysing the sequence of images of a significant episode in the “moviola setting” (a kind of psychological slow motion) it is possible to reconstruct the subjective immediate experience of perturbing events. When a significant episode is chosen, the therapeutic work is similar to editing a movie, analysing what happens before, during and after the episode. When reordering the problem, this can be seen as depending on the internal status and not only on external and objective events. Focusing on the PMO, feelings of self-negativity, perceived as objective and unchanging aspects of the self, can be used as subjective patterns for organizing experiences: they can be re-framed as loss of control in a Controller PMO, as loneliness and abandonment in a Detached PMO, as loss of support and personal inadequacy in a Contextualized PMO, or as personal imperfection, doubt, unworthiness in a Principles-oriented PMO. By means of therapy, the “generative ability” can be improved, looking for new more adaptive and alternative ways differing from the previous concepts, which were once perceived as necessary and unique to cope with life events. Key words: post-rationalist cognitive therapy; Personal Meaning Organizations (PMO), moviola setting.