The Role of Memory in Psychotherapeutic Treatment

Much data is now available on the effectiveness of psychotherapies on the stability of the change achieved and on the therapeutic relationship, which, in its various conceptual declinations, constitutes the most incisive predictor of outcome. Moreover, the principle that psychotherapy is more effective when it is more specifically oriented towards the psychopathological factors underlying the symptoms is becoming increasingly clear. Many studies have confirmed that the most effective psychotherapists can create deep alliances with a diverse typology of patients, regardless of the relational skills and attachment patterns the patient possessed at the beginning of therapy. An aspect not always considered is ‘memory reconsolidation,’ which allows modifying or replacing dysfunctional emotional responses with more functional ones.