The relationship among emotional productivity, emotional arousal and outcome in experiential therapy of depression

Abstract This study involved an intensive analysis of the productivity and degree of arousal of in-session emotional expression of four better outcome clients and four poorer outcome clients in brief experiential treatments of depression. The relationship between the productivity and arousal of expressed emotion and outcome was explored in these cases. No significant differences between better and poorer outcome groups were found on degree of expressed emotional arousal. Better outcome clients, however, expressed significantly more productive emotions in general as well as significantly more productive highly aroused emotions than did poorer outcome clients. Results indicate that it is the productivity of expressed emotions in general, as well as the productivity of more highly aroused expressed emotion, rather than the frequency of highly aroused expressed emotion that is important in facilitating therapeutic change.