Malmö Center for ISTDP

03/08/2026

Yet another study shows solid effects of short-term dynamic therapy (Malan, Davanloo, Luborsky) for functional neurological disorders. Brazilian colleagues led by Bruno Gabriel Dal Pasquale randomized 91 participants to standard medical care (SMC) or SMC plus 12 sessions of dynamic therapy (SMC+STDP).

FND encompasses a range of neurological symptoms, including motor issues, sensory disruptions, and functional seizures, that fall outside the typical diagnostic patterns of standard neurological conditions. Leo Russell, Allan Abbass and Steven Allder published an in depth review of ISTDP for FND some years ago that you can find here: https://www.epilepsybehavior.com/article/S1525-5050(22)00106-8/abstract

Dal Pasquale and colleagues found that SMC+STDP was significantly more effective than SMC in reducing FND (d = 0,77), and also in decreasing other symptoms such as depression (d = 1,45) and anxiety (d = 1,06).

"The intervention demonstrated significant and clinically meaningful reductions in symptom frequency at 6 months compared to SMC alone (p < 0.001). Significant improvements were also observed in depression, anxiety, and functional disability (all p < 0.001). The clinical relevance is supported by an NNT of 2.0, indicating that approximately two patients would need to be treated to achieve one additional clinical response compared to SMC alone."

All in all, the field is now ready for larger multicenter trials where STDP for FND is compared to an active treatment (such as CBT).

You can read the study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303846726002830

20/07/2026

Our dear colleagues Mikkel Reher-Langberg, Jonathan Entis and John Rathauser just published a very ambitious two volume book about Davanloo and his main innovation: ISTDP. A must have for students of ISTDP!

"Fundamentals of Intensive Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy"

Link in comments.

16/06/2026

För dig som är nyfiken på ISTDP så kommer Thomas Hesslow och Hanna Radomski att köra introduktionskursen pre-core här vid Malmö Centrum för ISTDP under hösten. Anmälan öppnar idag! Det kommer bli tre intensiva dagar med fokus på känslor, färdighetsträning och terapeutens inre värld.
Kursdatum: 9-11:e december.

Intensiv dynamisk korttidsterapi (ISTDP) utvecklades under 1980- och 1990-talet i Kanada. Behandlingsmetoden är specifikt utvecklad för komplexa och kroniska tillstånd där andra behandlingar inte haft önskad effekt, men går även att anpassa till mildare former av psykologiska besvär. Den hä...

11/06/2026

Mia Gruvstad och några till psykologer/psykoterapeuter här i Malmö är på gång att starta en till privat ISTDP-mottagning precis bredvid oss på Malmö ISTDP-mottagning. De letar nu efter fler likasinnade för att dra igång. Kanske redan till hösten?

Skriv till Mia om du är intresserad: [email protected]

10/06/2026

A huge congrats to Christina Aune and Hanna Radomski who just graduated their first core group! We are very lucky to have them as trainers and supervisors here at the center.

Keep an eye out for upcoming training opportunities with them.

07/06/2026

During the afternoon of the last day of the ISTDP and Trauma conference at Ersta in Stockholm, two brave participants were offered supervision in front of the group.

ISTDP is a difficult model to master, and all ISTDP learners will to a greater or lesser extent need to face their own unconscious processes as part of the learning journey. Many of the therapist's emotional blockages can be worked through in personal therapy, personal development, review of ones own videos and focusing on countertransference process and so on. But some unconscious emotional processes will get stirred up in the teaching and supervision context.

Over the past few years, Jonathan Entis and Mikkel Reher-Langberg have developed a format of supervision focused on the unconscious emotional life of the trainee, and how the unconscious limits the therapeutic efficacy of the therapist. They call the model the Rome Mobilization Model (RMM).

Yesterday, Jonathan showcased some of the principles of the RMM in action, using the central dynamic sequence in the service of the growth of the therapist. Both supervision sessions were very profound and it was evident that a large part of the audience was mobilized in concert with the trainees. We could all use an unlocking of the unconscious every so often.

Some of the boundary challenges of the RMM were discussed, and Jonathan emphasized the freedom and autonomy of the supervisee to decide the path of the supervision session.

In the comments, you'll find a link to Jonathan and Mikkel's paper on the RMM.

06/06/2026

Peter Lilliengren: "This is a great map. But don't forget the fact that the map is not the territory"

06/06/2026

Peter Lilliengren starting off the second day of the ISTDP and trauma workshop in Stockholm.

"Psychodiagnosis is perhaps the greatest gift from Davanloo to the psychotherapeutic community"

05/06/2026

"ISTDP is not necessarily an attachment-based form of therapy. Davanloo's original formulation was more Freudian"

05/06/2026

Jonathan Entis starts off the day in Stockholm with a theoretical discussion about trauma in psychoanalysis and in ISTDP.

It's a beautiful day at Ersta.