self-interruption

— Self-interruption often shows in the form of various tensions through which clients attempt to limit potential felt-upset. They are literally tensing to brace themselves for the impact of the feared trigger or upsetting experience. Sometimes self-interruption appears in the context of other tasks, particularly empty chair tasks, in which clients engage in a dialogue with an imagined, significant other and are unable to stay with, or express, a particular experience out of the fear of the experience or the other’s imagined response.