In many patients cognitive reconstruction helps to understand their problems in life and symptoms of stress or psychiatric disorders. Change in the thoughts and beliefs help them to feel better. But there are many patients who suffer with strong traumatic experiences deep in their mind and typically dissociate them or want to avoid them voluntarily. There is typical for patients suffering with dissociative disorders, borderline personality disorder and many people with various psychiatric disorders who were abused in childhood. The processing of the traumatic emotions from childhood can be helpful in the treatment of these patients. For the help is important:

• a) Understanding what was happen in childhood

• b) Making clear of repeated figures of maladaptive behaviors, mostly in interpersonal relations

• c) Making a connection between childhood experiences and here and now emotional reactions on various triggers

• d) Experiencing repeatedly the traumatic memories and elaborate them with imaginal coping.

We describe:

• - how to map and elaborate emotional schemas

• - Socratic questioning with the patients with traumatic memories

• - how to work with traumatic experiences from childhood in borderline personality disorder.

Supported by the research grant IGA MZ CR NS 10301-3/2009