Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Patients With Persistent Physical Symptoms in Routine Psychiatric Care: A Pilot Study

Inclusion Criteria: * The participant certifies that they have undergone a medical assessment for their physical symptoms (see separate certificate). * The participant rates either moderate distress from physical symptoms on the PHQ-15 questionnaire (over 10 points) or significant distress from a single physical symptom (at least 2 points for that symptom). * The participant expresses interest in exploring whether emotional factors, such as stress, may contribute to their symptom profile. * Any prescribed medications must have been stable for at least one month. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants suffer from ongoing substance abuse (alcohol or drugs) or are assessed to have severe mental health issues (psychotic disorders, moderate to high suicide risk, antisocial personality disorder, etc.). * Participants are currently prescribed medications that are clearly addictive and sedative in nature (e.g., benzodiazepines). * Participants are involved in other psychological treatments focused on physical symptoms. However, other psychological treatments are permitted as long as the supportive therapy does not occur more than once a month. * Participants do not have sufficient proficiency in the Swedish language. Please note that it is the chief physician of each respective research sponsor who, based on collected anamnesis and self-assessment information, makes the final decision regarding whether a participant should be included or excluded from the research project.