Table 1.

Contents of 20 sessions of the CBT for patients with somatoform disorders

Module/Session	CBT for chronic MUS
1/1	Therapeutic targets Exploration patient’s illness beliefs; developing therapeutic targets
2/2–3, 16–19	Stress management training Psychoeducation: distress and physical symptoms; stress management and relaxation techniques
3/4–6	Refocusing attention training Psychoeducation: relationship between attention and physical symptoms; focusing exercises to shift attention away from physical symptoms
4/7–11	Cognitive restructuring of symptom-related dysfunctional cognitions Psychoeducation: dysfunctional thoughts and physical symptoms; identifying individuals’ dysfunctional symptom-related thoughts; strategies of reappraisal and cognitive restructuring; behavioral experiments (symptom induction) for questioning dysfunctional symptom-related thoughts
5/12–15	Changing illness behaviors Psychoeducation: illness behaviors and physical symptom; symptom inductions tasks/exposure exercises and cognitive strategies to reduce avoidance behaviors and doctor-shopping
6/20	Explanatory model and relapse prevention Summary of therapy contents in an individual explanatory model of MUS; relapse prevention

CBT cognitive behavior therapy, MUS medically unexplained symptoms