Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) has been consolidated through extensive systematic reviews and clinical data. In brief, ISTDP works to uncover unconscious complex feelings. If these feelings begin to rise, anxiety is elicited, and defenses are activated to reduce anxiety and keep these feelings repressed. The current thesis attempts to replicate this framework (looking at the relationship between feelings/anxiety/defenses) within a laboratory setting (to study it from an experimental perspective). To do this, this thesis aimed to develop a questionnaire (ADQ) to assess for ISTDP anxiety discharge experiences (three main types: striated muscles [STM]; smooth muscles [SM]; and cognitive perceptual disruption [CPD]). Additionally, we were interested in investigating the role of dissociation within the ISTDP context. Study 1 created the ADQ and attempted to induce complex feelings using a preconscious method via picture stimuli. In general, findings showed a good refined 15 item (ADQ-15) measure (good inter-item reliability for STM and CPD factor, but not for SM factor). The ‘attachment’ (AT) condition responsible for inducing preconscious complex feelings did not elicit any anxiety experiences. Thus, no further conclusions were drawn. Brief analysis with anxiety and defense and dissociation indicated increases with general anxiety experiences being associated with less mature defense styles, and high dissociation. Study 2 focused on improving the ADQ-15 and utilised a conscious film induction method to induce complex feelings to assess if such feelings could be induced experimentally using this method. The refined ADQ- 13 measure showed improvements suggesting a three-factor measure, with good inter-item reliability and demonstrated good convergent validity. The induction method offered conscious elicitation of some complex feelings, which elicited some anxiety discharge experiences (specifically STM). Increases in the severity of anxiety manifestation correlated with more immature defenses styles and pathological dissociative experiences. These findings provide some experimental support for the metapsychology in ISTDP.