Discover the technique of paradoxical intention

The tools with which psychologists work are psychological techniques. These techniques are intended to be used only by specialists in the field of mental health. An example of these techniques would be paradoxical intention.

The most common thing is that these types of techniques are used in the context of a psychological intervention/treatment. Furthermore, psychological treatments can belong to different psychological schools (cognitive-behavioral, systemic, gestalt, psychoanalysis, etc.)

In this sense, psychological treatment is a professional intervention. This intervention is based on psychological techniques in a clinical context (Mental Health Center, hospital, private practice, associations of affected people, etc.). In it, a specialist, usually a clinical psychologist, seeks to eliminate another person’s suffering with their active collaboration.

Some examples could be: helping a person overcome their depressionworking with a family with conflicts between its members so that they know how to communicate better or teaching an adolescent to relate to other peers in a less aggressive way.

Psychological treatment involves, among other things, listening carefully to what the patient has to say and looking for what personal, social, family aspects, etc., generate or maintain the problem that motivated the consultation. It also involves informing the patient about how they can solve the problems raised and using specific psychological techniques.. Examples of these techniques are breathing or relaxation training, paradoxical intention, interpersonal problem solving, questioning mistaken beliefs, social skills training, etc.

In summary, Psychological treatments are applied by psychologists, who are specialists in behavioral problems. Psychologists use specialized evaluation techniques (an interview, a medical history, tests and questionnaires, etc.), and treatment, the effectiveness of which has been proven in various scientific investigations.

The technique of paradoxical intention

The use of paradoxical intention is linked to humanistically oriented psychotherapy, specifically to Victor Frankl’s logotherapy (1999).. On the other hand, the force with which the cognitive approach has emerged has generated a fertile field for its use.

Thus, within cognitive behavioral therapy, Paradoxical intention has become a particularly useful cognitive intervention to overcome resistance to change. that some patients present.

To define it, let’s think that a paradox can be defined as something opposite to what is considered true. A paradox, from Latin paradoxus (which, in turn, has its origin in the Greek language), is a rhetorical figure that consists of the use of expressions that involve a contradiction.

This means that, beyond the contradictory conditions, the factors presented are valid, real or plausible. The paradoxical intention technique aims to confront the common sense of the person to whom it is applied.

Thus, with the paradoxical intention in therapy the patient would be encouraged to do or wish for what he fears to happen. (Frankl, 1984). Does it seem risky to you or do you consider it useful?…

General objective of paradoxical intention

The general objective of paradoxical intention is to provoke changes in people’s attitudes and reactions in situations of stress or discomfort.. It is about dismantling the vicious circle that has usually been generated, guiding precisely what the patient fears most. To understand it better, let’s look at a example:

A patient with insomnia puts all his effort every night into falling asleep. With the paradoxical intention, the person with insomnia do exactly the opposite of what you’re trying to do. Now he has to go to bed, but trying to stay awake as long as possible. This way of acting allows you to stop fighting for sleep since the indication is to stay awake and thus reach sleep, stopping fighting, more quickly.

Why does the paradoxical intention technique work?

Despite its recognized effectiveness in the clinical setting, its mechanisms of action are not clearly established (unlike other psychological techniques). So, There are several models that try to explain its effects.

For certain variants of the technique, it is proposed stimulation control mechanisms that would affect the behavioral chain. In other cases, changes in expectations, self-efficacy or attribution of control are appealed to as mechanisms responsible for change. Among the theoretical models proposed to explain the intervention of the aforementioned mechanisms, the following stand out:

The double bind theory (Watzlawick, Beavin and Jackson, 1981) The theory of symptom decontextualization (Omer, 1981) The theory of recurrent anxiety (Ascher and Schotte, 1999) The theory of ironic mental control (Wegner, 1994)

How is the paradoxical intention technique applied?

In the application of the paradoxical intention technique, patients are asked to stop the tendency to try to evade or control their symptoms. What’s more, they are asked to deliberately make them appear, wishing for them and exaggerating them.

The procedure will require two changes with respect to the patient’s current way of dealing with the problem.. On the one hand, the patient renounces attempts to control the problem. On the other hand, he is willing to make the symptoms appear and increase.

Both requirements will go against the therapeutic logic that the patient is likely to manage. It will be necessary to explain extensively and convincingly to the patient how the dynamics of the problem can benefit from these changes.

Sequence of application of the paradoxical intention technique

The sequence of application of the paradoxical intention technique would follow the following scheme:

Evaluation of the problem and identification of the logic that keeps the person in ineffective solutions. Redefine the symptom based on the data from the previous phase. Provide a new meaning of the symptom (for example, advantages).Indicate the paradoxical changes based on the complaint pattern.Conceptualize the changes based on the paradoxical intervention (establish the explanatory mechanism).Prevention of relapses.Completion and follow-up of the patient.

Is the paradoxical intention technique effective?

Despite its usefulness, Paradoxical intention may be perhaps one of the most difficult procedures to use in cognitive-behavioral therapy. In addition to knowing the logic and procedure, the therapist must have enough experience to detect when there is an ideal moment to apply it.

In this case, The therapist’s communication skills and clinical experience will be determining factors in the success of the application. The therapist’s firmness, security, conviction and capacity for simulation can be fundamental elements for the patient to do what contradicts what his intuition suggests.

It should be noted that paradoxical intention, as a technique, has given good results in different fields of application. However, perhaps insomnia has been the problem with which it has been most applied and against which it has had the most success. Finally, emphasize the importance of applying it under the supervision of a therapist, since incorrectly applied can increase the problem and even make it more resistant to subsequent interventions.

Bibliographic references

Azrin, N.H., & Gregory, N.R. (1987). Treatment of nervous habits. Barcelona, ​​Martínez Roca.

Bellack, L. (2000). Guide to questions from the brief, intensive and emergency psychotherapy manual; tr by Ma. Celia Ruiz de Chávez. (1st Ed., 6th Reimp) México: Ed. El Manual Moderno.