Post by Mel on Oct 10, 2006 19:28:17 GMT -5
What is behavior therapy?
Behavior therapy is seeing remarkable results in treating everything from phobias through systematic desensitization to pain management through muscle relaxation techniques.
You're all grown up now, but you still panic when you see something slithering along the ground. You can't sit in the back seat of a car without feeling as if you'll be trapped there forever. Perhaps panic sets in if you see a nun.
Behavior therapy is built upon the principle that since your reactions (behavior) to these stimuli are learned, they can also be unlearned. This therapy differs from other therapies in the sense that behavior therapy is only concerned with what is going on in the present, not the fact that Uncle Joe locked you in a room with a snake when you were 5, or that the nuns at parochial school were extremely mean to you in the seventh grade.
Some of the main components of behavior therapy are relaxation, systematic desensitization and reinforcement.
Let's take a look at how the first two work, using ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) as an example. When one is ready to change their reactions to or fear of snakes they may contact a behavioral therapist. The first thing the therapist would do is to teach the patient some deep-muscle relaxation techniques.
While practicing these relaxation techniques the patient is slowly introduced to systematic desensitization. This is the process by which they are slowly exposed to the object they fear , which in this case is the snake. Once relaxed they may begin simply by talking about snakes, or looking at pictures. Then the patient is gradually put in contact with a snake in a controlled, safe environment. This gradual introduction allows the patient to associate the snake with a feeling of relaxation as opposed to fear.
Since behavior is governed by repeated patterns of experiences, repeating the pattern of relaxation and exposure to snakes helps renforce the new, positive behavior.
Although the aspects of relaxation and systematic desensitization are used with great success in hlelping people manage their phobias, it is not the only area that behavioral therapy has been instrumental.
The area of reinforcement comprises a major part of behavior therapy but would not necessarily be used in treating deep mental challenges, but rather emotional or "behavioral" ones.
The reinforcement part of behavioral therapy is more commonly practiced than you may realize. When your child struggles with reading but you want him/her to press on, you offer "positive" reinforcement, encouraging every accomplishment, great or small. When your dog finally sits on command, he is rewarded with a tasty treat. This is how reinforcement is similarly applied in behavioral therapy. It is one of the tools used in "unlearning" negative behaviors and replacing them with positive ones. (It is important to note that negative reinforcement is not used, such as electric shock treatment.)
A study in the Journal of the AMA illustrates another way reinforcement works. When dealing with inconinence in a nursing home, residents that remained dry were given positive reinforcement through special attention and praise. The study stated that involuntary urination was reduced by 26% after 13 weeks.
More and more studies are being done on using behavior therapy to aid in pain reduction in various conditions, from backaches to cancer. It has been shown that behavioral therapy that incorporates relaxation techniques, and sometimes hypnosis, reduces the onset and concept of pain. Many doctors would like to see behavioral therapy added to treatment protocol for many patients, as it would aid in the reduction of the amount of pain medications needed, but at this time insurance companies are not willing to cover the costs of behavioral therapy.
So if you have a phobia or behavior you wish to change, should you try behavior therapy? Of course, under the direction of a professional. You can practice muscle relaxation techniques on your own the next time you see a snake, or are stuck in the back seat of a car, but beyond that you should consult a behavior therapist.
Behavior therapy is seeing remarkable results in treating everything from phobias through systematic desensitization to pain management through muscle relaxation techniques.
You're all grown up now, but you still panic when you see something slithering along the ground. You can't sit in the back seat of a car without feeling as if you'll be trapped there forever. Perhaps panic sets in if you see a nun.
Behavior therapy is built upon the principle that since your reactions (behavior) to these stimuli are learned, they can also be unlearned. This therapy differs from other therapies in the sense that behavior therapy is only concerned with what is going on in the present, not the fact that Uncle Joe locked you in a room with a snake when you were 5, or that the nuns at parochial school were extremely mean to you in the seventh grade.
Some of the main components of behavior therapy are relaxation, systematic desensitization and reinforcement.
Let's take a look at how the first two work, using ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) as an example. When one is ready to change their reactions to or fear of snakes they may contact a behavioral therapist. The first thing the therapist would do is to teach the patient some deep-muscle relaxation techniques.
While practicing these relaxation techniques the patient is slowly introduced to systematic desensitization. This is the process by which they are slowly exposed to the object they fear , which in this case is the snake. Once relaxed they may begin simply by talking about snakes, or looking at pictures. Then the patient is gradually put in contact with a snake in a controlled, safe environment. This gradual introduction allows the patient to associate the snake with a feeling of relaxation as opposed to fear.
Since behavior is governed by repeated patterns of experiences, repeating the pattern of relaxation and exposure to snakes helps renforce the new, positive behavior.
Although the aspects of relaxation and systematic desensitization are used with great success in hlelping people manage their phobias, it is not the only area that behavioral therapy has been instrumental.
The area of reinforcement comprises a major part of behavior therapy but would not necessarily be used in treating deep mental challenges, but rather emotional or "behavioral" ones.
The reinforcement part of behavioral therapy is more commonly practiced than you may realize. When your child struggles with reading but you want him/her to press on, you offer "positive" reinforcement, encouraging every accomplishment, great or small. When your dog finally sits on command, he is rewarded with a tasty treat. This is how reinforcement is similarly applied in behavioral therapy. It is one of the tools used in "unlearning" negative behaviors and replacing them with positive ones. (It is important to note that negative reinforcement is not used, such as electric shock treatment.)
A study in the Journal of the AMA illustrates another way reinforcement works. When dealing with inconinence in a nursing home, residents that remained dry were given positive reinforcement through special attention and praise. The study stated that involuntary urination was reduced by 26% after 13 weeks.
More and more studies are being done on using behavior therapy to aid in pain reduction in various conditions, from backaches to cancer. It has been shown that behavioral therapy that incorporates relaxation techniques, and sometimes hypnosis, reduces the onset and concept of pain. Many doctors would like to see behavioral therapy added to treatment protocol for many patients, as it would aid in the reduction of the amount of pain medications needed, but at this time insurance companies are not willing to cover the costs of behavioral therapy.
So if you have a phobia or behavior you wish to change, should you try behavior therapy? Of course, under the direction of a professional. You can practice muscle relaxation techniques on your own the next time you see a snake, or are stuck in the back seat of a car, but beyond that you should consult a behavior therapist.