perfectionism and - Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation

6/14/13
Misuse of Cogni:ve Therapy and
Educa:on
Misuse of Cogni:ve Therapy and
Educa:on
• CT targets were overes:mates of risk of
becoming possessed and probability of
becoming evil
– “There’s no evidence that I am possessed”
– “There’s no evidence I will become evil”
• Educa:on focused on assuring Lisa that her
intrusive thoughts were “just thoughts”
Re-­‐thinking Pathways to Long-­‐term
Success: An Inhibitory Learning Approach
• Lisa used cogni:ve therapy and educa:onal
material to help her get through exposures
– Reviewed it before and during exposures
– The material became a safety cue
– Emphasis on immediate fear reduc:on kept her
from learning the importance of tolera:ng anxiety
and uncertainty
– She experienced anxiety and uncertainty as a sign
of failure
Genera:ng Non-­‐Threat Associa:ons
SATURDAY
• Original fear associa:ons remain intact during
exposure while new safety learning is formed
– The old and new associa:ons compete with one another
• Important to maximize the likelihood that safety
learning will inhibit access and retrieval of fear
associa:ons
• The degree to which fear vs. safety associa:ons are
expressed following treatment depends on inhibitory
learning, rather than fear expression and habitua:on
• Mismatching expectancies
• Elimina:ng safety behaviors and cues
• Combining fear cues during exposure
• Linguis:c processing
-168-
6