In the last podcast, Dr. Burns described the eight most common forms of therapeutic resistance. In this episode, he describes his first session with an enraged, anxious, and severely depressed computer programmer from India who is convinced his co-workers are conspiring against him. You may be surprised to see what happens when Dr. Burns suddenly abandons the role of healer and instead assumes the role of the patient’s angry, paranoid and defiant resistance.
Thank you for another beautiful podcast, I hope it’ll make it to iTunes soon.
Do you have any plans to releasing Feeling Good Handbook for Kindle? I find it more useful and handy than the original Feeling Good book, and would love to get the electronic version instead of a paperback
I appreciate your comments! Much appreciated! thanks! david
This is really a fascinating and thought-provoking piece your whole approach. I experienced something like this with a client who seemed to me have to good reason to be depressed and yet who was critical of herself for being depressed. I remember thinking I would feel depressed under the same circumstances. I said something like “give yourself to be depressed because of everything you have been through,” and it seemed to help. She made good progress from then on with a difficult situation.
I really enjoyed this podcast.
You mention at the end that there a handful of the paradoxical techniques. Is there another podcast that discusses them?
Thanks!
Thanks, Rhonda and I have a new podcast on paradox. Recorded a few days ago, it will be published in several weeks. Thanks! david
I am not studying to be a therapist but I am interested to hear how there is progress in treating people and how my own resistance works.
Thanks! david
My therapists tried The technique of giving me an ultimatum and I just accept it. No one is going to threaten me or give me an ultimatum
Hi Douglas, good for you! Good therapy isn’t about threatening anybody, quite the opposite in fact. The Gentle Ultimatum is simply a respectful way of letting the patient know that if s/he wants to work with me, certain things will be necessary to make the therapy successful, as in this list:
depression: daily psychotherapy homework
anxiety: exposure
relationship problems: agreeing to stop blaming and focus instead on your role in the problem, and working to change yourself instead of trying to change the other person.
Hope that helps! If people say they would prefer a type of therapy that doesn’t depend on these kinds of methods, I let the patient know that if they change their mind in the future, they are always welcome back! But I’m sure you’d be the first to see that it makes no sense to go to a type of therapy you are not planning to engage with!
For example, surgery for a ruptured appendix will not work without a scalpel and other needed tools!
david
Good for you Douglas. No therapist should be threateneing. Those are the narcissitic ones who like power and control over people.