Paradoxical therapy is a type of therapy that encourages people to face their fears. It can be helpful in treating several anxiety-based issues, improving family communication, and even managing insomnia.

Paradoxical therapy is a therapeutic method that can help people overcome their fears. It is a counterintuitive strategy that involves having people engage in their feared behaviors in an effort to overpower them.

Healthcare professionals primarily use it to treat discomfort that is attached to internal causes, such as being afraid of the sensation of fear. Issues due to a fear of external stimuli respond better to more conventional therapies.

Paradoxical therapy helps a person step back from their behavior, get control of it, and eventually break the anxiety cycle. It can be a useful tool in treating several mental health issues, including:

Other benefits of paradoxical therapy include the following:

  • It may help people be more willing to think about their problems from a different perspective.
  • It may produce rapid behavioral changes.
  • Users may experience relief from having new approach options and choices.

For some, paradoxical therapy can help them use humor to appreciate their situation or their responses to the situation, allowing a person to see the benign outcomes of their specific fear.

Paradoxical therapy is not right for all mental health issues, and it may not be right for everyone. While many people are empowered by their expanded options, paradoxical therapy could have some drawbacks:

  • Some may feel frustrated by needing to make new choices.
  • It has the potential to make a fear or situation worse.
  • There is debate about how the techniques work to improve symptoms.
  • People must self-report their experiences, which could be inaccurate.

Working with a qualified therapist and having a strong client-therapist relationship are important for successful paradoxical therapy. A good therapeutic relationship can help you avoid or minimize many drawbacks.

Paradoxical therapy encourages individuals to participate in their most feared behavior. This approach can help people who are afraid of the fear itself rather than the action that creates the fear. During sessions, a therapist leads you into the feared experience in a controlled and supportive environment.

Some useful therapy techniques could include:

  • Therapeutic double binds: This technique creates a “no-win” situation by offering multiple conflicting demands. It can be helpful in situations of flawed family communication styles, as you can learn how to set boundaries.
  • Reframing: This technique helps change thought patterns from negative thoughts to something more helpful. It may break the stress-anxiety cycle by restating expectations. For people with insomnia who may have performance anxiety around sleeping, restating their goal to “I’m trying to stay awake” could actually help them sleep better.
  • Symptom prescription: Here, the therapist “prescribes” actively engaging in your problematic behavior. The goal is to help you understand what kind of control you could have over your behavior or the situation.

How to find a paradoxical therapist

If you’re interested in finding a paradoxical therapist, an online directory could be a good starting point. It can help you find qualified therapists in your area who are familiar with paradoxical techniques.

If you already have a relationship with a different type of therapist, asking for a professional recommendation is also a good strategy. Word-of-mouth recommendations from a trusted friend or colleague who may have had similar experiences could be helpful as well.

Your primary therapist may also be open to using paradoxical therapy techniques in your ongoing sessions.

Paradoxical therapy is a therapeutic method that involves having you engage in the very behavior that scares you. This type of face-your-fear therapy, compared with an avoidance method, can be helpful for those who are more afraid of the sensation of fear than of the act itself.

Paradoxical therapy can be useful for treating stress and anxiety, phobias, eating disorders, or insomnia. While not for everyone, paradoxical therapy can create rapid behavioral change and encourage people to think about their problems from a new perspective.