Paradoxical Therapy- The Use of Client Based Strengths to Alleviate Distress and Empower them

Khurshid A Khurshid

Abstract

Background: Paradoxical therapy is postulated to treat a variety of psychiatric symptoms and disorders particularly in the anxiety and depressive realm. It envisages use and augmentation of positive coping skills and individual strengths to instil a state of empowerment. This article outlines a paradigm for effective use of this therapy. Methods: This article delineates case vignettes of actual patients admitted to our adult psychiatry inpatient unit. This provides a framework for developing and implementing a Paradoxical therapy treatment matrix. Discussion: This article addresses the question of how to customize a paradoxical psychotherapy protocol and build a treatment matrix based on individual strengths and describes its use. It also merits a more systematic study of this concept in a case control setting on a larger number of patients.