Habit reversal therapy is a type of behavioral psychotherapy. Its conduct helps patients experiencing disorders in the form of some attacks of habitual activities (e.g. tics or trichotillomania) learn to control their ailments. What are some other uses of habit reversal therapy and how does it work?

Habit reversal training(HRT for short, from the English term habit reversal training) is one of the techniques that belong to behavioral therapies. This therapy had its origins in the 1970s, and to this day - with success - it is sometimes used in the treatment of various mental disorders. Habit reversal therapy can be carried out in principle in any patient - even children can benefit from it.

Habit Reversal Therapy: When To Use It?

HRT is used in the treatment of mental disorders from the group of impulse and drive (habit) control disorders. This method can bring the expected results in people with trichotillomania (the need to pull out one's own hair), habit reversal therapy can also be carried out in people who habitually suck their thumbs or in patients struggling with the need to bite their nails or pinch their skin. Yet another problem where HRT can also be useful is tic disorder.

Worth knowing

Full Habit Reversal Therapy consists of several steps. These include:

  • awareness training,
  • competitive response training,
  • controlling stimuli,
  • relaxation exercises,
  • generalized training.

Habit Reversal Therapy: Stages

The greatest work during HRT has to be done by the patients at the very beginning of the therapy. This is due to the fact that the patient should be very careful about himself during the awareness training. At this stage of habit reversal therapy, it is necessary to note the exact circumstances under which the problematic behavior occurs - a nervous tic or, for example, hair pulling or nail biting. The observations are aimed at determining what behaviors precede the occurrence of a habitual activity. During awareness traininglooking at yourself in the mirror and then writing down the details you observe can be very helpful. This is so that the patient can predict when he will develop a pathological habit and counteract it by using a competitive answer.

In the next stage of HRT, i.e. during competitive response training, patients learn to perform activities that will prevent their habit. For example, people struggling with a tic disorder can learn to tighten their muscles in a controlled way, so that the tic will not appear in them. In the event that the tic is related to the movement of the eyeballs, it can be counteracted by squeezing the eyelids for a few seconds. The therapist who helps the patient to choose the type of competitive answer tries to choose it so that its performance is not difficult for the patient. It is also important that the behavior that counteracts the emergence of a habit is less noticeable to the environment than the habit itself. However, in order to do this, the patient must be able to predict when he or she will experience a problem - which is why it is so important to put as much effort as possible into awareness training.

The first stage of habit reversal therapy is also important because, on the basis of the observations obtained during it, the next stage of HRT is carried out: stimulus control. Recording when a pathological habit occurs in a patient allows for the identification of specific situations in which the problem occurs. For example, hair tearing attacks can occur, for example, when the patient is idle or in a situation when he is in a specific place in his apartment. Such observations allow to avoid these situations, and thus reduce the frequency of the occurrence of a given problematic habit.

Relaxation exercises, which are another element of HRT, are also extremely important - it often happens that pathological habits appear more often when patients experience significant stress. It is for this reason that the ability to relieve tension becomes very valuable -already by reducing the intensity of stress, it may turn out that the patient will experience tics or the need to pinch himself much less .

Patients who undergo habit reversal therapy do the greatest amount of work in their own homes. The last element of the therapy - general training - is to help the patient not to show his habits not only at home, but also in other environments - e.g. at work or at school.

Therapyreversing habits: how long does it take?

The first effects of habit reversal therapy may appear within a few days of starting it, however, the final results usually appear after a few months. Time is needed in this case for the patient to amplify the effect of the reversal of habits.

Where to go for help

Theoretically, you can try to conduct habit reversal therapy on your own. However, doing so is strongly discouraged. This is due to the fact that an experienced therapist is not only able to point out to the patient what causes the occurrence of habitual activities in him, but also is able to properly select the previously mentioned competitive answer. The therapist is also important because his support can be really invaluable - patients need a lot of motivation to undergo habit reversal therapy, and the support, apart from that received from their relatives, should come from the psychotherapist.

Category:

Psychology