What is schema therapy?
Schema therapy allows for new solutions in psychotherapy, primarily through its integrative and comprehensive approach to problems. The therapeutic work uses a repertoire of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional techniques. Schema therapy focuses primarily on identifying basic schemas and how they may have contributed to the development of negative patterns that are present in the present. Maladaptive schemas often prevent people from finding meaning and purpose in life and make it difficult for them to function in professional and social contexts.
Young and schemas
Aaron Beck introduced the concept of schemas into cognitive therapy. He used the term to refer to negative beliefs that are persistent and resistant to the passage of time. This theory was developed by Jeffrey Young, who increased the influence of the past on the understanding of schemas. As a result, he concluded that schemas are the result of difficult childhood experiences related to unmet needs. When emotional needs are not met during childhood and adolescence, early negative schemas develop, which contain unconditional and unfavorable beliefs about ourselves and others.
Therefore, the central element of schema therapy is to change and minimize early maladaptive (i.e., harmful) schemas. According to the scholar, Young’s schemas include thoughts, memories, physical sensations, and emotions. They are believed to result from a combination of unmet basic needs, innate temperament, and the environment in which we grow up. In adulthood, we often reinforce and develop our schemas. Despite the pain we experience, we often prefer what is familiar, which is why we repeat these old patterns.
In summary, early maladaptive schemas are:
- General, all-encompassing themes or patterns that:
- Consist of memories, emotions, thoughts,
- Relate to beliefs about ourselves and our relationships with others,
- Were developed in childhood or adolescence,
- Are often developed throughout our lives.
Not just thoughts
When working with patients, I often hear them say that even though they have understood a certain aspect of themselves, their emotions still follow their own path. This is a signal that cognitive work, i.e., thinking-based work, should move toward experiencing one’s own experiences and emotions. When a schema is activated, the past enters our present consciousness. In order to overcome schemas together, it is important to use techniques related to working with imagination and so-called psychodrama – e.g., using an empty chair or role-playing. In imagination exercises, we defend the child that lies deep within ourselves. We connect images from childhood with situations and problems in our present life. Therefore, in schema therapy, emotion-focused interventions aim to fill gaps in emotional learning related to attachment and emotion regulation.
Why choose Young’s schema therapy?
Schema therapy is a comprehensive and theoretically coherent model of therapeutic work. Check out the stages of work in the Psychotherapy tab – their effectiveness is scientifically documented – and learn about the modes of schema therapy. Therapeutic work uses a repertoire of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional techniques. Due to its integrative nature, schema therapy proves effective when working with a variety of problems. These range from difficulties in coping with low mood, anxiety, feelings of loneliness, and shame, to persistent destructive patterns. This approach reduces symptoms and brings about long-term improvement. Although it is a relatively young therapeutic trend, schema therapy is quickly gaining supporters and practitioners around the world.
Examples of problems that are worth addressing in schema therapy:
- Persistent self-critical or negative thoughts about oneself or others
- Deep feelings of shame; the belief that you have a flaw that will cause you to be rejected,
- Fear of abandonment; distrust and anxiety in relationships,
- Long-term perfectionism,
- Compulsive helping and solving other people’s problems,
- Difficulty in assertive behavior, frequent subordination in relationships,
- Procrastination and self-sabotage when trying to achieve goals,
- Excessive concern about how other people judge us,
- Experiencing persistent feelings of stress, anxiety, self-doubt, or shame,
- Recurrent episodes of conditions such as depression and anxiety that are resistant to pharmacological treatment.