Week 6 Flashcards
What does the concept of allostatic load refer to in MBSR?
Mindfulness is thought to work by reducing stress through an efficient early-monitoring of stress signals. Should stress signals not be detected and dealt with they contribute to allostatic load.
Once allostatic load is too high, the system loses flexibility and effective responsiveness.
How is dyscontrolled substance use explained according to the dual-process model?
Research has broadly acknowledged the role of automatic approach tendencies in substance use disorders. We see substance use as a dysregulation of the two systems: automatic and controlled.
Seeing substance cues often elicits an automatic appetitive response, without conscious intention. If there is no motivation or capacity to respond in an inhibited, controlled way, unregulated substance use occurs.
How does mindfulness help as an intervention for substance use?
Mindfulness helps individuals strengthen the control system and act more intentionally. Studies show that participants in the mindfulness group had weaker links between automatic alcohol motivation and heavy drinking.
In this way, mindfulness changes the relation that individuals have with these automatic urges that occur. The effect can nicely be summarized as decentering.
How do schemas fit in the ABC model of cognitive therapy?
Schemas influence the B –> thus they affect the beliefs someone holds and the subsequent emotion and behaviour that is to occur.
How do schemas develop?
Schemas represent extremely stable, lasting negative patterns of affect, behaviour, and cognitions that developed early in one’s life.
They develop because core childhood needs are not adequately met.
How do we deal with schemas in therapy?
As a general rule, we first wish to identify the correct schema and then see what coping mechanisms the individual has developed to compensate for these negative schemas.
After that we can start changing the schemas so that the problematic coping is not necessary anymore. Often it is useful to work based on images, as these schemas have been developed before individuals have been verbally adept.
What are the 3 coping strategies for schemas?
Schema Avoidance: Here, you avoid the schema being triggered in the first place by not even giving it a room to live. For example, avoiding relationships so you cannot be abandoned in the first place.
Schema Overcompensation: Individuals try everything to prevent the feared outcome of the schema. For example, they try their best to please people to avoid being abandoned.
Schema Surrender: You do not fight but see the schema as absolute truth. You might even seek out activities that support your view.
What are schema modes?
At any time, different coping strategies (surrender, overcompensation, avoidance) and whole different schemas may be activate. The specific combination activated in each moment is called schema mode.
What are the 3 experiential techniques utilized in schema therapy?
Empathetic Confrontation: We express understanding for the reason driving the problematic behaviour, yet insist on bringing change on its way.
Empty Chair Technique: Symbolic conversation with an imagined other on an empty chair. Therapist speaks to the person and then asks client what person is saying now. Therapist may tell parent how wrong they were.
Imagery Rescripting: Changing aspects in stories from childhood in such a way that the child would have gotten what it needed.
