Our mental health deserves as much care as our physical health. Well-being is the reward for healthy lifestyle choices made from the belief system we created in our minds. Transference-focused therapy is a form of psychology that examines how we internally perceive the world we live in and the fallacies in our thinking that cause our failures in life.
Transference-focused therapy is a long-term treatment program with the goal of changing a belief that conflicts with reality. This new way of thinking begins by fully dissecting the conflict caused by a flawed belief. This is accomplished by shifting, or transferring, the perspective of the problem from the patient to the therapist. Through the eyes of the therapist, the patient will begin to see the reality others see, resulting in changed thinking.
For some, changing a believed perception of reality can be a difficult process. It takes time to accept that our thinking has been in error. It takes even more time to make the necessary changes in thought and action to reinforce the accuracy of the new belief. If you’re looking for more information on transference-focused therapy, and how it can help, take a look at this article from BetterHelp.
What is Transference-Focused Therapy?
Transference-focused therapy is a structured treatment plan that requires trust, open-mindedness, and cooperation from the therapist and the patient. It involves a willingness to delve into who you are by understanding how you think. It takes a level of comfort with discovering why you do what you do by learning where the flawed thoughts originated.
To understand who we are and what we believe, we must first acknowledge how we came to know what we know. This type of therapy involves revisiting emotional memories from our childhood and other monumental phases of growing-up. It takes accepting that the person we see in our mind is not always the person we project to others.
Transference-focused therapy calls for the identification of proper emotional reactions to situations. It examines how we respond and how flawed thinking causes us to misjudge other people’s intent. The process of relearning extends to changing perceptions of both thoughts and actions.
3 Steps of Transference-Focused Therapy
Transference-focused therapy takes place over a long period of time because it took an equally long time to get here. Events we experienced and people we’ve encountered shape how we view everything. This therapy gets to the core of the problems in order to correct the errors in thought.
Step One: Define the belief or thought
Before you can remove mad information, you must identify the flawed belief. In order to figure out what thought is causing the problem, we evaluate the conflict being experienced. Often, the problems we have are the result of a mismatch between thought and reality.
Both the therapist and the patient must have a clearly defined understanding of the belief that is creating the problem. The patient needs to convey precisely the who, what, when, where, how, and why of the conflict. A vivid image of the emotions associated with the conflict is essential to understand the patient’s thought process.
Patterns of behavior are the visual clues to help unlock our belief system. By looking at the repetitive patterns of conflict in our life, we can begin to isolate the belief involved. Once you know what thought is causing your failure, you can begin to address how it has affected your life.
Step Two: Evaluate Aspects of the Belief
Next, the patient and the therapist dig deep into the individual aspects of the flawed belief. Sifting through the details of who the conflict affects, when does it occur, and how events transpire gives clarity. Delving into where problems manifest and why you react as you do can be key to changing a belief.
Transference-focused therapy looks at the person by breaking down the pieces that put together to create the puzzle of you. Who inspired or ired you? What tragedies and blessings fell upon you? Where you lived and how you survived all play roles in developing your belief system.
Step 3: Fine-Tune Beliefs to Align with Reality
The final stage of transference-focused therapy is the integration of the new thinking into your daily living. Seeing your world through different eyes leads to making small adjustments as you relearn how to interact. Having a new perspective on events of the past reduces the chance of repeating those mistakes. Repairing your belief system and adjusting your perception to align with reality will lead to a happier and healthier life.
