What is Schema therapy?

Schema therapy is one of the latest advances in psychotherapy  and is a modern and integrative cognitive therapy devised by American psychotherapist Dr Jeffrey Young. Its foundations lie in traditional  cognitive therapies  which have been developed to include components of psychodynamic therapy. The process endeavours to move a person to a state whereby they can process emotions that have previously been suppressed or buried in the unconscious.  Emotions play the most important role in schema therapy. Both positive and negative childhood experiences form our adult emotional reactions, forming schemas.

What are Schemas?

Schemas are most often developed during childhood or adolescence and are negative pattens that are repeated throughout our adult lives. Our view of the world is heavily influenced by our schemas, often without us realising this is the case.

Schemas are ingrained into our personalities and environment and are usually accepted without question. Our schemas are very challenging to change or rethink without therapy. Schemas are created in childhood when our needs are not met, for example a child who has no secure attachments or parental guidance may take this schema into their adult life and struggle to form secure relationships.

Often, schemas are at the back of our consciousness and may not cause any issues. However, certain events may trigger the schema and cause negativity and a dysfunctional thought process.

It is at this stage that Schema therapy can be beneficial as an aid to dispelling negative thoughts and emotions.

What are modes?

A basic principle of the concept of modes is that everyone experiences themselves differently at different times. We can feel very healthy and relaxed in one moment, you may feel vulnerable and sad in another. In some other situation you may rather be emotionally cold and feel nothing. Such different states are called Modes.

Schema therapy will also help clients to understand the different personality ‘modes’ which often provide unhelpful coping mechanisms that reinforce the issue rather than solve it. A good example would be a person with social anxiety using an avoidance mode when faced with large groups of people or crowded places.

How Schema therapy works

If our emotional needs were not met in childhood, we develop schemas to help us make sense of our surroundings. This can lead to self-defeating patterns in adult life, which without therapy can spiral and become uncontrolled.

By engaging in a therapeutic dialogue of childhood experiences a person can understand how their emotions relate to their formative years. From this point, schema therapy will explore their developmental experiences and beliefs of their past, how it has affected their adult life and continues to affect adult life patterns, and provide psychotherapeutic approaches and techniques to heal the schema emotions and thought patterns and reduce the maladaptive coping modes getting in the way and blocking a full, rich and meaningful life.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Interventions  offer clients the opportunity to integrate schema therapy within CBT treatments, to provide support for clients who are looking to lessen emotional distress and move beyond their challenges for a more fulfilling life.  Contact us m to book your appointment.

If you would like to listen to a podcast from the British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapist (BABCP) providing more information on What is Schema Therapy please click  Podcast