What is behavior activation?
Activation
Behavioral is a type of therapy used mainly to treat those with chronic depression and post -traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This kind of therapy generally examines patient behavior patient behavior for traces, why is depressed. Many behavioral activation therapists are also looking for events that prevent the patient from working normally and happy in society. The next step usually involves discovering the activities the patient uses and finds performance and soothing. The therapist usually helps the patient to use these activities to overcome his internal blocks.
Many people who have experienced a traumatic event, or suffer from depression, avoid certain activities or have little motivation to expand. In the case of PTSD, the patient can reject certain actions, situations, placement and people who remind her of the event. This may have a minor to a serious effect on the patient's life. For example, a PTSD patient who hates the smell of a certain cologne can usually avoid and function more normally than the patient whoavoids motorized transport, such as cars, buses, trains and aircraft.
The same theory applies to those suffering from depression. These patients do not necessarily avoid activities and places, but have little energy or desire to interact with others and be active. Behavioral activation therapy examines both patients to find things they like, the skills they have, and people or places they consider beneficial. The therapist then helps each patient to reconstruct his life around these things.
In the typical activation session of behavior, the therapist and the patient can build a list of acceptable and positive activities for patient performance. The therapist then helps the patient to choose a certain number of these activities to integrate into his daily life. Patient can only choose one or two activities in the first session and then double or triple the number after a few weeks. The point is to make pImproved restructuring the patient's emotional condition by supporting it with positive experience.
When the patient has completed all initial activities on the list, the therapist activates behavior usually helps the patient add more. For a PTSD patient, this may include the completion of an enriching activity that includes something that normally avoids. For example, in the above situation, the therapist could indicate that the patient would take the cabin just a few blocks from his home. Fine exposure and positive result gradually help patients with PTSD expand their comfort zones and are less limited.
Depression patients may require a reward -based reward system. The therapist can come up with a token system in which the patient completes a certain number of activities and accept what he wants. This works particularly well with depressed children and adolescents, as parents can help with a system at home.