How to Coach Yourself and Others Techniques For Coaching | Seite 399

3.41 PARADOXICAL INTERVENTIONS
“Don’t think at a pink elephant” - is a classic example of how thought
suppression works: counterproductively. You will think of a pink
elephant.
You know, this chapter isn't very interesting. I wouldn’t waste my time
reading about the fascinating and controversial world of paradoxical.
So, please skip this and kindly move along to the next blog. Okay, read if
you must, but definitely don’t ever put this technique into practice.
Paradoxical interventions involve prescribing the very symptom the
client wants to resolve. It's a complex concept often equated
with reverse psychology. For example: the client fears failure, so the
therapist asks the client to fail at something. A man has problems with
procrastination, so the therapist asks him to schedule one hour a day to
procrastinate. Your four year-old resists brushing her teeth so she's
told she isn't allowed, and may end up doing it out of spite. Or a woman
who can't initiate sex with her husband is advised not to initiate for a
month. Don't think about a pink elephant. It's asking for something in
order to achieve the opposite result.
The underlying principle is that we engage in behaviors for a reason,
which is typically to meet a need (rebellion, attention, a cry for help,
etc). In p &W67&