Recovery Tools for Self-Destructive Patterns
Operant conditioning concentrates on how reinforcement and penalties can be employed to either accelerate or reduce the regularity of patterns. Behaviors and patterns followed by attractive outcomes are more likely to manifest again in the future, while those followed by adverse repercussions become significantly reduced.
These methods can be used as fantastic recovery tools to prevent destructive and damaging patterns.
Contingency Management
This strategy uses a traditional penned contract between a client and a therapist (or parent or teacher) that details goals for pattern changes, reinforcements, rewards, and penalties. Contingency contracts can effectively promote behavior changes since the rules are clearly understood, preventing both parties from breaching the contract.
Extinction
One more way to generate pattern-breaking and conduct change is to stop reinforcing behavior in order to eradicate the response. Time-outs are a perfect example of the extinction process. During a time-out, individuals are extracted from a scenario that produces reinforcement. By eliminating what the patient found rewarding, undesirable actions can be prevented.
Behavior Modeling
This strategy entails learning through observation and mimicking the behavior of others. Instead of focusing on reinforcement or penalty, modeling allows individuals to learn fresh techniques or attractive behaviors by monitoring someone else executing those techniques.
Token Economies
This method incorporates reinforcement to adjust behavior and eliminate destructive patterns. Parents and teachers often use token economies, allowing children to win tokens for exhibiting desirable behaviors and lose tokens for undesirable behaviors. These tokens can then be redeemed for various rewards.
There are a few more approaches that promote strong mental health. More specifically, what methods are administered to promote recovery from substance abuse and alcohol abuse disorders?
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12-Step Programs and Supports
Many people hear the term “12-step program” and immediately think about alcohol treatment. However, these programs can be incredibly effective in treating alcohol, substance abuse, and negative behaviors regarding mental health in general.
These programs provide a significant amount of behavioral support and sources for improvement. These programs use the following steps and principles to promote these supports and changes:
- Honesty. After a long period of denial, healing begins with honesty. Being honest with yourself and family members regarding challenges you have with behavior or substance abuse is a great place to start.
- Faith. Before a higher power can operate, you must first have faith that this is possible.
- Surrender. You can break self-destructive patterns by surrendering to your higher power.
- Soul searching. Individuals in recovery must look back on their challenges and how they impacted their lives.
- Integrity. Admitting your wrongdoings toward loved ones in front of your higher power is a great way to promote new integrity.
- Acceptance. Accepting that you have challenges and defects as they exist and becoming willing to let them all go.
- Humility. This step involves asking a higher power to accomplish something that can’t be done by self-will or pure determination.
- Willingness. During this step, individuals make a list of people they harmed before entering recovery.
- Forgiveness. Making amends may seem difficult, but individuals serious about recovery will find this is a great way to begin healing compromised relationships and burnt bridges.
- Maintenance. Admitting that you were wrong is a necessary step to maintaining your spiritual progress during recovery.
- Making contact. Discover the plan the higher power has for your life. Where do you fall into the big picture?
- Service. Individuals in recovery must carry the message to others and use the principles of the program in every facet of life.
Clearly, 12-step-based recovery programs focus heavily on correcting destructive patterns and harmful behaviors. These programs are prime examples of behavior therapy because of these elements and the promotion of awareness and change.
When you think about it, the same model is used. Instead of being led by a counselor or therapist, you are being led by a sponsor. The sponsor promotes change, growth, and changes in a pattern by forcing you to engage in insight and analyze destructive behaviors. By actively engaging in a certain process or strategy, a clearly defined method is used to replace these negative behaviors with positive ones.
The only difference is that 12-step programs add another element by incorporating peer engagement in a group environment to promote recovery.
Find Lasting Recovery with Icarus in New Mexico
At Icarus Behavioral Health, we have a team of therapists and counselors that are well-informed, trained, and certified in implementing behavior therapies and methods to promote mental wellness. We can help clients achieve new levels of positive mental health, correct damaging patterns and behaviors, recover from drug and alcohol abuse disorder, and repair major elements in their personal life. Contact one of our admissions specialists to find out how to begin our intake process and get the ball rolling toward positive change.