Buerger, William M.. Pragmatic case studies of second- and third-wave pragmatic case studies of second- and third-wave cognitive behavioral interventions. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3QN6B85
DescriptionThis project focuses on clarifying the differences between the cognitive-behavioral techniques of cognitive restructuring and of cognitive defusion. Two questions were explored: (1) do cognitive restructuring and cognitive defusion function through different psychological pathways, and (2) do these techniques lead to different psychological impacts? The project consists of systematic case studies of three clients. The data are exclusively qualitative, being obtained from semi- structured clinical interviews, session notes, and video tape recordings of sessions. For each of the case studies, instances of cognitive restructuring and cognitive defusion were examined through the lens of both of these techniques’ respective psychological theories, that is, Beck’s cognitive theory and relational frame theory. The similarities and differences that emerged between these techniques were then used to develop a unifying theory of the phenomenological differences and similarities between cognitive restructuring and cognitive defusion. Analyse indicate that both cognitive defusion and cognitive restructuring use the same psychological pathway, but in different ways. Specifically, both techniques present an argument for why thoughts are not reflections of reality, and then coach the individual on how to interact with their thoughts accordingly. However, the arguments used by the two interventions differ, in that cognitive restructuring allows the possibility that the thought may be a reflection of reality, while cognitive defusion does not. Clinical implications for this framework are identified and discussed.