EP00 Invited Address 11b - Therapy of "As If" - Paul Watzlawick, PhD

Description:

Certain aspects of language can be especially useful for the purpose of bringing about behavioral changes. The nature of these changes is best known, but by no means limited to, its hypnotherapeutic application. They are, for instance, "corrective emotional experiences," as defined by Franz Alexander. Long before Alexander, the philosopher Hans Vaihinger, in his famous work, "The Philosophy of As If" (1911 ), had investigated in great detail the fact to behave "as if something were the case, could bring about almost immediate changes in given contexts.

Educational Objectives:

1. To define the creation of an "as if" context.
2. To describe four examples of this type of intervention. 

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*

Outline:

Introduction and Overview of Dr. Paul Watzlawick's Background

• Paul Watzlawick is introduced with emphasis on his background in psychiatry, authorship, and multilingual fluency

• He opens by expressing admiration for Dr. Yale and introduces the concept of the "therapy of as if"

• Begins with examples of self-fulfilling prophecies, such as stock market beliefs and the 1970s toilet paper shortage

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and Matchmaking Strategies

• Explains how self-fulfilling prophecies can be used intentionally in relationships, e.g., matchmakers in patriarchal cultures

• Matchmakers would tell individuals their prospective partner was secretly interested, often creating actual interest

• Introduces “more of the same” patterns: repeated solutions that sustain problems

• Shares example from Cartagena where a cannon's time signal was always late due to circular problem-solving

The Role of Psychotherapy and the Concept of "As If"

• Describes psychotherapy as introducing new elements into closed systems to disrupt unhelpful patterns

• Tells story of a CEO whose interpersonal issues improved through a strategic “as if” intervention

• Cites Pascal’s notion of acting “as if” one believes in God, and Alexander’s corrective emotional experience

• Emphasizes change can occur in the present without reconstructing the full past

Systems Theory and the Introduction of New Elements

• Explains how systems theory identifies and alters self-perpetuating feedback loops

• Illustrates this with a parable about inheritance and Mullah wisdom

• References Hans Vaihinger’s “Philosophy of As If,” asserting that functional fictions can yield real-world results

• Discusses abstract constructs (like a point or legal freedom) as operationally useful despite being “fictions”

The Importance of Language and Injunctive Communication

• Highlights the value of injunction (directive) over description in therapeutic language

• Cites George Spencer Brown’s logic on “laws of form” and how mathematics is fundamentally injunctive

• Notes natural science also relies on injunctions (e.g., instructions to look through a microscope)

• Offers clinical example: advising a principal to act as if colleagues were anxious, which reshaped relationships

The Therapy of As If and Its Criticisms

• Clarifies therapy of as if is not psychotherapy per se, but a strategy to insert new rules into rigid systems

• Acknowledges critiques of manipulation and superficiality

• Emphasizes the importance of entering the client’s worldview before introducing new perspectives

• Suggests using preemptive statements (e.g., “you’ll probably reject this idea…”) to short-circuit resistance

Discussion and Examples from Action Therapies

• Zerka Moreno explores how “as if” relates to psychodrama and experiential therapies

• Describes action therapy tools to rehearse future roles and foster expectation of success

• Argues for addressing the past as a springboard for building a better future

• Illustrates how distorted perceptions (e.g., mirroring) can be therapeutically leveraged

The Role of Perception and Reality in Therapy

• Emphasizes that perception is malleable and can be shifted to enable change

• Describes how enactments and role rehearsal help clients test and adopt new behavior

• Encourages therapists to enter clients' subjective reality to help guide toward alternatives

• Shares how role reversal in psychodrama shifts understanding of relational dynamics

Paradoxical Interventions and Their Applications

• Watzlawick explains paradoxical interventions as reality-creating strategies

• Example: a wife’s request for flowers becomes a double-bind that alters relational expectations

• Moreno adds that psychodramatic role reversal can similarly shift entrenched couple patterns

• Watzlawick advocates for paradox as a powerful disruptor in therapy

The Application of As If to Larger Systems and International Conflict Resolution

• Watzlawick applies “as if” concepts to systemic and geopolitical conflicts

• Cites the France-Germany treaty as a redefinition of inter-nation dynamics through symbolic action

• Moreno discusses sociodrama for addressing group-level tensions, e.g., racial segregation in schools

• Stresses need for trained professionals to deliver these systemic interventions responsibly

Challenges and Limitations of the Therapy of As If

• Watzlawick acknowledges that therapy of as if is not a panacea and requires skillful application

• Describes uses in macro contexts like organizations and diplomacy, while noting complexity

• Moreno highlights difficulty of working with clients inhabiting divergent “realities”

• Watzlawick closes by emphasizing that therapists must first enter, then gently shift, the client’s reality