Behavioural Therapy

Behavioural therapy is based on the philosophy of behaviourism. Behaviourism states that human behaviours, just like animal behaviours, are triggered by stimuli and can be learned or changed through reinforcement or punishment – kind of like how you train a dog by giving it rewards or penalties. Most human behaviours are indeed unconscious habits that bypass our conscious cognitive system. Most of our nervous systems’ responses do not even run through our prefrontal cortex, the rational part of the brain. Therefore, the most straightforward way to improve a person’s mental health is to intervene from the bottom up (the behaviours) rather than top-down (the thoughts and beliefs).

One popular application of behavioural therapy is the use of systematic desensitization to treat phobia or PTSD symptoms. When exposed to triggering stimuli, the client practices some relaxation techniques to calm the nervous system down. After many times of practices, the body is conditioned to link the stimuli with a relaxation body state. The therapist directs the client to gradually increase the strength of the exposure to the stressful stimuli.

In treatment for depression and anxiety, clinicians usually focus on getting the clients to start exercising because exercise has been shown to work as well as an antidepressant in mild depression cases. Engaging in hobbies and social interactions also helps with depression and anxiety. Behavioural strategies can also be used in helping people with autism and ADHD.

Nowadays, behavioural therapy is usually interwoven into cognitive behaviour therapy to create more comprehensive changes on both the external behaviours and internal thoughts and beliefs.