Schema therapy; It is a holistic approach that brings together cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal and experiential techniques. It is designed for psychological disorders caused by the influence of schemas, which are defined as rigid and difficult-to-change beliefs about oneself and the world, which have their origins in childhood and adolescence.
Schemas greatly affect a person's relationships, daily life, and physical and mental health. When events occur that trigger schemas, the person automatically perceives these events as similar to their early experiences. Thus, intense anger, shame, guilt, or sadness can arise, and these emotions can be devastating both for the person and for other people. Because schemas are themes that continue throughout life, they are familiar to the person and are considered natural. Although schemas are painful to the person, they are also comforting, so they are resistant to change and the person continues his schema-maintaining behaviors (Young & Klosko, 2015). Young et al. (2013) underlined that early maladaptive schemas paradoxically cause harmful conditions in childhood to be unintentionally recreated in adult life. For example; A person who was abandoned by his mother or father in his childhood always chooses people who can abandon him when he grows up - married or older - as partners. Thus, the abandonment schema is confirmed and reinforced. With another example; A child who is criticized, humiliated, and embarrassed by his or her parents in childhood thinks that there is something wrong with him/her and takes into his/her life people who will make him/her think that he/she is flawed, rather than people who will make him/her feel valuable. Because this is the type of relationship that he is used to, knows, and is familiar with.
Origins of schemas
The roots of early maladaptive schemas are the failure to meet basic emotional needs in childhood, early experiences and temperament (Young & Klosko, 2015). According to Young et al. (2013), basic needs in childhood; They are listed as secure attachment (security, stability, acceptance, care), freedom of movement, perception of competence and identity, freedom to express needs and emotions, realistic limits and self-control, spontaneity and play. child Meeting these needs has a very important place for the child's psychological development. If basic needs are not met in childhood, schemas begin to form. Young et al. (2013) stated that the child's traumatic experiences with the caregiver cause the development of schemas.
Basic Emotional Needs
Young et al. (2013) grouped eighteen schemas into five schema areas. When the child's emotional needs are ignored and caregivers are distant and rejecting, the insecurely attached child is in the area of separation and rejection; Develops schemas of abandonment/instability, insecurity/abuse, emotional deprivation, culpability/shame, social isolation/alienation.
Impaired autonomy and performance schema area that develops when the needs for freedom of movement, competence and identity perception are not met; It consists of dependency/insufficiency, vulnerability to diseases or threats, enmeshment/underdeveloped self, and failure schemas. Parents with overly protective attitudes do not meet the child's need for autonomy. While the child needs the support and protection of his parents, he also needs to act independently and experience things on his own. It is very important for the child to gain autonomy in order to establish and develop his self-confidence (Young et al., 2013).
The child who is embarrassed or punished, made to feel guilty and powerless when expressing his needs and desires, having fun and acting freely, learns not to express his feelings and needs. Thus, for the child who believes that he can be accepted by his parents, the wishes and needs of others take priority over his own. When the need for freedom of expression of needs and emotions is not met, the other-directedness schema domain; Submissiveness, self-sacrifice and approval-seeking schemas are formed (Young et al., 2013).
Parents of children whose realistic limits and self-control needs are not met are overly permissive, do whatever their children want, and do not supervise their children adequately. These children have the ability to control and discipline themselves and to understand and care about the feelings of others. They have difficulty respecting their rights. Their own needs always come first and they tend to ignore the needs of others (Young & Klosko, 2015). When realistic limits and self-control requirements are not met, damaged limits schema area; entitlement/grandiosity and inadequate self-control schemas emerge (Young et al., 2013).
The spontaneity and play needs of children with normative, perfectionist and demanding parents are not met by their parents. These children suppress their emotions and impulses in order to meet their demanding parents' expectations and comply with their rules. Schema area of hypersensitivity and suppression when spontaneity and play needs are not met; Pessimism, emotional suppression, high standards/excessive criticism and punitiveness schemas may develop in a person (Young et al., 2013).
Early Experiences
The child's early experiences may pave the way for the development of schemas. Damaging prevention of basic needs, in other words neglect, causes the child to be deprived of needs such as love, care and compassion by his/her caregivers and environment. Being physically, sexually and emotionally abused, mistreated and victimized in childhood creates trauma in the child, and the child whose security needs are not met perceives the world as a place full of threats and develops schemas accordingly. The basic emotional needs of a child who is overprotected, doted on, and spoiled by his or her parents are met more than necessary. Although there is no deficiency experienced by the child himself, schemas can be acquired by taking caregivers as models and internalizing their schemas (Young & Klosko, 2015).
Temperament
Temperament is the emotional structure and uniqueness of a person since birth (Gander & Gardiner, 2007). For example, the person; shy, cold, sensitive, sociable, fearless, etc. it could be. The interaction of temperament and early experiences prepares the environment for the formation of schemas.
Who is schema therapy for?
“My relationships do not last long, I always choose the wrong people.”
“Everything is going well in our relationship The army suddenly ended before I knew what was happening."
"I always have to be on guard because people can hurt and use me."
"No one really understands me and I'm mostly alone."
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“I feel guilty, incomplete and flawed inside.”
“I feel different from everyone else, disconnected and incompatible.”
“I can't do anything right on my own, I feel incompetent.”
“I can't get rid of the feeling that something bad will happen.”
“I don't want to hurt people, so I have a hard time saying no.”
“I try to please everyone. I work, I always get paid, but no one asks me what I want.”
“No matter what I do, I don't get appreciation from anyone.”
“No matter how high I rise at work, I don't feel good enough.”
“I have so much to do, I can't find time to relax, I push myself so much that my relationships are damaged.”
“When I don't get what I want, when my truths are not accepted and when I get the answer no, I get angry. I can't be."
Therapeutic Relationship
Schema therapists approach the client with a more human side, instead of approaching the client with a distant and distant approach. They help the client express his or her negative feelings about therapy, and enable the client to combat his or her schemas and moods by highlighting and strengthening his or her healthy side. Schema therapists are flexible and evaluate each client within their own story. For example; While they establish a relationship in which there is care and guidance with a client who has an emotional deprivation schema, they establish a relationship in which there is less guidance and control with a client who has a submissive schema. They empathically confront the client with their schemas, modes, and coping behaviors, and while doing this, they sincerely share with the client what they feel.
Limited re-parenting
Schema therapy is an integrative approach and where it differs from other theories is "limited re-parenting". Limited reparenting; therapy of basic emotional needs that were not met by parents in childhood within the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship is met by t. In limited reparenting practice, the earliest memory of the client's basic schema with the parent is visualized. The client is asked to describe all the details of that moment, the environment, sounds, people, smells, and the place, thus enabling the client to come into contact with his/her current emotions. In the imagined memory, the client encounters the state of a "fragile child" whose needs are not met, not seen, not respected, not shown compassion. The therapist helps the client realize what the fragile child's basic emotional needs are. This need; There may be a need for protection, love, compassion, respect, understanding, and expressing feelings. Although the client recognizes the need, he or she may not know how to meet the needs of his or her own fragile child. He may feel guilty for continuing the same patterns in his adult life and for leaving the fragile child alone and not contacting him. “Children who have not been loved from the beginning do not know how to love themselves. As adults, they must learn to compassion and mother their own lost childhood.” (Quoted in Woodman, Cori, 2015). The client does not have to walk alone on the dark path he does not know, the therapist is there to guide him. Therapist; It creates a secure attachment figure for the client and, with the client's permission, enters the imagined moment and engages in a dialogue with the fragile child to meet its needs. “I am here, I see you, I respect you. You are so right, every child has the right to be loved, respected, understood and protected. You are special to me. Your needs are important to me. “You can ask me for help.” Messages such as these can be given to the fragile child. With the dialogue established between the fragile child and the therapist, the client gradually begins to learn how to be a healthy parent by taking the therapist as a model. The therapist is there to help the client develop the healthy parent within themselves, showing them how to do this with compassion and care.
The main purpose of schema therapy is to help the client reach and meet basic emotional needs. Strengthening the healthy adult side of the client and meeting the basic needs demonstrated by the therapist
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