behaviorial theory fans - just for fun

[tgrimes]

Ok, this is just for fun to see if anyone knows where this kind of behavioral modification / therapy might have originated.

The thing they did to Sawyer, on 'Lost' last night... what era of behavioral therapy or what psychiatrist would have developed a technique like that?
Or anyone even close...Skinner?

No, I don't know the answer, just wondering if anyone had come across anything like this in some old literature.

[Isabelle]

Sorry, what are you referring at? Sawyer of Mark Twain or the series Lost (that I am sorry I haven't watched)
I read about Skinner of ABA but if you explain what did you see, perhaps I can take part.

[Lara]

Systematic desensitization?

[Lara]

If that's what you mean, then there's more on it here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systematic_desensitization

If not, I don't know the answer.

I think I need some exposure therapy for my own phobias lol

[tgrimes]

Lara - I think that's probably the closest.

Isabelle and 'others' - well, I guess I shouldn't just assume everyone's watching.
Okay, this episode a group of people who live on the other side of the island captured three of the plane crash survivors... one of whom is the bad-boy hothead character. The 'others' have such a hard time controlling his agressive behavior, that the (presumed) leader has him taken from his cage and dragged to an operating room, where they hold a huge needle over his chest and argue about whether it needs to go into the sternum or not. When he wakes up, he is told the he had a device planted inside his chest, and if he lets his heart rate get above 140, his heart will explode. He has a watch-like monitor on his wrist that starts beeping when it gets dangerously high, and he must do whatever he has to do to learn to calm himself down.
Then he's put back in his cage, and the first time he had to calm himself down was when Kate was undressing in the cage across from him.
Later on he is told there was nothing really 'put' in him except doubt - but Sawyer doesn't entirely believe this and is still trying to keep his heart rate down, just in case.

[Lara]

ewwww, I take back what I said about needing some for my phobias! lol

Sounds more like aversion therapy doesn't it.

When you said Skinner, the desensitization came to mind, although I don't think Wolpe would have suggested such a horrid way of doing it. I don't know who invented aversion therapy. This all makes me shudder at how people get treated over the years.

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/...ct/119/11/1062

[peglem]

Wouldn't that be biofeedback? Or maybe just the power of suggestion.

[Lara]

It does sound to me as if it's a type of biofeedback, peg.

I'm just not sure about the part "When he wakes up, he is told the he had a device planted inside his chest, and if he lets his heart rate get above 140, his heart will explode." LOL

[Lara]

There's another one called Covert sensitization I was just looking at.

"Covert sensitization is a form of behavior therapy in which an undesirable behavior is paired with an unpleasant image in order to eliminate that behavior."

"The goal of covert sensitization is to directly eliminate the undesirable behavior itself, unlike insight-oriented psychotherapies that focus on uncovering unconscious motives in order to produce change. The behaviors targeted for modification are often referred to as "maladaptive approach behaviors," which includes behaviors such as alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and smoking, pathological gambling, overeating, sexual deviations, and sexually based nuisance behaviors such as obscene phone calling. The type of behavior to be changed and the characteristics of the aversive imagery to be used influence the treatment, which is usually administered in an outpatient setting either by itself or as a component of a multimodal program."
http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/...itization.html

[Isabelle]

I agree that is suggestion, even though many situations is almost impossible to control the surge of anger in some people and combined with alcohol and/or on street/prescription drugs it could cause "psychotic delirium" (sp?) and the person dies of heart attack.