What is Paradoxical instructions?
Paradoxical instructions direct a person to deliberately perform or increase the unwanted behavior they are trying to stop. By making the behavior intentional rather than automatic, the technique disrupts the pattern.
How it works
The technique removes the anxiety associated with trying to suppress the behavior (which paradoxically maintains it), gives a sense of control (it is now a choice), and creates awareness of the automatic pattern. Viktor Frankl called this ‘paradoxical intention.’
Applied example
A person with insomnia told ‘Go to bed and try as hard as you can to stay awake’ often falls asleep quickly because the instruction removes performance anxiety and eliminates the effortful trying-to-sleep that was interfering with the natural process.
Why it matters
Paradoxical instructions work because many unwanted behaviors are maintained by the effort to suppress them, and deliberately engaging the behavior breaks this cycle.
