{"id":210772,"date":"2023-03-20T14:02:11","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T13:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/types-of-therapy\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T16:07:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T15:07:42","slug":"types-of-therapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/en\/types-of-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Schema Therapy<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Schema therapy is a scientifically supported and effective form of psychotherapy. It is often used to treat long-standing difficulties such as a negative self-image, (chronic) depression, and personality-related problems, frequently in the context of challenges in relationships with others.<\/p>\n

Do you feel quickly rejected or sad when a friend cancels a meeting?
Does criticism from a colleague make you feel like a failure, insecure, or angry?
Or do you avoid close relationships out of fear of being hurt or abandoned?<\/p>\n

These are examples of recurring painful emotions and persistent patterns of behavior that can have a significant impact on your quality of life.<\/p>\n

Schema therapy focuses on identifying and changing these deeply rooted patterns. During treatment, we explore how early life experiences have influenced the way you think, feel, and act. You learn to recognize your patterns and gradually change them, so you can think differently, feel more balanced, and respond in new ways. You also learn to better recognize your needs and address them in a healthier manner. This can help you gain more direction in your life and improve your relationships with others.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Affect Phobia Therapy<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Affect Phobia Therapy is used to treat anxiety, depression, and avoidant personality patterns. Emotions are powerful drivers of human behavior. They can motivate healthy and adaptive actions, help us make meaningful choices, connect with others, and set boundaries when needed. At the same time, emotions can also feel frightening or overwhelming.<\/p>\n

To illustrate the difference between fear of internal feelings and fear of external situations, consider someone with a classic phobia, such as a fear of elevators, who declines a desirable job because it is located in a high-rise building. In a similar way, someone with affect phobia may avoid feelings of sadness by responding with anger instead, which can place strain on relationships.<\/p>\n

Affect phobia can develop when we learn, often early in life, that certain emotions are not acceptable or when we fear being overwhelmed by what we feel. As a result, we may become afraid of our own emotions and begin to avoid them. This can lead to withdrawal, a sense of disconnection from others, avoidance of vulnerability, and a loss of joy. When emotions are consistently suppressed, people may also lose touch with their positive self-image and spontaneity. This can contribute to tension, restlessness, fatigue, unclear physical symptoms, dissatisfaction at work or in relationships, and difficulty expressing needs or setting boundaries.<\/p>\n

In such cases, therapy that focuses on fear of emotions can be helpful. The goal of Affect Phobia Therapy is to help emotions safely come into awareness and to learn how to experience and regulate them in a healthy and supportive way.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Trauma-focused therapy<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Traumatic symptoms can develop after experiencing a deeply distressing or life-threatening event, such as a serious accident, the loss of a loved one, or violence. At times, memories of the trauma may trigger overwhelming emotions that feel too intense to face. In an effort to avoid reliving the experience, you may try to suppress or avoid these memories. While this can bring short-term relief, it often increases distress in the long run.<\/p>\n

Most trauma-focused therapies work with gradual exposure to traumatic memories. In therapy, we explore the thoughts, physical sensations, emotions, and sensory details that arise when recalling the event. This process helps to reduce avoidance and allows the experience to be processed more fully. As you begin to face these memories, you learn to work through emotions such as fear, anger, shame, disgust, and sadness. Although this can be challenging at first, processing these experiences over time helps to reduce emotional distress and calm the body\u2019s stress response.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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EMDR<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based psychotherapy used to treat trauma and other distressing life experiences. It is based on the idea that traumatic memories can become \u2018stuck\u2019 in the brain, leading to ongoing emotional distress, intrusive memories, heightened arousal, or avoidance long after the event has passed.<\/p>\n

During EMDR therapy, you briefly focus on a distressing memory while simultaneously engaging in a distracting task, which helps the brain process the memory in a new way. Over time, the emotional intensity of the memory decreases, making it easier to think about the event without feeling overwhelmed. EMDR focuses on how the memory is stored and how it affects you in the present. As processing continues, negative beliefs about yourself, such as feelings of guilt, shame, or helplessness, can shift toward more balanced and realistic perspectives.<\/p>\n

EMDR is commonly used to treat post-traumatic stress symptoms but can also be effective for anxiety, depression, phobias, grief, and the emotional impact of adverse life events. Many people experience relief within a relatively short period of time.<\/p>\n

The goal of EMDR is not to erase memories, but to help you integrate them in a way that reduces distress, restores a sense of safety, and allows you to move forward with greater emotional flexibility and resilience. Over time, the distress linked to these memories becomes less overwhelming, allowing for emotional healing.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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BEPP<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

BEPP (Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for PTSD) is an evidence-based therapy developed to help people who continue to experience distress after a traumatic event. It combines elements from different therapeutic approaches.<\/p>\n

In BEPP, you work step by step on processing the traumatic experience. A key part of the therapy involves carefully revisiting the event and the emotions connected to it. This may include feelings such as fear, anger, sadness, guilt, or shame. By facing these memories in a safe and structured way, the emotional intensity often decreases and avoidance becomes less necessary.<\/p>\n

BEPP also focuses on the impact the trauma has had on your life. This may involve grieving losses, such as a loss of safety, trust, or control, and reflecting on how the experience has affected the way you see yourself and others. The therapy helps you give meaning to what happened and integrate the experience into your life story, so it no longer dominates your present life.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Imaginary Exposure<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Imaginary Exposure is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy used for trauma processing. During the sessions, you mentally revisit the traumatic event by describing it in as much detail as possible. This may include recalling specific sensory details, like colors or smells associated with the experience. Often, I will ask you to record your spoken memories and listen to these recordings at home.
By repeatedly describing and listening to your traumatic memory, you gradually reduce your avoidance of it. Over time, your fear of the memory decreases, making space for emotional processing. This helps you feel more in control of your emotions when thinking back on the traumatic event. As the intense emotions fade, related symptoms, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive memories also tend to lessen.<\/p>\n

Like all trauma therapies, Imaginary Exposure is conducted in a safe therapeutic environment. Processing trauma involves gradually reliving some of the distress without being overwhelmed by it. If needed, we will agree on safety strategies during the sessions to help you regain a sense of stability and control.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Imagery Rescripting<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Imaginary Rescripting (ImRs) is a therapeutic technique focused on mentally reimagining and reshaping distressing traumatic memories.<\/p>\n

As an adult, you may find yourself reacting strongly to present-day situations because they resemble emotionally charged experiences from the past. Even if the current situation is not truly threatening, the emotional reaction can be intense and unsettling. This can lead to new difficulties or patterns of avoidance.<\/p>\n

ImRs gives you the opportunity to \"rewrite\" painful memories by imagining how you would have wanted the situation to unfold and how you would act differently. This technique helps you connect with your unmet emotional needs and learn to respond to them in a healthier way. For example, you may learn to transform feelings of helplessness, fear, or anger by reshaping the traumatic memory in your imagination.<\/p>\n

It is particularly effective in addressing the long-term effects of emotional neglect and other early adverse experiences. By imagining how past situations could have gone differently, perhaps with more support, protection or care, we begin to meet your unmet emotional needs, strengthen your sense of self-worth, and reduce the distress you may feel in present-day situations that echo those earlier experiences.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Cognitive behavioral therapy<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches you to look at and deal with problematic situations differently. It assumes that problems are influenced and perpetuated by a person's thoughts and behaviors. By examining, discussing and changing those behaviors and thoughts, psychological symptoms decrease. Cognitive behavioral therapy consists of a combination of behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Cognitive Therapy<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Cognitive therapy focuses on how thoughts influence our emotions and behavior. When someone tends to interpret important events in a consistently negative way, they are more likely to feel anxious, depressed, or irritable\u2014and behave accordingly. In cognitive therapy, you and your therapist work closely together to examine whether these negative thoughts are accurate.<\/p>\n

The aim is to shift unhelpful thinking patterns into more balanced and realistic ones. For example, someone experiencing depression may question beliefs like \u201cI\u2019ve failed in life\u201d or \u201cOthers don\u2019t respect me,\u201d and work toward more constructive perspectives. Specific exercises and homework are used to support this process. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Behavioral Therapy<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Behavioral therapy emphasizes the role of actions in shaping how we feel. Our behavior can either reinforce or reduce emotional difficulties. For instance, avoiding situations out of fear often strengthens the fear instead of reducing it. Likewise, struggling to express one\u2019s opinion can lead to frustration or self-doubt, while impulsive behavior may create new problems. <\/p>\n

In behavioral therapy, we identify problematic behaviors and the situations in which they occur. You learn to develop and practice more helpful behavioral strategies through exercises and homework. This collaborative approach supports lasting change. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Schematherapie groep<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Schematherapy is an integrative form of psychotherapy that combines elements from several treatment modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy, experiential and gestalt therapy and psychodynamic therapy. Treatment focuses on persistent patterns, also called schemas, that have developed in your life and continue to influence your current feelings, thoughts and behaviors. These often originate in childhood and later continue to influence how you view yourself, others and the world. They can cause you to run into the same problems over and over again.<\/p>\n

Common schemas include feelings of failure or the belief that others perceive you as a failure, the belief that others will hurt or abuse you, the idea that you don't belong, or the feeling that others never find you important enough to care about. People often recognize multiple schemas at the same time. How you deal with these schemas varies. You can avoid them, give in to them or overcompensate for them. These strategies usually make us fall into the same pitfalls that cause the schemas to recur again and again.<\/p>\n

Group schema therapy is appropriate for people who find that they keep getting stuck in the same patterns. For example, recurring relationship problems, persistently low self-esteem, difficulty expressing emotions, or persistent feelings of gloom or anxiety. The group provides a safe environment to recognize and break these patterns. In the group, you discover how you respond to others, get support and honest feedback, and notice that you are not the only one with these kinds of problems. You can try new behaviors and see what effect they have. The group works like a small social environment in which everyday situations recur, but under the guidance of experienced therapists.<\/p>\n

Treatment involves working on both insight and change. Cognitive techniques help explore and challenge thoughts. Behavioral exercises focus on learning new, healthier behaviors. Experiential forms of work help to admit or express emotions. In addition, you learn a lot from interactions with others in the group. The goal is to gradually let go of old patterns and allow the healthy, mature part of you to grow stronger. This enables you to take better care of your own needs, set clear boundaries, and create more equal relationships.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-210772","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/210772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/210772\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/praktijkshalita.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}