Resp to Question About Paradoxical Intent

I may be wrong, but I believe the technique was one devised by and used by Victor Frankel.

Its purpose was to put the person in control of his symtom and thereby lead him to the idea that he may be the author of his symtom and the symtom may have a purose. God, that was a long sentence.

The example I remember in Frankel's book was about a man who sweat profusely when he went for a job interview, which was his reason why he couldn't go for a job interview. The patient begged Frankel to cure him of this problem because he needed a job but this problem was stopping him. Frankel told the patient that the next time he went for a job interview he was to sweat buckets. The patient was surprised at the suggestion, since sweating was the problem. When the patient returned, he had to tell Frankel that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make himself sweat before he went into the interview. Of course, the patient did not see that his wish not to sweat had been accomplished. He thought he had failed because he couldn't sweat! When the goal of a symtom is understood, the solution actually works.

Isn't the human mind wonderful

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