Many of you may remember a curse or swear jar in your home when you were young. Every time a person used fowl language, they had to contribute a set amount of money to the curse jar. With time, a new verbal pattern developed and the person rarely used profanity. It is still an effective tool helping people become aware of and reduce, or eliminate, profanity. This is a great example of replacement therapy. I replace the old pattern of thinking and behaving (I curse and lose money when I’m angry) with a new routine (I get to keep my money when I don’t curse, and I can play a game on my phone when I’m angry).
The use of replacement therapy in psychology remains an effective tool in treatment. For instance, if I am a nail biter, I can make sure there is a stress ball close by to replace my typical behavior of biting my nails. By replacing the typical response with a healthier activity, I can develop a better pattern for my thoughts and behavior.
In therapy, the nail biter will seek to identify what caused the stress that led them to bite their nails. When a person learns the cause of an emotion, they are better able to move forward with a solution to change the way they think and act in response.
Although some people can take this information and use it for their life model, many people need guidance and practice. Therapy offers individuals the opportunity to examine the factors that cause certain emotions to be problematic. To a large extent, we are products of our environment. If you grew up in a household where people had difficulty managing emotions, you may have learned those behaviors and brought that pattern into adulthood. There is hope and help. Just because you have an unhealthy thought and behavior pattern does not mean you are stuck with it for life. I urge you in this new year to take the steps to improve coping skills, manage your emotions, and enhance relationships. You deserve to enjoy your journey.
