Paradoxical intention (PI) is a psychotherapeutic technique used to treat recursive anxiety by repeatedly rehearsing the anxiety-inducing pattern of thought or behaviour,[1] often with exaggeration and humor.
Paradoxical intention has been shown to be effective in treating psychosomatic illnesses such as chronic insomnia, public speaking phobias, etc.
Paradoxical intention teaches the patient to distance themselves from the action, gain control over it and eventually, bring about its removal.
Furthermore, by learning to appreciate the humour in their exaggerated responses, individuals observe the non-catastrophic consequences of their fear-inducing stimuli first-hand, accepting the unlikelihood of the feared anxiety-producing outcome occurring.
Paradoxical intention is mainly employed to combat discomfort associated with internal causes while fear of external stimuli can still be treated through conventional treatments such as systematic desensitisation, cognitive behavioural therapy, etc.
By asking patients to keep their eyes open, while lying comfortably in a dark room without sleeping, they are taught to understand the non-disastrous implications of staying awake and thus, the anxiety associated with it diminishes.
This occurs due to paradoxical intention overcoming performance anxiety and facilitating natural sleep, unlike situations where external factors e.g. noise, temperature, etc.
Therefore, recursive anxiety leads to individuals attempting to control their cognitive environment by adjusting thoughts and behaviour to minimize stimuli inhibiting calmness.
[17][11] Turner and Ascher say that paradoxical intention has not gained complete acceptance in behaviour therapy because the research supporting its clinical efficacy is mainly limited to uncontrolled case studies.