What Is Integrative Therapy?
Integrative therapy is an amalgamation of multiple therapeutic approaches. This is a personalised therapy that is tailored according to a client’s unique needs. Therapists handpick suitable aspects from various therapies and draw on multiple strategies for faster recovery. This way, a therapist ensures that the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of a patient are covered so that chances of relapse are minimal.
Types of Integrative Therapy
1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive integrative therapy identifies and challenges negative thought patterns. Therapists balance these thoughts with positive and healthier emotions for recovery.
2. Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy explores the past and unconscious thoughts of a person to resolve emotional conflicts. It aims to foster self-awareness and growth.
3. Humanistic Therapy
This therapy focuses on the self-growth of a patient for self-actualisation. It aims to create a non-judgmental environment for patients to rediscover their authenticity.
4. Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Patients are encouraged to focus on the present moment and build resilience. They are counselled to not think of the past or the future and only live in the moment.
5. Gestalt Therapy
Patients are counselled to resolve their inner conflict by understanding their present moment. The aim is to improve relationships and lead a normal life.
6. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT works on improving interpersonal relationships and regulating emotions effectively. This therapy aims to treat personality disorders and bravely face emotional challenges.
7. Somatic Experiencing
This therapy aligns the mind and body and repairs the broken connection. The therapist aims to release tension caused by trauma to promote holistic healing.
8. Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing
This therapy targets traumatic memories using bilateral stimulation to reduce emotional distress. The aim is to ensure healthier processing of unresolved past experiences that are hindering the emotional well-being of a person.
9. Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy allows a patient to reframe their personal stories. The aim is to empower the patient to feel normal and view themselves as capable and resilient.
10. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT enables a person to combine ways of acceptance and make behavioural changes to recover faster. The therapy aligns the actions of a patient with values to embrace emotions.
11. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
Instead of focusing on what caused a person to fall ill, SFBT focuses on solutions and treatments to achieve a normal mindset. Patients suffering from psychological disorders are encouraged and motivated to focus on the treatment and forget about the past.
12. Transpersonal Therapy
Transpersonal transformation therapy of a person focuses on the spiritual aspect of a person’s life. The aim is to address the existential challenges of a patient that disturb his psychological health.
13. Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal therapy equips a patient to improve his or her emotional well-being. The aim is to strengthen communication skills to make him feel better and recover completely.
Types of Integrative Therapy Techniques
1. Behavioural Strategies
Various behavioural changes are made by indulging in activities that keep negative thoughts at bay. The aim is to keep engaged in productive activities and perform positive actions.
2. Meditation
Meditation makes a person feel focused and turns him or her into a calmer being. It fosters heightened awareness, improves mood, and ensures complete relaxation.
3. Cognitive Strategies
Identifying and challenging negative thoughts improves a person’s emotional quotient. The therapy aims at gaining a more balanced perspective and learning every day.
4. Solution-Focused Questioning
This technique identifies goals and strengths, shifting the perspective from problems to solutions. The aim is to create actionable steps to achieve desired outcomes.
5. Guided Imagery
Through visualisation, therapists create positive scenarios that reduce stress and anxiety. The aim is to motivate the patient to focus on the results and improve concentration.
6. Grounding Techniques
Grounding techniques help patients to reconnect with the present moment. Sensory awareness and mental exercises work best in this case.
7. Role-Playing
The aim is to gain insight into interpersonal dynamics. Role-playing is specifically essential for patients who have fractured their relationships due to mental health issues.
8. Reflective Listening
Active listening and paraphrasing help in validating and clarifying emotions. This promotes a better understanding of the patient's condition and inculcates trust in therapy.
9. Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation provides clients with knowledge about their mental health condition. It makes them and the family more aware of the problem and come up with suitable solutions.
10. Visualising
Imagining desired outcomes and scenarios motivates a person to take the desired steps. However, therapists do so systematically and teach patients so that it does not lead to frustration.
11. Exposure Therapy
With the help of exposure therapy, patients are exposed to triggering stimuli in a controlled environment. The aim is to control their responses by reducing anxiety and increasing tolerance.
How Integrative Therapy Works?
The process of integrative therapy starts with thoroughly interviewing and diagnosing a patient. For instance, a patient is diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with irritable bowel syndrome. Therapists can administer CBT to combat negative thoughts, somatic therapy to release trauma stored in the body, and mindfulness-based therapy to recover from PTSD. When combined with a balanced diet, a patient can recover fully with minimum chances of relapse.
What Integrative Therapy Can Help With?
Integrative therapy can help patients recover from multiple psychological disorders and chronic mental health issues. However, the purpose of the therapy is to prevent relapse. By combining therapies, a patient is treated completely, and corresponding problems like headaches, troubled digestive issues, respiratory problems, and so on are also treated.
Benefits of Integrative Therapy
- Integrative therapy can be customised according to the patient’s severity of the problem, age, gender, and background.
- Integrative therapy is flexible, so a therapist can select therapies that can be effectively administered.
- Integrative therapy is adaptable, which makes it easier to treat multiple problems with the same therapy.
- Integrative therapy is holistic and can prevent relapse as well.
- Integrative therapy improves relationships among people by working on their communication skills.
- Integrative therapy also aims to heighten their tolerance and help them behave normally in a stimuli-heavy environment.