Abstract

LUCIANO SORIANO, Carmen; GUTIERREZ MARTINEZ, Olga  and  RODRIGUEZ VALVERDE, Miguel. Analyzing the verbal contexts in experiential avoidance disorder and in acceptance and commitment therapy. Rev. Latinoam. Psicol. [online]. 2005, vol.37, n.2, pp. 333-358. ISSN 0120-0534.

The functional diagnostic dimension labeled as Experiential Avoidance Disorder (EAD) is a conceptualization of psychological disorders that has received increasing attention in recent years. A similar interest has been raised by clinical strategies that have evolved from a clinical target focused in changing cognitive contents to a new target focused in changing the contexts that maintained the relationship that the client has with their cognitive events. This new approach is being known as the third wave of Behavior Therapy. The promising results of the these approaches to Psychopathology and Treatment emphasize the need for a specific analysis of the verbal contexts that are used to explain EAD (literality, evaluation, cognitive reasons as “good” causes for behaving, and, consequently, behaving to control such cognitive reasons) as well as for the analysis of the basic processes involved in the clinical methods of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This paper presents EAD along an analysis of the verbal contexts that sustain it. Additionally, ACT is briefly presented as a therapy addressed to alter such verbal contexts, with an emphasis in the clinical methods based in contextual changes that transform functions and break down the relation between cognition and action, that is, the destructive verbal regulation.

Keywords : Verbal Behavior; Cognition; Experiential Avoidance; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Verbal Contexts; Values; Private Events; Self-dimensions; Derivation of Functions; Relational Frame Theory.

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