Is the therapist talking intervention?

Examples of their use of the term in non-addiction non blog situations different than the one I posted earlier (I have not read these -just showing they use the word in different ways):

Therapeutic interventions related to outcome... [J Nerv Ment Dis. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI

http://dhs.sd.gov/ddc/documents/Anxi...erventions.pdf

http://www.ukessays.com/essays/psych...logy-essay.php

Sorry--I missed that. I don't read T blogs as I find most of them annoying, ego-driven, solipsistic rubbish . I guess they're using the word more generically to describe the implementation of whatever path of psychological treatment they decide is warranted.

Out of interest Stopdog, why is the "nuts and bolts" of therapy so important to you? What are you looking for in all this research of how therapy actually works? Is it too frightening for you to just go with the process?

Ok, i would say it is used in a general way to distinguish between types of medical care, like talking therapy or medication. As in, the medical intervention used in this case was blood-letting followed by six weeks of DBT. Then a lobotomy. Because "procedure" is too specific. "Intervention" implies a series of acts taken to impede a disease process.

The word intervention seems out of place here, unless it is meant as intervening to break a cycle, or to interrupt a behavior.

Many posters already mentioned this, but I agree it sounds like she is trying to "normalize" your experience. Telling you that others go through the same situation/emotions. Some people feel better by being told this so they feel like they aren't alone. To others it can sound like the obvious and can be very unhelpful. I've often felt "well, that's all well and good but what do I do with this??"

Probably just my experience, but my T's have always told me if something I did was 'normal' or common for other people. Because many things I do or have done have made me feel like a freak or abnormal. It has helped to know what is a common thought or whatever rather than feel like a weirdo. Maybe that's your T's intent? I don't know.

I think of "intervention" as a literal thing that I may/may not see or understand is happening. I think humans are supposed to be a balance of thoughts and feelings, use the two together to decide on actions, weigh all the information. We are not strictly influenced by just instinctual urges, can override our instincts by thoughts because we have words. Sometimes I am not aware enough of the instinctual or emotional and sometimes I am not aware of my power over my instincts and sometimes I waffle side-to-side :-)

I think if we appear to think/imagine too much or too little or emote too much or too little, a therapist may try to intervene and get us to "stop in our tracks" in some way so we make a shift somewhere. Stating the obvious, "you do not like being humiliated", could get one thinking about humiliation and how it feels, how we personally respond, examples of the last time we were humiliated, wondering why T brought it up right this minute ("Why did you say that, just now?") might get someone who thinks in generalities or "outward": "no one likes being humiliated, do they?" instead of "No, I don't like being humiliated because it makes me feel stupid and weak. Is there anything I can do about that? I wonder what the opposite of humiliation is?" focusing more on themselves.

I don't know, but it may be the humiliation thing could be because you never show, imply or discuss the subject so are, in a sense, over-compensating for it? I know I had trouble with questions because I thought all questions were a trap so I could not differentiate between those that were and those that were not. Any and all questions were asked as a double-bind, "Have you quit beating your wife yet?" and "How are you?" feeling the same to me no matter who asked them. I do not think one can deal with humiliation or any other emotion until one can readily accept and acknowledge it in a particular situation and figuring out how else to respond so one no longer feels humiliated in situations like that. Thinking it in one's head ("how humiliating") and then moving on does not work for me. That, "how humiliating" will just keep being used over and over like a repetitive dream until it is seriously accepted and worked with in all its ugliness. What I hate is that, for me, such feelings (usually fear or anxiety) also become more and more frequent and of a greater "size" until I look at them honestly too.

I've just recently landed in a place of letting go. I decided that I was going to have to make a decision - trust my therapist as much as I can or leave. We were stuck. I think I have been battling with my therapist in a way. 2 weeks ago, I went to a session and it was like I was someone else. I could talk and I was super playful (compared to normal when I can't get my words out and I'm on guard). It's bizarre to me because I look back on that session and it's like I switched tactics to communicate with my T on a different level. I'm not sure how to explain this.....I basically was like a child and speaking in analogies and acting it (the conflict with my T) out.

Since then, I've been having much turmoil regarding my reasons for coming to therapy in the first place. I feel like a little girl sometimes and sometimes not. I'm even (slightly) feeling my emotions in a more raw way with weird memories attached at times. I don't really know what is going on but I feel like I had to let go of trying to anticipate my Ts every move and then block him (which is what I was doing unconsciously) and maybe just dangle my foot in the water for a minute instead of denying there was any water there to begin with.

I'm only speaking for myself, but from my experience, I think my focus on my T and what he's doing was to block the work (which I really didn't understand) because it's so terrifying. I think I may have been protecting myself unconsciously.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1375912/
Here is an article about the paradoxical intervention by a therapist. It's like reverse psychology and seems rather cruel to me if you know something won't work or know something the client is doing that is causing great harm but they can't see it, why not just say it

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Well, these things aren't useful to you personally because you already know them and you don't need to hear them said. They are to some, though. When she says "many people do X", that's called normalizing a behavior. It's used because many people actually don't realize this. Many don't communicate with others enough to know that their inner fears or private behaviors they're ashamed of, are actually common. Many others may know this cognitively but they don't really feel it, they still think that, to some extent, they are unique in their suffering or habits or whatever of the sort. As for telling you that you don't like being humiliated, now I can't know for sure what she had in mind but to me it sounds like she was trying to validate your feeling, to show she understands.

I'm very surprised that she won't explain what she's trying to accomplish when you ask her about it. I don't understand why not.

nice post.