Schema Therapy
“An Integrative Approach which explores how to break negative patterns
we may have in our life.”
What is Schema Therapy?
Schema Therapy is a powerful, integrative therapeutic model that draws from a range of therapeutic approaches, including: psychodynamic, object relations, gestalt, person-centred, and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Rooted in attachment and developmental theory, Schema Therapy offers a comprehensive framework for understanding and transforming deep-seated emotional patterns that have persisted since childhood.
At its core, Schema Therapy aims to identify and change these longstanding, unhealthy patterns, known as 'Schemas.' These schemas often shape how we perceive ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us. They can deeply influence our emotional and behavioural responses, often in ways that keep us stuck in unhelpful cycles.
“Once you can open yourself up to the idea that your defectiveness is not a fact, the healing process can begin to work."
Jeffrey E. Young
Is Schema Therapy Right for You?
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Do past events continue to affect your present, leaving you feeling unresolved?
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Do you find yourself overreacting to situations, feeling like your emotions are out of control?
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Are negative patterns recurring in your romantic relationships?
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Do you often feel emotionally overwhelmed or experience frequent mood swings?
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Is your past isolating you, preventing you from fully living in the present?
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Are you using addictive behaviour's to escape from painful feelings, memories, or thought
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, Schema Therapy could be a valuable tool for your healing journey.
How Schema Therapy Can Help
Schema Therapy offers several benefits that can help you create real change and transformation in your life.
Deepen Self Awareness
Recognize and understand the unhealthy patterns that are holding you back.
Transform Patterns
Develop healthier ways to get your emotional needs met.
Improve Relationships:
Break negative cycles in your relationships, fostering healthier connections.
Enhance
Confidence
Learn to build a healthier and more compassionate relationship with yourself.
What are Schemas?
Schemas are deeply ingrained patterns that develop during childhood and adolescence, often as a result of unmet core needs. These schemas are activated repeatedly throughout life, shaping our self-perception, our view of the world, and our expectations of how others will treat us.
For example, if you have an Abandonment schema, you may have grown up without a consistent sense of safety, security, or predictability. As an adult, when this schema is triggered, you might experience overwhelming feelings of being unsafe, alone, and unsupported, leading to intense emotional reactions and unhelpful behaviours.
Below is an example of the Abandonment Schema.
What are Modes?
In Schema Therapy, 'Modes' refer to the moment-to-moment emotional states and coping mechanisms we all experience. These modes consist of strong emotions and rigid coping styles that can take control of our behaviour.
Unlike schemas, which are broader patterns, modes are specific, fluctuating states that influence how we respond to different situations.
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built up against it.”
Rumi
Child Modes
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Reflect core emotional states from childhood.
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Vulnerable Child: Feels sad, scared, alone, and helpless.
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Angry Child: Feels enraged and unheard, often reacting impulsively.
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Happy Child: Feels loved, content, and playful, embodying creativity and authenticity.
Coping Modes
2.
Develop in childhood as survival mechanisms but become harmful in adulthood.
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Avoidant Modes: Escape or block out schemas.
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Overcompensation Modes: Act in ways opposite to what the schema dictates.
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Surrender Modes: Give in to schemas, repeating harmful patterns.
Critical/Punitive Modes
3.
Represent harsh, self-critical inner voices.
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Punitive Critic: Attacks and shames, leading to feelings of worthlessness.
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Demanding Critic: Pressures you to meet excessively high standards, often with rigid "shoulds" and "musts."
Healthy Adult
4.
Represents the balanced, rational part of ourselves that can manage life effectively.
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Healthy Adult: Makes decisions with emotional intelligence, balances personal needs with those of others, and takes responsibility for actions.
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At the beginning of therapy, the Healthy Adult mode may be underdeveloped or even absent, but it is the goal to nurture and strengthen this mode over time, enabling you to live a more balanced and fulfilling life.
Healing with Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy offers a structured, evidence-based approach to overcoming deep-rooted emotional challenges. If you're ready to break free from the past and build a healthier, more satisfying future, consider reaching out today.
This therapeutic approach not only helps you understand the root of your issues but also provides you with practical tools to make lasting changes. Take the first step towards healing and start your journey with Schema Therapy.