438 Chapter 12 Approaches to Treatment and Therapy
In a small percent-
age of cases, a per-
son’s symptoms may
worsen, new symp-
toms may be cre-
ated, the client may
become too depen-
dent on the therapist, or the client’s outside rela-
tionships may deteriorate (Dimidjian & Hollon,
2010; Lilienfeld, 2007). The risks to clients in-
crease with any of the following:1
The use of empirically unsupported, potentially
dangerous techniques. “Rebirthing” therapy
was born (so to speak) in the 1970s, when its
founder claimed that, while taking a bath, he had
re-experienced his own traumatic birth. But the
basic assumptions of this method—that people
can recover from trauma, insecure attachment,
or other psychological problems by “reliving”
their emergence from the womb—are contra-
dicted by the vast research on infancy, attachment,
memory, and posttraumatic stress disorder and its
treatment.
Rebirthing is one of a variety of practices, col-
lectively referred to as “attachment therapy,” that
are based on the use of harsh tactics that will alleg-
edly help children bond with their parents. These
techniques include withholding food, isolating the
children for extended periods, humiliating them,
pressing great weights upon them, and requiring
them to exercise to exhaustion (Mercer, Sarner, &
Rosa, 2003). However, abusive methods not only
don’t work; they often backfire, making the child
angry, resentful, and withdrawn. They are hardlyeffective than short-term approaches for complex
problems and personality disorders (Leichsenring &
Rabung, 2008; see also Shedler, 2010).
Finally, some people and problems require
combined approaches. Young adults with bipolar
disorder, aggressive disorders, or schizophrenia
are best helped by combining medication with
family intervention therapies that teach parents
behavioral skills for dealing with their troubled
children, and that educate the family about how to
cope with the illness constructively (Goldstein &
Miklowitz, 1995; Miklowitz, 2007).When Therapy Harms LO 12.12
In a tragic case that made news around the world,
two social workers were convicted of recklessly caus-
ing the death of 10-year-old Candace Newmaker
during a session of “rebirthing” therapy. The pro-
cedure supposedly helps adopted children form
attachments to their adoptive parents by “reliving”
birth. The child was tightly wrapped in a blanket
(the “womb”) and surrounded with large pillows.
The therapists then pressed in on the pillows to
simulate contractions and told the girl to push her
way out of the blanket over her head. Candace re-
peatedly said that she could not breathe and felt she
was going to die. But instead of unwrapping her, the
therapists said, “You’ve got to push hard if you want
to be born—or do you want to stay in there and
die?” Candace lost consciousness and was rushed to
a local hospital, where she died the next day.
Candace’s tragic story is an extreme exam-
ple, but every treatment and intervention car-
ries some risks, and that includes psychotherapy.About the Risks of
PsychotheraphyThinking
CriTiCallySome forms of unvalidated psychotherapy can do harm. Candace Newmaker, age 10, was smothered to death during
a session of “rebirthing” therapy. The therapists were convicted of reckless child abuse resulting in death. At right,
a police officer from a then-new program called Drug Abuse and Resistance Education (DARE) warns young children
about the dangers of drugs. Government support for the program was withdrawn when studies found that not only
was it ineffective, but also it often boomeranged, increasing rates of drug abuse when the children grew up.