Arnold Lazarus and the Origins of Multimodal Therapy

Psychotherapy is like any other field of science in that there have been huge developments made since it was first created. There have been a large number of dedicated researchers who have been working hard to increase our understanding of the human psyche and have been working tirelessly to advance this field of knowledge. One of the main developments in the field of psychotherapy is the creation of different therapeutic methods. One of these methods, and the topic of this article, is the multimodal approach to psychotherapy.

This approach was founded by Arnold Lazarus who first introduced the terms “behaviour therapy” and “behaviour therapist” into professional literature in 1958. His approach to the field of psychoanalysis eventually became the multimodal approach. The term multimodal has become extremely well known since then. Its basic principal is that humans are biological entities and are living beings endowed with five senses. Because of this, humans can be treated in a psychological method. At first glance this seems like a simple observation and not really revolutionary. But it has been the principal on which a large amount of research and innovation has been established.

This therapy also outlines the seven different dimensions of human behaviour. These include personality features such as a person’s behaviour, how they imagine they would react to a situation, how observant they are about their surroundings, the relationships that person has formed and other items. It relies on using different perspectives that can be gained about a patient using the other methods of psychoanalytical methods. This well-rounded and comprehensive approach is what has made the multimodal approach so popular and successful. This gives a huge amount of information on an individual patient which allows the therapist to determine and implement the techniques which will help the patient the most.

Lazarus has written a great deal of literature regarding the multimodal approach to therapy. His method also uses emotional imagination as a treatment method for children. The therapeutic method got a measure of fame from its ability to remove anxiety from children in a relatively short time frame. Panic disorders affect a large portion of the population to a certain degree. Lazarus managed to create a therapeutic method which has been extremely successful in treating these disorders.

Before Lazarus developed and published his theory, no one had ever related the seven basic modalities even though there was a very strong interrelationship between them. His method of therapy was developed after a great deal of consultation between Lazarus and his clients. It was not an easy task to develop steps which could cause rapid rehabilitation. He used to ask his clients about the therapy methods which suited them and included them in his overall cognitive theory. Lazarus was very successful in getting rid of some of the more antiquated methods of psychotherapy including stimulus response.

One of the concepts that Lazarus pushed is that therapists should be willing to use techniques from each of the different modalities of treating psychological issues. But he also felt that the therapist should not necessarily adopt each of the beliefs that go with those methods. It is the treatment that is important and a therapist must not be closed off to any one method of treatment. If the therapist is, they may be unwilling to recognize that it may be the best course of treatment for a particular patient. The methods must be identified with on a basic level but beyond that, no identification or adherence is necessary.

The multimodal approach is still considered by many to be the best way to help return a patient to a more normal state of existence. It has been appreciated by the many patients who have been treated using it and it is popular with therapists as well. One of the reasons for this is the fact that this therapy allows a therapist to utilise different therapy methods and the expert leads the course of the therapy instead of it being mainly patient driven.

This method of treatment has both a step-by-step method and a more in-depth method used as a course of therapy under the care of a licensed therapist. Many patients appreciate the step-by-step method since this can often result in slow but steady improvement and it has the benefit of boosting a patient’s confidence as they progress.

Lazarus has been praised for his outstanding contribution to the field of psychotherapy and the balanced approach he has taken to treating patients. The effect he has had on this particular field of scientific inquiry is far reaching and it is truly amazing how rapidly this approach has been adopted by therapists.