Association splitting

Association splitting is a therapy and self-help techniques for people suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder suffer. The method envisages building up alternative, neutral or positive associations parallel to the existing negative, tormenting associations (e.g. "cancer" = illness, metastases, death), which are initially weak compared to the dominant obsessive-compulsive thoughts (e.g. B. "Cancer" = zodiac sign, pocket cancer, cancer soup, sushi). The basic assumption is that the (re) establishment of neutral or positive associations leads to a weakening of the compulsive associations (fan effect) and thus the compulsive impulses decrease.

The technology is based on semantic network models as well as findings that show that mental connections in obsessive-compulsive patients are restricted to the compulsory reference. A systematic review that evaluated various randomized controlled studies confirms the effectiveness of the method. The technical manual is available online in seven languages. A brief guide to the technique and a related method (attention-splitting) that seeks to reduce the overfocusing of external stimuli is presented in one.

Web links

Association split between the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf Treatment manual

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b L. Jelinek, B. Hottenrott, S. Moritz: Association splitting - a new intervention for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive thoughts. In: Emergency & Family Medicine . 35, 2009, pp. 24-28.
↑ "Forced Therapy: A New Network Against Compulsions", Deutsches Ärzteblatt, August 2009
^ JR Anderson: Retrieval of prepositional information from long-term memory. In: Cognitive Psychology . 6, 1974, pp. 451-474.
^ S. Moritz, L. Jelinek, R. Klinge, D. Naber: Fight fire with fireflies! Association Splitting: a novel cognitive technique to reduce obsessive thoughts. In: Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy . 35, 2007, pp. 631-635.
^ Terence Ching, Lena Jelinek, Marit Hauschildt, Monnica Williams: Association Splitting for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Systematic Review . In: Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews . tape September 15 , 12, 2019, doi : 10.2174 / 2352096512666190912143311 ( eurekaselect.com [accessed January 4, 2020]).

↑ S. Moritz: Successful against obsessive-compulsive disorder. Metacognitive training. Recognize and defuse thought traps. Springer Medizin Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, ISBN 3642113079 , ISBN 978-3642113079 .

[Jelinek1-1] L. Jelinek, B. Hottenrott, S. Moritz: Association splitting - a new intervention for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive thoughts. In: Emergency & Family Medicine . 35, 2009, pp. 24-28.

[2] "Forced Therapy: A New Network Against Compulsions", Deutsches Ärzteblatt, August 2009

[Anderson-3] JR Anderson: Retrieval of prepositional information from long-term memory. In: Cognitive Psychology . 6, 1974, pp. 451-474.

[fireflies-4] S. Moritz, L. Jelinek, R. Klinge, D. Naber: Fight fire with fireflies! Association Splitting: a novel cognitive technique to reduce obsessive thoughts. In: Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy . 35, 2007, pp. 631-635.

[5] Terence Ching, Lena Jelinek, Marit Hauschildt, Monnica Williams: Association Splitting for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Systematic Review . In: Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews . tape September 15 , 12, 2019, doi : 10.2174 / 2352096512666190912143311 ( eurekaselect.com [accessed January 4, 2020]).

[6] S. Moritz: Successful against obsessive-compulsive disorder. Metacognitive training. Recognize and defuse thought traps. Springer Medizin Verlag, Heidelberg 2010, ISBN 3642113079 , ISBN 978-3642113079 .