Reclaiming the inner child in cognitive-behavioral therapy: The complementary model of the personality

Abstract

This article explores the psychotherapeutic notion of an inner child in the context of the cognitive model and develops a theoretical foundation for this specific technique. Inspired by Beck's theory of modes and the principle of complementarity in quantum physics, the author presents a complementary model of the personality, in effect a dual model consisting of two fundamentally different modes of information processing. Child mode corresponds largely to the mental state that appears during (and after) trigger events as described by cognitive theory and characterized by the activation of dysfunctional belief systems. Adult mode is the mental state reached once this trigger-mode processing style is deactivated. The author introduces a twin mode protocol that offers a more user-friendly entry level than usual cognitive-behavioral therapy protocols by conferring meaning and immediacy from the outset.