MindLAB Set Coping Skills Training
Is a specific and original form of Coping Skill Training, based on the use of a new and patented device, called MindLAB Set, developed by Tullio Scrimali. This procedure can improve, in neurotic patients, the coping skill competencies and consequently also the self efficacy and the mastery and can be used for treating those disorders in which the patients exhibit some avoiding behaviours. The practice of MindLAB Set-based Cognitive Training has been demonstrated to be useful when treating phobic disorders, obsessive and compulsive disorders and eating disorders.
Mind LAB Set-based Coping Skill Training is applied by using a computer and a device called MindLAB Set. This last one is constituted by an integrated system for Clinical Psychophysiology, developed by Tullio Scrimali at the research laboratories of the Institute of Cognitive Sciencein Italy. The MindLAB Set makes possible, in a psychotherapy setting, to monitor exosomatic electrodermal activity, and to learn emotional self-regulation techniques such as Biofeedback and Mindfulness. The set is composed of a hardware named Psychodata Acquisition Unit, a pair of electrodes, an interface device for connection to a computer and two integrated programs: MindSCAN & Psychofeedback.
The patient thanks to a MindLAB Set can realize a condition of biofeedback, which is an element of MindLAB Set-based Coping Skill Training. He (or she, but by now, for being shorter, the patient will be considered to be a male) looks at the PC monitor and can have a continuous feedback about his arousal. Thanks to the use of a headphone, the patient after some minute of biofeedback is stimulated by some aversive sounds, which are administered by a specific program included in MindLAB Set.
When any aversive sound arrives at the patient, he can see on the monitor his high emotional response, and usually he asks to stop the procedure showing the typical avoiding and fearful habit of neurotic patients.
After the first session the therapist, using the registration of the arousal, carried out by MindLAB Set, made available by the computer, makes the patient able to understand that his clinical problem is connected with the high arousal experienced when facing any aversive situation and with the low coping competencies, he learned during is life.
At this point, the therapist proposes to start a training based on the procedure which has been carried out during the first session (baseline).
Some sessions (10-15) are carried out during which the patients should learn to reduce the arousal by biofeedback and at the same time, to reduce the responses to any adverse stimulus. Thanks to the success reached during this training, which can be documented by comparing the registrations of any session, the patient becomes aware that his coping skill competencies improved.
At this point is time to generalize in the real life this new coping skill, stopping avoiding and starting to activate the newly self-regulation abilities learned thanks to the MindLAB Se-based Coping Skill Training.
References
Scrimali, T. (2007). MindLab Set-based Coping Skill Training. Published on the web site: www.psychotech.it.
Scrimali, T. (2008). Entropy of Mind and Negative Entropy
Scrimali, T. (2012). Neuroscience Based Cognitive Therapy
Brief case illustration
Giusy had long feared and avoided traveling alone by car outside her small town.
She says that when she tries to drive her car outside her own town, she starts to fear anxiety, and she feels to be obliged to come back home.
During the first session of MindLAB Set-based-Coping Skill Training she shows a very high arousal response when the stressing sounds are administered by headphone thanks to the use of a MindLAB Set, and she requires to stop the trial after receiving four sounds (the session includes 10 acoustic stimuli).
The therapist explains that such an avoiding behavior is one of the most important components of her clinical problem.
Furthermore, the electrodermal responses are high, and this demonstrates that she perceives an excessive fear when exposed to some stressful situations.
During sessions, Giusy can learn to practice self-control by biofeedback while experiencing the administration of some stressful sounds.
She learns in 10 sessions to lower arousal and to cope with the administered stressful sounds without asking to stop the procedure and reducing any time the arousal response.
Looking at the registration of the six sessions Giusy can see how her coping competencies increased and this improves the self-efficacy and the sense of mastery.
Now Giusy is ready to try to apply in vivo her newly acquired coping competencies.In fact, she can leave her town, driving her car alone, and she can reach another small town which is not so far. Step by step, Giusy is able to increase the distances she can afford to drive alone, and finally, she is ready to travel in a highway to another town. The trip which lasted more than two hours is successfully done without any problem.
A follow-up after six months demonstrated that Giusy stays well, and that she does not exhibit any avoiding and escaping behavior!
