Paradoxical intention in the treatment of agoraphobia and other anxiety disorders.

Following a description of the paradoxical intention procedure and a brief review of the general behavioral literature relevant to this technique, the authors focus on the role of paradoxical treatment programs for agoraphobic clients. The cognitive and exposure components of paradoxical intention are discussed and the procedure is compared and contrasted with other cognitive behavioral methods on one hand, and with flooding on the other. Finally, the authors provide several ideas for future research.