Spending the first year of therapy working to overcome Carolines fears and change her pathogenic beliefs makes a lot of sense. However, I realize that I do not have a clear idea of how a CM therapist does this.
In Cognitive Therapy we would first get the pathogenic beliefs clearly verbalized in the Carolines own words. Next we would work with her to test the belief by looking at whether day-to-day experience (including experience in the therapeutic relationship) confirms it or contradicts it, by looking at whether previous experience confirms or contradicts it, and/or by intentionally testing the belief. Assuming the pathogenic belief turns out to be untrue, we then help the client to identify an alternative belief which seems to be closer to the truth and test it in the same way. We finish by putting the alternative belief into practice in daily life. Throughout this process we use an assortment of specific techniques and homework assignments and we make a point of anchoring interventions in the clients personal experience rather than relying on abstract discussions.
Is this similar to the approach used in CM therapy (or the other therapies represented among our faculty and participants)? How do other therapies go about changing pathogenic beliefs?