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I don't think reinforcement is generally the recommended approach for people with delusional or obsessive pathological parasocial fixations. I think generally t
by tptacek 9mo ago
I don't think reinforcement is generally the recommended approach for people with delusional or obsessive pathological parasocial fixations. I think generally the idea is to get those people into talk therapy and to cut off all contact with the object of their fixation.
- fullmoon 9mo agoMere talk therapy is infamously useless for attachment trauma, which is relational and somatic
- tptacek 9mo agoBegs the question of whether the underlying pathology is attachment trauma or some other delusional fixation! I don't doubt most of the people in this predicament are vulnerable for one reason or another. I made a much more specific claim, about delusional obsessive fixation; I did not claim that their underlying mental health issues could be fixed straightforwardly.
- fullmoon 9mo agoIt’s a great question, and I think it’s not exclusive. Obsessive limerent obsession can be driven by reward circuits, and those _can_ be extinquished by more straight-forward therapy, but if it’s driven by unmet emotional needs, it’s often quickly replaced by some other maladaptive coping mechanism (hopefully slightly less unhealthy).