Author: Matias E. Salgado
Abstract
Worldwide, the “gold standard” for treating mental health disorders is the “diagnostic-specific” approach. Despite its renowned contributions, this approach has marked limitations. Research about cognitive and behavioral processes found that Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and other interventions could be more effective if they pointed only and directly to these factors, placing at the same time “control” as that the central factor, being the “inflexible or arbitrary control” the main component of psychological distress. “Perceptual Control Theory” (PCT) suggests that control is fundamental for life, we as human beings spend our lives controlling our experiences. However, when a person tries to control the same experience in different directions what emerges is conflict¸ and when conflict is chronic it hinders the flexible control. The learning process called reorganization is a trial-and-error process that reduces conflict and optimizes control. The therapeutic approach Method of Levels (MOL) is the direct clinical application of PCT. MOL is a powerful, simple, and efficient solutions for most of the mental health problems and complexities. MOL allows us to help practically anyone, no matter what their diagnosis could be. MOL represents a paradigmatic change bringing a universal model to approach and treat psychological distress.
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