Time Therapy Technique: The Use of Time as a Catalyst for Treatment

The time therapy technique is a unique approach to group therapy in which the abstract concept of time is represented spatially by a "floor calendar" through which patients move as they discuss past and future events. The technique enables the therapist to assist patients in evaluating the appropriateness of future goals, in increasing their ability to cope with current stressors by reexperiencing positive events, and in resolving past traumatic events through a process of emotional disengagement called disassociative reassurance. Although time therapy technique as yet lacks empirical support, it has been used with adult chronic schizophrenic patients in an ongoing open-ended therapy group, where its effectiveness has been encouraging.