Variations of the “as if” Technique

Adler created the “as if” technique. It was derived from Hans Vaihinger’s “as if” philosophy (Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1956; Watzlawick, 1987). It can be defined as a cognitive, behavioral, and/or cognitive-behavioral intervention in which the client anticipates, pretends, and/or enacts a futuristic event, belief, or desired behavior. The intervention takes the form of “as if” statements or action modalities. There are variations of this intervention. For example, Zeig (1985) uses the “as if” technique combined with various Ericksonian hypnotic procedures to induce time distortion, present suggestions, age regression, and amnesia. Therapists from various theoretical orientations have also used different forms of “as if,” including: cognitive, strategic, cognitive-behavioralists, systems, behavioral, and homework-oriented (Beck & Emery, 1985; Martin & Pear, 1983; O’ Hanlon, 1987).