Paradoxical intention in the treatment of obsessional flatulence ruminations.

A case study of the paradoxical treatment of long standing obsessional ruminations about flatulence in a 33-year old female respiratory therapist is described. Self-reported estimates of the frequency and intensity of flatulence were unaffected by a misconception correction procedure that entailed the presentation of scientific data disconfirming the bases of her concerns. Paradoxical instructions to intensify flatus emissions were then employed. These instructions resulted in a rapid elimination of the obsessional ruminations; this improvement was enhanced at 1 yr follow-up.