Paradoxical intention

In psychotherapy, paradoxical intention is the deliberate practice of a neurotic habit or thought, undertaken to identify and remove it. The concept was termed by Dr. Viktor Frankl, the founder of Logotherapy, who advocated for its use by patients experiencing severe forms of anxiety disorders.

Used as a counseling technique in which the counselor intensifies the client's emotional state in order to help the client understand the irrationality of the emotional reaction.