Présentation d'une méthodologie de dialogue consensuel comme support d'une « restructuration cognitive » : la technique de reconstruction des théories subjectives d'Heidelberg

Throughout life, each individual builds an infinite set of cognitions that explain the world and the person's actions: these are the subjective theories. They create a mental coherence system for the person, which is self-regulating, assimilating the external stimulations or rejecting those considered as a potential danger for the coherence of the system's mental reasoning. The Heidelberg's structure-formation technique (SFT) is probably the most elaborated concept to assess the mental structures of reasoning. It is composed of a three-phased technique, combining a half-structured interview collecting the cognitions by respecting the consensual-dialogue principle, an analytical phase of reconstruction of the subjective theories' structure, and, finally, a consensual validation between the psychologist and the patient. As part of a research project, the objective of which is to improve social adaptation in patients with Parkinson's disease and benefiting from bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation, we proposed a preoperative psychotherapeutical intervention of cognitive “restructuration” based on the SFT. Indeed, a psychological preparation before surgery, consisting in modifying the “dysfunctional” cognitions linked with the benefits anticipated by the surgery, appears to be essential in this perspective.