Systematic enhancement of functioning as a therapeutic technique in conversion disorder

To explicitly outline a therapeutic technique for symptom removal in conversion disorder. We describe one patient with conversion dumbness and another with conversion paraplegia. The first patient was successfully treated in a single session, and the second was successfully treated across two weeks, both using systematic enhancement of functioning as a technique for symptom removal. This technique encourages the patient to express the desired behavior to whatever extent possible; subsequently, the patient is encouraged to gradually amplify the response until normal levels of functioning are achieved. The technique outlined is simple and practical but nevertheless receives no mention in conversion disorder literature. The technique can be applied to any situation in which behavioral amplification is desired.