A parataxic distortion occurs when an individual treats another person as if he/or she were someone else, usually a significant, close person from the individual's past life.

Consensual validation is the process by which unhealthy interpersonal patterns are corrected. In consensual validation, a person arrives at a healthy consensus with one or more people about some aspect of his/or her feelings, and this consensus is validated by repeated experiences which emphasize its soundness.