DEACTIVATING A REACTION SEQUENCE—THE FIRST STEP TO BREAKING AN ADDICTION

What is exciting is that reaction sequences can be changed or deactivated. Deactivating a reaction sequence requires an individual to first understand his own reaction sequence.

Then, the next time it happens the individual must realize it is happening as quickly as possible—early awareness is critical. Finally, he must create a new response when the reaction sequence begins. A reaction sequence that is never evaluated or understood will lead to the same behaviors over and over again.

Here is a story that illustrates the steps that can be taken to deactivate a reaction sequence. John had been dealing with a sexual addiction for many years. In the process of working with him I outlined the reaction sequence and together we worked on rewriting his reaction sequence.

A few weeks later he came to my office very excited. He shared with me that while attending a meeting with a woman he was interested in, his reaction sequence started when she was invited by some other friends to attend the next meeting. But when she didn’t introduce him to her friends, he felt rejected. He felt like he wasn’t part of their group. At this point, John told me that his normal response would be to go and find something that would be sexually stimulating to him.

However, when he chose to go and read a book instead of

seeking out sexual stimulation, he altered his most common response— seeking a sexual experience.

The moment people gain awareness into their own reaction sequences they are more likely to understand themselves. This awareness is a good starting point for creating change. Therefore, in my work as a therapist I ask my clients to outline their own reaction sequences. Here’s a picture one of my clients created as he outlined his own reaction sequence.

Starting at the bottom right hand side you will see the beginning of this client’s reaction sequence. He started by outlining the times he was most vulnerable. Then he continued along the bottom of the page to the stimulus. You can track his reaction sequence by following the arrows.

There is a place to diagram reaction sequences in Appendix A.

Once the reaction sequence is outlined and understood it is a good idea to review the sequence over and over until it can be recognized each time a stimulus starts. Many clients have told me that understanding their own reaction sequence has helped them gain awareness, and then with this awareness they are able to do something different.

However, awareness of a reaction sequence means very little if the next step of creating a game plan and acting upon that plan is ignored. The deactivation of a reaction sequence requires a good game plan that can be used to break negative thought patterns or behaviors. A game plan can help deactivate the reaction sequences and help create new ways of acting rather than acting out. Here’s an example of a game plan.

A game plan includes the following steps:

1. Write down the behavior that you want to change. Be as specific as possible. For example: I want to stop looking at pornography. Pornography includes: magazines, Internet images, and will also include images of women in swimsuits.

2. Write down the reaction sequence that leads to the behavior you want to change (as seen in Graph 1—Also see Appendix A where you can map out your own reaction sequence).

3. Write down the specific behaviors you will change in each part of the reaction sequence. For example, this client focused on reducing the times he was vulnerable (as seen on the bottom right hand corner of Graph 2). Writing down the vulnerable moments helps identify the specific thoughts, feelings, and experiences that contribute to relapsing. He also worked on stopping the thoughts such as “Maybe I should go online.” Next he attempted to reduce the strong emotions by doing alternative activities such as going to the store, reading a book, or calling a friend.

4. The next step is to review the game plan each time the reaction sequence runs to determine whether it has been successful or not.

In addition to developing a game plan there are other lessons that can be learned from deactivating a reaction sequence. Below are some exercises.

Exercise 31: Write down the times you are most vulnerable to giving in to pornography.

Exercise 32:Turn to Appendix A and write down each of the steps of your reaction sequence.

Exercise 33:Spend extra time writing down all of the beliefs that you have that authorize you to view pornography.

Example: When I get into an argument with my wife/girlfriend I believe I am justified in viewing pornography.

Tremendous value and insight can be gained from

identifying your reaction sequence and writing down a game plan. The awareness you gain can help you overcome addictive behaviors. When a game plan includes new behaviors and positive rewards, the addictive cycle can be broken. Creating a game plan helps develop a stronger foundation so that change can begin to occur. The next chapter focuses on the power of beliefs that prevent growth and change.

Chapter 4: