From Vicious Cycle to Adaptive Spiral
By Jeffrey Chernin, Ph.D., MFT
Click here to contact Jeffrey and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile
When it comes to unhealthy, ingrained patterns, we often use the term “vicious cycle.” Something causes something else, which leads to a downward slide. It starts when certain actions and perceptions that got you through childhood or early adulthood (coping strategies) remain unchecked and lock you into unhealthy behavior as an adult. The Adaptive Spiral, an idea which developed organically through my psychotherapy practice, is one way to change long-standing patterns that you developed early on as a way to cope with certain situations but became maladaptive.
Elements of the Adaptive Spiral
A spiral is one way to think about growth. Using the metaphor helps to explain why some “been-there-done-that” issues come back again, but at a different level of learning or with a new perspective. Growth along the spiral includes pitfalls and steps forward as well as back, in addition to visiting the same places but at new levels of understanding. Let’s look at the six elements of the adaptive spiral: expanding your awareness, accepting responsibility, challenging your perception, strength, identification, and learning to trust.
Awareness
Awareness is essential for overcoming self-defeating patterns. Perhaps your awareness has come form the self-reflection goes with the territory of being “different” or outcast.
The first level of awareness is to know that you are in a pattern (a vicious cycle). The next level is to acknowledge that you play a part in the pattern and are therefore, you can change it. The third level of awareness is to recognize that these patterns serve a purpose, which is usually unconscious. The final component is to recognize you may have to change the means to these unconscious goals or actually change the goals themselves in order to change the pattern.
Accepting Responsibility
You must first be willing to take a look at yourself in as non-defensive a manner as possible. Accepting responsibility also means making decisions about examining your motivations, choices, and what you wish to change. Growth stems from accepting that there are new ways of being and can take healthy risks to push the envelope out of your comfort zones.
Challenging your Perception
This includes how you view yourself in relation to others and the belief system which you developed early on in life. It includes thoughts, both automatic and deliberate, as well as attitudes. Even your mood and how you react to others relate to perception. Take a moment to examine your beliefs that you have developed about yourself, friends, and people in authority. Where did those beliefs come from? How do they serve you?
Strength
Being strong includes the ability to have courage to accept your imperfections, look at yourself honestly, and change. Perseverance, which is a type of strength, means you know that any change takes time. It takes courage to accept your strengths. Most individuals have had to go through some painful times with family and friends. Remember what it took to get through those times as you get in touch with the strength you already have to embark on changing long-standing patterns.
Identification
This element refers to realizing you are not the only one who has these patterns. Having vicious cycles makes you human, and you gain courage as you accept this. Use this knowledge to feel more connected to other people. Isolation is a factor in vicious cycles, and feeling connected to others counteracts isolation.
Learning to Trust
There are different types of trust, including being able to trust yourself, others, and your feelings. Your outlook has a unique “logic” that stems from childhood experiences which are later confirmed as an adult. If it includes a lack of faith in yourself or trust in others, take time to examine how much of your perception is amenable to change.
Action
It has been my experience that long-lasting change comes in small increments. A gung-ho approach to anything – a prime example is diets – is usually self-defeating and is part of a vicious cycle. The bridge from knowing to doing is the hardest to cross, but once the other elements are in place, your journey along the spiral becomes easier to manage.
You may need the assistance of a place where you can go to feel safe to make changes you want to make. These places include self-help groups, self-help books, a psychotherapist, and good, honest friends. A good place to start is the Internet. Look around to see what appeals to you to make the changes you desire. Whichever resources you utilize in your self-examination, remember it can be a scary, but potentially enriching experience to overcome self-defeating actions as you find new ways of living.
©Copyright 2008 Jeffrey Chernin. All Rights Reserved. Permission to publish granted to GoodTherapy.org. The following article was solely written and edited by the author named above. The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the following article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment to this blog entry.
Click here to contact Jeffrey and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile