Compulsion Blowout

Purpose of the Technique:

This is a format used to eliminate compulsive behaviors and mild addictions.
The Compulsion Blowout is used to eliminate unwanted automatic responses by exaggerating the goal of the reaction or the trigger itself—making it ridiculous or unattractive.
Why the Compulsion Blowout works so well is not entirely clear. It is suspected that the deliberate overstimulation of the neural network organizing the compulsive behavior leads to a so-called “local catastrophe.” This refers to a significant event in a system after which it can no longer return to its original state.

Standard Steps:

1. Identify the disruptive behavior
2. Ecology check
3. Elicit the trigger: find the point of no return
4. “Blow up” or “smash” the trigger
5. Test
6. Future Pace

Detailed Description:

1. Identify the disruptive behavior:

What behavior should be eliminated?
It’s important to identify a specific context.
The client should vividly imagine a particular, realistic situation.

2. Ecology Check:

Ask the client: Is it really okay if the compulsion disappears?
Or are there situations where it might actually be appropriate?

3. Elicit the trigger: Find the point of no return:

The critical part of this format: the triggering stimulus must be precisely identified.
To do this, it’s helpful to walk the behavior sequence **backward** and test at each step whether the client feels they could still stop the behavior.

Abbreviated example:

Client: I have the chips in my mouth and I’m enjoying the taste.
Coach: What happens right before that?
C: I see my hand moving toward my mouth.
Coach: Could you still stop here?
C: No.
Coach: Okay, what happens just before that?
C: I see my hand reaching into the bag.
Coach: Could you still stop here?
C: No.
Coach: Okay, what happens just before that?
C: I see my hand moving toward the bag.
Coach: Could you still stop here?
C: No.
Coach: What happens before that?
C: I see the open bag of chips lying next to me.
Coach: Could you still stop here?
C: I think so.
So the true “point of no return” is the internal sequence where the client imagines taking chips out of the bag and putting them in their mouth. This is the moment to work with.

4. “Blow up” or “smash” the trigger:

Depending on the nature of the trigger, there are two techniques to eliminate the compulsion.
Both are based on **distorting** the trigger in a grotesque way:

“Smash” the trigger:

If the trigger has the **character of a movie** (i.e., the client sees themselves performing the action), use the “smash” method.
The client is asked to let the entire mental movie play once with each clap from the coach.
The coach claps slowly at first, then increasingly faster, until it becomes rapid-fire.
The client is instructed to replay the mental movie at the same speed as the claps.

Instruction:
“I’ll start clapping now. Let the movie run once per clap. I’ll get faster and faster, and you try to keep up. There may come a point where you can’t consciously follow anymore—your brain will know what comes next…”

WARNING:
Some clients (especially around sweets) may become nauseous.
In that case, quickly guide them out of the state.

“Blow up” the trigger:

If the trigger is more like a **static image** (e.g., a cup of chocolate mousse), the client is guided to enlarge the image step-by-step to an absurd degree.

Instruction:
Coach: Make the cup twice as big. What happens?
Client: Mmm… yummy!
Coach: Make it as big as a bucket. Now what?
Client: Still want it…
Coach: Now make it so big it’s taller than you.
Client: Hmm… okay…
Coach: How about a swimming pool full of mousse?
Client: Ughhh… (There should now be a clearly negative physical response) Then, similar to a Swish pattern, have the client mentally swap the original image with the exaggerated one on cue (repeat 3–5 times).

WARNING:
Often the trigger includes internal dialogue, like:
“Should I have another one?” / “Come on, just one more…”
This can also be treated using the clapping method.

5. Test:

Ask the client:
“How do you feel now when you think about doing behavior X?”
If they respond with calm, disgust at the trigger, or a sense of control—great!

6. Future Pace:

If there’s still some pull or craving: go back to Step 4 or double-check that the right trigger was found.

Instruction:
“Now think about an upcoming situation where you’ll be exposed to X. How do you feel about it?”