Spiral of Change

TLDR – ‘To Long, Didn’t Read’ at the bottom

Let’s talk about therapy. Let’s talk about how therapy actually looks.

The second time I meet with my clients, I always show them the Spiral of Change. They all know it. At times they’ve rolled their eyes when I bring it up in the future… and that’s because it’s an annoying reminder that growth is NOT linear. (Yes, we all know that… but we don’t KNOW it.)

Where did the concept come from?

I first discovered the Spiral of Change from training I received from my former CEO (Shoutout Chris!). This concept changed the game for not only my clients, but for me as a budding clinician. He got this information from the book Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward by Prochoska, Norcross, & Diclemente.

These three revolutionaries studied the stages of change in people who were actually able to change.

They found that there are actually 6 whole stages that have to happen for change to occur and stick around. [I honestly thought that it was just action and inaction, but here we are. Wrong again. lol]

What do I tell my clients about the spiral?

At the bottom of the spiral, you have rock bottom. This is what brings people to me.

After our first session, they usually feel some hope. Sweet! Katrina can help me!

Followed by a down… Oh, maybe not. I’m a hopeless cause.

Then the spiral really begins. Two steps forward, one step back. Over and over. Then they have a low followed by ah-ha moments…

Then it’s one step back.

However, the spiral is still going UP. That’s where I come in. I’m the reminder that there IS growth and change IS happening, even when it doesn’t feel like it. And sometimes, a few months in, it literally feels like they have now found the basement to rock bottom. [Wonderfullllllll].

But let’s rephrase this a bit. Because I don’t think that’s fully accurate. In fact, it’s not. It’s not two steps forward, one step back. No. It’s two steps forward, FEEDBACK. This is the most important part.

These low moments are usually when, if it happens, my clients want to fire me. That’s okay. That’s normal. Because it truly feels like shit is not happening. So, I let them all know that when they feel like firing me or giving up… come back. That means it’s time to LEARN something.

This is where the eye rolls all happen. “Remember the spiral I told you about?” I say. “Ugh. Yes.” They reply. Welcome to the Feedback Stage. Let’s learn from this and grow.

THIS is where the ah-ha / breakthrough moments happen.

They come from the setbacks, NOT the accomplishments. They come from the moments when we f*ck up, sit back and think… Now why in the world did I do that again??

When we run on autopilot, we don’t change, we reinforce. But when we do the same things over and over… while observing them… We don’t reinforce, we revise.

Hope this helps. Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts, your experience, and other topics you’d like me to talk about. Sending good vibes and anti-nausea medication your way as you become more of the person you’re meant to be!

– Katrina 🙂 <3

TLDR;

Change is not linear. So, expecting therapy to be a gradual process of growth is unrealistic. In fact, it’s a spiral of ups and downs. It feels like an emotional rollercoaster. Those low moments are the key to reaching your goals and having major ah-ha moments. I call them feedback moments. When we run on autopilot, we reinforce our behavior. When we are paying attention in those low moments, we start to revise & rewire our behavior. THAT is how you change. Having a therapist to help remind you of your growth is crucial during that time, because it’s damn hard to see sometimes.

Hint: I know a gal. Feel free to call me for a session 😉