SDR stands for “disruption of reconsolidation of a conditioned response” and is the single effective extinction technique in existence. No other strategy, including all the inhibition strategies, can come close.
All SDR techniques involve simultaneous presentation of a very specific conditioned stimulus, and another completely different stimulus. If the conditioned stimulus is not specific enough, if the “different” stimulus is not different enough, or intense enough, nothing much will happen. All SDR techniques involve precision.
In the interests of seeing the widest possible dissemination of this major advance in therapy, although I hope these tutorials and other resources will be interesting, I also hope there will be plenty of therapists who immediately see the great value of these skills and will engage a lot more deeply than just reading about them. If you’re a therapist I want to do everything in my power to help you integrate these into your practice.
SDR Therapy can best be thought of as a strategy for rapid extinction of maladaptive or unwanted feelings, thoughts, and behaviours. It is underpinned by a sound set of principles which in turn give rise to a whole stable of techniques by which it can be executed. Different techniques work best applied to different types of problems.
The "Disruption Triangle" is an SDR technique which is well suited to fast elimination of such issues as (for example):
Anger/rage/jealousy
Problematic reluctance or resistance
Nervousness/lack of confidence in specific situations
Fear/phobia
Entrenched habits
In skilled hands it can be used as emergency first aid for suicidality, to prevent specific feelings or thoughts automatically triggering suicidal thoughts. I stress that no clinician should use the Disruption Triangle for suicidality unless they are highly and comprehensively skilled in the issue, and in addition highly skilled in the implementation of the Disruption Triangle itself. The danger otherwise should be very obvious.
In the video above I explain how the Disruption Triangle works, in the context of habits involving non-hungry eating. But of course I don’t want to restrict your use/practice to just that. If you’re a Founding Member feel free to upload your demonstration video for debriefing, as well as discuss implementation in relation to any specific issue you may be wondering about. I want to help you perfect your use of this versatile and highly-efficacious technique.
Next steps
Now, would you also like to see the Disruption Triangle technique in action? Have a look at Tutorial 4 where I demonstrate the technique in real life.
You can also download the explanatory PDF: The-Disruption-Triangle-Notes-for-Psychologists. This is a very detailed explanation of the technique, including how to practice it and how to introduce it to clients.
If you merely see the utility of this single SDR technique I’ll be happy. We need to be using techniques like this instead of strategies that are claimed to be evidence based but which are certainly not.
However if you can see the massive value that SDR Therapy can provide for your practice and your clients, consider becoming a Founding Member and get access to support for implementation, as well as inclusion in the Global Directory of SDR Therapists. I really hope to see you there.
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