Video 018 overcoming procrastination
Use this solution
Many of us recognise that we procrastinate on occasions. This intervention is for clients whose avoidance of having to deal with life issues has gone beyond occasional procrastination and become a menace that may threaten their livelihood, mental stability and very existence.
Originator:
Jim Knipe. See: Shapiro, R. (2005). EMDR Solutions; pathways to healing. Chapter 8. New York: W.W. Norton
Video production
Matthew Davies Media Ltd, Llanidloes, Powys. www.matthewmedia.com
What this covers
Procrastination is a recurring pattern of avoidance behavior. It can be thought of as a sort of addiction to the short term gratification of a delay. It involves avoiding action.
The case is about a self-employed graphic designer who suffered from procrastination. He would often find himself working right up to last minute to complete a piece of work for a customer because of delays in getting the work underway. He came to therapy after losing a big contract because of his failure to get started in time.
The intervention used in this video borrows from Popky’s method of using EMDR with addictive disorders and also uses Jim Knipe’s “Level of urge to avoid (LOUA).”
How long
15.29 minutes
Related videos
Video 004, LOUA
Go to ‘Take-away’?
Aide mémoire is available to copy and paste.
Take-Away Section
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Explain the nature of procrastination as an avoidance issue that becomes like an addiction. Explain that you will be using EMDR, and together settle on what type of bilateral stimulation will be used.
Take a history of the problem with procrastination – especially find out when it shows itself and in what ways it interferes with the client’s life. Identify what he/she wants to change.
Have the client describe how their life would change for the better if they were able to overcome procrastination. Be curious about what they tell you in order to make the description of the change as vivid, real and attractive as possible. For example:
- So, if you didn’t have this problem what difference would it make to how you feel about yourself?
- In what specific ways?
- What effect would it have on your relationships?
- What difference would that make to your life?
- How might your attitude to life change?
Ask the client to create a picture in their mind of a day in the future when procrastination is no longer a problem and linked to the changes identified above. Have the client notice where positive body sensations are experienced and do slow BLS to strengthen the feelings, sensations and image. Check how the client is feeling and do more work to strengthen the positive aspects of the imagined experience if needed.
Move on to the problem with procrastination and ask the client to bring to mind a clear example of a time when they procrastinated. Explore this in detail with the client:
- What are you feeling right now as you bring up that situation?
- On a scale of 0-10, how much do you want to do something else (other than what you know you should be doing), where 0 means you don’t want to do anything else and 10 means you definitely and urgently want to do something else?
- Where in their body are the feelings located?
- Now ask the client to hold in mind the example of procrastination and assume they have not yet decided to act or do something else. Then have them notice the urge to do something else as you do BLS at normal speed/duration for desensitization. Stop and ask, “What do you get now?” Then say, “Go with that.”
- Repeat this pattern and when answers show significant shifts, go back to the target and ask the client how strong is the urge to do something else on the scale of 0-10. If it’s gone down a lot, say from a 9 to 4 you might ask:
“What makes it a 4 rather than a 9?” Followed by, “Go with that.” along with BLS; and/or “What makes it a 4 rather than a 0?” Followed by, “Go with that.” along with BLS.
- Ask, “What do you notice now/get now?”
- Repeat the process until the Level or Urge to do something else is 0.
- When it’s zero, ask the client to bring up the earlier picture of a day when procrastination has been overcome with all the positive feelings and body sensations. Strengthen this slow BLS.
- Don’t forget to check the outcome in the next session and repeat whatever part of the process still needs attention. Also, as in the video, a related problem may emerge requiring further work.