Relapse prevention or how to help detect potential risk situations for the mind

The first stage in which a person finds themselves is precontemplation. This is a time when there may be a problem, such as smoking, eating unhealthy or having an overly sedentary life, but the person is not fully aware of the consequences of these factors. In this phase we are little aware of the cons of continuing on the path we are on. Although we all know that smoking is bad, that eating too much processed food can cause problems and that exercising is good for all of us, when we are in this phase we are not able to become truly aware of it.

The second stage that someone who faces a change goes through is that of contemplation. In this phase the pros and cons of the problem are usually balanced. We usually begin to become aware that continuing on the same path will bring us problems. Many times to move from the precontemplation phase to the contemplation phase we need an event to appear that opens our eyes. Other times it is not necessary for this to happen and we simply modify the way we see things through a conversation, a book or by experiencing the problems directly in our body.

The third stage is that of preparation. The person is aware of the problem they have and has decided to make a change in their life. It is important in this phase to reflect deeply on the implications of the problem and plan appropriately how we are going to carry out the change. A good example of this phase would be when we decide that we are going to start going to the gym and we start buying sports clothes.

The fourth stage is action. It is the moment in which we execute the change. It usually helps that during the preparation phase we choose a specific day to start modifying the problem. It is also very useful to anticipate possible difficulties that may appear during the process to avoid falling back into old patterns that lead us to the precontemplation phase.

The fifth stage is the phase of maintenance. It is probably the most complicated moment since the old ways of doing things interact with the new ones. During this phase, prevention of relapses takes special importance. When we are in this phase it is very likely that at some point we will succumb to the temptation of falling into old patterns.

If we have stopped smoking, at some point we will face the temptation to do so. The key to succeeding in the process is to understand the difference between fall and relapse. The first is a stumble, but when we become aware of what is happening, we put into action all the resources that we have been developing during the preparation and action phase to stay in the maintenance phase. For example, if we have stopped smoking and someone offers us a cigarette, we use assertive communication to politely say that we are not smokers and we use a relaxation technique to manage the urge to use tobacco. If instead of resorting to our resources we let ourselves go, we are probably in a relapse process, which will take us to the initial phase of precontemplation. Continuing with the example, when they offer us a cigarette we accept, we deceive ourselves by telling ourselves that nothing happens to us, some time later, when the urge reappears, we will think that in reality smoking is not so bad and we will only do it when we are with friends. . In a short time we will find ourselves consuming a similar number of cigarettes as when we decided it was harmful to us and wanted to quit.

The relapse prevention It is usually the last phase of the therapeutic processes in which the patient is helped to detect potential risk situations, in order to plan in advance the resources available to deal with them. In this way we maximize the possibilities of emerging successfully from future crises that we face.