One of the main purposes of treatment is to find resolution within a crisis. Whether related to a social problem, school, family, or trauma, a person’s ability to understand crisis in the moment is imperative.
So what is crisis and why does it repeat? Below you will see a diagram. This will help understand how we often become trapped in poor coping; an eating disorder, or some other type of action that can compromise our strength.
Below you will see definitions for each segment of the diagram.
- Event: an occurrence, especially one of some importance. An event can be brings a person's awareness into the present moment. A person can be going to school, a family moves, someone is bullied, a baby is born. Some are pleasant, others are not.
- Crisis: a time of intense difficulty, trouble or danger, which forces a person to have an immediate action. In instances of crisis, the present moment causes a person to become reactive.
- Behavior: If a person to too overwhelmed by the event, often they feel vulnerable. Vulnerability can lead people to cope in harmful ways, particularly if the person can not find a secure reaction. We often see this result take place subconsciously, suppressing or ridding oneself of feeling. Examples include isolation, self harm, eating disorder behaviors, communication break down, etc.
The diagram above is an example of a pattern. Patterns are comfortable. They are human. They keep us safe. If a pattern becomes in tune with our needs (what we call ego syntonic) we do it again and again, and again. Every time a crisis comes up, a similar reaction is repeated. This causes a learned (or patterned) behavior.
Behaviors happen as protection - a way to remain safe when facing a threat. Emotions intensify and the person must find a way to comfort themselves. If you look at the diagram, you will see that the event + reaction cantrigger the individual into a the next phase (much like a domino effect) leading the individual towards behavior.
- Result: The consequence of the behavior. The result is what reinforces and sets up a positive or negative reflection on the chain of events that took place.
- Sense of Resolution: A solution, accommodation, or settling of a problem, controversy etc. When the result takes place, the individual formulates a perspective. Whether positive or negative, this perspective meets the need of the individual's sense of self, setting them up for the next event to take place.
You can also look at the pattern of behavior in this way:
(EVENT + REACTION + BEHAVIOR) leads to a (RESULT + SENSE OF RESOLUTION) = PATTERN
If this pattern does not enable strength and change, but DOES offer comfort, it WILL become a habit. A person who becomes stuck in this habit will have difficulty finding peace and calm.
In fact, the more this cycle happens, the habit will increase intensity leaving a person without a way out. This reinforces the pattern to occur again. If this is a negative habit, it will harm anyone who utilizes it as their way through life.
The above diagram is an important aspect of understanding what a person with an eating disorder or any stressful situation often has to overcome. The more aware that you, a parent, friend, significant other, or therapeutic teammate is, the more insight gained in how the person you care about copes from day to day. A person requires empathy to improve and harness recovery.
Stay tuned for more information as we continue to lay out the importance of awareness and support.