This worksheet is to be used in the wake of having compulsively acted. It is a means of deepening your awareness of the compulsive act, not as a measure of purging guilt.
1) If you have reached this part of the workshop (ritualistic chains), include a brief chain of this compulsion here:
2) At what point did I realize that I was facing a compulsive urge and had the desire to act out?
3) What was my immediate reaction to this awareness?
For instance, did I take our my values list, intentionally try to minimize the urge so that it would have time to escalate...
4) How far did I get in engaging in healthy urge control before succumbing to my emotions?
5) How far did I get in engaging in a healthy decision-making process before succumbing to my emotions?
6) What mental games did I play that perpetuated my acting out?
For instance, I knew that I was going out of town--which is a known trigger for me--and I intentionally avoided taking the time to create an action plan to help me manage this trigger.
7) What pre-slip actions, if any, did I take to set up the physical and emotional environment that allowed me to act out?
For instance, I intentionally created emotional distance from my wife.
8) How will I use this experience to manage similar events in the future? Do I really want to learn from this?
