Action cycle

We start off with a sensation.
We become aware of it,
We become aroused by it and feel the need to mobilise ourselves in some way.
We take whatever action we can.
We have now made full contact (we have responded to the sensation).
We now experienced the satisfaction of having completed the cycle.
All that remains is for us to withdraw from this particular cycle so that we’re ready for the next sensation to come along.

This is a model of a healthy action cycle, one where we are responding to our needs and getting what we need. But, alas, we are not always in tune with ourselves, and sometimes there can be a disturbance to the cycle.

An unhealthy action cycle is demonstrated below, where we might end up blocking or interrupting our needs for any number of reasons.

We shut off our sensation as a defence. Rather than becoming aware of the sensation, we deflect it away from ourselves.

We do not mobilise ourselves. Instead we go into an automated response, one that we ‘should do’ because it is the ‘right thing to do’ rather than the thing we actually want to do.

Rather than take action, we worry about what other people might think of us acting in this way.

We sabotage our action out of fear that we’ll get it wrong or that we’ll fail or we go with someone else’s need instead of our own need.

We pretend that this merging of needs is okay, as it stops us making full contact and completing the cycle.
Satisfaction at completing a cycle can be blocked by feelings of guilt and shame Finally, what if we’re unable to withdraw from the cycle when we want to, either because we don’t know how or someone else won’t let us?

Examples of healthy and unhealthy action cycles could be as straightforward as getting out of bed or not getting out of bed, going to the toilet or not going to the toilet, to more advanced situations such as whether to ask someone out for a date, which action to take if your friends want to do different things to you, or what to do if someone starts to intimidate you.

How might you assess your own action cycles?