ACT for (or with) Pain Workshop

Hi Folks,

I uploaded a new video last night on my YouTube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWttDrs40R0

called "ACT for (or with) Pain Workshop."

It's a fast (about 12 minutes) run through of a longer pain workshop.

Take a look and like or dislike it, and please leave comments too. I can improve the video after feedback.


My written stuff is available at http://goodsie.com/store/kevin-polk. You support is appreciated.

Be well,

Kevin

Kevin L. Polk, Ph.D.
ACT Gone Wild
www.drkevinpolk.com

ACT - the Matrix: Smoking

 Hi Folks,

I just created a Present.me video. It's the Matrix applied to smoking. Could be used in a smoking cessation class, for your self, with a friend who's thinking of cutting down or quitting smoking, etc.

However, I just remembered I forgot to include part of the routine, so I will post a new and improved version soon.

http://present.me/view/15422-act-the-matrix-smoking

Be Well,

Kevin

www.drkevinpolk.com

a couple of ebooks are available for purchase here...

The Matrix might be evolutionary

David Sloan Wilson did this Matrix in his evolutionary science lab. It's cool to see others play with it.

We discussed it in the context of working in schools, churches and diet groups.

In the lower right you see "purpose of group".

Kevin

Kevin L. Polk, Ph.D.
www.drkevinpolk.com

Perspective Taking - Behavioral Analysis

Hi Folks,

I presented at EvoS at SUNY Binghamton yesterday. The podcast and presentation will be posted on the web, but I don't know when. I will let you know.

I've been noticing myself often calling the vertical line of the Matrix the "Perspective Taking" line and the horizontal line "Behavioral Analysis." It seems to me that many psychotherapies accidentally get at  those two processes, but there is a lot of content talk getting in the way. The Matrix routine, at least in my opinion. Gets right at those processes.

Some other things I've been repeating a lot...

1. Toward and Away are simply behaviors. They are not right or wrong, we are looking for workability for valued living. Both toward and away are in the mix.
2. The accuracy of the sort is not important, it's the experience of sorting that's important. The more important 'correct' sorting is to a person, the harder time they have with experiencing the sorting instead of focusing on the accuracy of the sort.
3. The reward for the sorting needs to be fast. As soon as you see someone get into the experience, get excited.
4. Practice saying "Yes....And" a lot, to almost everything.
5. I'm getting the feeling that the Systems Redesign language of Lean Management (Americanized Toyota Management) is really important. Basically, intensely notice the values first, then notice the process (away and toward), and then focus on the people. Most 'bad' behaviors are due to unclear values and wasteful processes. Most people do fine once the values are clear and the processes are efficient. I'll keep working on that stuff.
6. Group is more 'powerful' than individual work due to our social nature.

I have a discussion with the SUNY Evolution students today. I think I will start with the Psychological Flexibility Warm-Up.

Sincerely,

Kevin
www.drkevinpolk.com

I've been told that The Visual Wellness Plan does a really good job of presenting the Matrix. It's available here. Visual Wellness Plan

Noticing Recovery

Noticing Recovery is my tweaking of the Matrix and (Visual Wellness Plan) to fit the "Recovery" language used in several treatment settings, including the U.S. Veterans Affairs hospital system. While recovery is often associated with substance abuse recovery, in this case it refers to recovering from any stuck pattern of behaving that's taking someone out of valued living. 

The document you see below is suitable for waiting rooms, and I've made a poster of it so people can sit and stare at it. I also have some regular sized copies mixed in with the magazines. The poster and waiting-room handouts are simply meant to generate a bit of curiosity about the "Noticing Recovery" point of view. The person might even start to answer some of the questions while sitting in the waiting room, but this is certainly not required.

Beyond the waiting room we can start to fill in more of the information in the four quadrants and start noticing the difference between how it feels to move away and toward. For people who are particularly stuck in an 'Away' pattern, we can do additional work on the unworkable change agenda. We can also do more work on noticing who and what's important and behaviors that move toward. 

The number of meetings depends on how long it takes for a person to develop the big-picture-Noticing-Recovery point of view. 

Be well, 

Kevin

Kevin L. Polk, Ph.D.

www.drkevinpolk.com

My Interest in Horse Whisperers

Hi Folks,

You may have noticed that I recently posted about a webinar with "Horse Whisperers" in the title. I thought I would tell you of my interest...

I was recommended the documentary "Buck" and I snatched it up and watched it. Buck Brannaman was the consultant for the Robert Redford film, "The Horse Whisperer." "Buck" the documentary is excellent and worth watching.

First, horse whisperers claim no magic or that they "whisper" anything. They describe it as a learned skill and teach others. They are part of the Natural Horsemanship movement that strives to treat horses with kindness and respect. They direct the horse's natural tendencies as a herd animal. Their results are remarkable, but they are in the minority in the horse world. The really good "hands" as they are called have learned to exquisitely notice horses, and especially horses that they are working with or riding. When working with troubled horses they respond to a change for the better instantly. They respond to Toward movements instantly as well. I'm sure what they have done is watch horses so much they can predict what the horse is going to do, and then influence the behavior toward workability.

What I noticed is that some of the colleagues I work with have this exquisite ability to notice people on both the verbal and nonverbal level. When people move Away they deftly change the nature of the Away move and ultimately defuse. They instantly notice and reward moves Toward values.

Of course people are choosing what values they want to move toward, while the horses are being somewhat directed by the horse person. Still, these natural horse folks talk and write of a unity with horses that is transcendental. It's mindfulness to the max.

Be well,

Kevin

From Horse Whisperers to Wellness: Noticing a Change Toward Wellness Using

Hi Folks,

The Visual Wellness Plan will be a single session Webinar on February 1, 2012. During the webinar I will review the VWP Manual, expanding on the text and diagrams; adding little bells and whistles here and there. For example, one of the first diagrams in the manual is...

Showing how we can start the process of helping people identify Who (and what) they want to move toward in life. The manual then marches through many more diagrams, culminating in the VWP. Along the way we cover all of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), get into a mindful state without talking about mindfulness and move toward what the Horse Whisperers call "The Feel" for noticing and responding to a change toward wellness.

Over the next few blog posts I will highlight some sections of the manual.

The price of the webinar is $35.00, which includes a free copy of the Visual Wellness Plan manual. If you can't attend the webinar, I will be recording it and you can buy the recording for the same price.

You can also buy the manual for $9.99. Both are available by Clicking Here.

The Visual Wellness Plan using ACT - the Matrix

Hi folks,

I've turned ACT - the Matrix into a Visual Wellness Plan (VWP) and written a step-by-step manual. I kept it short (27 pages) so it's easy to download and print. The Visual Wellness Plan goes a bit beyond the usual treatment planning of the Matrix and expands it into noticing Toward and Away behaviors for wellness. It's aimed at Primary Care and other health settings, and it's very nice for collaborating with people struggling with weight, diabetes, chronic pain and such. The plan includes many pictures of the electronic whiteboards that I use in this blog that look like this:

Therefore, the manual is much like my presentations. The VWP is generally written from the point of view of someone collaborating with another person to create a wellness plan. However, it can easily be adapted for self help.

The basic sequence of

1. Who's important to you?
2. What are the internal barriers to moving toward who's important to you?
3. What behaviors do you use to get rid of or manage the internal barriers? and
4. What behaviors could you do to move toward who's important to you?

form the foundation for the Visual Wellness Plan. The VWP manual shows how I expand on each of those themes to help people create their VWPs.

I will be doing a Webinar on the VWP on February 1, 2012 at 5pm EST USA. During the webinar I will talk through the manual.

Be well,

Kevin

P.S. The manual is an ebook and available for $9.99, just Click Here.

SAMSHA definition of Recovery

The folks at Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) have come up with their definition of recovery.

Recovery: A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.

Nice and very "ACT" consistent.

Kevin

Reminder: The ACT - the Matrix with Chronic Pain series will start on January 12th (four sessions over four weeks). Email me for more information.

Mapping Chronic Pain

Whether you are working with your own pain or helping others, this can be a useful exercise.

First establish the ACT - the Matrix point of view. You can use...

1. Who is important to you? (goes in the lower right)
2. What gets in the way of moving toward who's important to you, including pain? (lower left)
3. What have you been doing to deal with or reduce the pain? If you've been trying to think yourself out of pain, that maps to the lower left. Taking pills, exercising, stretching and such map to the (upper left).
4. What could you do to move Toward who's important to you AND have the pain? (upper right)

After that you can ask, "Where does your pain map onto the vertical line?

Notice that the vertical line goes from Sensory information coming in at the top, and then it's processed into Mental experiencing at the bottom. Pain is tricky because it can range up and down that line. It's handy to know from moment to moment where pain is mapping onto that line.

Be well,

Kevin

More information about the ACT for Chronic Pain Webinar (click).

ACT - the Matrix for Chronic Pain Series

What:
Four, 60-minute webinar sessions presenting the ACT - Matrix Diagram and Exercises for people suffering with chronic pain. Whether you are new to ACT - the Matrix or seasoned, this webinar will give you an overview of the fundamentals of using the exercises for chronic pain. Since ACT - the Matrix is generalizable, you will find yourself using it throughout your practice.

Based on Kevin Polk’s (and colleague’s) work of simplifying ACT, the Matrix Diagram and Exercises for Chronic Pain webinar begins with a dynamic overview of the best practices for quickly establishing the discrimination training that is at the core of ACT. Across four weeks you will learn additional exercises to strengthen your core skills. All four sessions will include many examples of working with chronic pain clients.

Webinar Session 1 will focus on How to introduce the Matrix Diagram and Exercises for Chronic Pain.This will be a quick overview of the entire diagram using what is known as the "Quadrant" or "ACT by Numbers" routine.

• You will learn how to establish the point of view (technically called Functional Contextualism) and begin some of the basic exercises for using ACT - the Matrix for Pain.
• You will also learn how to assign a special kind of homework unique to ACT - the Matrix.

Webinar Session 2 will focus on Establishing the Unworkable Change Agenda. 

• We will review "homework" and then delve more deeply into the "unworkable change agenda" exercise that is done using Quadrants 2 and 3 of the Matrix.
• We will focus on the unworkable aspects of "pain."
• We will finish with the "Noticing Hooks" exercises, which becomes the standard "homework.”

Webinar Session 3 will focus on Self-as-Context

• After reviewing some "Noticing Hooks" homework, we will do a bit more on the Values and Committed Action work.
• At this point we will be ready for more serious "Noticing the Difference" work (discrimination training).
• We will switch our attention from Quadrants to the two lines of the Matrix and practice the “sorting of pain” experiences into the Matrix.
• We will also be talking about how to artfully use positive reinforcement to draw people into the discrimination training.

Webinar Session 4 will focus on Jazz and Improvisation.

• Don't worry, you don't need to know any music or stage improv, however the Matrix (and ACT in general) is fluid and flexible.
• That means your responses change with the context.
• In this session you will get started on this fluid process as you work with chronic pain clients.

When:
January 12, 19, 26, Feb. 2, 2012 at 5pm Eastern Standard Time USA.

Where:
Conference call with live screen sharing. You will receive the numbers and links after registering.

email me at polkkev@gmail.com to register.

Cost for the series is $120.00 for students and $180.00 for professionals.

Be well,

Kevin
  

Difficult Toward Moves

Someone sent me a question asking about difficult toward moves.

This is something that comes up often, the notion that toward moves are easy. The reality is that they are often very difficult.

Recall that when you do the Matrix by quadrants the upper right quadrant are behaviors you can do to move Toward others while having the unwanted feelings from the lower left quadrant.

If you have ever asked someone out on a date you might have noticed this process. You were afraid of rejection, but you had that fear and went ahead and asked for a date to move Toward a relationship.

Of course you may have decided to avoid the fear (upper left quadrant) and not ask.

Some toward moves are very, very hard. Soldiers, police officers, fire fighters and others take fear along with them as they go about their duties. These can be very difficult toward moves.

All of us end up having to confront someone about something, and often the fear of the loss of the relationship is very hard to have while doing the confronting.

The trick is to know what you value and then commit to making the move toward the value. So if relationships are important to you (you value them), it might just be worth it to take some fear, pain or other unwanted stuff along with you as you move toward the relationship.

The other trick is to notice what unwanted stuff you move away from the most, and how you go about doing the away moves.

There is no magic answer to when to do a Toward move and when to do an Away move. They are both parts of life. The Matrix diagram is about mindfully Noticing as you do toward and away moves and then noticing if the pattern of Away and Toward moves is ultimately moving you toward a valued life.

Be Well,

Kevin


Kevin L. Polk, Ph.D.

Toward and Away Training: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M8S4Z4

Balancing and Noticing the Difference II

Recall moving Toward someone who was important to you like a friend or family member.

Recall moving Away from an unwanted mental experience like fear, anger or sadness.

Notice the difference between how it feels to recall Toward and how it feels to recall Away behaviors.


Balancing: The goal is a balanced, valued life. While it's natural to think that 'Toward' is 'better' and that more life needs to be lived over there, from a Matrix point of view that would be out of balance. Better to hang around the center, staying loose and light on your feet, always ready to choose the next Away or Toward move.

Be well,

Kevin

Noticing the Difference I

Take up a pen or other writing instrument. Experience it through your five senses. See the pen, hear the pen (click, click), touch the pen, smell the pen, and... well, don't taste it for health reasons.

Now put the pen aside out of your five senses and imagine your recent experience of the pen. See it, hear it, touch it, smell it (and now you can taste it all you want) in your mind.

Notice the difference between the sensory experiencing of the pen and the mental experiencing of the pen.

That's the first noticing the difference exercise of the Matrix Routine. If you play with the the Matrix Routine a bit, you will discover this is a very useful difference to notice.

Be well,

Kevin


Kevin L. Polk, Ph.D.

Psychological Flexibility Training: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M8S4Z4

Free Matrix Call Recording from 11.29.11

Hi Folks,

The recording of the free Matrix call completed on 11.29.11 is available at +1 559 546 1390 Enter Access Code: 496959#. 

Or you can message me and I will send you a link to the mp3.

Kevin

Free Conference Call 11.29.11 at 5pm EST

Hi Folks,

Just a quick reminder that I'm hosting a free conference call today. 

I will be introducing people to the using the Matrix Diagram and Routine to learn and apply ACT (either therapy or training).

The Matrix Routine is a quick way to go from talking about doing different behaviors to doing different behaviors.

In these calls I go over how to set up the Matrix and get started practicing the routine.

Just call one of the numbers below and enter the access code.

Be Well,

Kevin

Access code is 496959#

USA +1 559 546 1301
Australia* +61 1300 781 250
Austria +43 (0) 1 265 05 60
Canada +1 559 546 1333
Czech Republic +420 225 989 115
France +33 (0) 1 8014 0690
Germany +49 (0) 355 475 4400
Japan +81 3 5050 5070
Netherlands +31 (0) 20 322 3020
Nigeria +234 1 667 0007
Portugal +351 21005 1184
Romania +40 317 807 040
South Africa +27 87 825 0140
Spain +34 91 119 6730
Switzerland +41 (0) 44 595 9050
United Kingdom +44 (0) 784 843 2915 

Let's Build a Matrix 3: What we do to move away from unwanted experiencing

In Let's Build a Matrix 1 we talked about the people who are important to us.

In Let's Build a Matrix 2 we talked about the stuff that shows up inside of us that might get in the way of moving toward who's important to us.

Now we collaborate around the stuff that we do to move Away from unwanted experiences going on inside of us.

I usually start with moving Away from Fear as an example, and about the same time write "Away" just above the left side of the horizontal line.

Then we have a conversation about the behaviors we do to move away from unwanted stuff like fear, anger, sadness and such.

I usually connect the unwanted stuff and the behavior with an arched line like you see in the drawing. This is the beginning of a discussion about the "unworkable change agenda" we will have later if we have enough time.

Any behavior can be used to move away, so you see 'meditation' showing up as an away move. A popular 'away' move not on the board is drinking alcohol, but it usually makes it up there in the presentations I do.

In Let's Build a Matrix 4 we draw attention back to the Toward side of the diagram.

Kevin

Kevin L. Polk, Ph.D.
ACT Gone Wild Training and Consulting
We train individuals and groups of all sizes.


Book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M8S4Z4
Web:  http://www.drkevinpolk.com
Blog:  http://drkevinpolk.blogspot.com/

Free Call and Low Cost Training

Hi Folks,

Reminder that the Free Matrix Conference call is Tuesdays at 5pm EST USA.

There's a low cost, four week training coming up in November. Email me if you're interested.

The next "Let's Build a Matrix" post will be out soon.

Kevin
Book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M8S4Z4
Web:  http://www.drkevinpolk.com
Blog:  http://drkevinpolk.blogspot.com/



Free Matrix Call Info:

Access code is 496959#

USA +1 559 546 1301
Australia* +61 1300 781 250
Austria +43 (0) 1 265 05 60
Canada +1 559 546 1333
Czech Republic +420 225 989 115
France +33 (0) 1 8014 0690
Germany +49 (0) 355 475 4400
Japan +81 3 5050 5070
Netherlands +31 (0) 20 322 3020
Nigeria +234 1 667 0007
Portugal +351 21005 1184
Romania +40 317 807 040
South Africa +27 87 825 0140
Spain +34 91 119 6730
Switzerland +41 (0) 44 595 9050
United Kingdom +44 (0) 784 843 2915

Let's Build a Matrix 2: Unwanted Mental Experiencing

After having a conversation about who's important, we next draw the groups attention to the stuff that can show up inside of us and sometimes get in the way of moving toward who's important. As in the example above, I usually say "Fear" and put it on the board. I might also throw in another one like "Doubt." It depends on the audience. Sometimes I prime the group toward including thoughts like "I can't" into the mix.

If you were watching me working with this audience you would several times hear me say something like...

"So the image of moving toward your friends shows up, and then fear sometimes shows up and gets in the way."

or

"So sometimes stuff like doubt shows up and gets in the way of moving toward your family."

Almost invariably during this "what shows up and sometimes gets in the way conversation" you would hear me say something like...

"Isn't it amazing how this stuff shows up on the inside of us and sometimes ends up getting in the way of us doing something physical? The physical action is simple, like walking or talking, but this stuff can show up on the inside and it seems to grab us. I know it happens to me all to often."

---------------------------

Technical: 

First we started the values (who's important) collaboration in Let's Build a Matrix 1, and now we have moved the conversation over to talking about what sometimes shows up inside of us and gets in the way of moving toward who's important. 

We are all familiar with this stuff that shows up and 'grabs' us and sometimes leads us away from doing toward who's important.

Notice that I am including myself in this mix, this Matrix. I too have people that are important to me and I have stuff that shows up on the inside and at times gets in the way of moving toward who's important.

This is genuinely showing the ACT stance; we are all in the same boat pulling on different oars.

"Showing Up"

In this example you are also seeing me us the ACT-consistent language of "showing up" rather than causal language. For example, I could instead say, "You thought about going out with your friends and that caused you to have fear." This is mechanistic language saying that thinking of friends invariably leads to fear: Friends -> Fear. This is not a link that we want to be training.

By using language like, "Showing up" we are moving toward contextual languaging. [Yes, currently there is no such word as languaging. However, for contextual conversations in English, adding 'ing' to words can help with the contextualizing.] Here's how contextual languaging might sound...

Me: "So you noticed thinking about your friends, and then you noticed fear showing up. When you think about your friends, do you notice other inside stuff showing up?

Audience member: "Yes, 'like' shows up. I like my friends."

Me: "Cool. You noticed the thought of going out with your friends and both like and fear showed up. 'Like' might go over hear."

I then put (like) next to friends on the board. (see below)

Now we have fear showing up on the away side of the matrix and like showing up on the toward side. We have moved toward contextual languaging and we're showing it on a diagram.

"Sometimes"

You also might have noticed I use words like "sometimes" a lot. That's also contextual language. It's easy for us all to slip into mechanistic speech like, "This shows up and then that [always] happens." The 'always' is in brackets because it's inferred. We don't say it out loud, but it's there. The more accurate is, " ________ shows up and sometimes _________ shows up along with it.

In brief, life is most often about probabilities (sometimes) and seldom about invariability, so we reflect that in our languaging.

"Noticing"

You might also have noticed that I use the words, "So you were noticing __________ showing up." That's noticing language, the "automatic mindfulness" of the Matrix. Using the words notice, noticing and noticed helps us all 'step back' and look at things from a bigger 'Toward and Away' picture.

In Let's Build a Matrix 3 we will continue the conversation focusing the behaviors that we all do in the service of moving Away from unwanted internal stuff like fear, doubt and 'I can't."

Make sure to email me if you're interested in the low cost training.

Be Well,

Kevin

Kevin L. Polk, Ph.D.
Book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M8S4Z4
Web:  http://www.drkevinpolk.com
Blog:  http://drkevinpolk.blogspot.com

Free Conference Call Info:


Access code is 496959#

USA +1 559 546 1301
Australia* +61 1300 781 250
Austria +43 (0) 1 265 05 60
Canada +1 559 546 1333
Czech Republic +420 225 989 115
France +33 (0) 1 8014 0690
Germany +49 (0) 355 475 4400
Japan +81 3 5050 5070
Netherlands +31 (0) 20 322 3020
Nigeria +234 1 667 0007
Portugal +351 21005 1184
Romania +40 317 807 040
South Africa +27 87 825 0140
Spain +34 91 119 6730
Switzerland +41 (0) 44 595 9050
United Kingdom +44 (0) 784 843 2915

Let's Build a Matrix 1: Who is Important?

Here's how I start a Matrix:

Standing in front of a whiteboard, chalkboard, etc., I say something like, "I like to start by knowing who's important to folks. People like family, friends, and such. Who is important to you?"

I quickly draw the vertical and horizontal lines of the Matrix and start writing the responses in the lower, right quadrant. Whatever is said, I write it. So if someone says, "Me, that's who's important to me" I would write 'me.' If someone said, "My dog." Then I would write 'dog.'

Why write almost anything someone in a group says?

1. Because I'm getting a conversation about values started, not finished. 
2. The basic stance of doing the matrix (and ACT in general) is "Yes, and..."
3. Those familiar with improvisation know that "yes, and..." is the secret. To say "no" stops the routine. I almost never say "no," I want to keep the routine flowing.

Those familiar with ACT will see this as "values" work, and it is. Some have asked me, "Why do you start with values?" My answer is because that's where the most juice is; ultimately what motivates us is doing for others. This establishes that "target" first thing.

Next time we will move to the lower, left quadrant.

Be Well,

Kevin

website: www.drkevinpolk.com

book: www.amazon.com/dp/B004M8S4Z4