Chapter 1: Choice Point

Question 1

Components of the choice point diagram

Answer 1

Base: situations, thoughts, and feelings (choice point)
Left: Away (hooked)
Right: Toward (unhooked)

Question 2

What inner experiences does the phrase “thoughts and feelings” refer to?

Answer 2

thoughts, emotions, images, memories, urges and impulses

Question 3

What are Towards Moves?

Answer 3

• committed physical and psychological actions guided by our values
• actions that are useful/effective and help move you toward a more meaningful and fulfilling life
• the things you want to start or do more of if work is successful

Question 4

What are Away Moves?

Answer 4

• behaving unlike the person you want to be
• doing ineffective things that tend to make life worse in the long term
• the things you’ll stop doing or do less of if work is successful

Question 5

When are away moves easier?
When are towards moves easier?

Answer 5

• Away moves are easier when we’re hooked in our thoughts and feelings
• Towards moves are easier when we’re not hooked but rather able to think flexibly

Question 6

What does it mean to get hooked?

Answer 6

• getting lost in our inner world instead of focusing on our words and actions
• trying to avoid or get rid of unwanted thoughts and feelings

Question 7

What is the relationship between getting hooked and psychological problems?

Answer 7

• When we get hooked by difficult thoughts and feelings, we start doing more away moves
• If this happens a lot, it can create or exacerbate depression, anxiety, substance use, etc

Question 8

What is the consequence of doing away moves vs doing towards moves?

Answer 8

• Doing away moves a lot results in psychological problems and can contribute to depression, anxiety, substance use, etc
• Doing towards moves a lot results in improving mental health and ability to navigate life

Question 9

What’s the overall strategy for how to cultivate towards moves to improve how you respond to the difficult stuff in life?

Answer 9

• learn skills for unhooking
• be clear about what towards moves you want to make

Question 10

What is Overt Behavior?

Answer 10

Physical behavior: actions, facial expressions, speech, movement and breathing, body posture, etc

Question 11

What is Covert Behavior?

Answer 11

Psychological behavior: thinking, focusing, visualizing, mindfulness, imagining, remembering, etc

Question 12

How to explain the difference between overt and covert behaviors?

Answer 12

If a video camera appeared out of thin air while the behavior is happening, could the behavior be caught on video? If yes, overt. If no, covert.

Question 13

Examples of covert away moves

Answer 13

rumination, worrying, disengaging, losing focus, and obsessing

Question 14

Examples of covert toward moves

Answer 14

defusing, accepting, refocusing attention, engaging, strategizing, and planning

Question 15

Who defines what an away move is?

Answer 15

The client

Question 16

How to proceed when a client labels a negative/unhelpful behavior as a towards move? (e.g. drinking)

Answer 16

• Don’t create a debate about it, just larify that the client understands the prompt
• Write it on the towards arrow on the choice point diagram because that’s how the client sees it
• Check back in about it in later sessions when the client’s psychological flexibility has increased, ask whether they still see it as a towards move

Question 17

How can any behavior be either an away move or a towards move? (e.g. eating chocolate, watching shows)

Answer 17

It depends on context.
* Away moves: eating chocolate mindlessly to escape boredom or anxiety; watching shows for escapism or procrastination
* Towards moves: eating chocolate mindfully or as part of a celebration; watching shows for enrichment or education

Question 18

How to diagram a behavior or action that’s both an away move and a towards move?

Answer 18

Write it down on each side, with a specifier (eat chocolate as escapism, eat chocolate mindfully)

Question 19

What does Unhooking Skills refer to?

Answer 19

Mindfulness! The four mindfulness core processes: defusion, acceptance, self-as-context, and contacting the present moment