Session 1
Step 1: Set up the vertical line.
Step 2: Set up the horizontal line.
Step 3: Set up the four quadrants.
Step 4: Add Noticing
Step 5: Set up a "noticing time spent" pattern.
Step 6: As your client talks, occasionally invite them to see their story as part of their pattern.
Step 7: At the end of the session, ask them if they might have the opportunity to notice the patterns showing up in their daily lives.
Session 2
Step 1: Ask the client if they noticed any patterns.
Step 2: Ask if they noticed any behavior change.
Step 3: Ask if they noticed any shift in their life balance.
Step 4: As your client talks, invite them to see their story as part of their pattern.
Wash, rinse, and repeat.
From Darwin to Skinner to Hayes to Polk
Darwin: Over time, traits that work for the species' survival in context are kept; most that don’t work are trimmed.
Skinner: Behaviors develop through experiential learning of consequences in context. The organism persists in behaviors that work for survival in context. Most behaviors that don’t work are trimmed.
Hayes: Human language shifts the human from direct experiential learning of workable behaviors by consequences in context to indirect learning by assumptions. Such language-based learning can lead to humans engaging in unworkable behavior patterns disconnected from context, and thus, unworkable behaviors need to be trimmed. Returning to experiential learning and contact with context can lead to trimming unworkable behavior patterns. Letting go of language-based learning involves utilizing an ‘observer self’ to reflect on language.
Polk: In humans, pattern recognition results in abstract experiential learning, which leads to language, which leads to assumption learning. Using assumption learning can lead to unworkable behavior patterns. Stimulating pattern recognition of one’s learning history tends to balance experiential and assumption learning, increasing the probability of trimming unworkable behavior patterns.
One pattern-recognition heuristic is the Matrix. Using the Matrix Heuristic, essential elements of a human’s story are sorted into four quadrants formed by two lines. These elements are who’s important (lower right), yucky feelings (lower left), relief behaviors (upper left), and satisfaction behaviors (upper right). Pattern recognition is stimulated by placing the verb “Noticing” in a circle at the intersection of the two lines.
The sensory experience of context at the top and the mental experience of context at the bottom anchor the vertical line. The horizontal line is anchored by negative reinforcement (relief) to the left and positive reinforcement (satisfaction) to the right. After a human fills in the essential elements of their story and notices, pattern recognition occurs. This pattern recognition may balance experiential and assumption learning, increasing the probability of trimming unworkable behaviors via experiential learning.
Language (one’s story) is additive and, therefore, cannot be trimmed. Stimulating pattern recognition of one’s story adds observational language to the learning history, increasing the possibility of trimming unworkable behaviors.
Beginning: Setting Up Pattern Recognition for Behavior Change with the Matrix Heuristic
Intermediate: Redirecting Behavior Patterns with Pattern Recognition Aikido
Advanced: Darwin and Skinner (FC) + Pattern Recognition via the Matrix Heuristic.
The Matrix Heuristic in ‘street’ words:
The purpose of the Matrix heuristic is to trim unworkable behaviors and keep doing the ones that work.
It helps you trim (stop doing) unworkable behaviors that don’t work to get you where you want to go.
That makes room for other behaviors that may or may not work.
If you continue to use the heuristic, you increase the chances of trimming the behaviors that don’t work and keeping the ones that work.
The problem with the human condition is hanging on to behaviors that don’t work.
ACT and Hayes say that this is because of language. {It shifts humans more to indirect language-based learning, and they continue to engage in unworkable behavior patterns. Experiential learning is required to trim or let go of unworkable patterns}.
The Matrix heuristic is a way of stimulating pattern recognition of one’s story, helping people trim unworkable behaviors, and the way to do that is to do the heuristic. A heuristic can only work if you use it.
So when we show the matrix to someone, we are doing the heuristic with them. We do this by showing them that important people go in the lower right, yucky stuff in the lower left, relief behaviors in the upper left, and satisfaction in the upper right. And in the middle, you can put noticing in, and now you can notice this whole pattern.
You can notice the pattern of your life
That is what you are up to.
This heuristic tends to lead to the trimming of unworkable behaviors.
This is all we ever do (with the Matrix Heuristic).
Watch the full recording of From Darwin to Skinner to Pattern Recognition Therapy (PRT) for Behavior Change at This Link.