Method for long-term behavior change in humans

• US 20060019225A1
• Filed: 07/23/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Morton C. Orman
• Original Assignee: Morton C. Orman
• Inventors: Orman, Morton C.
• Application Number:
  US11/187,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20060019225A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26

Abstract

A method for encouraging behavior change consisting of three phases of steps: an extended preparation phase, a behavior change phase, and a maintenance/relapse prevention phase that may be used to supplement traditional human behavior modification programs, thereby improving their outcomes. The extended preparation phase is designed to help an individual develop the essential skill of keeping his/her word consistently. To accomplish this goal, physical exercise is preferably used as a training ground to help an individual recognize and overcome any psychological and emotional barriers to keeping his/her word. Once word-keeping mastery has been achieved in the physical exercise context, an individual transfers this skill to active behavior change, such as weight loss, smoking cessation, gambling avoidance, etc. Once targeted goals are reached, a long-term maintenance/relapse prevention phase begins. During all three phases, physical exercise is used in a novel manner to strengthen and reinforce daily word-keeping mastery.

Claims

1. A method for encouraging behavior change in human beings comprising administering a three-phase sequence of steps, including:

an extended preparation phase, said preparation phase comprising the steps of;

screening potential users of said method to identify qualified users based on personal and health history information;

providing orientation information to said qualified users including purpose and rationale for participation;

providing preparatory education to said qualified users to educate said users about the stages of behavior change, the reasons why conventional behavior change methods can fail, and to introduce said users to core principles of the present method including quantification of internal barriers to keeping one'"'"'s word; and

game-play reorientation of internal barriers;

providing word-keeping skill-building information to said qualified users; and

testing word-keeping competency of said qualified users by requiring said users to commit to exercise goals and measuring the ability of said users to keep their word on a daily basis for a pre-determined period of time;

a behavior change phase, said behavior change phase comprising the steps of;

providing educational information to said competent users to instruct them how to attain a desired behavioral change by giving and keeping their word to implement said desired behavioral change on a daily basis;

pursuing said desired behavioral change by said competent users;

self-monitoring by said competent users of their progress in pursuing said desired behavioral change; and

conducting an on-going exercise-related word-keeping practice by said competent users by which they continue to commit to daily exercise goals and strive to keep their word on a daily basis; and

a maintenance/relapse prevention phase, said maintenance/relapse prevention phase comprising the steps of;

providing educational information to said competent users to instruct them how to maintain success and avoid returning to prior behavior patterns;

requiring said competent users to continue to pursue said desired behavioral change and maintain progress achieved;

preventing relapse into an undesired behavior by said competent users by requiring them to plan in advance specific actions said users will take whenever pre-determined relapse behavior patterns occur;

self-monitoring by said competent users of said steps of maintaining progress toward said desired behavioral change and preventing relapse into an undesired behavior; and

conducting an expanded word-keeping process by said competent users by requiring them to keep their word through daily exercise and said word-keeping practice.

2. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of screening potential users comprises the substeps of:

completing an application form;

completing a health history questionnaire; and

obtaining clearance for said user to participate in said method from said potential user'"'"'s primary care providers.

3. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing orientation information to said qualified users comprises the substeps of:

providing background of traditional human behavior modification programs;

providing history of said method'"'"'s inventor and development of said method;

explaining importance of word-keeping;

explaining negatives of behavior change programs that do not comprise of said word-keeping;

explaining importance of physical exercise as means for said word-keeping;

introducing concepts of word-keeping, reaching said user'"'"'s goal;

maintaining success;

providing overview of said method'"'"'s steps and content;

giving legal disclaimers for said method; and

explaining the risks of said method.

4. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing preparatory information to said qualified users comprises the substeps of:

explaining obstacles to said word-keeping;

explaining how to win said word-keeping game, further comprising the steps of;

understanding the nature of said game, wherein said nature comprises said competent user'"'"'s word versus said obstacles;

understanding rules of said game;

understanding said obstacles; and

understanding strategies to overcome said obstacles.

5. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing word-keeping skill-building information to said qualified users comprising the substeps of:

introducing physical exercise as a daily routine to practice said word-keeping;

selecting said exercise;

reviewing premise of said word-keeping;

identifying said obstacles that might prevent said user from said word-keeping;

learning how to overcome said obstacles;

adopting weekly plan for said exercise;

following said weekly plan; and

identifying said obstacles that prevent said user from said word-keeping.

6. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of testing word-keeping competency of said qualified users comprising the substeps of:

practicing said word-keeping for a predetermined time;

providing written proof of said word-keeping for said predetermined time;

starting said word-keeping again if said proof is not provided; and

achieving said word-keeping for said predeterminined time before proceeding to said behavior change phase.

7. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing educational information to said competent users in said behavior change phase comprises the substeps of:

introducing a biolinguistic model of human behavior;

explaining negatives of classic methods; and

explaining that said word-keeping is the best motivator for both short-term and long-term success of said behavior change.

8. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of pursuing a desired behavior change of said competent users in said behavior change phase comprises the substeps of:

selecting a realistic behavior change goal;

researching evidence based human behavior modification programs that have a high probability of allowing said user to achieve said goal;

selecting said evidence based human behavior modification program;

creating a personalized behavior change action plan based on said selected evidence based human behavior modification program; and

applying knowledge of obstacles which said user gained in said exercise-based word-keeping step, to word-keeping in said behavior change phase.

9. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said goal is weight loss.

10. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said goal is smoking cessation.

11. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said goal is gambling avoidance.

12. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of pursuing said on-going exercise based word-keeping of the behavior change phase comprises of the step of continuing to engage in said physical exercise to further strengthen said user'"'"'s word-keeping ability.

13. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing educational information of said maintenance/relapse prevention phase comprising the steps of;

explaining that daily self-monitoring of said user'"'"'s ongoing status regarding said behavior

change goals is essential to said method;

explaining that defining specific alerts to warn of impending failure to maintain progress achieved is essential to said method;

designing an action plan for dealing with early signs of failure to maintain said progress achieved;

utilizing said word-keeping skills to adhere to a program of said daily self-monitoring;

utilizing said word-keeping skills to adhere to selected action plans if early signs of said impending failure appear;

explaining that classic behavior change motivators are often insufficient to sustain long-term behavior change;

explaining that the best motivator for said long-term behavior change is the continued joy and challenge of said word-keeping practice on a daily basis.

14. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said method is a standalone program.

15. A method for behavior change in humans according to claim 1, wherein said method supplements traditional human behavior modification programs that begin with pre-contemplation and contemplation steps.

16. A method for encouraging behavior change in humans, comprising the steps of:

conditioning participants to give and keep their word by requiring them to commit to specific daily exercise goals, and monitoring their progress toward achieving said daily exercise goals;

requiring participants to recognize and then articulate their psychological and emotional barriers to achieving the daily exercise goals;

reorienting said participants toward achieving said daily exercise goals by creating a game-play scenario by association of said barriers with respective gremlins, and encouraging said participants to beat specific gremlins rather than generic psychological and emotional barriers;

after participants demonstrate a level of competency in beating specific exercise-related gremlins, conditioning said participants to give and keep their word with regard to a targeted behavioral change by requiring them to commit to a specific behavioral change on a daily basis;

requiring said participants to articulate their psychological and emotional barriers to achieving the specific behavioral change;

reorienting said participants toward achieving said specific behavioral change by creating a game-play scenario by association of said barriers with respective gremlins, and encouraging said participants to beat specific gremlins rather than generic psychological and emotional barriers;

monitoring the progress of said participants toward achieving said daily specific behavioral change.