An if-then plan made for a feeling reduced disgust and fear

An if-then plan names a moment and an action. If this happens, then I will do that.

People looked at material chosen to stir up disgust in one study and fear in another. They were split into three groups.

One group set a goal not to feel disgust or fear. A second set the same goal and added an if-then plan. A third got no instruction to manage the feeling.

Only the people with an if-then plan reduced their disgust and fear. The goal on its own did not do as well.

A third study measured brain activity while people saw slides of spiders. People with a plan to ignore the spiders showed a smaller early response.

There were three studies, and the first two found the same thing for two different feelings. That is a good start.

They used set material in a lab, not real moments in a life. The abstract does not give the number of people.

The Testing Pattern is when you push someone to find out whether they will stay. You may feel a jolt of fear when a reply is slow.

This paper suggests a goal like do not get scared may not be enough. A plan that names the moment did more, at least in a lab.

That is close to Intercept, the second move: interrupt the usual response and choose a different action before the old pattern completes.

Your plan might read: if my chest tightens as I wait, then I put the phone down.

This study did not test The Archivist Method. It tested plans for disgust and fear at set material in a lab.

It does not show that a plan ends a feeling for good. It found a plan reduced the reaction during the task.