Sometimes you develop behaviors and habits that you want to change. Changing an existing behavior is not always easy, however the shunt technique can help you do so. The shunt technique consists of five steps (highlighted in the diagram on the right):
1. Inspection. Identify that you have a behavior or habit you want to change. It’s difficult to change behavior if you don’t know you are doing it! Triggers for these may come from your instructor, coach, friends, colleagues, or your own reviews.
2. Comparison. Compare the old behavior with a new behavior that you want to replace it with. Explore what is clearly different. Explore what the benefits are of the new behavior. Go through what the benefits might be with your instructor or interested party.
3. Correction, or the “shunt.” Practice the new behavior alongside the old. Do as much as you can to contrast the old behavior with the new. Practice the new behavior like you have already changed your behavior. Whenever you accidentally invoke the old behavior, consciously stop and rehearse the new behavior, as if it was the behavior you followed first.
4. Pre-correction[N1] . Eventually your brain automatically selects the new behavior in response to the stimulus. This is the goal. You have successfully changed your behavior! This will come with repetition.
5. Reinforcement. Sometimes you may lapse back into your old behavior. Watch for this. If it does happen, immediately practice the new behavior again. Don’t be negative on yourself and believe that you have failed. Simply accept this happens sometimes, replay the new behavior and move on. If it’s more serious, you may need to go back through some of the previous steps in more detail.
We’ll use a simple bad habit, biting fingernails, to explain how to use the shunt technique. To help with the shunt, I’ve adapted a “swish” technique used by other trainers.
1. Inspection—identify the old behavior: Identify the behavior you want to stop. Create a visual in your mind of yourself in that behavior. For example, imagine yourself picking at or biting your nails. See this behavior as if through your own eyes. Make it dull and uninviting.
2. Compare the new behavior: Now create a different visual, one in which you display the new behavior. For example, imagine yourself stopping your picking, or taking your fingers away from your mouth. Put some pressure on that finger with another. See yourself with perfect, clean nails. See yourself as well dressed, in control, and more confident.
3. Set up the shunt: This visualization will help you “shunt” your behavior from the old response to the new one. Start by making a big picture in your mind of your old state, picking your nails. Feel yourself in a low state, unhappy, with slouched over shoulders and hunched back (physically put yourself in that posture). Push all the air out of your lungs. See the image in black and white.
Now, make a small picture of the way you want to be in bottom left corner of the big image. Then, explode that small image up and over the big old image. The new image is bright, happy and colorful. As you do so, say “wooosh” while breathing in fully. Pull back your shoulders, straighten your back, and pull your chin up. Smile and feel excited. See yourself in that confident, happy state with perfect nails.
Stay in that state for a few moments, then open your eyes briefly. Now go back and do the swish again, starting from the big picture of the old behavior, and replacing it with the new. Do it five or six times in a row, quickly (but have fun doing it!).
Now take a deep breath and bring back that first image of the old behavior. It should almost feel unnatural. Your mind automatically wants to replace it with the new image. If not, go back and repeat the process, making the visuals clearer, and holding that positive state for a few moments before opening your eyes and repeating the process.
4. Test the pre-correction. Start to pick or bite your nail. You should feel a trigger or urge to stop. Visualize that high state for a moment. From now on, the next time you are about to pick or bite your nails, you should realize it and can catch yourself. Visualize that high state for a moment, and feel confident that you have changed the behavior.
5. Reinforce over time. You may want to add a reminder to your review calendar to reinforce the swish over the next few weeks. Check yourself and if you find you start to lapse back into the old behavior, do a few short “swish” exercises again.