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"Scheduling Unconscious Responses" - Steve Andreas

Steve Andreas discusses a technique for scheduling unconscious responses, specifically focusing on managing the need to use the bathroom at inconvenient times. He suggests using presuppositional statements during regular morning tasks to train the body to respond naturally at desired times. The document outlines the general pattern of this technique and provides examples for various contexts beyond just bathroom needs.

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95 views4 pages

"Scheduling Unconscious Responses" - Steve Andreas

Steve Andreas discusses a technique for scheduling unconscious responses, specifically focusing on managing the need to use the bathroom at inconvenient times. He suggests using presuppositional statements during regular morning tasks to train the body to respond naturally at desired times. The document outlines the general pattern of this technique and provides examples for various contexts beyond just bathroom needs.

Uploaded by

aacork75
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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STEVE ANDREAS

“Scheduling Unconscious Responses”*

by Steve Andreas

©1998

A number of times in my life I’ve been annoyed by needing to use a


bathroom (“number two”) in the middle of the day. Sometimes this rudely
interrupted activities that were a lot more important or fun, and sometimes it
involved a frantic search for facilities where they were scarce or nonexistent.
“Holding on” sometimes worked, at least temporarily, but besides not being
much fun, it often resulted in constipation.

I decided it would be much simpler if I satisfied that need early in the day,
so I wouldn’t be bothered by it later. But how could I get my intestines to
cooperate with my plan? Just sitting on the toilet in the morning didn’t work
very well, and straining usually didn’t work very well either. At some point I
thought of using presuppositions of time, and I found a simple way that works
well and quite easily. While brushing my teeth, shaving, eating breakfast, or
any other regular morning task, I say to myself, “I wonder if I can finish
(shaving) before I feel a strong urge to use the toilet?” If I don’t feel sufficiently
moved by the end of shaving, I say the same thing (or some variation) while
eating breakfast, or whatever I’m doing next. Quite soon I find myself with a
need to use the toilet. After doing this for a while I have found that I naturally
feel an urge to do my dump every morning without any conscious talking to
myself.

The more general form of this pattern is “I wonder if I can finish


(conscious task) before I feel a strong (unconscious response).

There are many uses for this presuppositional pattern (besides the one
you’ve already thought of). First, identify an unconscious response that you (or
a client) want to occur “spontaneously” at a particular time or in a specific
context. Then think of an activity that occurs (or could occur) just before or
during that time or context. Fill in the blanks and start talking to yourself. And
do pay attention to your tonality. A truly interested, open and curious tone
works best for me. I doubt that a snarling tonality or one dripping with
controlling “have to’s” would work well for most people.

“I wonder if I can finish shaving before I feel fully alert and awake.”

“I wonder if I can finish undressing before I feel powerfully aroused and


excited.”

“I wonder if I can finish this sentence before thinking of other fascinating ways
to use this simple little technique?”

*Anchor Point, July 1998, Vol. 12, No. 7

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