Author: Maneesh Sethi

67% Of Smokers Quit Their Habit

Researchers use small electric jolts to help smokers quit the habit and stay smoke-free up to one year later

Study Results: Shock conditioning effects on smoking cessation

There are two categories of smokers.

Those in the first category are quite happy with the habit. They know and understand the risks. They’ve been warned by health professionals, and by their thinning wallet, faltering breath and all sorts of other telltale signs that this is a dangerous game they’re playing. But they choose to smoke anyways.

Hopefully, you belong to the second category.

You want to quit.

And if that’s the case, you’ve probably tried and failed more times than you care to remember.

Nothing seems to work.

  • You tried smoking less — But then life happened and you went back to smoking your usual amount, if not more.
  • You tried to quit overnight — But pretty soon you turned into a raging fiend on a rampage, so you decided to preserve your sanity and pick up the habit once again.
  • You tried nicotine patches — But you realized they were no substitute for the “activity” of smoking, so you threw them out and bought another pack of smokes.

The list goes on and it keeps getting longer.

It’s a very disheartening picture for you and so many other smokers out there who keep trying and failing.

Why you fail at quitting smoking

It’s simple. You keep failing because smoking is a habit. And by nature, habits are reinforced every time you repeat the behavior.

You might try to exercise willpower. But willpower is a limited resource, and habits tend to outrun willpower over time.

Smoking is like a toxic relationship. Cigarettes become a part of your life. Think about it.

You smoke:

  • when you have coffee
  • when you socialize
  • after you eat (or even while you eat)
  • after sex
  • while you drive
  • when you’re stressed, sad, angry, upset, grieving, crying
  • when you’re relaxed, enjoying yourself, happy
  • when you mourn the loss of someone

The cigarette cheats you into thinking that it’s part of every one of those activities. Eventually it becomes an extension of “you”.

And that’s precisely why it’s so difficult, so terrifying, to quit smoking.

You need to reprogram your brain.

Thankfully, 80+ years ago, science discovered a method to do just that. And studies show that it has an astonishing success rate with all sorts of habits, including smoking!

Researchers use small electric jolts to successfully help 67% of smokers quit in as little as 5 days

In a research experiment, a number of smokers were treated with harmless electric jolts to help them quit smoking. The participants smoked an average of 21.5 cigarettes per day. They had all previously tried to quit smoking by their own will-power or other conventional means.

Participants were hooked up with electrodes and provided a favorite brand of cigarettes. At some point during the smoking process, they would be given a signal. This signal was followed three out of four times by an electric jolt.

The participants had been instructed to put out the cigarette upon receiving the signal. Failure to do so immediately would result in a second jolt.

Additionally, they were asked to imagine a favorite situation for smoking, such as the first cigarette of the morning. As they reached the imaginary moment of lighting the cigarette, the same signal/jolt procedure was carried out.

From 21.5 cigarettes a day, to 1.4 cigarettes a day in 3 sessions, with most participants quitting the habit within 5 sessions

Study Results: Shock conditioning effects on smoking cessation
By the end of the treatment, 67% of the participants had quit smoking completely, and when assessed one year later, 43% were still off cigarettes.

According to the researchers, “there was a noticeable effect after the first session” (Russell, 1970).

The attitude of participants towards cigarettes changed drastically.

In fact, feedback included comments such as “I threw it away after two draws, to my surprise”; “I took only a few puffs-I just didn’t fancy it. My mate laughed when I threw it out the window.” (Russell, 1970)

One participant even complained that the “cigarettes were stale”. (Russell, 1970)

References

Russell, M. A. (1970, 12). Effect of Electric Aversion on Cigarette Smoking. Bmj, 1(5688), 82-86. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5688.82

 

Stop Facebook Stalking Your Ex

When I was 18 I broke up with this angry Italian girl.

Within 2 months her MSN Space was full of “kill Michael” drawings.

e.g., stabbing me to death with a toaster

Within 16 months I saw her in an ad for some porn site.

Now she has a website about cats.

Why did this happen?

Because in 2003 there was no Facebook stalking — we had to find our own outlets.

Today’s post covers:

  • why your ex’s boring life is the key to your happiness
  • how to use Pavlok to stop obsessing over the past
  • and the burning question: is Facebook stalking more fun than sex?

Here’s the article:

According to a 2012 study at the University of Western Ontario, almost 90% of people admit to periodically Facebook stalking their exes, regardless of how the relationship ended. 100% of them described Facebook as being the most distressing factor in their attempt to get over the relationship.

The study says that ‘Facebook surveillance’ limits your own self-growth. By continuing to check up on your ex, you simultaneously consider that they’re checking up on you, too — this makes you self-conscious about how they would perceive you.

So, after scrolling through the latest status updates, you might put extra effort into your own appearance to make yourself feel better … but you do that by wearing the sweater they always liked. This reinforces your pattern of thinking in the frame of the old relationship, and by staying in this cycle, you’re preventing yourself from moving on.

facebook stalking

Those who kept tabs on an ex were more likely to want to return to the relationship, and had higher ratings of ‘heartache’ post-break up.

It only makes moving on harder, but we keep doing it. How can we resist?

Some people respond to break-ups by immediately unfriending their ex. While you can’t stalk them anymore (or at least, not as thoroughly), the study found that this can prolong the heartache. Unfortunately, by entirely separating yourself from the profile, you raise the level of ‘mystery’ concerning your ex’s current life, which can make them seem more attractive.

Your Ex’s Boring Life = Key To Moving On

Basically, if you have all-access to your ex’s day-to-day life, you’re not letting yourself get on with your own life. And by totally cutting yourself off, you’ll spend so much time wondering about your ex’s life that you won’t be able to focus on anything else anyway.

So, the best solution is to maintain the Facebook friendship. While you might be tempted to hit the ‘unfriend’ button in an effort to quickly forget the relationship ever happened, you’re only delaying your own recovery, and you might end up regretting the ‘unfriend’ when you’re no longer in heartache mode.

In fact, there’s nothing wrong with reading a status update from your ex if it comes up on your newsfeed — the study says routine exposure to mundane posts like, ‘going bowling!’ or ‘just ate a burrito!’ can help you lose interest in your ex even faster.

The issue is while that small-exposure works in theory, it’s hard to do. Something as simple as a status update can launch you into a stalking binge.

What if you could make it easier? Imagine being in total control, and being able to move on with your life faster!

You Can Make the Pain Work in Your Favor!

Clicking through your ex’s pictures with their new honey really hurts. Even after you finish the album (… for the third time), the pain doesn’t end when you close your laptop — you can go about your day, but you can’t get the images out of your head.

What if you could replace that emotional trauma with less than a second of pain, a safe and simple pinch, guaranteed to help you stop the stalking once and for all? Your way to getting over your ex can be found with classical conditioning.

If you’ve heard of Pavlov’s dogs, you already have a sense of how it works. Man takes out food, dog likes food — dog comes running. Man rings bell, dog doesn’t know what that means. But if man rings the bell, and then takes out the food, the dog knows that a bell ringing means food. So man rings bell — dog comes running.

This is classical conditioning. You can associate two factors (in this case, bell and food) to change behavior. Unfortunately, it works even if the factors are bad for you, like the association between nicotine and smoking in cigarette addiction.

But there’s good news: classical conditioning works in reverse! It’s called aversion therapy, and using a stimulus like mild electric shock helps the majority of smokers quit.

Is Facebook Stalking More Fun Than Sex?

Every time you type your ex’s name into the Facebook search bar, you’re satisfying your curiosity craving. Even if you feel worse afterward, the impulsive part of you is rewarded, and your brain increases its association between Facebook stalking and reward.

Electric shock can break this connection, and it does — for most smokers, gamblers, overeaters, and more. No matter how much you doubt your ability to stop, you can’t beat the way your brain is designed to function.

If you’re entertaining the idea of using electric shock, you’re probably wondering how you’d go about it. That’s where Pavlok comes in to help you out.

Pavlok brings the efficacy of aversion therapy into your home, and everywhere else you go — it’s a light wristband with a button to give yourself a quick and safe shock. You can control the intensity with an app on your phone. And it can help you break your bad habit in days, no unfriending required.

Using Pavlok to Stop the ‘Facebook Surveillance’

You can conduct an aversion session once a day for 4 days — it only takes a few minutes.

Just put on your Pavlok and sit down at your computer. Open up Facebook, and as soon as you start typing your ex’s name in, shock yourself. Go to their page, find an interesting clump of posts, and creep to your heart’s content. But while you’re free to indulge, shock yourself around once every 15 seconds (4 times a minute) for as long as you continue.

When your curiosity has been extinguished, the session’s over, and you’ve started to step out of the cycle!

You can satisfy your desires to stalk in these four aversion sessions, but resist any temptations to check on their profile otherwise. Before you give in to any of the cravings, try shocking yourself!

After the sessions are over, use Pavlok to maintain your progress. If Facebook shoves your ex’s ‘spring break in aruba!!’ photo album in your newsfeed, and you really want to click, it’s completely natural.

But you can give yourself a shock, and remind yourself that following that link will not help you move on with your life. Don’t let your ex live rent-free in your head!

Aversion sessions help most people with their bad habits, no matter how ingrained they might be. One day, you’ll be able to look back on your relationship with more perspective — you’ll have full access to your ex’s profile without feeling the need to keep up with every single update.

Personal growth will get you that perspective, and Pavlok can give you the control and the room you need to grow!

Compulsive Behavior Treatment With Lasting Results

Studies show treatment via small electric jolts can give you back control over your life by stopping compulsive behavior such as scratching and hair-pulling (trichotillomania).

Aversive Conditioning vs Compulsive Behavior
Everyone has their little quirks and habits. Some like their coffee in a specific mug, EVERY time. Others twirl their hair when they’re in a pensive mood or studying.

But sometimes one of these little quirks can take an unpleasant twist.

First it becomes an insistent annoyance. After a while, it starts conditioning your life in a number of small, unpleasant ways — physical discomfort, unsightly telltale signs, feelings of inadequacy and shame, and eventually embarrassment.

Pretty soon, you start becoming self-conscious, paranoid even. “Are people noticing this habit I have? Do they think I’m weird?”

And then suddenly, it’s out of control. It starts affecting your social life, your job, and your relationships. You start shying away from social events, friends, colleagues, and family.

Finally, it takes over every aspect of your life, stealing joy out of every moment.

When suffering from these compulsive behaviors, it’s easy to feel confused and broken. To outsiders it might seem ridiculous, but to the victims, it’s hell.

Friends and family — all in good faith — will dish out all sorts of useless remedies they’ve found on the internet, or through word of mouth and old wives’ tales.

Some will even make fun and jokes.

Nothing works. Rather, it makes things much, much worse.

Through all this, the compulsive behavior grow its roots deeper and deeper.

It might seem like there’s no way out, especially when nobody seems to fully understand… but there is.

Laboratory Studies – Compulsive behavior treated successfully with small electric jolts

Research (Bar, Kuypers, 1973) from the Department of Dermatology at the University of Nijmegen in The Netherlands, has found that behaviors such as trichotillomania (hair pulling) and compulsive scratching, can be treated with aversion conditioning.

The study follows the treatment of a number of patients suffering from compulsive behaviors. The researchers found the behavior was often reinforced by an “enjoyable experience, which again reinforces the urge to [act out the behavior]” (Bar, Kuypers, 1973).

So they decided to counter the ‘pleasurable feeling’ with aversive conditioning. They started giving the participants unpleasant — but not painful — electric jolts every time they felt the urge to indulge in the compulsive behavior.

Outcome — Electric jolts 100% successful in beating compulsive behavior… with lasting results

Aversive Conditioning vs Compulsive Behavior
In all cases tested in the study, the unwanted behavior disappeared within a maximum of 13 weeks. For some, the offending habit was broken in as little as 14 days.

While some had minor relapses, these were easily treated with ‘booster’ sessions. Following these sessions, the habit did not return.

The participants had regained full control of their behavior, their happiness, and their life.

References

Bar, L. H., & Kuypers, B. R. (1973, 12). Behaviour therapy in dermatological practice. British Journal of Dermatology, 88(6), 591-598. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1973.tb08024.x

21 Scientific Studies On Aversion and Bad Habits

For 80+ years, doctors and scientists have studied the efficacy of electric shock on changing behaviors. After rigorous testing, these researchers report their results in peer reviewed journals which are often cited in further studies.

This post is a collection of scientific reports from the world’s top academic and medical institutions. We’ve included summaries of 21 articles so you can sample this body of research — the science Pavlok is built on.

 

Up To 61.4% of Subjects Quit Smoking With 5 Days of Aversive Conditioning

A follow-up study was conducted at approximately one year post-treatment of a group of 832 clients treated at a commercial stop smoking program. The treatment program employed five days of aversive conditioning for various smoking behaviors. It also included an educational and counseling component and a six week support phase with weekly support groups and one conditioning reinforcement treatment in the second week. The clients were contacted a mean of 13.7 months after completion of treatment. Fifty-two percent of all clients achieved their goal of total abstinence from cigarettes since “graduation” from the program. The factor most predictive of success or failure was whether or not the client returned to a home containing a smoker. Of those returning to a nonsmoking home, 61.4% of the men and 60.2% of the women were successful. Of those who returned to a smoking household, 70.2% returned to smoking. This study demonstrates that the treatment, process appears to be free of complications and is associated with successful outcomes in the majority of clients. Further improvement in outcome might result from simultaneous treatment of all household smokers.

Reference: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Long Term Outcome of Clients Treated in a Commercial Stop Smoking Program, Vol. 5. pp. 33-36, 1988

 

81.8% of Nail Biters Have Significant Nail Growth With Electric Shock Therapy

Subjects (N=61) 31 males and 30 females, with a mean age of 19.75 yr and an average of 12 yr of nail biting were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (1) shock, (2) negative practice, (3) bitter substance, and (4) attention-placebo control. A shock generator capable of delivering a measured voltage of 200 V at 10 mA was used to administer faradic shock. Half of the subjects from each treatment condition were instructed to self-monitor their nailbiting throughout treatment. All groups experienced an increase in nail growth, with no significant difference among groups. However, self-monitoring subjects exhibited significantly greater increases in nail growth than non-self-monitoring subjects (p<.05). Compared to the control condition, a significantly greater proportion of subjects in each of the three aversion treatment conditions had either ceased biting their nails or were biting less frequently 3 months later (p<.05). Moreover, there was a significant increase in awareness of nailbiting among individuals still biting their nails (p<.01). This increased awareness was experienced primarily by self-monitoring subjects. Awareness appears to be a crucial factor in the reduction of nailbiting.

Reference: Vargas, John M., and Vincent J. Adesso. ‘A Comparison Of Aversion Therapies For Nailbiting Behavior’. Behavior Therapy 7.3 (1976): 322-329. Web.

 

Aversion Study Results In Sustained Weight Loss of 9.17 lbs

Favorite foods (CS) were paired with noxious odors (UCS) to help overweight Ss achieve and maintain weight loss. The average age of Ss was 39.56 years with a range of 18-60 years and the average weight was 181.67 lbs with a range of 152-237 lbs. All Ss had been defined as “overweight” according to the New Weight Standards (Statistical Bulletin, November, 1959) and also by their physicians. After the 9-week conditioning period, a significant (obtained p = 0.002, significant at p<0.05) average weight loss for the six experimental Ss of 13.33 lbs compared with an average weight loss of 1.00 lb for the six control Ss was reported. After 48 weeks, the experimental Ss had an average weight loss of 9.17 lbs, while the control group had a weight gain of 1.33 lbs.

Reference: Foreyt, John Paul, and Wallace A. Kennedy. ‘Treatment Of Overweight By Aversion Therapy’. Behaviour Research and Therapy 9.1 (1971): 29-34. Web.

 

Skin Scratching and Hair Picking Disappear Completely With 20 Minute Sessions

Behaviour therapy provides important psychotherapeutic possibilities for the treatment of dermatological disorders. Compulsive scratching and trichotillomania can be treated by aversive conditioning. In documented case a man aged 33 suffered from severe lichen simplex on the scrotum, thighs and ankles, which had been present for 4 years and for which he had been admitted to the clinic three times, without any lasting result. The patient was seen once a day for a 20 minute session. He was instructed to bring his hand to scratch at a sign from the therapist. At the moment his hand reached site he received an unpleasant, though not painful, electric shock via electrodes on the moving hand. He then had to draw back his hand and say aloud, ‘don’t scratch’. After 19 days of treatment the scratching disappeared completely.

Reference: BAR, LOUIS H. J., and BEN R. M. KUYPERS. ‘Behaviour Therapy In Dermatological Practice’. Br J Dermatol 88.6 (1973): 591-598. Web.

 

12 Hours of Treatment Can Extinguish a 12 Year Habit

When contrasted with other psychiatric treatments the duration of aversion therapy necessary to break a chronic habit such as compulsive gambling is extremely short. Case 1 required only 12 hours treatment to extinguish a behaviour pattern which had persisted for 12 years. He showed no tendency to resume gambling for 18 months. He relapsed once after a domestic upheaval and after losing his job. He was readministered for four “booster” treatments, during which he showed marked reluctance to gamble. Apart from this single relapse he has not returned to gambling for more than two years. Mainly because of its convenience and practicability, electrical aver- sion therapy is now tending to replace all other aversion techniques (1, 38.)

Reference: Barker, J.C., and Mabel Miller. ‘AVERSION THERAPY FOR COMPULSIVE GAMBLING’. The Lancet 287.7435 (1966): 491-492. Web.

 

The Elimination of Chronic Cough by Electric Shock

The study presents a case in which aversion therapy was successfully used to eliminate a chronic cough in a 15 yr old boy. Treatment included electric shock aversion therapy employing a response suppression shaping paradigm to remove the cough, and ancillary family treatment to alter the reinforcement pattern which maintained the inappropriate behavior. The S has been free of cough for 1 1/2 yr since treatment. Significant aspects of the case relating to the use of aversion techniques are discussed. This paper is based in part on a presentation given at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Washington, D.C., September, 1971.

Reference: Barney Alexander, A. et al. ‘The Elimination Of Chronic Cough By Response Suppression Shaping’. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 4.1 (1973): 75-80. Web.

 

1 Year Follow Up: 66.7% of Smokers Who Complete 5 Shock Sessions Still Not Smoking

Electric aversion was administered to 14 cigarette smokers. Six of the nine Ss who completed the treatment were still abstinent at one-year follow-up. The overall average of 21.5 cigarettes on the day before treatment dropped to an average of 1.4 cigarettes per day after the third aversion session and most patients stopped smoking within five sessions. It is concluded that electric aversion is a powerful suppressor of cigarette smoking.

Reference: Russell, M. A. H. ‘Effect Of Electric Aversion On Cigarette Smoking’. BMJ 1.5688 (1970): 82-86. Web.

 

In 3 Sessions Electric Shock Creates Inhibition of Craving For Prescription Drugs

It seems likely that an important reason for the limited success of aversion treatment of drug addiction has been that the aversion is applied only to extrinsic stimuli associated with the drug. No attempt is ordinarily made to combat the endogenous habit. In the present experiment a subject with a Demerol (Pethidine) addiction of 3 years standing was instructed to give him- self a severe shock from a portable apparatus whenever he felt a desire for the drug arise endogenously. On three occasions he gave himself 4, 3 and 2 shocks respectively, dispelling the craving. For a period of 12 weeks the patient remained free from any but minor cravings that he could easily control.

Reference: Wolpe, Joseph. ‘Conditioned Inhibition Of Craving In Drug Addiction: A Pilot Experiment’. Behaviour Research and Therapy 2.2-4 (1964): 285-288. Web.

 

Aversion Therapy and Sensory Modalities: Clinical Impressions

Clinical findings suggest that the results of aversion therapy may be enhanced by choosing aversive stimuli which match the specific modalities under treatment. “White noise” was most effective in reducing auditory hallucinations; tactile stimuli (electric shocks) were most effective with motor compulsions; and an unpleasant olfactory-gustatory stimulus (an especially foul mixture of smelling salts) worked best with compulsive eaters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Reference: Lazarus, Arnold A. ‘AVERSION THERAPY AND SENSORY MODALITIES-CLINICAL IMPRESSIONS’. Perceptual and Motor Skills 27.1 (1968): 178-178. Web.

 

Aversion Therapy in the Treatment of Trichotillomania: A Case Study

This paper presents a single case study of a patient with compulsive hair- pulling (trichotillomania) of 16 years’ duration, who was successfully treated using electric aversion therapy. All previous attempts at treatment and self- help had been unsuccessful. A behavioural self-control programme was tried initially with some success, but the progress was not maintained following an unplanned break in treatment and this treatment was ineffective when re- instated. Electric aversion therapy eliminated hair pulling almost immediately and the results were maintained on follow-up, with the exception of a minor relapse at a time of stress.

Reference: Crawford, David A. ‘Aversion Therapy In The Treatment Of Trichotillomania: A Case Study’. Behavioral Psychology 16.01 (1988): 57. Web.

 

Aversive Shock Analysis Physical Danger, Emotional Harm, Effectiveness
and “Dehumanization”

Four major objections to the use of faradic stimulation are reviewed and re- sponded to. It is concluded that aversive stimulation is no more dangerous physically or emotionally than traditional forms of treatment, that some aversive procedures have provided controlled evidence of effectiveness, and that charges of dehumanization are invalid.

Reference: Tanner, Barry A. ‘Aversive Shock Issues: Physical Danger, Emotional Harm, Effectiveness And “Dehumanization”’. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 4.2 (1973): 113-115. Web.

 

The Control of Violence & Aggression Through Electric Shock

This study deals with the use of faradic shock administered as a punishment for the purpose of curbing the assaultive and violent behaviors of a 31-year- old, hospitalized, chronic schizophrenic female.Three levels of behaviors were chosen for modification: 1) aggressive acts, 2) verbal threats and 3) accusations of being persecuted and abused. The aversive conditioning approach was employed for each of these levels in a stepwise fashion, with each successive level being included as punishable offenses once effective control over behaviors on the previous level had been demonstrated. The results indicated that a marked reduction in the incidence of the behaviors on all three levels was accomplished by means of this treatment approach. Shortly after instituting the punishment program for accusatory verbalizations, the patient began to show appropriate, socialized behavior which continued throughout the remainder of the program. Moreover, the patient’s weekly behavior rating scores indicated a significant improvement in general functioning over time following initiation of the aversive therapy program.

Reference: Ludwig, Arnold M. et al. ‘THE CONTROL OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR THROUGH FARADIC SHOCK’. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 148.6 (1969): 624-637. Web.

 

In 10 Weeks Electrical Aversion Therapy Cured A Chronic Heroin User

A 23-yr-old male graduate student who had been using heroin for 3 yr was treated with electrical aversion conditioning. Treatment was carried out in twenty 20-minute sessions over approximately 10 weeks. The drug taking behavioral sequence was broken into discrete phases which the patient imagined and verbalized. An 8-month follow-up has shown him to be drug free.

Reference: Lubetkin, Barry S., and Steven T. Fishman. ‘Electrical Aversion Therapy With A Chronic Heroin User’. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 5.2 (1974): 193-195. Web.

 

Aversion Therapy Is More Effective Than Other Common Treatments

Operant (N = 11), aversion (N = 12), and transactional analysis (N = 12) approaches to the development of self control in excessive cigarette smoking were compared with each other and with a no-treatment control group (N = 15). 10 group treatment sessions were administered to Ss assigned to each of the treatment groups. After treatment and a 1-mo follow-up period, the smoking rates of all treatment conditions were significantly lower than the control group (p < .001). No significant treatment, therapist, or interactional differences or indications of symptom substitution were found. (32 ref.) (Psy- cINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Reference: Ober, D. C. ‘Modification Of Smoking Behavior.’. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 32.5, Pt.1 (1968): 543-549. Web.

 

9 of 20 Nail Biters Quit On Day 1 & 13 of 20 Quit By Day 4

Twenty unpaid volunteers were obtained through advertisements and notices. Most were UCLA students. Most reported biting since early teen or preteenage years, with sporadic efforts at self-control. Some reported occasional periods of abstinence. Two devices were used, to provide a choice of shock intensity. Aversive stimulation was used in this study to produce supplession. Ss chronic nailbiters, instructed to carry a portable shock device, and use it following the act of placing a finger in the mouth or on the lips, and to discontinue the behavior as soon as it was discovered. The procedure was quite effective; in 9 of 20 cases no biting was reported from the first day. In 4 other cases none was reported after 4 days. All visual checks of nails corroborated subject reports.

Reference: Bucher, Bradley D. ‘A Pocket-Portable Shock Device With Application To Nailbiting’. Behaviour Re- search and Therapy 6.3 (1968): 389-392. Web.

 

Training Device Takes Chronic Hair Pulling To Near-Zero Levels

The chronic hair pulling of a 36-year-old woman with moderate mental retardation was initially treated with a simplified habit-reversal (SHR) procedure that consisted of awareness training, competing response training, and social support. When SHR did not produce large and sustained reductions in hair pulling, an awareness enhancement device was added, and it reduced hair pulling to near-zero levels in two settings. The results are discussed, and directions for future research with this device are provided.

Reference: Rapp, J T, R G Miltenberger, and E S Long. ‘Augmenting Simplified Habit Reversal With An Awareness Enhancement Device: Preliminary Findings.’. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 31.4 (1998): 665- 668. Web.

 

An Automated Aversion Device in the Treatment of a Compulsive Handwashing Ritual

A 49-yr-old male with a long history of compulsive handwashing was treat- ed by the implementation of a self control procedure. This turned out to be effective only when a powerful external reinforcer (shock) was added to the procedure to increase the patient’s capacity for initiating self-control. Ritualistic handwashing had virtually ceased after 42 days and remained absent at 12 months’ follow-up.

Reference: Le Boeuf, Alan. ‘An Automated Aversion Device In The Treatment Of A Compulsive Handwashing Ritual’. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 5.3-4 (1974): 267-270. Web.

 

Faradic Disruption of Obsessive Ideation in the Treatment of Obsessive Neurosis

Faradic disruption of verbal phrases and mental images was used with five chronic obsessive patients in an attempt to reduce obsessive ideation connected with their obsessive fears, doubts and horrific temptations and to reduce or eliminate their compulsive or ritualistic behavior such as handwashing and checking. As a result, three of the five patients were vastly improved and one experienced moderate improvement.

Reference: Kenny, F.T., L. Solyom, and C. Solyom. ‘Faradic Disruption Of Obsessive Ideation In The Treatment Of Obsessive Neurosis’. Behavior Therapy 4.3 (1973): 448-457. Web.

 

Sadistic Fantasies Modified by Aversive Conditioning and Substitution: A Case Study

A case study involving unpleasant electric shocks as the consequence of sadistic fantasies seems to have successfully helped to suppress or extinguish them while incompatible “normal” sex fantasies were strengthened.

Reference: Mees, H. ‘Sadistic Fantasies Modified By Aversive Conditioning And Substitution: A Case Study’. Behaviour Research and Therapy 4.1-2 (1966): 317-320. Web.

 

Electric Shock Selectively and Retroactively Strengthens Your Memory

Here we show, in humans, that information is selectively consolidated if conceptually related information, putatively represented in a common neural substrate, is made salient through an emotional learning experience. Memory for neutral objects was selectively enhanced if other objects from the same category were paired with shock. Retroactive enhancements as a result of emotional learning were observed following a period of consolidation, but were not observed in an immediate memory test or for items strongly encoded before fear conditioning. These findings provide new evidence for a generalized retroactive memory enhancement, whereby inconsequential information can be retroactively credited as relevant, and therefore selectively remembered, if conceptually related information acquires salience in the future.

Reference: Davichi, Lila, and Dunsmoor, Joseph E., and Murty, Vishnu P., and Phelps, Elizabeth A. ‘Emotional learning selectively and retroactively strengthens memories for related events’. Nature (2015). Web.

 

Shock Treatment: 84.2% of Marijuana Smokers Quit & Their Collective IQ Increases By 6%

Twenty-two chronic marijuana smokers participated in a smoking cessation clinical trial. The mean age of the 16 male and 6 female subjects was 29.8 years. The mean number of years of marijuana smoking was 13.7. The mean number of daily marijuana cigarettes smoked was 3.4. The clinical trial consisted of five consecutive days of 50 minute aversion therapy sessions (faradic, rapid smoking, and quick puffing) utilizing THC-free marijuana. Three weekly 60 minute group cohort sessions in self-management counseling followed. The treatment period spanned four weeks. All 22 subjects achieved abstinence (by self-report) by the end of the five days of aversion therapy; 19 of 21 subjects (90.5%) reported abstinence at the conclusion of the clinical trial, following the group sessions. At six months post treatment follow-up 15 of the 20 subjects (75.0%) reported abstinence; at 12 month posttreatment follow-up 16 of the 19 subjects (84.2%) achieved abstinence. The mean number of daily marijuana cigarettes smoked decreased from a baseline pretreatment level of 3.40 to 0 at the conclusion of aversion therapy, .07 at the conclusion of the clinical trial, .26 at six month posttreatment follow-up and .23 at the 12 month posttreatment follow-up. The mean scores on the Shipley Institute of Living Scale, were: IQ 106 and CQ 92 at pretreatment; IQ 112 and CQ 104 at posttreatment. The investigators conclude the treatment procedure offers promise as a marijuana smoking cessation treatment program.

Reference: Knowles, P.L, & Schmeling, G, & Smith, J.W. A marijuana smoking cessation clinical trial utilizingTHC-free marijuana, aversion therapy, and self-management counseling. J Subst Abuse Treat. 1988;5(2):89-98. Web.

 

Subjects lost average of 13 lbs in 9 weeks

Most overweight people will insist they found it easier to quit smoking (or other bad habits), than to lose weight and keep it off.

There are many weight loss methods out there. Some of them —like going to the gym or cutting back on carbs— produce short term results. But over time the pounds come rushing back… doubled.

Following a study (Foyert, Kennedy, 1971) conducted at Florida State University, researchers insist there is a solution with long-lasting results.

The Science: Aversion Conditioning successfully helps 100% of overweight participants lose weight, and maintain weight loss after 48 weeks

In a scientific study (Foyert, Kennedy, 1971), researchers from Florida State University took a group of overweight persons and used aversion conditioning to help them lose weight.

The researchers wanted to observe what would happen when they paired a pleasurable stimulus (the smell of a favorite food) with an unpleasant one (a noxious smell), and how this would affect eating behavior.

Two groups of participants took part in the experiment. All participants were assessed by a physician and defined as “overweight” i.e. at least 10 per cent above their ideal weight.

The first group —the “aversion” group— were made to hold their favorite foods, smell them and imagine eating them. Immediately afterwards, they were made to inhale noxious odors such as pure skunk oil.

The second group —the “control” group— did not undergo aversion conditioning. However, they were part of the Take-Off-Pounds-Responsibly weight reduction club. They attended the weekly meetings regularly and weight loss was an important goal in their life.

The Results: Aversion Conditioning outperforms Willpower by 13X

While weight loss was an important goal for both groups, their results after just 9 weeks of treatment were DRASTICALLY different.

After 9 weeks, the participants who received aversion conditioning had lost an average of 13.33 lbs.

On the other hand, the members of the “control group” who relied purely on willpower, had lost an average of just 1.00 lbs after 9 weeks.

Aversion conditioning proved to be 13X more effective than willpower alone, even for people who had a clear goal of losing weight, and who received support through weekly Take-Off-Pounds-Responsibly weight reduction club meetings.

Results persisted even after 48 weeks

Even more astonishing, after 48 weeks the “aversion” group had maintained their weight loss results, averaging a loss of 9.17lbs.

The control group? After 48 weeks they had gone up 1.33 lbs!

Aversion Therapy vs Obesity Experiment Results Graph
(Foyert, Kennedy, 1971)

References

Foreyt, J. P., & Kennedy, W. A. (1971, 12). Treatment of overweight by aversion therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 9(1), 29-34. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(71)90033-7

Quit biting your nails

About a quarter of college students and 15% of adults bite their nails. While you might make light of the habit, it has serious implications. You’re routinely exposing yourself to germs, you can end up with embarrassing and unsightly fingernails, and you risk permanently damaging your nail beds.

And if you’re a current nail-biter, you might be interested in stopping, but part of what makes this habit hard to beat is its availability – your nails are always within reach!

It’s not like smoking where you need to go to a store and buy a pack of cigarettes, or drinking where you need a glass, instead it’s available all the time — literally at arm’s length. The possibility of a relapse is constantly at your fingertips, and you might not even realize you are biting until you’ve reduced your nail bed to a cuticle stub. So even if you have willpower of steel, it’s hard to stay strong if you don’t even know when you need to be.

Why You Bite Your Nails

betty-the-biter

Nail biting often comes from stress, anxiety or even boredom. And as you start biting your nails more often, your brain learns to react with it in more situations — this is why you can find yourself biting your nails across all situations, from waiting for a job interview to watching television.

Even the experts don’t have an exact reason for why people make and keep this habit. Across individuals’ reasons for biting their nails, there’s a common theme: it gives you something to do. It can be a manifestation of stress, an exertion of nervous energy, or just a way to occupy yourself. Think of how your hands shake when you’re anxious or the way you tap your foot when you’re restless — biting your nails can be seen as an alternate way of expressing this energy.

So while it might seem easy enough to stop, you’ve basically trained your brain to believe that this is a good way to get rid of excess energy. And, as mentioned before, its availability means your brain has all-access to its habit without your conscious consent.

And this is where the benefits of aversion sessions come in. Aversion sessions involve adding a negative association to a routine your brain finds rewarding, essentially reversing the habit its made.

You might have heard of (or even tried) painting your nails with a product designed to make your nails taste bad to discourage you from biting.

It works in a similar way, but the smelly polish needs to be re-applied several times a day, and is recommended to be used over a period of months.

Mild Pavlovian Stimulus Helped 65% of Nail-biters Quit in 4 Days

In a clinical study conducted by UCLA, self-administered, mild Pavlovian stimulus helped the majority of participants stop biting their nails — 45% percent on the first day alone. By day 4, 65% quit. The subjects were given a personal Pavlovian device and were responsible for zapping themselves.

We’ve known the efficiency of aversive conditioning for decades, and yet it couldn’t be taken advantage of. The device used was limited to medical professionals, and was never available to the average consumer.

But Pavlok changes that! Pavlok is a simple wristband with an embedded “one-button” zap system. An app on your phone acts like its remote control — you can adjust the intensity to a level you’re comfortable with.

How to Quit Biting Your Nails in 5 Days with Pavlok

  1. Try it on and try it out. Don’t worry about starting the aversion therapy as soon as you get the wristband. Spend the first day getting acquainted with the device so you’re comfortable using it. Track when and where you bite your nails for the rest of the day — this will help you start being more mindful about your habit and to incorporate Pavlok into the routine later.
  2. Conduct an aversion session. When you first notice yourself biting your nails, give yourself zaps every few seconds for as long as you keep going (which may not be long!). Afterward, continue observing your nail biting habits without zapping, but keep recording when and where it happens. Try to resist these urges as they come.
  3. Start using Pavlok every time you bite your nails. By this point, you’ll probably find that the time you spend biting your nails has been reduced drastically, or that you’re able to resist the temptation altogether.
  4. Track your progress and adjust as needed. If you’ve stopped biting completely, you can choose to zap yourself when you notice an urge. If you slip up, don’t worry — just keep logging your progress to improve mindfulness and remind yourself how far you’ve come!

It can be hard to stop a habit like nail-biting because of how easy it is to do at any moment. And it’s an unconscious habit for most people, which is a reflection of how good your brain is at learning and associating behaviors — use this system to your advantage!

That’s what Nagina did. She had been biting her nails for her entire life, and noticed an immediate improvement after using Pavlok for 2 days.

Pavlovian stimulus aversion sessions help almost everyone quit. It works because it tackles your habit from the inside out, and Pavlok gives you this effective technology in a simple and safe wristband.