bythemethod.com blog

There have been many models of change over the years and they all seem to offer something different. More recently a model has come to the fore known as TTM or Transtheoretical Model. It’s used in the treatment of addiction. This model offers us a way that anyone can use to make changes in their life.

There are five stages in this model of change.

• Pre-contemplation - the first stage is where you don’t see any need to change.
• Contemplation - this is the stage where you start to see that the benefits of changing are greater than the problems of changing.
• Preparation - this is where the choice to change has been made and plans are prepared to make the change (e.g. goal setting etc)
• Action - this is where you put the plan into action
• Maintenance - the stage where the change is fully incorporated into your lifestyle and so becomes a normal part of your life.

Some add another step of Termination just to make the point that the change has become the normal.

I have great respect for psychologists and this model is very helpful but I can’t help but feel it’s the same stages that Christians and others have been telling us about for centuries. Still it’s always nice to see these things confirmed by science.

What use is this to you?

Well the important thing for us is to recognise where you are in the five stages.

If you are trying to set goals but are in the pre-contemplation or even the contemplation stage then there is no way you will succeed.

If you are stuck in the pre-contemplation stage then you need to keep exploring why you think the change is important. If you are only interested because others tell you its important then you may not want to change and so will find it very hard to get started.

When you have reached the contemplation stage then you need to write down the pros and cons until you have many more pros that cons. Keep this information because you may need some help when the going gets tough.

Once you enter the preparation stage you need to keep going through into the action stage. Preparation without action is time wasted.

Then you need to make your change part of your every day life - not just something you do for a while.

What if I stop and the change does not take?

It’s not unusual for people to slip back in the system and end up in the contemplation or even pre-contemplation phase again. Don’t despair but keep working at the change. It can take a long time to change something that has become a normal part of your life.

How can I make sure I don’t slip back?

You need to make changes in your life to make sure the new way becomes the normal way. This might involve making some big changes in your life. You may need to rethink what you do in the evenings and the people you associate with for instance. The changes won’t take if you continue to live the same way you always have.

Your life now was once a change

You were not born the way you are now. Everything about your life and the way you live now was once a change. You have done it before and you can do it again. But you won’t do it unless you have a clear desire to change and this comes through the initial stages.

On other occasions we will explore this more fully.