Sometimes there are behaviors that we continue to tolerate because we feel that, at some point, they will bear fruit and we will reap the rewards of our efforts.

We are left with a dysfunctional relationship because the other person may change once they see the error of their ways, or the work will improve once I get the recognition I deserve, or I will lose weight tomorrow, there is no rush.

Then one day we wake up and we’ve had enough, we can’t take it anymore and we make the change we realize we should have made a long time ago. When that happens, our beliefs change and we are no longer able to tolerate the old behavior, it just isn’t us anymore.

The Compulsion Blowout pattern speeds up the process, and instead of waiting for an indeterminate point in the future when the situation has become intolerable, changes are made to the current representation to make the change now.

1. Establish compulsive and non-compulsive behaviors
   Identify the behavior/belief that needs to be changed and a second behavior/belief that is similar but without the obsessive element. For example, a person addicted to Chocolate will have a compulsive attitude towards it, but not towards Toffee. A person in a dysfunctional relationship will be obsessed with that person (enough to not change) but not with the postman/butcher/co-worker etc. In this step, you are looking for 2 similar and related bulbs that have different levels of connection to the client. One ultimately destructive and the other neutral.
2. Compare submodalities
   The internal representations of the 2 targets identified in step 1 should be compared at the submodality level to identify differences and similarities. The idea is to identify the driving submodalities that make a neutral object obsessive. Finding the difference in representational qualities will allow you to identify the key differentiators (and thus the driving submodalities), allowing you to modify the emotional intensity related to the behavior/belief. An easy way to check the accuracy of your inferences is to make minor modifications to the rendering qualities, eg closer/further, brighter/dimmer, etc. As you do this, ask the client to tell you how they feel about the compulsive behavior, notice that the intensity of the emotion increases/decreases accordingly.
3. Improving submodalities of driving to failure
   Take the representations of the driving submodality (eg, size, color, smell, taste, location, etc.) and increase the intensity so that it becomes a stronger compulsion for the client. Continue to increase the power of the until it can no longer be sustained and the experience cannot exist. The client is likely to find that the compulsion for the behavior increases dramatically until it finally collapses in on itself. Like a balloon filled with too much air, it eventually becomes unsustainable and bursts, the same goes for compulsive behavior.
4. Test and future pace
   Have the client think about the behavior and notice the change in their reaction. If you still have obsessive feelings, go back and find more driving submodalities and do the blasting process.
5. Create a new witty self-image
   Use the Swish pattern to create a new image of yourself that is devoid of old compulsive behavior. This also gives you the opportunity to tone down the old emotional connection while installing new positive behaviors.