Swish technique

You have already learned the standard Swish in the lesson you just read. We will revisit this link. Additionally, we will introduce you to two more types of Swish: the Design Swish and the Strategy Swish.

The standard Swish is the main variant of the Swish techniques. A visual problem image is quickly replaced by a visual goal image. The problem image shows what the client sees when the unwanted behavior begins, such as nail-biting or reaching for a cigarette. The goal image shows the client how they are free from the compulsion – that is, the state in which the desired behavioral change has already occurred.

The client first sees the problem image (Image No. 1) in normal size and brightness. They should see exactly what they see when the compulsive automatism begins. In the lower corner of this image, the positive self-image is inserted in a smaller and darker form. The actual Swish is a lightning-fast change of the two images: Image No. 1 becomes smaller and darker, while Image No. 2 becomes larger and brighter. This shifts the attention away from the old image and onto the new one.

The connection between the two images is created by the two simultaneous changes. The use of the visual sub-properties of size and brightness is successful with many clients.

A well-known variant of the Swish technique is the Design Swish. Unlike the standard Swish, the problem image is not just any visual representation, but exactly the one that is part of the strategy leading to the compulsive behavior. One explores the inner image that immediately precedes the unwanted behavior.

It is about exploring a trigger image that leads to the strategy that needs to be changed. This trigger image is contrasted with a positive self-image and swished. The goal of this technique is to interrupt the automatic construction of the inner image that leads to the behavior and replace it with a positive self-image.

Another variant of the Swish technique is the Strategy Swish. A strategy is a sequence of representations, for example, from a visual to a kinesthetic one. This can be understood as a natural Swish because attention quickly shifts from one representation to another. For a Strategy Swish, a critical strategy element must be known that always occurs in the unwanted strategy. If it is known, the client can be swished out of this strategy.