Emotionally focused therapy / EFT-A05-5
Slowing the Cycle — Review journal
Review an attempt at slowing the cycle and choose what to keep, change, or leave aside.
10 minutes · Journal prompts · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Alex and Sam notice faster speech before a discussion about chores escalates.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A pause can create room to notice the cycle before escalating it.
Before looking back
Choose one ordinary attempt or decide to review the fictional example instead. This journal has no scores, required disclosure, or expectation of progress.
Revisit the practice
Identify an early sign of an ordinary loop and agree on a pause with a clear return plan.
Notice context and impact
Record what actually happened, including an unhelpful or neutral outcome. Note resources, power differences, accessibility, and changed conditions rather than attributing everything to personal effort.
Choose a revision
What would make a pause feel like care rather than disappearance? Keep the approach, change one part, ask for support, or set it aside. A mismatch is useful information.
Prompts for this resource
- What I tried, or what happened in the fictional example:
- What I noticed before, during, and after; what remains uncertain:
- What helped, did not help, or was outside my control:
- What would make a pause feel like care rather than disappearance? My optional adjustment or support request:
Conceptual background
What is EFT? — International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.