Theory and varying difficulties of exercises.
Comfort zone expansion (CoZE) was originally conceived by CFAR and is outlined extensively in their handbook. Duncan Sabien has also ported the chapter to LessWrong.
CoZE works by venturing outside of one's comfort zone in small increments, increasing the range by a bit each time. Consistent and deliberate practice over long periods will work, so long as each progression is "mastered" and there is deliberateness in going to the next progression.
The CoZE algorithm is as follows:
- Choose an experience that you'd like to explore
- Something that's outside of the set of things you usually do
- Something you normally feel somewhat blocked from doing
- Something you think could be a positive or freeing or enjoyable new experience—something with a yum factor
- Prepare to accept all worlds
- Concretely visualize a future in which you still do not partake of this particular experience, and trust that if you choose this world, it's because you have good reasons not to
- Concretely visualize a future in which you feel free to partake of this particular experience, and trust that if you choose this world, it's because it's a world in which that's okay
- Make sure that both worlds feel comfortable and possible. If they don't, stop; you’re not properly oriented for CoZE.
- Devise an experiment
- Think of a small, safe way to engage with the experience—something that will allow you to "taste" it without locking you into anything or throwing you off-balance
- Actually try it
- Check whether your experiment requires the help of other people or the creation of a special space
- Pay close attention to your internal experience—how are you reacting? What's going on with your body and your emotions?
- Pay close attention to external reality—what's happening, as a result? What are the consequences of your actions and experiences?
- Digest the experience
- Find a space to rest and relax, whether physical, mental, or both
- Notice your feelings, and compare them to your original model of what this experience would mean or be like
- Decide whether to continue/try again, or stop, taking extra care to ensure that you aren't forcing yourself into anything
- Avoid overthinking—this is System 1's game, not System 2's
CoZE is the name in CFAR-related circles, whereas exposure therapy is the more generic name for this technique.
From Social Mishap Exposures for Social Anxiety Disorder: An Important Treatment Ingredient:
These avoidance tendencies, in turn, prevent patients from critically evaluating their feared outcomes and other catastrophic beliefs, leading to the maintenance and further exacerbation of the problem. Social mishap exposures directly target the patients’ exaggerated social cost by helping patients confront and experience the actual consequences of such mishaps without using any avoidance strategies.
the goal of the social mishap exposures is to purposely violate the patient’s perceived social norms and standards in order to break the self-reinforcing cycle of fearful anticipation and subsequent use of avoidance strategies. Patients are asked to intentionally create the feared negative consequences of a feared social situation. As a result, patients are forced to reevaluate the perceived threat of a social situation after experiencing that social mishaps do not lead to the feared long-lasting, irreversible, and negative consequences.
It is essential that patients refrain from avoidance or safety behaviors, such as apologizing, or any other behavior that might lessen the patients’ anxiety in the situation
Exercises are focused on social interactions and split into easy, medium, and hard, with each section being very, very roughly sub-ordered (i.e., the easy section goes from very-easy to less-easy, but still not medium) by my opinion of both what I find/have found difficult to do and what I think others have difficulty doing. Exercises directly involving people can be made more difficult by having the person be more attractive or higher status.
Building both volume and diversity within an individual exercise can help to master it. Mastery is achieved when there is little to no hesitation performing the exercise.
Some exercises are borrowed. Sources are linked accordingly.