At the foundation of our cognitive behavioral training courses are techniques and tools that enable permanent healthy behavioral change—one of these tools is the "Number One Benefit."
The Number One Benefit
Throughout our system we offer courses and content that provide the user with information pertinent to their health and lifestyle goals. A person who is given the information on the importance of hydration may realize they are chronically, moderately dehydrated; they may then make a point of pouring a glass of water every hour. This is simple: information and knowledge lead to a new action that can quickly become a healthy habit. But other lifestyle issues—like smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and eating in unhealthy patterns—require more than mere information.
Despite the known risks of these behaviors (and in some cases, despite the health problems and other real-life issues that have already become apparent), many people struggle terribly in making the positive changes they want. This is, in large part, because unhealthy addictive behaviors are driven by a repeated subconscious cycle of negative thoughts and beliefs that creates an emotional sense of need around the behavior. To facilitate long-term positive behavioral change in these cases, it is necessary to consciously interrupt the underlying subconscious process.
When conscious interference into the subconscious process is achieved in our courses, users are able to recreate the thoughts, beliefs, and the resulting emotions regarding their unhealthy behavior so that the false sense of need—and the grip of the addiction—is eliminated.
We have numerous tools and techniques that cooperate towards the ultimate goal of retraining the user’s brain, one of which is called “the Number One Benefit.”
The Number One Benefit contributes to two important objectives:
- It enhances the sense of personalization in the course experience.
- It promotes the development of a powerful and sustainable source of motivation.
Identifying the Number One Benefit
The Number One Benefit is crafted incrementally. Early in the courses, users list multiple reasons for wanting to change an unhealthy behavior—these reasons may be vaguely stated at first, and some will ring with more significance than others. The process eventually leads to the selection of the singular most important and inspiring reason—this is the “the Number One Benefit.” This benefit is then deliberately put in contrast with what we call “the Consequences” of the unhealthy behavior; a clear juxtaposition emerges that allows the user to understand—intellectually and emotionally—a very real cost of their current behavior.
As a user progresses through the course, they are continually prompted to recall, hone, and clarify their Number One Benefit. It is referred to in assignments, in session segments, in email communications, and it appears on the course homepage as a constant reminder:
Perhaps most essentially, the Number One Benefit plays a role in the Key to Success Cards; many cards prompt the user to recall their Number One Benefit as part of the brain-retraining content of the cards:
In Summary
By repeatedly recalling the Number One Benefit—particularly in the circumstantial triggers that occur on a regular basis—the subconscious thought patterns that drive addiction are interrupted and brought to consciousness as a renewed sense of choice surfaces: the choice between the benefits of a new, healthy lifestyle versus the consequences of the addictive behavior.
