Opposite Action Worksheet
When counteracting action should be specifically prepared and not just understood.
Apply the individual steps of Opposite Action in writing to a specific emotion and situation.
When does this fit?
When Opposite Action needs to be worked out not just as an idea, but as a planned change in behavior.
Priority in the path
This node fits early in the path when anger or irritation or strong emotional activation are in the foreground.
What this is about
The most important column on this worksheet is the one tracking whether opposite action was done 'all the way' — not halfway. Halfway opposite actions do not change the emotion. The worksheet asks for a before-and-after emotion intensity rating (0–100): if the rating did not decrease, the first diagnostic question is whether the action was truly opposite and truly complete, or whether it was partial. A second common issue is completing the worksheet after the fact without having actually practiced — the worksheet records practice, it does not substitute for it.
Step by step
Work through the steps at your own pace. For written exercises, you can use paper or a notebook.
- Name the emotion and check whether its intensity and duration fit the facts.
- Record the action urge. Would following it be effective in this situation?
- If the emotion does not fit the facts or acting on it would be ineffective, identify a suitable opposite action. Check the facts before approaching a feared situation.
- Carry out the opposite action fully, including posture and expression.
- Repeat it and observe changes in the emotion.
Explore and apply
These nodes are the next meaningful continuation when you want to move on from the current concept.
Sources and references
Show where this node comes from and how source-near or practice-near it is.