Impulse Control Disorder: What to Do When Your Impulsiveness is Getting You Into Trouble

Impulse-Control Disorders (ICD) impact a growing number of Americans. These disorders, also referred to as behavioral addictions, generally involve an uncontrollable urge to engage in behavior that gives a short-term feeling of pleasure or excitement, and may include:

• Shoplifting



• Sexual addictions



• Fire setting



• Gambling



• Eating

Many others may also struggle with acting impulsively simply because they want to take advantage of something pleasurable in the moment.

"Any strong feeling we don´t release can cause us to react impulsively instead of act proactively," says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training at Sedona Training Associates.

While we all have a bit of impulsiveness built in from our ancestors (who had to take advantage of food sources while they could), in modern times waiting for a reward is generally a better predictor of success. Still, the underlying feelings that drive impulsivity can be strong and commonly include:

• The lust for more and for different experience



• The feeling of incompleteness that we try to fill



• The fear of living life fully and wanting to escape instead



• The feeling of wanting to lose control



• The feeling that if we have more or win we will finally be OK

The problem with impulsiveness is that it involves acting before thinking, which can get you into trouble financially, mentally, physically or even criminally. Whether you´re struggling with an impulsive desire to shop, eat, have sex, drink, gamble or engage in any other activity that will sabotage your life over time, the solution is the same.

"First, be easy on yourself. When you act impulsively you tend to judge yourself and beat yourself up for doing it, which simply causes you to feel worse and do it more," Dwoskin says. "Next, know that no matter how many times you have acted compulsively in the past, you can let go the feelings that are motivating this behavior now."


Letting go of your urges for self-sabotaging impulsive behaviors is well within your reach when you use The Sedona Method. This do-it-yourself tool will show you how to tap into your inner ability to release impulsive urges on the spot.

"Let go of the feelings of compulsion as best you can," Dwoskin says. "As you let go of the feelings, you´ll find the behavior changing as well."