How to Use This Script

This script is designed to be read aloud during your coaching session. "You" sometimes addresses you as the coach and sometimes your loved one — just as it would in a natural conversation. Speak it in your own voice; paraphrase where it feels right. Sections in blockquotes are exercises to do together.

You: "Last week we made a great list of positive activities. This week, we're going to try a little experiment."

You: "We're going to pick just one or two of the easiest things from your list and actually schedule them. The trick is to do them even if you don't feel like it at the moment. This is called Behavioral Activation, and it's one of the most evidence-based tools we have for depression. The idea is that action comes before motivation, not after it. We wait to feel like doing something, and the depression wins. We do the thing anyway, and the mood often follows."

You: "Here's the science behind it. Depression is partly maintained by withdrawal and inactivity. When we stop doing things, we stop getting the rewards those things provide — connection, accomplishment, pleasure, meaning. The brain's reward system gets quieter and quieter. Behavioral activation interrupts this cycle by deliberately reintroducing rewarding activities, even in small doses, even when the motivation isn't there."

You: "The key is to start absurdly small. Not 'go to the gym' — 'put on gym shoes.' Not 'call a friend' — 'send a text.' Not 'clean the house' — 'wash one dish.' The goal is not the activity itself. The goal is breaking the inertia. Once the body is in motion, it's easier to stay in motion. Newton's first law applies to mood too."

You: "Your role this week is to be a gentle accountability partner, not a drill sergeant. If they do the activity, celebrate it. If they don't, don't shame them — get curious. What got in the way? Was the activity too big? Was the timing wrong? What would make it easier next time? Every attempt is data, not a grade."

A Second Lens — Compassionate Inquiry:

You: "Here's the question for this week: When they don't follow through on something, what happens in you? Frustration? Hopelessness? The urge to push harder? These reactions are understandable — and they're worth examining, because they shape the environment your loved one is trying to recover in."

CI Exercise: My Response to Their Inaction When [loved one] doesn't follow through, I feel ____________. The story I tell myself is ____________. What they probably need from me in that moment is ____________.

Nervous System Regulation Technique — Movement Break:

You: "This week's technique is the simplest one we'll cover: a two-minute movement break.

Stand up. Shake out your hands. Roll your shoulders. Walk around the room. Do five jumping jacks if you're willing. Anything that moves your body for two minutes.

The mechanism: physical movement increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, releases BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, sometimes called 'Miracle-Gro for the brain'), and shifts the nervous system out of freeze states. Two minutes is enough to measurably change your neurochemistry.

Do this when you're stuck. Do this when you're overwhelmed. Do this when you've been sitting with a difficult conversation and you need to reset. Move first, think second."

Guided Imagery — Between Sessions

The Guided Imagery Studio has a script called The Calm Place — a 10-minute visualization that anchors a felt sense of safety in the body. It's particularly useful during the depressive phase of the cycle, when your loved one's energy is low and the relational atmosphere is heavy. Use it to resource yourself before difficult conversations.

Open Guided Imagery Studio [blocked]

Binaural Beats — Between Sessions

The Alpha Wave Music Studio has focus-state and calm-alertness tracks built around binaural beat frequencies. For supporters managing the cognitive load of mood tracking, schedule maintenance, and relational vigilance, these tracks support sustained attention without the cortisol spike that comes from forcing concentration. Use them during the activity scheduling work itself, or during any task that requires focus you don't currently have.

Open Alpha Wave Music Studio [blocked]

For Clinicians: Binaural beats require stereo headphones — the left and right channels carry different frequencies, and the brain generates the perceived third frequency from the difference. Isochronic tones (a single pulsing tone) do not require headphones and may be preferable for clients with sensory sensitivities, auditory processing differences, or who find stereo headphones activating. Both are available in the Alpha Wave Music Studio.

Go Deeper

Pre-Session Screenings