Generate a solution analysis for the most accessible intervention point
For your chosen intervention point, brainstorm and commit to one specific alternative.
Key takeaways
- What it is: For your chosen intervention point, brainstorm and commit to one specific alternative.
- Why it works: A chain analysis without a solution analysis is a diagnosis without a prescription. The solution analysis converts the identified intervention point into a pre-planned response by brainstorming alternatives, evaluating their feasibility, and committing to one specific action. The pre-planning matters because under moderate arousal the alternatives may not be visible — they need to be accessible as a prepared response, not generated on the spot.
- Evidence: Established clinical or therapeutic practice.
- Avoid: Generating a long list of alternatives without choosing one, which leaves the intervention point populated with options rather than a committed response — and options don’t fire automatically under arousal.
Why it works
A chain analysis without a solution analysis is a diagnosis without a prescription. The solution analysis converts the identified intervention point into a pre-planned response by brainstorming alternatives, evaluating their feasibility, and committing to one specific action. The pre-planning matters because under moderate arousal the alternatives may not be visible — they need to be accessible as a prepared response, not generated on the spot.
How to do it
- 1Pick the single most accessible intervention point from the chain.
- 2Brainstorm at least three alternative actions you could take at that moment.
- 3Choose the one that is most feasible given your typical state at that point in the chain.
- 4Write it as an if-then plan: "If I notice [link state], I will [alternative action]."
What the evidence says
Clinical practiceSolution analysis in DBT applies the same implementation-intention logic supported in behavioral science: pre-committed if-then plans outperform in-the-moment decisions under stress. The combination of chain analysis and solution planning is standard DBT treatment structure.
Honest caveat: The implementation-intention evidence is well established; its integration with chain analysis is DBT clinical practice rather than a separately trialed design.
- — Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006), implementation intentions, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
Common mistake
Generating a long list of alternatives without choosing one, which leaves the intervention point populated with options rather than a committed response — and options don’t fire automatically under arousal.
IX Coach runs the solution analysis alongside the chain analysis, commits you to a single if-then response, and stores it as a prepared plan for the next time the same trigger arises.
Practice this with IX Coach →