What does it mean that pattern interruption?

Deliberately breaking a pattern at the trigger point creates space for new behavior.

Example: Every time your manager gives critical feedback, you go quiet, withdraw, and spend the next hour replaying the conversation. You've done this for years. The pattern runs: criticism -> emotional spike -> withdrawal -> rumination. One day you catch the trigger — criticism arrives — and instead of withdrawing, you say 'I want to make sure I understand — can you walk me through the specific concern?' The entire behavioral chain collapses. Not because you resolved the emotion, but because you inserted a different action at the trigger point.

Try this: Identify one automatic behavioral pattern you want to change. Map its chain: trigger -> response -> consequence. Tomorrow, when the trigger fires, execute a pre-planned competing response instead. It doesn't need to be perfect — it just needs to be different. Write down what happened. The goal isn't to suppress the pattern. The goal is to prove to yourself that the trigger and the response are not welded together.