
Mari’s Philosophy for the Last 30 Years
At 14 years old I had my first cigarette, I was instantly addicted and within a couple of years, I knew I wanted to stop smoking. I had hundreds of failed attempts until 15 years later when I found the method that I teach today. I went to the first class and I knew immediately that it was different. Every time I tried to stop smoking in the past, I was miserable. I did not believe the ads that I’d seen for this class that said, “you can stop smoking and feel good about it while you are doing it”, but I found out that it was true.
Not only was I able to successfully stop smoking but I’ve used the techniques that I have learned to avoid transferring my addiction to other substances or behaviors so I can live free of the confines of compulsion. Today, I help others do the same.
Contrary to popular belief, freedom from a compulsive behavior doesn’t require years of therapy or a lifetime of meetings. When a compulsive desire is directly addressed, neural pathways can be changed, and freedom from the compulsive behavior can be achieved in a relatively short period of time.
Old traumas can contribute to the manifestation of compulsive behaviors, however, compulsive desire will not cease to exist by recognizing and therapeutically processing old traumas. The neural pathways of compulsive desire that connect to acting on the desire need to be addressed directly and changed.
Compulsive behavior can also have a numbing effect on the therapeutic process. The powerful, persistent desire to engage in the behavior can become all consuming and people remain in the hamster wheel. Once a compulsive behavior is stopped, therapy can be much more helpful and productive.
It is often recommended that people with compulsive behaviors be treated for stress and depression, however, being trapped in a compulsive behavior generally causes stress and depression, not the other way around. People are stressed and depressed because they are stuck in destructive behavior and don’t know how to stop. When they change neural pathways and stop the compulsive behavior, the stress and depression is alleviated in many cases.
With the tools provided in the Beyond Compulsion program, people are able to tap into the actual neural pathway of compulsive desire and create a new outcome, efficiently facilitating health, happiness, and peace of mind.
Some topics included in the Beyond Compulsion intensive series classes:
Deprivation—A State of Mind, Not a Physical Reality
Willpower— How it Works Against You
The Dilemma— Opposing Desires That Refuse to Be Ignored
Thinking, Feelings, Actions— Changing Neural Pathways
Compulsive vs. Spontaneous— The Drive Behind the Desire
Intermittent Reinforcement—Strengthening the Desire
Identifying the Players—The Rational Self, The Child Self, & The Addictive Part of the Mind
Mental Strategy— Positioning for Success
The Tornado—Stopping the Helplessness Spin
Substitutions & Distractions—Detour to Disaster
Withdrawal—What to Expect
Tactics, Ploys, & Deceptions—The Addictive Part of the Mind Revealed

More Insight Into Mari’s Philosophy
Mari’s film, 7 Misconceptions About the Obesity Epidemic, offers a fresh perspective on an issue that negatively affects our society on many levels. Watch it here:
Mari’s book, Beyond Food Compulsion, is a comprehensive manual on how to stop eating compulsively. This book is meant to supplement the Beyond Compulsion program, which the author (Mari Paulus) adapts to help people with all types of addictive behaviors, including food, gambling, smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs, spending, gaming, internet, and exercise.