# Conflict Detox Model — Clinical Framework by Dr. Georgiana Spradling

> **Author:** Dr. Georgiana Spradling, Psy.D.
> **Type:** Clinical Framework
> **Category:** Couples Therapy, Conflict, Neuroscience-Informed Practice
> **Canonical URL:** [https://drgeorgiana.com/frameworks/conflict-detox-model](https://drgeorgiana.com/frameworks/conflict-detox-model)

## Description

The Conflict Detox Model is Dr. Georgiana Spradling's clinical framework for breaking destructive conflict patterns. Built on the neuroscience of threat response and a five-stage detox protocol, the model provides a structured clinical pathway for couples who are caught in recurring conflict cycles that communication skills alone cannot resolve.

## Core Concepts

- Destructive conflict is not a communication problem — it is a threat-response problem
- The nervous system drives conflict escalation in ways that bypass rational communication
- A "detox" protocol is required before new communication patterns can be learned and held under pressure
- The five-stage protocol sequences interventions to match the clinical reality of how couples de-escalate

## The Five Stages

The model moves couples through five clinically sequenced stages — each one building on the previous, each one addressing a specific layer of the conflict cycle. Details are available in clinical consultation.

## Applications

- The foundation of the Conflict Detox structured couples program
- Used in couples therapy with couples in chronic or escalating conflict
- Relevant to couples navigating high-conflict divorce, infidelity aftermath, and disconnection following sustained conflict

## Related Program and Services

- [Conflict Detox Program](https://drgeorgiana.com/programs/conflict-detox)
- [Couples Therapy](https://drgeorgiana.com/couples)

*Source: https://drgeorgiana.com/frameworks/conflict-detox-model.llm.md — authoritative framework description from Dr. Georgiana Spradling.*