JARGON BUSTER 'U'

UNDETECTABLE - HIV medication (antiretroviral treatment, or ART) works by reducing the amount of the virus in the blood to undetectable levels. This means the levels of HIV are so low that the virus cannot be passed on. This is called having an undetectable viral load or being undetectable.

URGE - An urge is the drive or impulses that impel us to act. Typically, an intense physical or emotional experience occurs before an urge develops, often creating a craving that an urge will seek to satisfy. In Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, urges are something that we don’t generally have control over and are unavoidable in nature. Urges also generally last no more than 30 minutes if an urge isn’t ‘fed’ further (meaning thoughts, feelings, or other vulnerabilities that intensify the urge).

URGE SURFING - The basic idea behind urge surfing is to approach the sensation of urges or cravings in a non-judgmental and mindful way. Originally developed for a more specialised skill in coping with substance abuse issues, it has also been used for other types of problematic behaviours such as self-harming, overeating, smoking, etc. The principle behind urge surfing advocates that resisting or fighting an urge is ineffective as its nature is unavoidable. Instead, it seeks to visualise urges as a wave or water that we can’t control. Instead of fighting this wave or waterfall, we can observe the rushing water or ride out the wave as it comes and goes.