αἰχμαλωσία
Aichmalotia
Captivity — when the pattern runs on autopilot
The final stage of the temptation sequence. You are no longer deciding to engage the pattern. The pattern is running itself.
Aichmalotia is when anger becomes the default mode, when craving fires before conscious thought, when restlessness is simply who you are in a given hour. The person in captivity doesn't choose the pattern — the pattern chooses on their behalf.
It is not permanent. The tradition teaches that even deeply entrenched habits can be transformed through sustained watchfulness, prayer, and the practice of the corresponding antidote. But the work is harder and slower than catching the thought at earlier stages — which is exactly why the tradition places such emphasis on early intervention. The time to stop the river is before it becomes a flood.