Lets use the example of a person experiencing a strong need for validation to illustrate the Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination.
1. Ignorance (avijja): The person lacks understanding of the true nature of reality, including the idea that seeking validation from external sources can never fully satisfy their innermost needs.
2. Mental formations (sankhara): Due to ignorance, the person has formed habitual patterns of seeking validation from others to feel good about themselves.
3. Consciousness (viññana): The persons consciousness is conditioned by these mental formations, leading them to believe that validation from others is necessary for their emotional well-being.
4. Name and form (nama-rupa): The persons body and mind (psychophysical constituents) manifest in a way that is susceptible to seeking validation from external sources.
5. The six sense bases (salayatana): The persons sense organs (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind) interact with the external world.
6. Contact (phassa): The person encounters a situation or stimulus (e.g., a project at work) where they can seek validation from others.
7. Feeling (vedana): The person experiences a feeling of inadequacy and a desire for validation as a result of the contact with the situation.
8. Craving (tanha): The person develops a strong desire for validation to relieve their feelings of inadequacy.
9. Clinging (upadana): The persons attachment to their need for validation intensifies, leading them to seek it out even more.
10. Becoming (bhava): This clinging to the need for validation reinforces the persons habitual patterns and karmic tendencies, perpetuating the cycle of seeking validation.
11. Birth (jati): The need for validation manifests in the form of seeking praise and recognition from others, reinforcing the cycle of mental formations and karmic consequences.
12. Old age and death (jara-marana): If unaddressed, the persons need for validation can lead to physical, mental, and emotional suffering and perpetuate negative consequences in future situations or even future lives.
In this example, we can see how the Twelve Nidanas apply to the arising and perpetuation of the need for validation. By recognizing the interdependence of the Twelve Links and understanding the nature of seeking validation, a person can cultivate mindfulness and work towards breaking the cycle of seeking validation, leading to greater self-acceptance and inner peace.

How to break cycle at each point:

To break the cycle of seeking validation at each point, we can take the following steps:

1. Ignorance (avijja): Develop an understanding of the true nature of reality, and cultivate mindfulness to recognize that seeking validation from external sources can never fully satisfy our innermost needs. Practice understanding that happiness and contentment come from within.

2. Mental formations (sankhara): Through mindfulness practice and insight, we can recognize our habitual patterns of seeking validation and work to break these patterns. Instead, focus on cultivating positive intentions and virtuous actions in order to shape our future experiences.

3. Consciousness (viññana): By being aware of the conditioning of our mind towards seeking validation, we can begin to retrain our mind through focused attention on our inner states and the mindfulness meditation.

4. Name and form (nama-rupa): Practice mindfulness in order to recognize the physical and mental elements that make up our being. By gaining awareness of the ways in which we associate validation with our bodies and minds, we can begin to disengage from this identification.

5. The six sense bases (salayatana): Engage in a regular practice of sensory restraint to reduce the temptation to seek validation through the senses. Cultivate mindfulness of the senses and their input, reducing the potential for craving and attachment.

6. Contact (phassa): Practice mindfulness and awareness in order to recognize situations where validation-seeking patterns may arise. By noticing these situations and avoiding them when possible, we weaken the cycle of seeking validation.

7. Feeling (vedana): Use mindfulness to recognize negative feelings like insecurity or doubt, and work to address them directly rather than seeking validation. By acknowledging and accepting these feelings, we can reduce the need for external validation.

8. Craving (tanha): Practice mindfulness of craving in order to reduce its influence on our behavior. Engage in focused attention and other practices aimed at reducing our fixation on external sources of validation.

9. Clinging (upadana): Develop mindfulness of our attachment and work to disengage from it. Recognize how the need for validation reinforces negative patterns, and cultivate self-respect and self-confidence in order to reduce the need for validation.

10. Becoming (bhava): Use mindfulness to recognize and avoid situations that reinforce the cycle of seeking validation. By recognizing and resisting these patterns, we can break the cycle and cultivate new, healthier patterns of behavior.

11. Birth (jati): Engage in a regular practice of self-reflection and self-awareness to recognize how our need for validation manifests in our lives. By understanding these patterns, we can work to break them and cultivate more self-compassion and self-acceptance.

12. Old age and death (jara-marana): By breaking the cycle of seeking validation, we can reduce the potential for suffering in our lives and alleviate negative consequences in future situations. Ultimately, by recognizing and addressing our need for validation, we can cultivate greater self-awareness, inner peace, and well-being.