Treating PTSD: Neuro-Linguistic Programming
Monday, July 13th, 2009 • Uncategorized •
I’m on the 6th floor of a high-rise hotel in the middle of Orlando. From my room I can see the panoramic skyline of hotels, ferris wheels, flashing lights of amusement attractions and, oh yes, the ubiquitous IHOP.
Not that I’m seeing all that much of Orlando at all. While I did get over to Universal Studios to go to the Latin Quarter night club Saturday night (because everyone studying all day should salsa at night!), the rest of the day and evening I’m in training to become certified in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
Convenient to this month’s BRIDGE THE GAP topic of changing perceptions, NLP is all about changing perceptions. In a later post I’ll get into breaking down the nitty-gritty of NLP. For now, I’m going to post Things To Think About. The following list has been compiled from the past 2 days of training. I’m learning from Richard Bandler himself, the co-founder of NLP. Everything I’m posting here comes directly from his thoughts, ideas, methods and philosophy. Text in italics is my own commentary.
- Humans are born with only 2 natural fears: 1) loud noises, 2) falling. Which means all other fears are learned. In some cases (i.e. PTSD) we learn them very well. NLP teaches us to recognize how we’ve patterned and habituated fears and then helps us form a strategy to eliminate and replace those beliefs and change behavior.
- NLP is the study of successful behaviors. We learn to discover the part of the brain that knows how to do the negative behaviors and then engage the part of the mind that knows how to do more positive things.
- It’s not about what’s wrong with you, it’s about how you function.
- “Whenever you have perceptions that aren’t serving you they need to be changed.” This is what NLP is all about. PTSD is all about perceptions we hold that aren’t serving us. Healing is all about manufacturing change.
- “If you can think of the state you can access the state.” Meaning, if you can imagine a good feeling you can absolutely access that feeling. For PTSD this becomes very relevant in helping us out of the negative emotions and memories into the state of mind of more positive experiences. Healing comes from this.
- NLP is about discovering what negative beliefs we hold and then learning to manufacture new positive beliefs to replace them.
- When we access different internal states we create new neural pathways; this causes behavioral change.
- The brain learns by patterning. Visualizing. Seeing things go by fast.
- Behavior change comes from curiosity + determination + impatience.
What I love about NLP and think is so powerful is that it is a system that teaches us to change our perceptions using techniques that actually stick and work. It is a process that allows us to tap our own power to make change and to make it as we choose. It also has the advantage of being a technique we can learn to do ourselves. My own healing included NLP, so I know first-hand how powerful a method it can be.
Curious now? Click here to see Richard Bandler Explain NLP. And then stay tuned….
Tags: Changing Unhealthy Perceptions, neurlinguistic programming, NLP, posttraumatic stress, ptsd, richard bandler
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I’ve heard about NLP before, but haven’t experienced it as treatment.
Congrats to you on taking this path, how wonderful that you’ll be able to help other people with PTSD professionally!
Which means all other fears are learned. In some cases (i.e. PTSD) we learn them very well… this was the biggest thing for me in my recovery – realising that my PTSD was a learned response, a messed up protection mechanism gone awry. Once I saw it like that, I began to make ground in getting better, much faster than before.
Instead of changing one belief for another you could also just throw the belief away. We are not born with quotas tht have to be maintained…
@Svasti — That moment of recognizing my own complicity in my fear was the turning point for my healing too! Funny what a little perceptual shift can do!
@Mike – Absolutely true and a great point so we don’t feel constrained. I think throwing away the belief can be very powerful and is sometimes the best way to go. But I’m also learning here about keeping the integrity of the individual’s ecological system and so sometimes keeping the belief but changing the strategy is more appropriate. Saw a great example of that in action yesterday.
“But I’m also learning here about keeping the integrity of the individual’s ecological system and so sometimes keeping the belief but changing the strategy is more appropriate”
Indeed! I’m learning something similar too. I’m slowly building one after nuking the old one….