Generally, at some point in the treatment of persons with addiction, there is usually some discussion focused on identifying and examining the root of the addictive disease, or what might have triggered its onset.

For instance, counselors might be interested in whether the client has a family history of addiction. Perhaps the client has experienced some type of traumatic event that may have triggered addictive behaviors. These are things that are usually taken into consideration when determining the best course of treatment for each client.

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) looks at the problem quite differently, in that the focus is not on understanding why a person is addicted. Rather, NLP concentrates on how the mind works, and what needs to happen in order to eliminate the problem.

According to NLP co-creator, Dr. Richard Bandler, NLP is based upon “what works.” In his new book, Get the Life You Want: Neuro-LinguisticProgramming for Everyone, he states, “If a few good therapists ‘fixed anybody, I looked at what they actually did. When people got over the problems on their own, I looked at what happened.”

In the early 1970s, Bandler, a student at University of California, Santa Cruz, was leading a Gestalt Therapy Group when he met John Grinder, a linguist. Together, they developed a therapeutic model, which they called the “meta-model”, the foundation for what is known as NLP. Bandler credits many of the techniques he still uses today in his neuro-hypnosis, to the successful works of veteran psychotherapists, such as Virginia Satir, Fritz Perls and Milton H. Erikson. With NLP, Bandler and Grinder wanted to identify and model these successful protocols.

The NLP training model focuses not on the causal event, but instead, provides the tools to deal with the problem in the future, and alter the way the brain functions. According to Bandler, he looks at the way the brain is functioning during an episode (whether it be a fear or craving), and then he “hacks into the brain” to change the way it functions.

Three NLP techniques used by Bandler in his work with persons who have phobias and addictions include:
1. Fast Phobia Disassociation: This involves confronting the trauma and changing the way the brain processes the images.
2. Spinning: This is used to overcome any overwhelming feelings (fears or cravings) and the effects they have on the body and brain. For instance, these feelings start in the pit of the stomach and move upwards through the body, eventually overwhelming the individual, which may result in a panic attack or other negative manifestation. By visualizing these feelings, and then changing the way they are visualized, different chemicals are produced in the body, thereby altering the neuro-networks in the brain and giving the person “a sense of control” over these fears or cravings.
3. Hypnosis: In some instances, the brain has been “overprotective” of the individual, resulting in panic attacks. Once the person is in a state of relaxation, the unconscious can be instructed to reprogram itself.

NLP techniques have been embraced by many therapists and self-help gurus, to help people recover from past trauma and move toward a more fulfilling future.

Richard Bandler continues to develop new human change technologies and conducts NLP workshops and training seminars internationally.

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Souzoneka9  - club-merry-resourceful.ru   |89.108.84.xxx |2009-06-12 00:05:04 Character problem. empty comment Reply 0   0

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