The NLP double dissociation technique (or 'rewind method') for reducing traumatic memories

Intense anxiety and phobias can be a very debilitating state for many people and can be a real hell on earth for those suffering from these conditions. Trauma from the past, or Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome as it is now widely known, can deeply affect a persons quality of life. However, some breakthroughs have been made in these areas and we now have a technique that allows us to diminish these often intense and overwhelming experiences in one session. The technique that we will learn here is known as 'the rewind technique' but it is also known as 'the visual/kinasthetic dissociation method'. The technique has it's roots in neuro-linguistic programming orignated in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder and has stood the therapeutic test of time.

Recently the European Therapeutic Studies Institute did some research with this technique and found that it actually worked better if the receivng subject was in a deeply relaxed state. The re-imprinting that occured worked more smoothly and had more consistency than when performed in an ordinary state of consciousness. The research also showed that most people only needed one session with a few people needing to repeat it on a second and subsequent session soo after the first for optimum results.

Firstly ask the client to imagine that a large TV set with DVd player is in front of them, this will be easy for the majority of people. Now ask the person to imagine floating out of their body and move just off to oneside of themselves. Allow them a little time to do this. They then need to make sure that in their minds eye they can see another image of themselves sitting in the original place.Do make sure that they can see themselves sitting in the seat watching the TV screen (although no pictures are on the screen just yet). This is know as 'double dissociation' and is a means of creating significant distance from the traumatic memories.

Now you can begin watching yourself watching a 'film' or 'movie' of yourself just before a significant traumatic incidient occurred. Perhaps a phobic repsonse or something that caused traumatic memorie to surface later in your life. Remember to make sure that you watch yourself watching the TV screen as the film of the past event stsrts. Stsrt at a point just before you knew anything would happen and then let the bad memory or event begin but go in fast motion through the event and come out the other side quickly. Do this few times and then move back into your body and go into the movie and go quickly backwards through it until you get to the point right at the beginning where you didn't know anything was going to happen.

Then float out of your body again and rewatch yourself watching the TV screen as you again go through from safe point to safe point the traumatic movie, go as quickly as is necessary so you don't feel any emotion, continue to check that you are double dissociated at all times. Then again step into your body and into the movie that has now finished and quickly rewind yourself back to the safe point at the beginning

I realize that you may have to do this a couple of times just to get the hang of it but it doesn't actually take very long in practice

Now wehn you are ready please do this technique again and again , floating out of your body so to speak and watching yourself watching the screen before the event and going quickly through it. And then stepping back into your body and rewinding yourself back again till you come to the safe point before anything happened. Please do this several times until you cannot evoke the emotions that upset yopu. this may vary for each person but i would say to do this at least ten to fifteen times minimum.

Once you feel that no negative feelings arise watch yourself in afuture event that normally would have triggered bad feelings or firhgt and sense how your body is reacting. If you have done the procedure enough times you will feel neutral about it.

Remember to first relax your friend or client by a guided relaxation exercise and once you sense that they are deeply relaxed ask them to imagine the large TV set where they are in their relaxed place and begin there.

the most important thing to remember in this technique is to float out of your body (in your imagination i mean) and make sure that you can view yourself watching the screen where you are going throught he event, so in short you will be watching yourself watching yourself on a screen. It is this emotional distncing that allows the amygdala, a small gland at the rear of the brain repsonsible for copding traumatic memories, to rewire itself nad thus weaken the negtive emotional response.

I once did this on a client with a phobia of insects and it worked in five minutes but this is not typical, as I said do try it for at least ten to fifiteen times and more if necessary, i have nver known it to be necessary for more than about half an hour.

If you are still not sure how to do this or apply it seek out an NLP therapist near you by googling.

Take care