Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), also called the scrambling technique, has been a proven treatment for social anxiety disorder. Neurolinguistic Programming is a psychological therapy that involves finding your personal power and getting to the root of your issues, by using positive affirmations and letting go of fears and blockages. NLP is basically a process of reprogramming your brain.
Neurolinguistic Programming was developed in the early 1970’s at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The study began as an attempt to discover exactly what made people become effective and successful, and why different people with the same level of education and identical backgrounds experience different levels of success. During the study, it was discovered that the patterns of a persons thinking plays a huge role in determining the amount of success that person will experience, and that the brain can learn the healthy patterns and behaviors that bring about positive physical and emotional results. Neurolinguistic programming was born.
Neurolinguistic Programming is about viewing experiences from a different angle, either voluntarily or by force. This helps to reprogram thought patterns. For instance, a woman starts having panic attacks anytime she gets behind the wheel of a car and eventually gave up driving. While visiting a foreign country with her children, the only way to get around was to drive.
The woman was forced to drive, using a clutch and driving on the left hand side of the road, instead of the right. Once we learn to drive, it becomes automatic to us – like breathing. But this woman was forced to drive in ways that were absolutely new to her. As a result, she was cured of her panic attacks while driving, and when she returned home, she was able to resume driving without having panic attacks. Her thoughts on driving were totally reprogrammed.
Social Anxiety Disorder can also be treated – and cured – with Neurolinguistic Programming. People are simply taught new ways to view social situations, and their thinking patterns are changed in a way that takes away the fear of social situations. There is quite a bit of information on the use of Neurolinguistic Programming online. A great site is Advanced Neuro Dynamics at http://www.nlp.com.
Gary Miller is the author of “Prisoners of Our Thoughts: How to break free from the grips of Social Anxiety and Fear.” To learn more about the book click here to go to the website at http://www.social-anxiety-cure.com.