NLP and driving problems

Here's an example of how NLP could help with a driving problem...

If someone says, "I can't drive on motorways", an NLP trained instructor might ask, "What stops you?" The driver might then reply, "I feel anxious and disorientated".

What is possibly happening to people like this is that when thinking about driving on a motorway, they get an overwhelming sensation of actually being there, seeing cars rushing past in their mind's eye, hearing the noise of engines and tyres, and feeling out of control.

Their internal mental experience might be represented in full colour with Dolby surround sound as if they were actually inside a scary movie. This mental image may be accompanied by out of control 'roller-coaster' like sensations to match the action! The resulting anxiety can block their senses and frustrate the attempts of those who try to assist them.

By using an NLP technique called 'dissociation', the effect of negative feelings can be reduced, making the task of helping much easier. When dissociated, people experience their thoughts and feelings differently. There are many ways of doing this.

An easy way to help people to dissociate is to ask the person to imagine the situation as if watching him/herself in a black and white on a small TV screen. That is, looking at the situation as if it were happening to someone else; this helps to reduce the intensity of negative feelings.

Dissociation was discovered by using the modeling process to uncover the strategies of people who are easily able to deal with negative thoughts.