What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Timeline Techniques?
Most of us are unknowingly carrying around generational and past life trauma as we go about our day to day lives. Habits, patterns, beliefs, and emotions can be passed down to us and then further shaped through our experiences. This is how we create our personal model of the world which affects the way we interact with it. If you notice that your model of the world is no longer working for you and you’re experiencing dissatisfaction, unhappiness, lack of ambition, apathy, and feeling like you’re not living life on your terms, what can you do about it? One answer is to work with your unconscious mind to reframe your model of the world.
The Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) modality called Timeline Techniques is the process of working with your unconscious mind to release repressed emotions and limiting beliefs, aka triggers. Some of the primary jobs of the unconscious mind are to run and preserve the body, be the domain of the emotions, store and organize memories, repress memories that have unresolved emotions, and present those memories for processing and resolution. Think of it as your physical body is your unconscious mind. It makes sense given that the unconscious mind is our primitive response system, doesn’t use logic, and emotions that aren’t processed get stored within our bodies.
When a client comes to me for Timeline Techniques, it’s because they want to make changes that last and are tired of feeling stuck repeating behavioral and emotional patterns they know aren’t working for them anymore. I’ve been there and it takes courage to admit when you’re frustrated and unhappy. Getting to that place mentally can be difficult enough and with all the therapeutic modalities out there, it can be overwhelming to find one that feels right for you. The process of Timeline Techniques is quick and effective because you don’t have to go back through every single repressed memory and relive your traumas.
We use Timeline Techniques to get to the root cause of the repressed emotions (anger, fear, sadness, guilt, and pain) or limiting belief where your unconscious mind stores the first memory with the unresolved emotions that it uses to protect you. We get the learnings from the event which allows your unconscious mind to let go of the emotion on that event, and all subsequent events leading up to the present moment. In the future there will be times when it will be appropriate to feel these emotions, like deep sadness at the passing of a loved one or justified anger towards someone who betrays you. The goal of Timeline Techniques is to free you from past emotions that are still affecting you and causing unnecessary harm to yourself and others through the ways you navigate and react to your day-to-day life.
Two days after a session where a client released repressed anger, they were driving on a busy highway when someone cut them off in traffic and almost caused an accident. They noticed the danger, reacted appropriately with defensive driving, regarded the driver with mild annoyance, and then moved on. This was a huge change internally because they had always identified as an “angry” driver and now instead of immediately getting angry they responded to the trigger without the emotion. Timeline Techniques works to clear the emotional charge of inappropriate and unwarranted negative emotions by preserving the learnings so you can still protect yourself. The client was able to recognize and avoid the dangerous situation without the unhelpful flare of anger that would have only hurt them, not the other driver.
Everyone is affected by Timeline Techniques differently and this is one example of how it could benefit you. It’s an incredibly therapeutic tool that is profoundly effective. When you’re operating from a place of emotional freedom all your relationships greatly improve, including the one you have with yourself, your loved ones, and the world around you. You’ll begin to understand your emotions and learn to recognize your personal baseline of what’s an appropriate reaction for you and what’s not.