We started to discuss one of my favorite positive interventions from the world of Positive Psychology, scientifically proven to help alleviate depression within six weeks. My client asked if I was willing to create an NLP technique that would enhance his practice. And spice it up a little! Challenge accepted!

The positive intervention was created by Martin Seligman, one of the most known scientists and by many considered the founder of Positive psychology itself.

The original positive psychology intervention:

The last thing a person is to do in their day is write for 15 minutes about three things that went well today and why.

The Intervention Using NLP

Step 1: Play a Dissociated Movie

Play a movie watching yourself from the moment you wake up, to the present moment. Hunt for the good stuff, experiences that went well. Even in the smallest of forms.

NLP term, what is dissociation? Dissociation relates to coding information in the brain by watching an event like an observer, from a place of no Emotion.

People with a depression tend to have the tendency to look at what went wrong in their day.

Step 2: Play an Associated Movie

Play another movie, this time looking through your own eyes, replay the experiences that went well. So you see what you would see, hear what you would hear, and feel what you would feel all over again.

What is association?
With association in the world of NLP, is when a person is re-experiencing an event as if it is real. This means that the emotions are also experienced.

Rather than re-living feelings of depression. Positive emotions are re-lived.

Step 3: The Second Perception

If another person was positively affected by you today, step into their shoes. And see what they see, hear what they hear, feel what they feel. So you can feel the positive emotions the other person felt.

This also cultivates compassion and empathy.

Step 4: What 3 things specifically went well today? (NLP Meta Model)

Again, we focus away from the depression and on what is positive. But this question also allows for what is unconscious to become unconscious.

As yourself what 3 things specifically went well today?

Step 5: Discovery of the Positive Intent

Close your eyes, and ask your intuition, your gut feeling, your internal knowing the question: “What is the positive intent or value met?” Do this with one thing that went well. This must be an answer that comes from your intuition, the unconscious mind, rather than the conscious mind or logical thought.

In NLP, this technique is used to discover the positive intent behind something. Usually a thought, belief, or behavior. In this case, we apply it to find out the “why” behind the event on a more unconscious and values-based level.

Step 6: Chunking-Up

Ask yourself what specifically you get out of meeting this positive value or positive intent that is more important and bigger? You could keep asking yourself this question until you can not go any further.

In NLP, we call this chunking-up. All values and positive intents eventually end up in the core state. For example, “god”, “source,”, “peace”, “love” etc.

It is beneficial to people who are depressed to truly get a sense that there is something bigger out there. That we all have a purpose and meaning as well.

Step 7: Repeat

Repeat the last steps for the other two things that went well also.

Step 8: Associate

Step into the best of the three events, and again see, hear and feel this moment all over again.

Visually: make the image bigger and brighter.

Auditory: intensify the sound, make it slightly louder, and surround sound.

Kinesthetic: notice what this emotion feels like inside the body. Double the feeling, allow it to intensify, and spread all over your body.

This allows for a coding change and intensifying positive emotions rather than negative, depressed emotions.

Final Notes on this NLP & Positive Psychology Intervention to Cure a Depression

Suppose you can fall asleep to this visualization or representation to maximize the benefit from both the positive psychology intervention & NLP. Within six weeks of doing so daily, most people would feel an alleviation of depression symptoms.

The post How to Cure a Depression Using NLP & Positive Psychology appeared first on Global NLP Training Blog.