June 2002
Something to think about from Dr. Wil Horton
Captains Chair: This month it will be short, as I am currently on the road. As you read this I am in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. I hope to expand our skills in this region. Besides the normal trainings, I will be meeting with the police and others regarding the use of our special skills in the current political/social crises. Then it is off to India to do a Master and Trainers Training.
Also, this fall, NFNLP will offer a new course. . . Illuminology . . . the science of self-illumination. This will be a very special Self-Mastery course, to be held in Florida, just prior to the Trainers Training. This course will different, as it will be devoted to self-growth and exploration. We will focus on using our skills to become who and what we want to be. We all have a vision of what we want to evolve into, whether in our personal, spiritual, or physical selves. This "person" is what will always be the foundation of our business and personal lives. And, as with most foundations, it's weakness or strength, will determine the success of our future endeavors. This course will demonstrate how our NLP techniques can be applied to our personal lives, as well as learn many of the ways the "ancients" taught evolvement. And of course we will add some fun experiential stuff, such as the flying trapeze experience. Webster's dictionary defines "science" as: The study and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena in an orderly way; knowledge acquired through experience. Join us, as we study the science of "Illuminology".
From The Road:Last month I told you how I used our skills on a shark dive. This month, I must confess, that I had to use all of our skills again, but in a way that shows that we all have to stay on our toes, or old patterns creep back.
May 18th I attended the regional Karate championships. In March, I had attended a tournament in March and did well. I received 1 - gold and 2 - 4th places. So, here I am. I trained well and used our skills to prep myself. I also had to use them as a means to overcome the discomfort (and that is putting it mildly) of a jammed finger on my right (dominant) hand. So naturally on the day of the tournament I was in a heightened state. (That sounds better than nervous, doesn't it?) I started off and won a Gold in Weapons, doing a Sai Kata. I then placed second Silver in Kata or forms; I was only outscored by 1.5 points. So far, so great!
Then I was in the final match for the gold in the Senior Black Belt. My opponent was bigger than I, by about 5 inches, and he out-weighed me by about 50 pounds. At the start of the match, I got banged real hard in the eye. I was dizzy and dazed. (I know a lot of you are saying that sounds normal for me), took a second, regrouped and we continued. I got three more hard head-shots. On the last one, well, I lost it. I threw my mouthpiece down so hard it bounced 5 feet into the air. I stormed to the referee and yelled. I was upset (nice word, livid also works) that there had been no warnings. I almost walked out of the ring. (My sensei, and the people from my school were rather shocked. I am usually laid back, easy going, and focused. At the last tournament when I got banged around, I thought it was funny.)
This of course caused a "huddle"; we are the senior black belts, the "models", for sportsmanship. When I heard that, I shifted. Here, in a Karate tournament in Sebastan, FL, I heard some of my "anchor" words. I felt ashamed, not for what I said, but how I said it. I composed myself and apologized to the ref, the judges, and my opponent. The ref and judges said it was a good match. We completed the event. I scored twice to lose 2.5 to 2.
That was a good experience for me. I need to stretch myself, to go into situations that make me dig deeply into myself and see what I find. What can I learn?
In this match I learned that I am still super competitive, and not a good loser. (I still hear a drill Sargent yelling " Show me a good loser, and I will show you a loser.") I also re-learned that we are always on the path, and it is easy to get lost. I also noticed how easy it is for pride to get in the way.
Most of all, I learned how important the presupposition, "There is no failure, only feedback," truly is.
One last thing, when it was all over, I was the only one who kept the emotions alive. My fellow students, and even the other competitors, thought nothing of it. File it and put it away. (Or use it as a teaching tool.)
Theory into Practice: First let me correct the last E-Zine. I told of an article about pain control and the brain. I stated it was Scientific American and it should have been Science, Feb. 7, 2002 edition.
I recently completed a 20 CEU course on Hypnosis and Pain Management from the Prescribing Psychologist Register, authored by Ryan Ernst. It gave a good overview of current Hypo-Behavioral strategies for pain management. In part of it, he outlines the extensive research by Eimer and Freeman (1998). Their book "Pain Management Psychotherapy: A Practical Guide." is worth a read. In it they give some approaches to controlling pain through Hypnosis. They go into some well-worn strategies.
1. Distraction, to refocus patient attention onto something else through external or internal diversion.
2. Pain Displacement, move the pain into another area of the body
3. Symptom Substitution transforms the pain into something else, like an itch.
4. Imaginative Transformation of a Pains Cause, change the patients thoughts about the source of the pain into a more benign cause.
5. Hypnoanalgesia, the old hypnotist's favorite, glove and spot pain control.
6. Pattern Interruption, interrupt or disrupt the patients automatic pain response.
7. Symptom Reframing refocuses and reframes what the pain means.
8. Time distortion, speed up the time in pain, or increase time between pain.
9. Nonjudgmental Focus of awareness, focus on the pain sensation, leads to deliberately Increasing the Pain Intensity, which leads to control of affect.
What are your favorite pain techniques?
Techniques and tips: This month how about an old favorite jazzed up?
The Red Ball Pain Control Technique.
Start by telling a story of how pain can change. Have you ever had a headache and then get busy and misplace the pain? Or have an injury and get into a game and forget the pain? Notice how kids do this at will.
1. Have the person imagine their pain as a red ball. (TV shows us this all the time)
2. Have them give a full description, what size is the ball, is it moving or still, does it have a sound, is it light or heavy, warm or cold, does it have a taste or smell?
3. Have them notice how the ball is connected to them, or cord of light or energy? A rope, or some other way?
4. Have them associate into the ball, step into it, then out.
5. Guide the person into "playing" with the submodalities; change the color, size, sounds, and feelings, until they find what relieves the pain.
6. Put the new pain experience into a safe place.
7. Put a sensor into the connection, one that will block the pain signals, unless it is urgent, much like a reverse circuit breaker.