Compulsion Blowout : A Successful NLP Technique For Eliminating Addictions

1. Compulsion Blowout :A Successful NLP Technique For Eliminating Addictions Robert D. Neve, MSCC, LPC, LADC, LMHP Certified NLP Practitioner Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Bellevue UniversityExecutive Director, Clearview Research and Teaching Counseling Center Stuart Baxter, CDAAS Certified NLP Master PractitionerRetired Presbyterian Minister

2. Why here? Why now? • IASH creates a uniquely innovative, knowledge sharing, NLP friendly environment. • http://www.nlpiash.org • We welcome the great minds here today to “think outside the box” and give • Feedback, Suggestions, Questions • Additional Information, Networking • Constructive Critical Thinking • bobneve@cox.net, 402.612.2516 • Scientific evidence (Principles before Personalities) = widespread acceptance = significant help for more people

3. Current Hypothesis • Participants who receive the CBO procedure1 in conjunction with any Substance Abuse (SA) treatment2 will show significantly better outcomes3 than those who receive the same SA treatment without the CBO. • 1. The purpose of this work is to define as clearly as possible moving toward the ideal of singularly interpretable operational specificity every relevant, significant, and beneficial aspect of the CBO procedure. • 2. “any substance abuse (SA) treatment”, for purposes of this research, shall include any structured or semi-structured residential or out-patient SA program that is provided to people with addictions by licensed addiction counselors • 3. significantly (p < 0.05) improved outcomes are defined as (a) less severe or less frequent SA and substance dependence (SD) symptoms, (b) more days abstinent from the individual’s drug of choice (DOC), and (c) a weaker physiological/emotional response to stimuli that previously led to anxiety, discomfort, urge or craving for DOC, obsessive thoughts or compulsive actions

4. Outline of Presentation for Compulsion Blowout (CBO) • History • Definitions • Theory • Practice • Demo • Analysis • Future • Summary, Q&A, Contact Info Exchange

5. CBO History: The Beginning? • Richard Bandler • Early 1980s talk with psychiatrists, what is most difficult? OCD and Phobias • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJqn9i6k4Jo • Compares submodalities of compulsion with similar non-compulsive experience • Parallel Credits • Ivan Pavlov 1901, classical conditioning • Burrhus Fred Skinner 1950’s, “extinction”

6. CBO History: The Developing • Steve Andreas • 1987, Change Your Mind & KtC • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwxvUofenC4 • Compare submodalities and quickly build anticipation without satisfaction • Parallel Credits • Thomas G. Stampfl 1959, Implosion or Flooding technique creates “response fatigue” in 6-9 hours.

7. CBO History: The Refining • Stuart Baxter, 1990s, 2000s • Stu to Steve “Change YM&KtC doesn’t mention applying CBO to addiction.” • Steve “Well shame on me!” • For addictions, submodalities of interest for the CBO are almost always associated with what happens immediately before consumption of the DOC • Parallel Credits • Zev Wanderer 1970s, Implosion technique with repetitive audio recording creates response fatigue • Donald Levis ‘03, cog restructure after behav extinction

8. CBO History: The Testing • Bob Neve, 2000s • Bob to Stuart “What are you doing with those people.” • Stuart “It’s called NLP.” • Initial Conditions: • Imagination & experience capacity • Planning or Action Stage of Change (thank Prochaska) • Add to traditional SA treatment (thank Levis) • Refine Procedure: • Explain procedure in behavioral terms, extinction, response fatigue (thank Pavlov, Skinner) • Modern clarification, “…like an mpg playing on auto-repeat…” (thank Wanderer) • In procedure, calibration, look for procedure response stages

9. Definitions: Compulsion • Blackstone 1700s: “A man is excused for acts done through unavoidable force and compulsion.” • Webster 1828: driving, urging, force, constraint of the will, violence, confinement, imprisonment • Hinsie 1970: “…action the need for whose performance insistently forces itself into consciousness even though the subject does not wish to perform the act. Failure to perform the act generates increasing anxiety, while completion of the act gives at least temporary surcease of tension • McKechnie 1983: irresistible impulse to perform some irrational act.

10. Definitions: Compulsion • DSM: “repetitive behaviors or mental acts (ritualistic repetition, counting) that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession; 2 these are aimed at reducing stress or preventing a dreaded event; however; these are either (a) not connected in a realistic way or (b) are clearly excessive “ • Dilts: A Compulsion relates to the need to do something even though it seems unnecessary or unhealthy. He implies that the intensity of the compulsion appears to be proportional to the real or perceived risk to survival. He posits that the components of compulsion are behavioral, capacity, beliefs, and identity. He writes, “One cause of this is having an ineffective, inappropriate or dysfunctional evidence procedure to know whether or not a particular goal has been reached”. Anchored in mental images and self talk. Trust issues.

11. Substance Abuse Theory • Psychoanalytic: The Id run wild. Driven by unconscious forces attempting to meet some need. • CBO Effect: brings unfulfilling compulsion to consciousness, breaks fixation • Cognitive Affective: compulsions are our mind’s attempts to avoid cognitive dissonance, nurtured by unrealistic core beliefs, providing temporary relief • CBO Effect: face cognitive dissonance, expose unrealistic core beliefs (insight), disconnect “drug=pleasure”, blow-out or implode the anticipation emotion and the fear emotion simultaneously

12. Substance Abuse Theory • Neurological: Addiction appears to reside in mid-brain and hindbrain, short circuits higher reasoning, it wants what it wants when it wants it. • CBO Effect: reprograms the basal ganglia (seat of reinforcement learning) and the cerebellum (seat of coordinated motor control, language, and emotional responses) by ratcheting up the anticipation and fear (associated with norepinephrine) without completing the process with satisfaction and relief (associated with dopamine, endorphins), creating new neural pathway. • Behavioral: No core beliefs, thoughts, feelings or brain chemistry matter -- only stimulus and response. Addiction will continue as long as it is reinforced by giving pleasure/reward or removing pain. Addiction will end if not reinforced. • CBO Effect: The rat gets trained to hit a bar to get his food. Then the rat gets trained that hitting the bar doesn’t get his food pellet. The behavior becomes extinguished. See Skinner Box. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinner_box

13. Operant Conditioning Chamber – “Skinner Box”

14. Practice - Basics • Important Easily Overlooked Assumptions • talk about the drug use in the past tense • access the compulsive state • Addiction drivers are usually V or A, though sometimes K • Submodality tests: “when you change this submodality, do you feel more compelled to have it or less compelled?”

15. Practice – Pre-CBO • If here is no craving, no physiological response to the DOC, then CBO is not necessary. • Assess the severity of addiction including all drugs used, sequence of use, and current abuse problems • Assess the client’s desire to change or stay the same and other ecological factors • Assess the Stage of Change (Prochaska) • Have a Supplemental and Follow Up Treatment Plan • Assess client’s capacity: ability to follow direction and understand the minimum of what they need to do the process.

16. Practice – Pre-CBO • Explain CBO on a high level: • Not a cure-all • Gets rid of the cravings. • It’s somewhat uncomfortable • Need for continued treatment • Frees the will, still be able to use, wont feel compelled to use • Still interested? Describe Skinner Box • It’s all about anticipation without satisfaction.

17. Practice – CBO • Step 1 – Practice awareness with minor compulsive and non-compulsive foods. • Step 2 – Pre-Test DOC physiological response • Step 3A – Create imaginary scenarioStep 3B – Explain feedback during scene • Step 4 – Start Blow-Out Implosion phase • Step 5 - Post-Test DOC physiological response • Step 6 – Compare response to DOC with response to minor compulsive and non-compulsive food • Step 7 – Closing. “Are we there yet?”

18. Demonstration Video • Stuart Baxter and Samara, 80 minutes • We recorded 4 CBOs, 3 with Stu, 1 with Bob. This one is most representative of the CBO. • Samara is a client, she has approved showing video to IASH and internet posting, still, I would appreciate it if you all only share details of this as necessary for treatment, education, research, and the like, and refrain from superfluous reproduction and propagation. • Take notes and ask Q’s after.

19. Analysis of Video • Optional Parts of Process • Client handwrites note to future self. • Simple Submodality Shift • Swish • State Management • Emphasis • Past Tense • Permanence, Resourcefulness

20. Analysis of Video 2 • Testing • Video with client, “Eric”, and Stuart Baxter • Eric is a client, he has approved showing video to IASH, we changed his name for youtube and other internet posting, still, I would appreciate it if you all only share details of this as necessary for treatment, education, research, and the like, and refrain from reproduction and propagation. • At Step 5, still some response to DOC • Contingencies, criteria for completion

21. Analysis of Video 2 • Testing Contingencies, criteria for completion • Eric’s jaw hurts, hard time doing more • 6.5 minutes, Stuart’s instructions to Eric • Still some response to DOC • Stu, Bob, Eric discussing options • Take a break, Stu-Bob huddle • Emphasize Eric’s major modalities & restart after complete state change (9 min of video) • Insight: Heisenberg Principle

22. Analysis of Long Term Results • Variation of Results • Client C: Serial CBOs • 1st CBO cut use in half, 2nd CBO ended use in 2006 • Client L: Continuing treatment • 15 months drug-free following recommended; did not follow through on Relapse Prevention and has had several lapses. • Client P: Supplemental treatment • 2-3 months alcohol free after CBO only; did not follow through on Supplemental Treatment and relapsed.

23. Analysis of Possibilities • Variation of Results • Client R: Mildly Mentally Retarded Client • Not able to perform CBO. Motivational Interviewing may have solution. • Client KC: Addicted to a man • I did a CBO with client “KC” and to end her addiction to “Richie”, a neglectful boyfriend. The transcript of the post-CBO interview available on request. See my website later.