One person's structure of food cravings

Sometimes I meet a client who has cravings for certain foods, and doesn’t wish to have them erased from his or her menu of “likeables” – which is what would happen if we mapped across submodalities using Like to Dislike technique. It’s quite for ok for us to enjoy chocolates, biscuits, crisps etc once in a while – and to choose to do so on our own well balanced terms!
One particular lady had occasional cravings for a range of foods – generally sweet things – so we examined the structure of how the whole process was working for her. It went like this.....



She was really keen to be able to deal with her cravings as they arose, and not be in the position of powerless “victim”. Another issue was that often she would choose a more appropriate food and would find that, once the process had almost run its course, she would go back to a craved food rather than exit the process. And on this second or subsequent run of the loop she was rarely able to make a more appropriate food choice.
Once plotted in visible form it was easy to notice that with “bad/naughty” foods she got a taste and a picture representation of it before going to get it – whilst with the “more appropriate” foods she just went straight to the ‘GO GET’ action.
We discussed this finding and I invited her to take time and (initially) make a conscious effort, and allow the more appropriate choice food to be run through the TASTE—PICTURE sequence also. It is quite likely that the TASTE—PICTURE sequence is adding a level of pleasure (albeit anticipatory) to the cravings and reinforcing the desire to “go there again” once eating has taken place. By putting the appropriate choice food into this bit of the loop as well, there will (a) be more pleasure from that choice, (b) further eating of that choice on second + running of the process if not full and (c) a probable reprogramming of the craving tendency in its entirety in the fullness of time. Currently she had “will power” to make better choices, but the sequential structure of her process was eroding the real benefit of that will power. Now, with an understanding of what was happening for her during process she is definitely destined for a better outcome.
This, we decided, would be her “homework” project, and she left feeling really empowered and eager to start putting new habits into place!

Metaphors reveal behavioural structures...

When a client admits "I have issues with X because there are times when I feel really out of control"...then I am sat with virtual machete in hand, knowing that I need to help them hack a new pathway through the jungle of X - because the old and well worn pathway leads to behaviours Y and Z which are very unresourceful.

For me the answer lay in investigating "really out of control", so I put down the virtual machete and launched into the abyss, armed with only some Clean Language questions. I was out to examine the structure of "Out of Control" and how this might be opened up to give the client choices which would lead to solutions.

One of the joys of using Clean is that clients are given free rein to express themselves as much as they like. By providing them with this freedom, there is every chance that the Golden Nugget of a driving metaphor will come into view at some point.
My latest client's metaphor appeared as, "Out of Control is like being on a boat, a fishing boat, with flimsy railings in a very rough sea. Being tossed around and at any time I could be washed overboard."
PW - "What needs to happen to boat and railings in order for more Control?"
CL - "Boat has to be more sturdy and railings higher"
PW - "Is there anyone else on boat?"
CL - "No"
PW - "And with boat out of control, where is steering?"
CL - "In the wheelhouse"
PW - "And where is wheelhouse?"
CL - (pointing upwards) "Over there"
She is really living this by now, and goes into the wheelhouse. I ask her who does steering and she says 'Captain'. She is not 'Captain' and as 'Captain' is not there I ask if she can steer. She says 'yes' and starts to steer. There's a bit of a physiological shift at this point and when I ask what's happening to boat now, she replies that it is steadier and (quite revealing) more sturdy!
PW - "And is there anything else about boat, railings and rough sea?"
CL - "Railings are safer and the sea is less rough"

The session continued for a short while and I explained to her that now her unconscious had revealed the metaphor of "Out of Control" that she might notice how this placed more resources at her fingertips. She agreed there is a need to get off the deck and into the wheelhouse and assume the role of "Captain". This would ensure a return to "Control" and when in control she knew all the right ways to get the answers and outcomes that would be the most appropriate for her.

Encountering Dogma

I was recently approached by a student writing a thesis called "Hypnotherapy and the Christian" for my views; with particular regard to the dogmatic Christian approach towards trance - often described as evil, and that therapists could be described as "charmers" as biblically referenced in Deuteronomy with the flag of "due warning".

I tend to avoid any religious-based discussions, mainly because I believe in religious tolerance and I acknowledge that with the many peoples, backgrounds, beliefs, histories, ways of life in the world...that religious tolerance is the only way forward for us all to live in harmony. And to live in harmony with each other is (for me anyway) one of the highest ideals. I was brought up in the CofE, have an open interest and respect for all religions - and am comfortable in the company of peoples from all religions except those who are "on a mission of conversion".

So when I encounter dogmatic intolerance my heart sinks. There is no logical reason why hypnotherapy (the beneficial using of trance), Reiki, or a countless number of other therapies, should be considered dangerous, evil or whatever judgement is heaped upon them from the dogmatic angle.
I appreciate the logical and the spiritual don't always occupy the same marbled halls - and I also know that there are chronicled elements within the bible, especially the OT, where history plays a greater role than teaching.
Trance is a naturally occurring state and compliant with the consent of the individual. Ergo, where is the evil? Evil is in the thoughts, eyes and hands of the evildoer - I don't see the dogmatic issuing forth on the evil of knives for instance!

There is a mystery, a mystical element within Christianity that has a special place within its spirituality. I can see how dogma has evolved where the "inexplicable" nature of trance construes some sort of threat to those mysteries. I see this, however, as a misunderstanding of the nature of trance - which deals with the psychological rather than the spiritual. And perhaps the dogmatic issues are more to do with Christianity and its relationship with Science (of which Psychology is a relatively new science) than those therapies which still have an element of 'the unknown' about them.

Like >> To >> Dislike .... And why the white plate?

Whenever I find myself dealing with removing particular food cravings for clients, by mapping them across to ones they have a certain revulsion to - there seems to be something of a recurring theme...or even a recurring dream, as someone once said to me.

It started when I noticed my own 'repulsive' foodstuff when I had my devouring of Jaffa Cakes habit removed by the power of NLP!! This was when my Like (Jaffa C's) was mapped across to my Dislike (kidneys). My kidneys image included a white plate - the raw kidneys rested, almost regally, on a beautifully pure and pristine white plate.

In ALL the times I've used the technique since, each client has put their Dislike food on a white plate! Now they all volunteered this information without any prompting from me - but I did ask last week's particular client about the significance of the white plate for her. She said it seemed to offset her specimen food (octopus) very well, and in a vibrantly compelling way - which was an answer that resonated with me (and my kidneys)!

I shall give updates on the progress of collecting this data in the months to come. I can't see this just being coincidence, however!

(Mapping Across is a technique within NLP using submodalities)