Dr. Alexander How Do You Work With It ?

[Forest]

Herbie, you said, "I really wish I had a way to convey it (the reconsolidation process) to our good friends here at the wiki but I've came to the conclusion that If you aren't shown exactly the steps and how to apply them, it is almost impossible to just say how its done cause its a connection thing too -- built with rapport and congruence, leading -pacing and matching."

We would love to see this in action! Is there any possibility of videotaping a session? That would be awesome.

I would love to see this as well, and I bet that other members would, too. I think that the best way to do it would be via a YouTube video. Any chance that you might consider making on for us?

YouTube videos are incredibly simple to make and anyone can make one. All that you need is a webcam - something that is built into most laptops and can be purchased at an electronics or computer store for about $20. I made a tutorial for @Sanghagirl82 that she has been using to make her video blog posts as she goes through the Structured Educational Program, and I'd encourage anyone to try it out if they are interested. Here's the link: How to make a video blog.

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

Yes I can record the footage. It will take some planning and a few volunteers but I believe we can do it in 2 weeks or so. It should be educational for self help therapy. I will show step to step how this technique called a swish often is done.

I went to see these styles on the internet and I understand them but there for people that only understand Nlp.
I really like working with different systems and styles, I love what works and its a combination of many styles but its roots are still in the NLP format for this swish process which is just another style of modeled psychology.

As Dr. Alexander mentioned in his research, its just the process that has been used many times -- for a long time -- often unknowingly. I stumbled upon it and it has really been beneficial with all the symptom imperatives I had to experience. I knocked out like 90% of what I should have had to go through with pain and anxiety when I eliminated the negative charge to my past and current memories. I had a huge success in getting over the extinction burst too with this same process and mixing focusing with it.

So soon to be on a You tube video near you -- What you think Njoy?
Bless You

 

[Dr James Alexander]

thanks for your kind words again Herbie. I also look forward to seeing your demonstration on a You Tube clip.

 

[North Star]

Dr. James, I just wanted to say "thank you" for sharing your expertise here so freely. I'm going to have to re-read this thread over again when my mind is more fresh. Your accident history caught my attention since I too was nearly killed in a car accident when I was 17.

I'm looking forward to learning more from you. I also look forward to reading your book.

An as usual, thanks to Herbie, Forest and Njoy for your sharing here. For people I've never met, I feel like you're good friends.

 

[Dr James Alexander]

Dr. James, I just wanted to say "thank you" for sharing your expertise here so freely. I'm going to have to re-read this thread over again when my mind is more fresh. Your accident history caught my attention since I too was nearly killed in a car accident when I was 17.

I'm looking forward to learning more from you. I also look forward to reading your book.

An as usual, thanks to Herbie, Forest and Njoy for your sharing here. For people I've never met, I feel like you're good friends.

You're welcome North Star- this is actually a pretty old thread, so its great that its been re-ignited.

 

[North Star]

Yes, an oldie but goodie thread!

I have a question. Actually a couple.

First. One big issue I've struggled with is creativity. I feel like my creativity has gone into hiding. (Or maybe "under lock and key" is a better way to put it?) This is a huge deal to me because I'm a writer. (A humor writer to boot. A Spock approach to things doesn't work real well for humor writing. ) And I also think it's keeping me from reframing some situations to get a better and more healthful perspective.

I'm wondering if perhaps this has happened due to the repeated stress we've been through over the past 10 years or so. (I was flying high at one time….had a newspaper column gig even.) Might I have shut down because of the emotional trauma that just reached its limit? (I had many traumas in childhood so it's not like the stuff experienced in adulthood wasn't anything new.)

I've been trying creativity exercises to wake up my creative brain but just feel flat. Might it be a better approach to seek out those experiences that STILL…10 (or more!) years later can get my heart rate accelerated just with the thought of them?

Is the fact that I still experience physical reactions to some memories a sign that those memories need to be discharged?

I'm hoping our finances turn around here shortly so I can work with a therapist to help me sort this out but until then, I am my own therapist.

Herbie, I am looking forward to your debut on this topic on Youtube.

 

[Forest]

Dr. James, I just wanted to say "thank you" for sharing your expertise here so freely. I'm going to have to re-read this thread over again when my mind is more fresh. Your accident history caught my attention since I too was nearly killed in a car accident when I was 17.

I'm looking forward to learning more from you. I also look forward to reading your book.

An as usual, thanks to Herbie, Forest and Njoy for your sharing here. For people I've never met, I feel like you're good friends.

Aww, @North Star, I feel the same way! Thanks for your sweet words.

Regarding the car crash, he describes it in the first five or ten minutes of a podcast interview that he did in March 2013 with Dr. Van Nuys of Shrink Rap Radio. I took another listen to it and it's great because you can hear his voice as he describes it. His personality and passion for TMS work really come through. Since he told his own success story in it, I decided to make a thread about it in the Success Stories subforum, so that people could find it more easily. Here's the link:
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/podcast-success-story-of-james-alexander-phd.3615/

Regarding Dr. Alexander's book, I recommend it because it includes a great mix of his own personal story and up to date science, like the type of helpful information that he has shared in his thread. @Eric "Herbie" Watson and @BruceMC also had very nice things to say about it in a thread entitled "Best TMS Book."

 

[North Star]

You are such a peach, Forest! Listening to that podcast right now. Looks like lots of other great stuff too!

 

[Dr James Alexander]

Yes, an oldie but goodie thread!

I have a question. Actually a couple.

First. One big issue I've struggled with is creativity. I feel like my creativity has gone into hiding. (Or maybe "under lock and key" is a better way to put it?) This is a huge deal to me because I'm a writer. (A humor writer to boot. A Spock approach to things doesn't work real well for humor writing. ) And I also think it's keeping me from reframing some situations to get a better and more healthful perspective.

I'm wondering if perhaps this has happened due to the repeated stress we've been through over the past 10 years or so. (I was flying high at one time….had a newspaper column gig even.) Might I have shut down because of the emotional trauma that just reached its limit? (I had many traumas in childhood so it's not like the stuff experienced in adulthood wasn't anything new.)

I've been trying creativity exercises to wake up my creative brain but just feel flat. Might it be a better approach to seek out those experiences that STILL…10 (or more!) years later can get my heart rate accelerated just with the thought of them?

Is the fact that I still experience physical reactions to some memories a sign that those memories need to be discharged?

I'm hoping our finances turn around here shortly so I can work with a therapist to help me sort this out but until then, I am my own therapist.

Herbie, I am looking forward to your debut on this topic on Youtube.

North Star- to answer your querie, i would have to say that issues which still create a visceral charge for you (noticing a reaction to the memories in your body) is a good indicator that you are still carrying 'stuff' around the experiences. However, it is also possible for people to be carrying baggage without the physiological reaction (I, and some of my clients, are often surprised by the amount of baggage people can have around past experiences without having been fully aware of it, ie., lurking around in their unconscious. This can become evident when a process like EMDR begins to reactivate the experience- so a lack of physiological reaction does not necessarily mean an absence of 'unresolved' issues- but the presence of such a reaction is a sure sign). And yes, i believe that such issues could very well be acting as a 'psychic sink-hole' (new term i just made up!), ie. it takes a lot of psychological energy to not deal with issues which are there to be dealt with- such energy would otherwise go into living your life with more zest, which includes your creative passions and pursuits. As such, dealing with these past experiences could very well be a key to liberating this energy and freeing it up for your creativity.

It is a bit tricky trying to do this without a therapist or guide- as has been stated before on this website, its a bit like trying to cut your own hair- you can do it, but not that skillfully. But certainly tuning into the issues and being aware of the work that needs to be done is an excellent start. best wishes

 

[North Star]

Thanks, Doc! I totally agree about the hair cutting analogy. Hopefully, I'll be able to work with one sooner than later.

I love the "psychic sink-hole" term; I think it's brilliant. We are in the process of selling our home right now to get out of a location that we've been just miserable in. I've long contended that the energy it takes to keep a positive outlook is way more than it would be if we were living somewhere we enjoyed. Life's too short to not enjoy where you live. (And we've lived in some wonderful places; aging parent issues brought us to here for a season.)

And yes, in a broader context it does drain one's energy to have the background noise.

Just today I had coffee with a counselor friend and asked her about the EMDR; she was quite enthusiastic about it. As was I, having listened to the podcast where you talk about it as well. I'm a bit of a "show me the research" sort of gal so it's exciting to hear of the findings.

And btw, I loved hearing you on that podcast. Your kindness, passion and expertise in helping us TMS'er come through loud and clear. And your personal story is quite compelling. My car accident wasn't as dramatic as yours but if it wasn't for first responders, I would, no doubt, not be sitting here typing this. (I had broken vertebrae, skull fracture, kidney damage and a collapsed lung. I have no memory of the accident, even minutes prior to it…only briefly waking up in the ER when they did the chest tube.) So anyway, again - THANK YOU! I appreciate your contributions here!

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Herbie, learning how to make a YouTube video could be great for YMSWiki and our book.

I don't have a laptop computer. Can a webcam work with a desktop computer?

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

Yes, web cams are for desk top computers. I'm trying to get a video here at home too so I can use rapport more and try to let people see how they see although everyone is different you just take what works for you. I plan on making many videos showing this process in different formats.

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

"Change your mind and lose your Pain”

Your Thoughts Create Your Emotions, Emotions create pain. Discharge the negative Emotion and loose the pain


In visualization, your thoughts are used to create an image in your mind’s eye, imagining it unfolding in real time. Depending on the thoughts, an emotional response is created in your body in real time. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between a real experience or an imagined experience. Your body still responds to the thoughts and images that are being created in your mind.
IF we can discharge a memory or take the negative charge out of an emotion in an instant and we can with the nlp swish. Then couldn’t we lose pain and anxiety too since they are merely emotions created by thought – Yes.
Can we get a person to go from mad or fearful to not being mad or fearful in seconds? Then it would only be logic if a person holds a thought they don’t like – then they will feel pain from it right, whether consciously or un-consciously.
I mean we usually look for repressed emotions and current pressures to help us feel better, Sarno’s style right. It’s still memories and thoughts that are creating those emotions whether consciously or unconsciously -- that’s why when we instantly change a memory with a swish we get the reconsolidation of that swish which is when the pain lessons somewhat to a degree and often to huge degrees
And anxiety can be lost to in an instant. When the anxiety or pain is lost we call this the reconsolidation process.
Reconsolidation can be achieved through the swish and many other ways – here we will show the swish picture pattern which can be gained through these steps.
1)- Think of a picture or feeling or sound that makes you feel bad or you don’t like or it gives you just bad –negative thoughts, then when you feel the emotion very strongly -- stop thinking of the bad memory for about 5 or 10 seconds. Think of something else like your breathing for a bit -- this is called breaking state. Reminder note -- Think of the pictures you see as mirrors, flat like and this will make them easier to move around ok.
2) - Next think of the best memory you have ever had, something that makes you feel great or accomplished in life – complete. Think of this memory now, see what you saw hear what you heard and feel what you felt.
3) - Then as you get to feeling at your super best -- stop thinking of the good memory for about 5 or 10 seconds and break state again. Think of something else like your breathing.
4) - Next go back to the original memory that made you feel bad and as you think of what the memory looks like and feels like imagine the good memory move in behind the negative memory in your imagination or your mind’s eye. Yes -- move the pictures you see in your imagination.
5) - Remember to think of the pictures you see as mirrors or flat walls or something like a TV screen. That’s the way you see things in your mind any how -- this will make them easier to move around and manipulate.
6) - When you do this process and you look at the negative picture after moving the positive picture behind it -- then you will see the positive picture bleed through --
7) - The swish will happen when you see the positive picture coming through the negative picture and at this time the negative picture will not be negatively charged to you anymore it won’t have any bad feelings associated to it and the reconsolidation process will have took place leaving you with no fear or anger thus no pain or anxiety – yes your pain or anxiety will be gone if you do these steps correctly. Remember you have to make all this happen in a process in your thoughts – it doesn’t just happen, you make it happen with effort of the process then you will get the result.

Repeat several times if needed

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

Ok guys, I made the first negative charged memory disappear by the 5 minute 30 second mark. Then the next memory disappeared by the 7 minute mark then the other memory after the 7 minute mark was totally gone in like 1 minute 17 seconds. If you watch you will see him smile after the trigger that I haven't taught yet but the first two should be good examples of the process -- thanks

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Changing my thoughts worked for me last night.
Yesterday's mail brought a statement from my mortgage holder that sent me to the toilet to relieve myself.
It literally made me s--t.

They asked for $250 more for February than I was accustomed to paying. I immediately catastrophized
that I would have to pay $1,250 a month instead of $1,000. I phoned to ask about it but their offices
were closed.

But I told myself there had to be a mistake, so I put it out of my mind (a good repressed emotion?) last
night and watched a new episode of "Sherlock" (Holmes) on PBS-TV.

The mortgage worry was about to go to bed with me and I knew that would keep me awake,
so I told my conscious and unconscious minds that it was not going to worry me. I even laughed it off.
I told myself the mortgage company had made some kind of mistake. I slept without thinking about it.

This morning I called the mortgage-holder and learned that it indeed was a mistake.
I keep paying my regular $1,000 and there is no increase.

It reminded me of what the chain gang guard said to Paul Newman in "Hud":
"What we have have here is a failure to communicate."

I think that causes a lot of TMS. We just have to practice belief and positive thinking and laugh.
I also asked The Lord to "Say it isn't so," and it wasn't so.