Post by Andrew Cain on Dec 6, 2004 8:26:29 GMT -5
Rehearsing something in your mind before it has happened is a natural and very powerful way of learning. Unfortunately, people tend to rehearse what they don't want to happen rather than what they []do[/i] want to happen. By spotting and reversing this, you can harness the powerful effect to help rather than hinder you.
We all frequently rehearse (NLP practitioners call it ‘future pacing’) – imagining what you will talk about you meet up with a friend, what it would be like to get a dream job, or how good you’ll feel when you get back from the gym! Personally, I love languages and when I start learning one, I tend to spend quite a lot of time having imaginary conversations in that language. It probably looks a bit odd to anyone who notices but it works a treat. When sports stars meet their sports psychologists, they spend quite a bit of time mentally practising their shots, strokes, or throws so that if a similar situation arises in a match, on one level they have already done it – all they have to do is repeat it.
This is all useful stuff. Unfortunately, when someone is anxious about something, they tend to rehearse feeling anxious. Hands up who finds themselves at home, perfectly safe, days before an appointment running through how anxious they will be when they go? OK, I can’t see exactly who has their hand up but most people who are anxious about an event tend to do it. So you practise being anxious and it works!
You can see from these examples what a powerful impact rehearsal has on emotional learning so why not turn it to your advantage? First, at all costs avoid ‘negatively rehearsing’ – practising what you don’t what to happen. The more you continue practising being anxious, the better you’ll become at it. Do anything rather than this: If you spot yourself doing it, distract yourself into some other activity.
Second, if you’ve got a moment, turn your power to your advantage. Calm yourself down in whatever way you like. It doesn’t matter how: Have a bath, meditate, walk the dog, use Anthony’s 7:11 breathing tip (read about this here: dentalphobia.proboards27.com/index.cgi?board=tips&action=display&thread=1101673235), whatever you like. Then stay calm while gently rehearsing whatever it is that is bothering you. If you get anxious, stop. We’re practising being calm, remember.
If you normally get anxious just travelling or walking to the surgery, try rehearsing just that bit and then, when you can do it calmly in your mind, have a go in reality and see how you get on so you can see how quickly you can learn.
Give it a few goes. After all, if you’ve been practising being anxious for a long time it might take a little while to practise being calm. If you really can’t think of something without getting anxious, you may have a phobia, in which case a hypnotherapist can help you lift quickly and painlessly, after which you can get back to your rehearsing. (For an explanation of phobias, see: www.emotionalhealth.co.uk/phobias.htm)
Let us know how you get on!
Andrew
www.fearfreedentistry.co.uk
We all frequently rehearse (NLP practitioners call it ‘future pacing’) – imagining what you will talk about you meet up with a friend, what it would be like to get a dream job, or how good you’ll feel when you get back from the gym! Personally, I love languages and when I start learning one, I tend to spend quite a lot of time having imaginary conversations in that language. It probably looks a bit odd to anyone who notices but it works a treat. When sports stars meet their sports psychologists, they spend quite a bit of time mentally practising their shots, strokes, or throws so that if a similar situation arises in a match, on one level they have already done it – all they have to do is repeat it.
This is all useful stuff. Unfortunately, when someone is anxious about something, they tend to rehearse feeling anxious. Hands up who finds themselves at home, perfectly safe, days before an appointment running through how anxious they will be when they go? OK, I can’t see exactly who has their hand up but most people who are anxious about an event tend to do it. So you practise being anxious and it works!
You can see from these examples what a powerful impact rehearsal has on emotional learning so why not turn it to your advantage? First, at all costs avoid ‘negatively rehearsing’ – practising what you don’t what to happen. The more you continue practising being anxious, the better you’ll become at it. Do anything rather than this: If you spot yourself doing it, distract yourself into some other activity.
Second, if you’ve got a moment, turn your power to your advantage. Calm yourself down in whatever way you like. It doesn’t matter how: Have a bath, meditate, walk the dog, use Anthony’s 7:11 breathing tip (read about this here: dentalphobia.proboards27.com/index.cgi?board=tips&action=display&thread=1101673235), whatever you like. Then stay calm while gently rehearsing whatever it is that is bothering you. If you get anxious, stop. We’re practising being calm, remember.
If you normally get anxious just travelling or walking to the surgery, try rehearsing just that bit and then, when you can do it calmly in your mind, have a go in reality and see how you get on so you can see how quickly you can learn.
Give it a few goes. After all, if you’ve been practising being anxious for a long time it might take a little while to practise being calm. If you really can’t think of something without getting anxious, you may have a phobia, in which case a hypnotherapist can help you lift quickly and painlessly, after which you can get back to your rehearsing. (For an explanation of phobias, see: www.emotionalhealth.co.uk/phobias.htm)
Let us know how you get on!
Andrew
www.fearfreedentistry.co.uk