The User's Manual for the Brain Volume I

by Bob G Bodenhamer

  17.5 Parts Reframe

  Do you still having difficulty seeing your Time-Line? If that happens, you may have a conceptual part of you that objects to your seeing your Time-Line. This part may have the purpose of protecting you from some memory or memories in the past. Regrettably, many people have experienced a difficult childhood. These painful memories lie buried deep in the unconscious mind. Your protective part keeps these memories hidden from the conscious mind. Sometimes the conscious mind creates unconscious parts to repress painful memories so as to consciously, but not realistically, deal with them. Thank the part for protecting you all those years. Assure the part that you have now reached the age and wisdom where you can accept those painful memories in order to deal with and transform them. Tell the part that you have other ways of protecting yourself. Assure that part that it will not be destroyed and the purpose to us is to allow it to accomplish its highest intent for you. Get in touch with this part that no doubt believes it is protecting you and ask it its intent/purpose for you. When you get an answer, ask it what that answer’s intent/purpose consists of for you. Continue asking this question until you get an intent/purpose that will give you permission to go back and clean up the old memories. I assure you, if you continue stepping up with the highest intent/purpose question, you will get a positive response. And, this positive response will give you permission to discover your Time-Line and ultimately reframe (heal) the problem as you discover new resources.

  17.6 Through Time And In Time

  Did your images for the past, present and future all appear in front of you? If they did, you function as a “Through Time” person. Your Time-Line stretches from right to left, or it may be up and down, or even be at an angle or a V. Any combination may occur. The pictures comprising your Time-Line, however, will all appear somewhere out in front of you. A “Through Time” person usually operates in the Anglo-European mode of time. If you locate some of your Time-Line images behind you, so that the line passes through your body, then you probably operate in the Arabic mode of time, as an “In Time” person (See Figure 16:1).

  Figure 16:1 Through Time and In Time

  A person’s Time-Line affects a person’s personality.

  A person’s Time-Line affects a person’s personality. (See Hall & Bodenhamer, Figuring Out People: Design Engineering with Meta-Programs,1997.) As mentioned earlier, your Time-Line may go in any direction. The Time-Line may appear as a straight line or it may appear as a spiral or a loop. You may function Through Time or In Time. Through Time people usually dissociate from their memories. They see themselves in their memories. Because all of their Time-Line lies in front of them, time often has high value. These people have difficulty in wasting time. A Through Time person will want to get their money’s worth.

  You may be familiar with the Myers-Briggs psychological instrument. A Through Time person scores as a Judger on the Myers-Briggs. A Through Time Judger loves organization. They will do things step by step. They love procedure. Time operates always at the conscious level. You can count on Through Time people to show up on time for an appointment. They carry pocket calendars and love them. A Through Time person loves goals and sets them regularly. They need closure. A Through Time person will say, “Let’s decide now and keep on keeping on.”

  A Through Time person scores as a Judger on the Myers-Briggs. An In Time person compares to the Perceiver on the Myers-Briggs.

  An In Time person compares to the Perceiver on the Myers-Briggs. Remember, if any part of a person’s Time-Line is behind them, they function as In Time. An In Time person usually has their past behind them. On the other hand, a Through Time person sees their past in front of them (usually to the left). Because of that the past may haunt the Through Time person more than it does an In Time person. Each one has its own value.

  An In Time person has difficulty, however, in letting go of emotions. Unlike the Through Time person, the In Time person has a tendency to associate into their memories. They look through their own eyes at the past. Because of this, they feel the past as if it happens now. Time-Lining provides a godsend for an In Time person. For Time-Lining allows them to dissociate from their past, reframe their problem and let go of the emotions.

  On the Myers-Briggs, the In Time person tests out as a Perceiver. Organization is not a characteristic of an In Time person. A Perceiver lives in the now. They live for and enjoy the moment. Because an In Time person lives in the now, they make great lovers. Time does not seem very important to them. On the other hand, a Through Time person has difficulty living in the now. A Through Time person has the past and the future as well as the now always present. Remember, a Through Time person’s Time-Line always exists totally in front of them.

  An In Time person is always present and desires to enjoy it, now. A favorite expression of an In Time person could be: “Be here now.” Living in a constant state of association, In Time people may have a different problem each week. An In Time person can recall and re-experience any memory or state they wish whenever they wish. In Time people have difficulty punching a time clock and being on time for appointments. Because they live so in the moment, they may forget the next appointment. As to Organizers and To Do Lists, they will have low importance to an In Time person. Oh, they may use them to make a living, but don’t expect them to like them. As a Perceiver, they function opposite to the Judger. The In Time person does not want immediate closure; they wish to keep their options open. In Time people adjust to life as life presents itself.

  Can one function from both Through Time and In Time characteristics? Yes, most definitely. You may display behavior of both in different contexts. The purpose of NLP is to increase choice. Some people operate healthily in both modes of time.

  Once in a while you will run into a person who has difficulty accessing a single memory. This may happen because similar memories are clustered together. Though I cannot scientifically validate this, my experience as a therapist indicates this phenomenon to me. A history of abuse, hurt, grief, etc., will build within a person and produce unwanted behaviors like depression, panic attacks, anxiety disorders, etc.

  For example: have you ever had someone remind you of a significant person in your life and trigger an unwanted state change within you? This happened even though you knew they were not the individual that originally influenced your state. The stranger’s reminding you of a significant other triggered the Gestalt of the memory of this significant other. This connection of memories gives Time-Lining its power. The memories result from the history of the person.

  Usually the Gestalting or clustering of memories begins from what we call a Significant Emotional Experience of Pain (SEEP).

  Usually the Gestalting or clustering of memories comes from what we call a Significant Emotional Experience of Pain (SEEP). A Significant Emotional Experience of Pain (SEEP) refers to those times when we install learnings from one experience of high intensity. The model for Time-Lining consists of our memories Gestalting or clustering at the emotional level (see Figure 16:2). I (BB) believe that this happens neurologically through the activity of the neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters refer to those chemical messengers that allow one nerve cell to communicate with another nerve cell. Any stimulus or anchor that fires off one memory will fire off the entire Gestalt.

  Time-Lining, in removing the emotional part of the Gestalt, will remove the trigger.

  Before I (BB) became aware of this model, I knew of its existence. In the pastorate I have had people dislike me because of a generalization. Some even left the church. In searching for a reason, I discovered that I reminded them of a father who abused them emotionally. My strong personality served as a trigger to fire off the entire negative Gestalt of their father’s memories. One person said, “You even sound like my father!” A Gestalt always has a trigger (anchor). Whenever you see, hear or feel something that has similarity to the original trigger, the entire Gestalt will fire. Time-Lining, in reframing the content of the memory at a Meta-level, will resu
lt in a shifting of the submodality structure of the memory and the altering of the emotional part of the Gestalt. This will result in the removal of the trigger. The entire mental strategy alters in Time-Lining.

  Figure 16:2 Gestalts and Significant Emotional Experiences of Pain

  As you look at the line between the separate memories (See Figure 16:2), what does it contain? The line represents the neural impulses that trigger the emotions. You will remember that neurotransmitters are those chemical messengers that transmit information from one nerve cell to another nerve cell. The circles represent the memories (SEEPs). Our emotions result from the interactions of these memories with our body. You will recall the basic NLP model teaches us that our states result from the interaction of our internal representations, the word-meaning we give them and their interaction with our body through the central nervous system. In Time-Lining we do not act on the linkage itself. But, by allowing the client to let go (reframe the memories) of the emotional content of the memory, the linkage of the memories metaphorically breaks as the neurotransmission changes. The memories remain but Time-Lining allows the participant to totally reframe the memory, thus changing their emotional response. By thus reframing the SEEPs, the individual metaphorically pulls out the string and the Gestalt will no longer fire as it once did.

  You will remember that Through Time people arrange all their memories in front of them. Since all of their memories are in front of them, theoretically they will experience greater influence from their painful memories than will an In Time person. However, In Time people also Gestalt memories and they also experience their effects. Indeed, because In Time people have a tendency to associate into their past memories, they can “feel” their intensity more than Through Time people who tend to dissociate from memories.

  Through Time people do Gestalt their memories more readily than do In Time people. When you ask a Through Time person to access a particular memory, they may have difficulty separating the Gestalt. Instead of seeing one memory, they may see several. When this happens, ask the client to imagine their memories as being in a photo album. Next, have them turn the pages back. This helps them access individual memories. (See “Transderivational Search” in Chapter Thirteen.)

  17.7 Developmental Periods

  Once you locate the first SEEP, you can use Time- Lining to remove all the negative emotions from the entire Gestalt.

  Though not formally a part of NLP, Time-Lining looks at the Significant Emotional Experience (s) of Pain (SEEP), and the Gestalt provides the areas of the change work. The location of the root cause of a negative state provides the key for a successful and complete therapy. Where does the client locate the root cause of the first SEEP of the problem? Once you locate the first SEEP, you can use Time-Lining to reframe the negative emotions from the entire Gestalt.

  Tad James, the primary developer of Time-Line TherapyTM drew from the work of sociologist Morris Massey in pointing out three major developmental stages through which all pass. Massey calls these three major periods the Imprint Period which occurs from birth to age seven. The Modeling Period begins at age eight and goes through age thirteen. And, the Socialization Period starts around age fourteen and goes through age twenty-one. Knowledge of these periods will assist you in locating and cleaning up the SEEP.

  (Note: Crown House Publishing will soon publish John Burton’s book, States Of Equilibrium, which presents a thorough treatment of developmental psychology. John relies heavily on the work of Jean Piaget but draws from several authors. I (BB) highly recommend this book as a thorough treatment of developmental psychology framed in the context of NLP and Meta-states.)

  17.7.0.128 Imprint Period

  The child’s mind acts like a sponge during the Imprint Period (birth to seven). The development of mental filters (a conscious mind) hasn’t occurred at this young age. For this reason, the child will absorb the teachings and the behaviors of their parents and other significant adults. Because most of the learnings during this period locate within the unconscious, many of the memories will exist outside conscious awareness. The Metamodel in conjunction with Milton-model language patterns provide the tools for uncovering these repressed memories.

  Time-Lining offers a tool for re-imprinting these memories.

  A child’s concept of God/divinity develops during the imprint period. Guess whom they get this concept of God from? You guessed correctly, the father. If the father provides love and care to the child, the child will grow up with the belief that God also loves and cares for His children. If the father treats the children harshly and even abusively, the child will grow up believing God also treats His children harshly and abusively. Time-Lining offers a tool for re-imprinting these memories. Much of your work with Time-Lining and Significant Emotional Experiences will concern memories formed in the Imprint Period of the client’s Time-Line.

  17.7.0.129 Modeling Period

  During the Modeling Period (between eight and thirteen) the child both consciously and unconsciously begins to model the behaviors of people around them. Until age seven, the child does not distinguish between himself and their parents. However, around the age of eight, the child begins to notice the difference between himself and his parents. He also becomes aware of the other people around him. He begins to model the behavior of his heroes. Individual values begin to form at age eight. Massey teaches that our major values form during this period. According to Massey age ten has significance. What kind of significant events happened around age ten in your life to shape your values? Your world at age ten, Massey believes, shaped your values in life. When dealing with people who have problems with values, look for trouble during the Modeling Period.

  17.7.0.130 Socialization Period

  The ages of fourteen to twenty-one mark the Socialization Period. During this stage the developing individual begins to interact with other persons. Relationships and social values form during this period. These relationships and social values usually last throughout life. Time-Lining provides the means to alter these values. If a client has difficulty in the social areas of his life, you may wish to look for the root cause first in this period. Again, such problems may go back to the Modeling or Imprint Periods as well.

  17.7.0.131 Beyond The Presenting Problem

  Most clients do not give you the real problem when they first come in. Sue came to me distressed because the doctor was discontinuing her antidepressant medication. Sue’s husband had left her six years earlier. Since that time, Sue had grown dependent on medication. How could she live without the medicine? Her presenting problem concerned the time her husband left her. However, after questioning, the greater problem surfaced. Her mother died from cancer in Sue’s early childhood. The memory of the death of her mother generalized (Gestalted) with the memory of the earlier divorce of her mother and father. The emotions surrounding the divorce of her husband merged with the emotions of her mother’s death and the earlier divorce. Thus, the divorce with her husband presented only an example of a greater problem or SEEP. The greater problem consisted of the death of her mother and the earlier divorce of her mother and father. Sue’s therapy required that I take her back to the root cause or the SEEP. The root cause lay way back when she learned that her mother and father planned to separate.

  For Time-inking to have permanency, you must clear up the Greater Problem, the SEEP or the Root Cause.

  The divorce from her husband presented just an example of Sue’s real problem. The divorce provided one of the last beads on a long string of pearls of SEEPs. In questioning Sue, she related the greater problem, which concerned her discovery that her mother had terminal cancer. For Time-Lining to have permanency, you must clear up the Greater Problem, the SEEP or the Root Cause. Once you reframe the Greater Problem, other associated problems will go as well (see Figure 16:3). The client probably will not have awareness of their existence. Using Time-Lining it is possible to change the Gestalts of memories and the strategies associated with them.

  The Greater
Problem or the Root Cause operate as Meta-level structures that unconsciously control the client and produce the unwanted behavior. Healing requires accessing their neurology of the part and at the same time the client must access Meta-level resources that will heal/reframe the Greater Problem. Time-Lining provides a useful way to both uncover and elicit the strategy for the Greater Problem while at the same time the accessing of higher level resources that one can bring to bear on to the problem.

  Our memories make a significant contribution to our personality. Time-Lining operates directly on the memories. The entire Gestalt and the strategies associated with it change with Time-Lining. Strategies form over time. It is possible to change entire strategies using Time-Lining. The reason for this is because Time-Lining works directly on the way we code the memories that create the strategies. Sue had quite a strategy for depression. Time-Lining blew the strategy completely out. Sue could not run the strategy any more. I knew the therapy had worked when Sue could no longer run the strategy for depression.

  Figure 16:3 The Greater Problem

  17.8 Memory Management: Experiencing Your Time-Line

  As you progress with your learnings, you gain more and more tools to assist you in Time-Lining. Now it is time to experience your Time-Line in a more practical sense.