Time Line Therapy, origins and actions – a discussion
This essay will look at the origins of Time Line Therapy (TLT). To do this I will outline a history of the discoverer of TLT, Tad James, M.S., Ph.D. Write briefly about the primary model of which TLT is a derivative of being Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). I will then look at TLT itself as a therapy, some of its most widely used treatments and applications with hypnosis, together with 2 brief case study examples. I will explore the work of Dr. James as a dynamic speaker and course leader and his work in promoting TLT.
Time Line Therapy has its origins in NLP and its purpose is to remove or reframe past experiences, memories or limitations in order not to take them into the future. Events cannot be undone but how they are recalled can.
In order to examine Time Line Therapy therefore, it is firstly necessary to briefly examine the origins of TLT that quite clearly has its roots in the world of NLP. Time Line Therapy is an offshoot of Neuro Linguistic Programming and Ericksonian Hypnosis. Developed by Tad James in 1985, the first book about it, called Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality, was published in 1988. Tad James was the second person in the world to be certified a Master Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). He is also a clinical hypnotherapist having written the book Hypnosis: A Comprehensive Guide that is now a best seller. He is an acknowledged expert in the field of Hypnosis. Just from this brief introduction therefore it is possible to see a confluence of ideas that could make TLT possible and Tad James had the necessary vision to meld all of the elements need to create TLT together. An innovation that was truly inspired. What is TLT?
TLT is a model. A model is a description or simulation of how something works. So who or what did James model? Milton Erickson was using a treatment many years before James that was remarkably similar. Erickson would have clients see their past, present and also their future on a movie screen – he was active with this treatment right until his death is 1980, so Erickson’s work has an enormous influence on TLT. Other names that contributed to the model include Aristotle, William James, Jung, Freud, Dilts and Richard Bandler all of whom looked for ways to adequately get in touch with time – indeed Aristotle has left a near perfect description of TLT in his legacy and he died in 384 BC “Aristotle wrote, "It is only after we have perceived a before and an after in motion that we say time has elapsed." He went on to say, "What is bounded by the NOW is TIME." There has to be a before and an after for there to be time.” http://www.nlpskills.com/TmLnHistory.htm however it took until 1985 for Tad James’s model to arrive and so neatly piece the whole picture together and more importantly put it into practise with the publication of his first book on the topic in 1988.
As will be discussed later in this paper, like many other captains of NLP Tad James is a charismatic speaker and presenter of his own work. However his discovery is not without its dissenters. Many claim that as a student of Richard Bandler, who had been using a similar version time line therapy in his work, that James in fact “stole” the whole concept and his place in history is established only by the fact he published first. Whilst this controversy may leave a black cloud over James’s name it cannot be disputed that he and not his contemporary’s will eternally be associated with TLT‘s discovery.
In order to analyse the work let us look at the objective of TLT. In essence TLT works on the principle that your memories are arranged along a line – a time line. By changing a memory along the time line you can release the hold over you that that memory may have on you. Once released from the hold of a past memory you have more choices for the future. We all store everything that has ever happened to us and have a view of what we are expecting is going to happen in the future. We automatically know the difference between something that happened last week and something that happened in our childhood. This is because our unconscious mind has stored everything that has ever happened to us in a time line and has date stamped the memory, memories both temporal and atemporal. What the majority of people do not realise is just how much information is stored within these memories; most would be surprised to know that everything we have ever done is recorded. The biggest events in our past life are stored with the feelings of how we felt at the time and what we made it mean. These are the events that have the most limiting effect on our present and therefore are carried day by day into our future. Now let us examine time.
What is time?
“Time is a core system of cultural, social and personal life. In fact, nothing occurs except in some kind of time frame".” The Dance of Life (Edward T. Hall)
We can only ever be in the “now” and yet we all interpret time in a different way often using metaphors – there are thousands of metaphors for time and these will often depend on your heritage. As English speaking northern Europeans the following are a few suggestions from our culture: “I don’t have time for that”; is time a possession? “I can’t make enough time to do that”; can time be manufactured? “Time waits for no man”; time is inconsiderate? “I don’t have enough time”; is time a commodity in short supply? “Time is against us”; time has form and time is energy. Time as a concept can be described and also considered in a multiple number of ways and these few popular saying are just that, “a few”. There are thousands so how can a therapist get in touch with a clients view of time – one answer is TLT.
Let us explore just a few more sayings in order to get into the meat of TLT. This time the saying is centred around the Time Line: “He is living in the past”: “All he thinks of is the future”: She only lives for today”: This type of quality is how people internally show their own position in relation to time. It relates to past, present and the future and provides a limiting basis to one’s existence. So to fix some problems the therapist needs to assist the client to change the way they represent time.
When a person talks of “putting the past behind them” that is where they put it – out of sight out of mind – because by putting it behind you, you can no longer see it. Then there is the future looking statements like: “He has a dim future” or “Her future is bright” or worse case scenario “No future at all”. We all represent time in a different way – our map of the world. We all need to respect time – it is impossible to live life without acknowledging time is a basic element – so we need to deal with time to satisfy our needs. So how do we code time? For the fullest answer to this we need to view and walk our time line. We can code our own view of time known as “In Time” and “Through Time” then from there we can use different sub modalities to code time as we see it or want to see it.
“In Time”; imagine yourself standing in an empty space with plenty of room around you. If you are an “In Time” person you will see that the here and now, the present, is probably right in front of you or very close by you – at head level, you will see you past as being behind you and then your future will be in front to of you – your time line is “In Time”.
“Through Time”; the present will almost certainly be right in front of you, most likely you will see your past as being in front of you to your left and your future to be in front of you to your right – all aspects of your time line are before you – your time line is “Through Time”
“How we live today, how we handle the situations we face, how we create and pursue our goals and dreams for the future is all a product of our past. Your core values, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions— the generators of self image, behavior, and how you relate to others— are all learned over time through observation and experience. What if your links to the past— your values, beliefs, and emotions— are limiting you, holding you back, keeping you stuck in negative or undesirable attitudes and behavioral patterns?” www.hypnotherapylosangeles.com
In Time people have a past at the rear and a future in front of their view of time. They tend to have associated memories; they see events as a series of unrelated episodes; they tend to stay in the now and have difficulty in closing meetings. They take quick decisions, are often late and lose track of time. They have a hard time splitting work and play, seeing them as similar and also tend to find the start of a project more interesting than what comes after. They are often creative, emotional types and good at multi tasking.
Through time people store time left (past) to right (future). They tend to see events as related, time is straight lines, continuous and uninterrupted, time can seem “long”. They can be unaware of duration and tend to agonise over decision making, causing it to be a laborious process. They tend to be on time. They are good planners and are goal oriented. They bundle experiences into a single event so have difficulty remembering individual experiences beyond the sum of the whole. They see work and play as being different. They tend to have a high need for closure.
“Your Time Line is how your unconscious mind encodes and stores your memories. It's how you know the difference between a past memory and a future dream. Your Time Line is largely an unconscious process, and like remembering your home phone number, you may be more or less aware of it from time to time.” www.timelinetherapy.net
People from different cultures tend to see time in a different way. Though Time people tend to be European or North American which may have come about following the Industrial Revolution where being on time became an important part of life in a way that it had not previously. William James described time as being like a string of beads*, one after another after another so thereby a linear event. Through Time people therefore are Linear types, seeing one event leading to another. In Time people are most often Arab, Latin or Southern Hemisphere peoples. In Time people are multi-tasking types. So these simple differences have so often been the cause of conflicts in the past and, many would agrue will undoubtedly be so in the future.
“*William James, "String of Beads"
In the 1890's William James tackled the issue of time in his "Principles of Psychology (1890, pp 369-420). James said that time is related to "stream of consciousness." and that the constitution of consciousness is like a "string of bead-like sensations and images, all separate..." So, time in his view is the function of the position of consciousness amongst the string of beads. Further, he postulated that the string may be manipulated, wrapped or bent, so that the beads (memories) can come into contact with beads at a different time along the continuum. In other words, the past can come into contact with the present. ” http://www.nlpskills.com/TmLnHistory.htm
TLT is a simple, easy, natural technique that allows anyone: To let go of past negative emotions like: anger, sadness, fear, hurt and guilt; to let go of limiting attitudes like: 'I'm never good enough' or 'I can't have a meaningful relationship' and similar. It allows you to create a new future: it helps elicit the results you want in your life. Results and outcomes with TLT can happen quickly. In as little as an hour or two all negative emotions associated with your past, such emotions are your entire negative history if required or a specific problem can be eliminated. Clients feel as though an enormous weight has been lifted from their shoulders (and it has). Clients can leave feeling younger, happier, satisfied, unburdened and with their problem(s) gone.
The client feels differently about things depending on their perspective and required outcome. TLT is unique as it rapidly accesses the root cause of any problem and allows re-assessment from a unique and totally safe perspective, being before the event occurred. Previously associated negative emotions vanish and the self-learning required for immediate healing is discovered. The disassociated viewpoint immediately before the crucial happening is, I believe, unique in the field and could be the secret to TLT consistent results.
It can be said therefore that we can all only spend each minute of our time once. If you have past limiting issues that are impacting or are likely to impact on your future then using the modality of timeline therapy in conjunction with other modalities but in particular hypnosis can have a powerful and profound effect on your future. The following is a way to change personal history:
This is a change technique that is good for recurring problems, behaviours or emotions that are not too traumatic and does not involve hypnosis but does require a large amount of space to move around in.
Firstly create a safe anchor for the client – ideally something in the present to which the client can return to quickly in the event of an abreaction.
Steps:
1. Rapport: establish and maintain rapport
2. Find the present: ask the client (the explorer) to stand on a point on the floor for the now (the present)
3. Outcome: what behaviour/state does the client want to change?
4. Elicit problem state: identify a good example of the problem state, elicit it, calibrate it and anchor it kinaesthetically. (Stand on a coloured card to side of now)
5. Break state and test; step off the coloured card and use words to break state. Then step back onto coloured card representing the problem state and watch for calibrated external behaviours
6. Guide to earliest experience: use this anchor (pick up the coloured card and carry it) as a guide through time and space, working backwards from now to access earlier experiences when explorer had similar feelings. Continue until you reach the earliest experience. Leave the card there.
7. Break state: ask the client to come back to the now, then ask something like “having learned all you have since then, what do you know that you needed in order to get through the experience?” (A resourceful state)
8. Elicit and anchor resource state: The explorer now identifies a need, a resource, with a , eg “I needed confidence”. Elicit an appropriate Resource State saying something like “Remember a time when you had “confidence”. Elicit an appropriate Resource State , saying something like “Remember a time when you had “confidence”. Notice what that was like. Become aware of what you see, hear, and what it feels like.” Anchor the resource state kinaesthetically on another coloured card the other side of now and calibrate it.
9. Break state and test Step off the coloured paper and use words to break state. Then step back onto coloured paper representing the resourceful state and watch for calibrated external behaviours.
10. With new resource go back to earliest experienced: Pick up the coloured card representing the resource state anchor, have the explorer go back to the earliest experience of the problem state, bringing with them the resource; continue holding the resource anchor and step onto the problem state coloured card anchor. Tell the explorer to notice the difference in the experience with the resource. If the problem state is unchanged, recycle through step 7, either re-anchoring the resource state (check for well-formedness) or add in additional resources as needed. (You can stack resource anchors in the same spot or use different locations) repeat until satisfied.
11. Break state and test by having the explorer remember the past experience without both anchors. Notice external physiology. If problem state is unchanged, recycle through step 7.
12. Future pace. Ask, “Is there a time in the future when you might have expected to feel “the problem state? Imagine that you are there, now by moving forward and notice how it is different now. How is it changed?”
Check that the physiology of the problem state is changed as you listen to the verbal report.
Source Alicia Ben Hamou, ALB Resources
This is very much a physical way of engaging with TLT and its disadvantage for the therapist can be the amount of space required to transact TLT this way.
An alternative way, regardless of spatial considerations is to use a light trance and have the client float over their timeline. I would suggest this now in many ways has a very close resemblance to Past Life Regression, which also follows a line of time. The following is an alternative approach to conducting TLT within the confines of the smaller therapy room or where hypnosis is preferred:
Create a safe anchor in the now.
1. Elicit a light trance and then think of an event that would be useful to clean up. If this is a series of events create an IMR to be sure you have return to the earliest time.
2. Now imagine yourself floating up above yourself in the present and then go higher and higher until you reach the outer atmosphere
3. Look down and see your time line, see it perhaps as a white line in a road or a continuous ribbon and see yourself in the time line.
4. Now imagine floating back to the first of the events and then float directly over it and now check in with your sub-conscious that it is okay to release the memory and make the changes you want. A good way to achieve this is if the areas of bad experience are seen as dark and black then polish them until they turn light and gold. Travel back along your time line and each incident that occurs on the way back to the present do the same treatment – polish the dark area until it is light and golden.
5. When all past experiences relating to the incidents are cleansed and you are back over the now float down till you are back in the now. Sit quietly and take a few deep cleansing breaths breathing out any darkness that may be held within and finish.
Both methods are good examples of TLT and it should be noted there are many variations to this work. TLT is often used to comfort the younger child, going back along the time line until just minutes before a bad event in the case of a fear or phobia and facing the younger child to get them past the trauma. There are many examples where hugging the younger child can have benefits and then the joy or relief be bought back along the timeline to the here and now with all its reliving effects. TLT is very useful in treating, though not exclusively, acceptance, anxiety, change, childhood experiences, forgiveness, emotional problems and personality problems. TLT can even assist the hypnotherapist with the ubiquitous quit smoking and weight loss clients by taking clients back before their addiction began which could help remove the trigger to the problem. TLT would appear to limit contra-indications as the client is usually in a disassociated state to the problem itself. Should a client experience a contra-indication (e.g. getting stuck in time) it is important to maintain a state of calm, offer re-assurance, bring the client home on the time line, break state if needs be or elicit the safe anchor and return to normal waking state.
When considering the relationship the TLT and hypnosis can have as modalities’ working side by side and in particular with the core modality of NLP the following extract from rejoiceinlife.com is a very good description:
“NLP, Time Line Therapy (TLT) and Hypnosis, bring with it a set up tools to clear out the effect of negative emotions such as fear, anger, hurt, sadness, depression, stress, pain, guilt, shame and jealousy. What is more you can heal the negative emotions with NLP, Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis, without having to divulge the content of the memories or by beating pillows and crying. If you value a personal relationship or your sales or sports performance then periodically you should seek professional help in maintaining them
Types of problems that can be addressed with NLP, Hypnosis and Time Line
Stress management.
Relationship problems.
Fear of public speaking / stage fright.
Letting go of negative emotions such as fear, anger, hurt, stress, sadness, grief, jealousy, anxiety, panic attacks and depression.
Sports performance.
Sexual abuse, eating disorders, weight loss,
Self confidence and life direction.
Stop smoking and drug abuse.” http://www.rejoiceinlife.com/Neuro_Linguistic_Programming/feelings.php
I would suggest that the list of problems shown in the above extract would represent a very high percentage of a typical therapist’s workload. So it can be seen that TLT and hypnosis can help in all these events so making this a powerful combination of treatments.
From a personal point of view I have found that TLT is an elegant tool to keep in the therapist toolbox. Two recent uses of TLT I made are worth mentioning and both of which included inducing a trance state.
Case 1; this involves my wife, she has recently been a student of holistic massage and Anatomy and Physiology and half way through her 8 month course she was becoming very stressed at the task before her especially as she has a full time job which, due to staff shortages necessitated her working extra hours. So using a variation of method one I had her walk her time line with the outcome of pushing her exam dates further into the future, so following the set up we established that her exams were right in her face, close to her right cheek, despite them being several months away. Eliciting a light trance I had her visualise the 2 exams environments and then gently push them away until they were at a manageable distance away from her. After the session she reported she felt much more at ease about the exams. I checked in with her on the topic between the therapy date and the exam date and the TLT had held.
Case 2; A close friend of mine was suffering from a slump in his business. There was no one reason for this just a general downturn in trade. This was effecting him badly because it impacted on his family life as his wife was going to work more hours than ever before in their life together to bring money in. In the future he had a contract for a lot of work (but nothing in writing) but it seemed so far away that it seemed almost a dream. Coupled to this he had a much needed holiday booked and paid for but for some months in the future and the distance both events seemed to be was so far away that it depressed him. His outcome was to feel less stressed about his current predicament. Using method 2 I placed my friend into a light trance and had him float over his time line until he could find the contract start date and the holiday start date – I then had him pull both events nearer one by one so that he felt less uncomfortable about the space in time between his now and the two future dates. We also took the opportunity to go back along the time line and change his view of 2 bad debt events that had also happened recently. Overall he was very pleased with the outcome.
So what of Tad James himself? The following is an extract taken from one of his own web sites http://www.timelinetherapy.net/ which is a perfect summary of his post graduate accomplishments;
“Tad James, M.S., Ph.D. was the second person in the world to be certified a Master Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). He is President of the American Institute of Hypnotherapy, President of American Pacific University and Director of Training and Research for Advanced Neuro Dynamics, Inc
As a successful therapist and personal success coach, Tad created a revolutionary new paradigm for human change known as the Time Line Therapy™ techniques. In 1988, his invaluable research became more widely known with the publishing of his first book, Time Line Therapy and The Basis of Personality. Since then Time Line Therapy™ techniques have become a major modality for creating powerful change in business, education, and therapy. In 1991, Tad co-founded the Time Line Therapy™ Association, a non-profit organization, which today has member institutes in every major country of the free world.
His second book, The Secret of Creating Your Future, took these powerful concepts and made them more widely available to individuals seeking greater satisfaction and control in their lives. The Secret of Creating Your Future® Seminar has touched the lives of thousands of people and assisted them in letting go of negative emotions and limiting decisions for thousands of people each year since 1989.
In addition, to his interests in NLP and Hypnosis Tad is a student, researcher and respected teacher of the healing and shamanistic science of Hawaiian Huna. His two books entitled The Lost Secrets of Ancient Hawaiian Huna were published in 1998. Tad teaches Huna intensives semi-annually in Hawaii and shares his research on the esoteric teachings of the ancient Hawaiians.
In 1999, Dr. James wrote a best selling work on Hypnosis. The book Hypnosis: A Comprehensive Guide is now a best seller in the Hypnosis field.
In 2001, his latest book Presenting Magically was published and it details all his training expertise and secrets.
Since 1992, Tad has appeared on hundreds of local and national television programs throughout North America , sharing his breakthrough techniques and promoting his number one, best selling audio and video package, The Secret of Creating Your Future® Personal Success Program.
Today, Dr. James spends much of his time traveling the globe delivering his popular seminars and trainings on NLP, Creating Your Future®, Time Line Therapy®, Hypnosis and Ancient Hawaiian Huna.” http://www.timelinetherapy.net/
This quote from Tad James web site, it could be said, gives a rounded overview of the discoverer of Time Line Therapy chronicling his teachings and writing on the subject of TLT and the broader NLP modality.
In conclusion it can be seen that TLT offers amazing opportunities to face the future whilst leaving the past and all its limiting effects behind. It is truly a wonderful change mechanism. Given the strong need to visualise time travel with the second method I described it is my opinion that it could be best used with visual people whilst the first method could be comfortably used for clients of all representational systems.
TLT has undoubtedly found a permanent place as a highly effective modality in mind therapy. There may be dissension as to who exactly fathered this model. However put that to one side and you have an elegant, easy to understand and operate therapy solution to many emotional problems both those held in the past and as may be foreseen in the future.
“Throughout history, humankind has been aware of the passage of time. Aristotle was the first to mention the "stream of time" in his book Physics IV. William James spoke of linear memory storage as early as 1890. Finally, the concept, nearly forgotten, was revived in the late 1970's by the developers of NLP.” http://www.nlpworld.co.uk
Time Line Therapy is available with Colin Winston Aldridge - find out where you have been!
Author Colin Winston Aldridge and coutesy of www.hypno-therapist.net