The Fast Phobia release Technique
1. Get as much information as possible from the client about their Phobia, where and when they usually have the phobia. Ask them “If I had to be you for the day and you had to teach me how to have your phobia, what would I have to experience?” What would I have to see, hear and feel? Elicit all the sub modalities in the pre-talk before beginning the technique.
2. Ask them on a scale of 1 to 10 how severe their phobia is at present
3. Get the client to draw a picture of the phobia as it is in their mind at the moment, very often a picture can tell a thousand words and give a good insight into what the client is picturing in their mind. You can ask the client to draw another picture of the phobia once the technique has been completed to see if there are any changes.
4. It is then useful to have the client draw up a list of all the advantages and disadvantages of holding on to this phobia. This helps to show the client that there are more disadvantages and how holding on to this phobia is affecting their life.
5. Begin the technique with a relaxation script by asking your client to close their eyes, focus on their breathing and relax. Ask your client to recall a time when they felt really relaxed and calm and ask them to relive those calm relaxing feelings. The “Wash Away Stress Sandcastle Script” can also be used here to help get your client into a relaxed state of mind.
6. Have your client walk into an “imaginary movie theatre” in their mind and sit down somewhere comfortable and relaxing.
7. Have them float up out of their body and gently settle in a comfortable seat in the balcony, so they can watch themselves watching the screen.
8. Have them put the very beginning of their Phobia on the screen in the form of a movie in full colour. At all times remind them that they are just observing and that there are no feelings involved. Have them run the movie of their phobia all the way to end, as they remain in the balcony watching sitting in the front row watching themselves on the screen. (Completely detached from any feelings)
9. At the end of the movie, freeze the frame into a slide. Change the picture to black and white draining any colours, ask them to turn the sounds right down and to add some funny music that makes them laugh. Run the movie backwards at triple speed or faster, with the funny music playing, then have them fast forward the movie, then keep re-winding
and fast forwarding the movie as fast as they can 3 times then have them freeze – frame the image when they get to the beginning of the movie.
10. Then ask them to white out the entire screen letting go of any association to the situation in the movie. The client is still listening to the funny music at all times.
11. Have your client leave the movie theatre feeling relaxed and calm leaving any associations to the phobia behind, reminding them that they are starting a new chapter and all of the things that they will now be able to do. Test for the phobic response by asking your client to imagine themselves in a situation that may in the past have brought on the phobic response. Have your client continue to listen to the funny music, reminding them that they no longer have any association to the phobia.
12. End the technique by bringing your client back into the room by counting them back from 1 to 3 then asking them to open their eyes.
13. Ask the client again on a scale of 1 to 10 how severe the phobia is now and if their association to it has now changed.
14. Ask the client to now draw a picture of their phobia to see if there are any changes to the original drawing in step 3.