How long does an NLP-style change last?
The thing I just posted on color and perception reminded me of some work I did with a friend while I was doing my first Prac training back in ’97.
She told me she hated salad because it was “just so green“, saying the word “green” with a tone of disgust and a visible shudder. I said, “There’s got to be at least one green food you like.” She thought for a second and got a look of lust in her eyes. “Key lime pie,” she said, making the words sound like phone sex.
(Now, I know, key lime pie isn’t so very green per se. Except when someone tints it. But it’s green enough to be considered green, especially by guys like me, who only see in primary and secondary colors anyway. 😉 )
All I did was help her change her submodalities of salad to those of key lime pie. Just a simple textbook swish pattern, a basic Prac skill. It took all of two minutes, including asking her for the differences between the pictures.
I’ve kept in touch with her since then, have gone out to eat with her many times, and have even taken her grocery shopping. In restaurants she frequently orders a salad, always finishes the salad even if she has to take her entree home, and tends to comment on how good they are; in the grocery store, salad fixings are always on her list. Here it is, over ten years later, and that simple swish is still doing its job.