Robbins, A. (1986). Unlimited power. New York City: Simon and Schuster.

OVERVIEW

The book explores the process of neuro linguistic programming after trauma.

THESIS

The best way to become emotionally stable after any kind or degree of trauma is to actively place that event into a broader perspective, and actually reduce its importance through images. This process is neuro linguistic programming (NLP). Reexperiencing a negative event puts you in a non-productive state, leaving little room for growth or change.

BACKGROUND

There is widespread theory suggesting that the best way to change is to relive your negative experiences until they just burst out and you can let go of them. Anthony Robbins refutes this theory with the argument that if you are reliving a terrible trauma, you are in your least resourceful state of mind. This assumes that if you are distressed, frustrated, or angry, you are not normally productive. Thus, the chances of producing good results from reexperiencing the negative are very slim. The habits of feeling pain or distress may make the situation worse. Like a drug depressant, this can be addictive or lethal.

DATA

Anthony Robbins stated that "People don’t usually lack resources; they lack control over their resources." He says that you can be your own therapist. Individuals have the power to change emotions, feelings, or behavior in a matter of seconds. The human mind has an incredible amount of power that has not yet been discovered. When we use our mind, we can manipulate the present, future, and even the past. Our neurological system is a lot like a jukebox. Our experiences can be played over and over since they are all recorded in our brain, and we can choose which "songs" we want to hear from our mind, which events we want to remember. Most importantly, we can take the sad songs and re-record them into happier ones. We can, and sometimes should, change old memories.

RELATED IDEAS

Just as we can update our jukeboxes with songs we like, we can also change the images we receive from our five senses. In recalling an old trauma, for example, one can close one’s eyes and picture the event—the environment, the tone, the colors, the smells, and the feelings. If one were to drastically decrease the size of a mental picture—as if it was a shrinking movie screen—one could actually diminish the significance of the actual event. It is a lesson in perspective. Of course, one cannot physically change the past, but one certainly can manipulate the degree of importance it has once it is over. The mind has the power to do whatever it wants to do to those memories, so you can mentally change the past. To be effective in a therapeutic sense, however, it takes practice and concentration.

IMPLICATIONS

1. Putting events into their own perspective gives a person a lot of power; one can even diminish the importance of something one thought would be troublesome for the rest of his or her life.
2. In perceiving things differently through reprogramming the jukebox of your brain (the brain is composed of nerves and is the chief organ in the nervous system), you can implement the process of NLP. It is a form of communication between your emotions and your nerves—a language in itself.
3. We need to know, understand, and use this tool to help stabilize all areas of our life.

Anne Montague cCYS