Recovery Strategies in NLP

A recovery strategy is the answer to the question "what happens if I go back into this state?". So if your client leaves your office feeling fine, then under the pressure of the "real world" goes back into the negative state they came to you to get rid of, what happens to them?

The answer to this question depends upon whether you have installed a recovery strategy for them.

A recovery strategy is a state chain: Problem State -> intermediary state(s) ->  resourceful state.

A great example of a recovery strategy was demonstrated by John Overdurf recently on the superb Master Practitioner course he ran. John was working with a student (let's call her Bella) who had a fear of public speaking. John dealt with the issue and then installed a recovery strategy...

...and when you feel that lack of confidence [firing off an anchor he had installed earlier...Bella smiles]...and you know what happens next [firing off another anchor...Bella laughs]...

John repeated this pattern a number of times, installing the state chain uncertainty->smile->laugh etc etc.

Ask Bella what happens if she feels uncertainty or lack of confidence now. Go on, I dare you.

Shawn Carson

International Center for Positive Change and Hypnosis