Welcome to
Imagine your life with more inner peace. What would that be like? Imagine it as fully as you can.
|
These are the key words on the opening page of InnerPeace, a free interfaith self-help software program which utilizes many NLP principles and techiques.
Theoritical purists of NLP might even say that if the user were to actually do what the opening page said that the rest of the program would be unnecessary. Fundemental NLP theory says that just the simple act of imagining such a life brings the user to a state of more inner peace. Therefore, the more fully the user imagines a life with more inner peace, the more fully that state is reached.
Not relying on the user's ability to get to full inner peace in one jump, InnerPeace continues. After an orientation page which familiarizes the user with the basics of running the program come the username, password, legal notices, and other such things that software authors seem compelled to put at the beginning of computer programs.
Once the user accepts the legal terms, the gateway page opens:
Access to
Granted to [username]. Imagine your life with more inner peace.What would that feel like? Feel it BOTH emotionally and in your body.
|
While this may seem very similar to the opening page, there are some important distinctions. The first sentence states that the user, by name (the user's first name is recommended and is most effective), has access to InnerPeace.
The third sentence goes beyond just a asking the user to imagine a life with more inner peace; it asks what it would feel like. This takes inner peace beyond just an intellectual concept and makes it both emotional and visceral.
Again, not relying on the user's ability to get to total inner peace in this jump either, the next page is the main menu where the default choice is to "Run the InnerPeace Process."
There are options for spiritual quotes on the opening and closing page of each step of the process. They are not essensial to the effectiveness of the process but they are helpful for believers, who do make up about ninety-five percent of the population.
Before running the process, once each session InnerPeace takes the user to the warning page which says:
WARNING In the InnerPeace process, you will face up to some of your deepest fears. You might consider this a mild form of "intentional suffering" in which you face your "worst case future" NOW to free yourself from EVER having to suffer that way in real life. Another way to understand this is that it is similar to the "Scared Straight" approach, in which wayward youths are taken into prisons to meet hardened criminals. They get a sense of what their future would be like if they were to continue on the path they are on. Just as the youths are not left in the prisons, InnerPeace does not leave you in your worst case future of what would happen if you were to hang on to your issues. From that worst case possible future that you will visit in steps 2, 3, and 4, InnerPeace then takes you to your best case future of what happens after you let go of these issues in steps 5, 6, and 7. Then you choose which future you want to create and figure out how to do it. InnerPeace is an exciting process. Get ready. Take three deep breaths, exhaling each one fully before taking in the next. Feel how ready you feel. Then proceed when you feel ready.
Are you ready to face up to your deepest fears?
A coward dies a thousand deaths.
|
A user in abject terror would probably not proceed, which is exactly the type of user who should stop right here. Most other users will probably proceed, clearly knowing that InnerPeace isn't going to be a walk in the park.
Users who select "Yes" are taken to:
Issue Let Go Step 1 Identify an issue that lessens your inner peace. Choose from a menu:
or write your own wording:
If more than one issue seems to be interfering with your inner peace, narrow your focus to one issue now. You can deal with the other issues later. Some issues are too big to handle all at once. For example, fear, in and of itself, is too big for most people to handle all at once. Specific fears, such as fear of being wrong or fear of success, can be handled. For bigger issues, break them up into manageable chunks.
|
For this walk through, let us choose:
self doubt
as the example issue.After confirming the choice and congratulating the user for identifying the issue, InnerPeace then goes to:
Issue Let Go Step 2
FEEL what would happen to YOU if you were to continue with the issue:
self doubt
Describe what that would feel like.
Focus on what would feel bad or negative to YOU if you were to continue with the issue:
self doubt
and it were to go ON and ON and everything were to get WORSE and WORSE.
Feel it BOTH emotionally and in your body.
Assume no rescue or recovery on this step.
If a rescue or recovery presents itself and things seem to improve a little for a while or even appear to just stay the same, feel what would happen after that were over and the issue:
self doubt
were to come back, STRONGER than ever.
Imagine the WORST case scenario if everything were to get worse and worse.
Imagine what that would feel like to YOU.
Feel it BOTH emotionally and in your body.
What would and would not happen?
What would life be like?
How would you feel?
Consider the end result.
Take this to its ultimate conclusion.
Go all the way to 'crash and burn.'
How do you feel?
FEEL it all, as specifically as you can.
You will know that you have reached the end of this step if you really feel what "crash and burn" would feel like and you cannot imagine feeling much worse.
Imagine how an eternity of that would feel to YOU.
This is suffering that would have to be lived. Prevent this suffering from ever having to be experienced in real life by facing it now.
|
You might be asking, "Why is a self-improvement program taking users to worst case 'crashes and burns' rather than going in a more positive direction?"
First, be reassured that InnerPeace will not leave the users at "crash and burn." Now, let us explain why InnerPeace goes first in the direction of the issue getting worse.
Simply put, most people resist change. A person who has been living with an issue for years and years, be it self doubt or anything else, is probably not going to just give it up instantly.
At the same time, there is often a lot of denial keeping the issue in place. People say things to themselves and others like, "Oh, it's not that bad," and "I can live with it." Having users explore what their worst case futures would be like if they were to continue with their issues works to break down these denials.
Also notice that the questions use hypothetical, conditional words like "if" and "would", i.e. "What would happen ... if you were to continue ...." They do not assume that the user will continue toward a worst case future.
After the user takes step 2 all the way to "crash and burn" and feels what that feels like, InnerPeace goes to:
Issue Let Go Step 3 FEEL what would happen to OTHERS if you were to continue with the issue: self doubt
Describe what that would feel like.
|
This step is just like step 2 except for the focus on "others" instead of "self." Some people sort their perceptions more by self and some sort more by others. For users who are at the extreme end of sorting by others, just percieving that hanging onto their issues hurts themselves is not always enough motivation to change. For users who are at the extreme end of sorting by self, perceiving that hanging onto their issues also hurts others can help them become more aware of how their states impact others. For users who are more balanced in this respect, InnerPeace gives them two motivations for letting go of their issues.
After the user takes step 3 all the way to "crash and burn" and feels what that feels like, InnerPeace goes to:
Issue Let Go Step 4 Having explored what would happen to YOU and OTHERS if you were to continue with the issue: self doubt
DEEPLY FEEL how you would feel if all that were to happen.Describe what that would feel like.
|
This step compresses the impact of the two previous steps to help further break through any remaining denial about hanging onto the issue.
Now comes the fun part. After the user takes step 4 all the way to "crash and burn" and feels what that feels like, InnerPeace goes to:
Issue Let Go Step 5
FEEL what happens to YOU after you LET GO of the issue:
self doubt
Describe what that feels like.
Focus on what feels good or positive to YOU after you LET GO of the issue:
self doubt
and everything continues to get BETTER and BETTER.
Feel it BOTH emotionally and in your body.
Assume no setback or failure on this step. If a setback or failure presents itself and things were to worsen a little for a while or even appear to just stay the same, feel what happens after that is over as the issue vanishes and is GONE FOREVER.
Imagine the BEST case scenario as everything gets better and better.
Imagine what that feels like to YOU.
Feel it BOTH emotionally and in your body.
What would and would not happen?
What would life be like?
How would you feel?
Consider the end result.
Take this to its ultimate conclusion.
Go all the way to "victory and beyond."
How do you feel?
Feel it all, as specifically as you can.
This is an outcome that you can create in real life if you choose.
You will know that you have reached the end of this step if you really feel what "victory and beyond" feels like and you cannot imagine feeling much better.
Feel how an eternity of that feels to YOU.
|
There are some important differences between step 5 and step 2. First of all, while the language of step 2 is conditional, i.e. "What would happen ... if you were to continue ... " the language of step 5 is assumptive, i.e. "What happens ... after you let go ...." It assumes that the user will let go of the issue.
Also, scroll back and look at the beginning of the screen shot of step 5 again, only this time squint your eyes so some of the words are fuzzy but you can still see some of them. Most likely, what you will see are the capitalized words and the bold words. Ignoring the other words, here is what they say:
| FEEL . . . . . . YOU . . . . LET GO . .
. . . . . . .
self doubt
|
Some people may consider these components very blatant, others may consider them quite subtle, but they do go right to the user's subconscious, even if the user's conscious mind is aware of them.
Step 6 is the positive equivilent of step 3:
Issue Let Go Step 6 FEEL what happens to OTHERS after you LET GO of the issue: self doubt
Describe what that feels like.
|
Step 7 is the positive equivilent of step 4:
Issue Let Go Step 7 Having explored what happens to YOU and OTHERS after you LET GO of the issue: self doubt
deeply feel how you feel as all that happens.Describe what that feels like.
|
Notice how, like step 5, the language of steps 6 and 7 is assumptive.
Another important component relates to the distinctions between the "crash and burn" steps (2, 3, and 4) and the "victory and beyond" steps (5, 6, and 7). Some people are more motivated to move toward positive experiences while others are more motivated to move away from negative experiences. These motivations are sometimes referred to, respectively, as "carrot motivation" and "stick motivation," in reference to the tried and true systems of inspiring horses to pull carriages. InnerPeace appeals to both motivations.
After the user takes step 7 all the way to "victory and beyond" and feels what that feels like, InnerPeace goes to:
Issue Let Go Step 8
Using a scale of 0 to 100, how much of the issue:
self doubt
do you sincerely FEEL that you are WILLING to LET GO?
This question checks only your willingness. Willingness does not mean ability. For example, you may be perfectly WILLING to flap your wings and fly, even though you may not be ABLE.
|
The important component here is incrementilization. If you were to try to put frogs into hot water, they would jump right out. But if you were to put them into room temperature water and then heat it slowly, they'd stay there.
If you ask people all or nothing questions about giving up their issues, it's often hard for them to give up their issues completely. If, on the other hand, you give them the option of doing so in increments, it's easier for them to face the task. Any mountain can be climbed if you build a ramp at an easy enough angle.
What tends to happen at this step, and the next two, is that people are usually willing, able, and do let go of at least 60%, and often 90% or more, of their major issues on the first pass through. These are issues that they have been dealing with for years and years of which they are letting go such large percentages in about an hour.
Let us use 70% for our example in this step.
After the confirming the percentage and congratulating the user for being willing to let go of 70% of the issue, InnerPeace goes to it's most obviously NLP based page:
Issue Let Go Step 9 As you LET GO of the issue: self doubt
what do you do first?
This step is not about external actions or circumstances. It is about what you generate internally in your mind, body, and emotions. Even if you do more than one of these, one will be slightly before of the others in sequence. Do you see something, hear something, or feel something? If you just sense it or know it, how do you know? By a picture, a sound, or a feeling?
|
This step finds the first step in the formula for the user's internal strategy for letting go.
Again, notice the assumptive here "As you LET GO of the issue ... " as well as the suggestive capitalization.
Let us assume, for this example, that the user chooses "see."
The next page would then ask:
Issue Let Go Step 9, Continued As you LET GO of the issue: self doubt
What do you see?
|
For this example, we'll put in "myself being confident" as the image.
After confirming that entry, InnerPeace goes to:
Issue Let Go Step 9, Continued After you see: myself being confident
what, if anything, do you do next as you LET GO of the issue:self doubt
|
Notice that there are two additional choices on this page from the opening page of step 9. The first choice is what the user would select if the strategy discovered so far works to let go of the issue. There is also the option to review the sequence discovered so far.
In theory, the user can include as many steps as needed until the computer runs out of memory to get a strategy that works. In practice, one to three steps usually are all that are needed.
After the user is clear on a workable strategy for letting go of the issue InnerPeace goes to:
Issue Let Go Step 9, Continued
Now that you have discovered a workable letting go sequence, using a scale of 0 to 100, how much of the issue:
self doubt
do you sincerely FEEL that you are ABLE to let go?
This question checks only your ability. Ability does not mean willingness. For example, you may be perfectly ABLE to do more physical exercise even though you may not be WILLING to do so right now.
|
Again, let us use 70% for our example.
After the confirming the percentage and congratulating the user for being willing to let go of 70% of the issue, next comes:
Issue Let Go Step 10 InnerPeace invites you to LET GO of 70%
of the issue:self doubt
NOW.
|
Why did InnerPeace only invite us to let go of 70% of the issue?
Because, from our answers to steps 8 and 9, that was the percentage that we were both willing and able to let go.
InnerPeace then goes to:
Issue Let Go Step 10, Continued Using a scale of 0 to 70, how much of the issue: self doubt
do you sincerely FEEL that you DID let go?
|
Again, for this example, let us use 70%.
After confirming the entry and congratulating the user for letting go of 70% of the issue, next comes:
Issue Let Go Step 11 Give yourself credit for letting go of 70% of the issue: self doubt
|
This step acknowledges the user's conscious role in causation.
After confirming that the user does take credit for letting go of a percentage of the issue and congratulating the user for doing so, next comes:
Issue Let Go Step 12 Feel gratitude for letting go of 70% of the issue: self doubt
|
This step acknowledges the role of something larger than the user's conscious self in the letting go process.
After confirming that the user does feel gratitude for letting go of a percentage of the issue and congratulating the user for doing so, the program has several possible paths, depending upon how much was let go and and the number of attempts.
In this example, we would first get:
Issue Let Go Step 12, Continued Now address the remaining 30% of the issue: self doubt
Go for it.
|
Then:
Issue Let Go Step 8 Using a scale of 0 to 30, how much of the remaining 30% of the issue: self doubt
do you sincerely FEEL that you are WILLING to LET GO?
|
Often after the user has let go of a percentage, simply going back to step 8, seeing if there is a willingness to let go more, and proceeding from there, the user can actually let go of all of the issue.
Sometimes, however, there is another issue in the way:
Issue Let Go Step 8, Continued Is there anything in the way of letting go of the remaining 30% of the issue: self doubt
Check for a belief or fear. There are really only two options here. Either you can complete the step, or something is in the way. Most likely, it is a belief or a fear. Or, it could be a worry, a doubt, an anxiety, some other feeling, or even an idea or an attitude. Whatever it is, you can handle it just like any other issue.
|
For example, the user may not be able to let go of self doubt because of a belief or fear about not being [fill in the blank here, folks] enough.
If there is something in the way, it can be handled just like any other issue. Once the interfering issue is let go, then the user can often come back to the original issue and let it go.
Sometimes there is more than one interfering issue. Just clear them, one at a time.
Often, it is these deeper issues that are the most significant. For example, one of our volunteers was an overeater for years. After discovering and letting go of a deeper issue of "feeling deprived," for which overeating was a "solution," the overeating just went away.
Let us assume, for our current example, that we make as many passes as needed through the issue of self doubt and let it all go.
After congratulating the user for letting go of all of the issue, and making sure the user takes credit for doing it and feels gratitude for it, InnerPeace then takes the user to:
State Creation Step 1 Identify a state that supports your inner peace. Choose a state that has an opposite quality to the issue: self doubt
and would act as an antidote if the issue should ever try to reassert itself. Choose from the menu:
or write your own wording:
|
For our example, let us choose the state:
worthiness.
There is an important point to make here. This step and some of the following steps of the State Creation Process are important parts of what has been done in many other works that use affirmations and visualizations. A question often asked is:
"Why have affirmations and visualizations not worked very well for so many people?"
We believe that this is because the interfering issues were not let go first. Using the examples we are using here, all the affirmations and visualizations of worthiness in the world might not work very well if a person has deep rooted feelings of self doubt, blame, shame, regret, guilt, and other such issues. It's like trying to plant new seeds in a patch of old, well established weeds. Now, if you pull the weeds first and then plant the seeds, the plants you want to cultivate have a much better chance of taking root and flourishing. This is what InnerPeace does by clearing the issue first, then creating the state.
After comfirming the choice and congratulating the user for identifying the state, next come the "crash and burn" steps, beginning with:
State Creation Step 2 FEEL what would happen to YOU if you were to let go of the state: worthiness
Describe what that would feel like.
|
Notice the similarities to the Issue Let Go Process. This step focuses on the worst case possibility for self, step 3 focuses on the worst case possibility for others, and step 4 compresses those worst case feelings into one step. Like the worst case Issue Let Go steps, these steps are phrased conditionally.
After the "crash and burn" steps come the "victory and beyond" steps, beginning with:
State Creation Step 5 FEEL what happens to YOU as you continue to CREATE the state: worthiness
Describe what that feels like.
|
Again, this section follows the pattern of the Issue Let Go Process. This step focuses on the best case possibility for self, step 6 focuses on the best case possibility for others, and step 7 compresses those best case feelings into one step. Notice how, like the best case Issue Let Go steps, these steps are phrased assumptively.
The rest of the steps are very similar to the Issue Let Go Process with one important distinction. There are no percentages at steps 8, 9, and 10. While the issue has a definite size, the state is just being created and will continue to grow and get stronger over time.
In order to help the state grow and flourish, the user is encouraged to save, review, and repeat as necessary the strategy discovered for creating the state at step 9 of the State Creation Process.
From tiny acorns grow large oaks.