Allergies & NLP

NLP is proving to be useful in the cure for allergies. Using a combination of anchors, reframing, phobia cure, and a few other carefully utilised NLP techniques, NLP helps allergy patients lead a better life.

Allergy as an Immune System’s Phobic Response 

Dr. Michael Levi, a renowned expert in the field of immunology, won the World Health Association Award (in 1950) for his research about how viruses are infectious. As per his research, when a person develops allergy, it is a kind of a phobia response to some substance. The immune system panics and presents a reaction – allergy.  His work clearly demonstrated how our immune system can have responses to certain substances (allergens).

He suggests to think of you immune system like a child with tantrums because its not being taken care of, properly; or being tired of. Think of the allergy as a tantrum thrown by a troubled child.

Just the way we learn to respond to our emotions, our body learn to responds to foreign substances. This ‘learning to respond’ is the basis on our immune system. And when we understand that our immune system can learn, suggests, it can be taught to react to foreign substances in a different way.

This brings me back to the a strong NLP belief that I often work with – Mind & Body is one system.

Working with Allergies, using NLP

The purpose of working with Allergies, using NLP is to reframe the body’s immune system, so that it can have more choices that are ecological to the body. When the immune system gets in contact with a foreign substance, it sometimes consider it a threat, even if it is not. In such cases, it keeps triggering the panic system. This results into frequent allergic reactions. Now, when we consider that the allergy is like a phobic response, and we test that the allergen is not really an enemy to the body, it can be useful to teach the immune system, to react differently to the allergen.

We have already established in NLP that emotional stage changes can bring change in physiological states. Emotional response can be changed, when body shifts states. Emotional state changes have proved to be beneficial in bring benefits to the body.

This brings us to the premise that allergic reactions can possibly be influenced by psychological factors. In 1886, a doctor called MacKenzie documented a case referring to the same. The patient was allergic to rose the flower. Dr. MacKenzie had an artificial rose in his office, and the patient, without realising that the rose was a fake one, went into a full blown allergic reaction.

This brings me to the point that an allergic reaction can be influenced by the manifested image in our brain. I am sure our nervous system is a quick learner, and would figure out fast the difference between a mental image and a real allergen; but if we are presented such a window of opportunity to study this allergic reaction to a mental image, it can be very well utilised and help patient to ‘outgrow’ the allergy.

NLP quickens the desensitisation process, using the tools we have today, thanks to amazing techniques like Reframing & Phobia Cure by Bandler & Grinder; and the techniques mentioned by NLP genius Robert Dilts in his research work, using biofeedback. Re-imprinting is also quite useful as a post-cure process.

The Allergy Cure process involves getting the psychological triggers to the allergy, and use a suitable process to teach the immune system new responses.

This is a small article telling you what is possible with NLP.
You may choose to consult NLP Licensed Coach Ashish Sehgal for the same.

Welcome the change!