Allergies are like a Tantrum of the Immune System

There have been a few questions recently on forums regarding the use of NLP to cure allergies, specifically hay fever. I can only assume that the fact that spring is fast approaching people are beginning to think about what lies ahead ........

Immunologist, Mr Michael Levi, says an allergy is like a phobia of the immune system. In the 1950s Dr Levi won the WHA award for his research, after many years studying the immune system he says that when a person develops an allergy, its because the immune system has in essence formed a kind of phobic response to that particular substance. Assuming that something that is harmless (ie pollen) is harmful and that the allergic response is in fact the immune system going into panic.

Like a phobia an allergy is a conditioned response, research has shown that allergies can be conditioned in guinea pigs using a procedure similar to that used by Pavlov when he was working with his doges. After a while all the guinea pigs had an allergic reaction installed within them to a perfectly harmless substance.

Following on from Dr Levi’s suggestion that an allergy was like a phobia, Robert Dilts reviewed the fast phobia cure and created a technique has some similarities to the fast phobia cure.

As hay fever season is just a few months away I thought I’d post this technique for you to experiment with.

1. First you access the allergic state, associating into the experience so that you get some of the discomfort associated with the allergy. Once in this state explore what sub-modalities intensify and de-intensify the reaction.

2. Establish a dissociated state. When doing this I ask my client to close their eyes and imagine a glass shield between yourself and the substance that has triggered the allergic response. Floating up and out of that response, watching yourself as if on a TV screen ........... When you have the dissociated state anchor it.

3. Establish a desired state – how do they want to be respond around the substance. Anchor.

4. If there has ever been a time when they have been able to be near the substance comfortably, access that state and anchor – stack onto the other positive anchor.

5. Have person imagine being near substance whilst you fire off positive anchors.

6. Test by bringing a small amount (initially) of substance and fire off positive anchors.