11 March 2011
Leading edge treatment for quake stress/trauma available nationwide – for free
Around the country, thousands of people are experiencing anxiety and stress as a result of the recent Christchurch
earthquake and its aftermath. Symptoms such as irritability, difficulty sleeping, having trouble concentrating are
generally considered normal responses to an ‘abnormal’ situation.
Most will also be able to move on emotionally and rediscover a sense of safety in life; they will use the natural
resources of friends, family, and their inner wisdom to recover. Thousands of others (approximately 10% of the
population, based on experiences such as Manhattan after September 11th, 2001) will not move on so easily. Finding the
best ways to help people move on from post-incident stress is vital to helping individuals and the community rebuild.
Leading-edge trauma treatment is being offered around the country - for free - by 70 experienced and well-trained
practitioners in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). All volunteers, they are offering their time and expertise to help
those seeking a rapid and effective method for relieving stress.
Preliminary results of recent research have confirmed that the NLP Trauma Relief Process is almost three times as
successful as accepted cognitive behavioural interventions and takes a fraction of the time; in the US, Dr Frank Bourke,
a psychologist who worked with those affected by the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York, found that NLP protocols
relieved PTSD symptoms over 80% of the time in two to four hours. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, the best of the
researched methods, is effective 32% of the time and takes four to nine months (Frank Bourke, Ph.D. & Richard F. Liotta, Ph.D. - http://nlprandr.org/?page_id=508)). Consequently, a US$15 million research project exploring the effectiveness of the process is being conducted with war
veterans in by Marshall University, US.
Coordination of the volunteers is being handled by the New Zealand Association of NLP (the professional body for NLP in
New Zealand). Practitioners are available throughout New Zealand in Christchurch, Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty,
Waikato, Wellington, Nelson and Invercargill.
To be connected with a practitioner, people can call the free phone number –
0800 NLP Recovery (0800 657 732) or email: info@nlprecovery.co.nz.
Neuro Linguistic Programming is the study of excellence in a range of areas including therapy, personal change,
communication and education. While in New Zealand NLP is sometimes considered to be new and alternative, it is well
established in other parts of the world, particularly in Europe where it is part of university programmes and national
health services.
ENDS