Topic of the month- Integration of NLP and Occupational Therapy
Facilitator for the month- Nidhi Kuvadia Shah, Occupational Therapist, Certified NLP Practitioner, Mumbai, India.
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The following article is an open access article published in the researchgate.net. The link is provided for the same at the end of the post.
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Aims and issues addressed by this article:
The given article draws attention towards a new approach for Occupational therapist in conjunction with Neuro Lingustic Programming as the holistic approach used in different domain of life of an individual.
What is NLP?
📷A very little is known about ‘Neuro Lingustic Programming’ (NLP), its techniques and tools.
To start with, NLP was developed in USA by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. NLP is a multi-dimensional process that involves the development of behavioural competence and flexibility, but also involves strategic thinking and an understanding of mental and cognitive process behind behaviour. Hence, the article tries to correlate NLP with OT that can help clients with psychological disorder to get back in their lives.
Integration of NLP and OT might be used for understanding cognitive and psychosocial performance such as self- awareness, self –direction of roles, self-management including (personal, educational, Social) and internal adaptation (belief, values, interests) which is the basic aim of all the occupational therapist working with the clients. NLP describes the fundamental dynamic between mind and language and how their interplay affects body and behaviour.
Objective of this study is “To compare the outcomes of MHR-OT (composed of OT, Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), and integrative NLP & OT in Thai clients with mental health experiences or diagnosed chronic psychosis.”
Design of Study and Methodology:
Level of evidence –III, Non randomised, single group, pre and post intervention, descriptive study
Ten clients with mental health experiences were recruited with a subset programming named ‘Mental Health Recovery of OT (MHR-OT)’ which was created by a set of three serial modules: 3-week of OT, 3-week of NLP and finally 3-week integrative NLP & OT.
The OT module included OT assessments, psychoeducation of mental health recovery, cognitive skills training of individuals, group dynamics of social skills training, and self-management skills (time, fatigue, and leisure) training whereas NLP module included C.U.R.E. model which has shorted by conversational frames, understanding, rapport-connect, and empowerment (reconstruction of S.C.O.R.E. model – symptoms, causes, outcome, resource, effects) as well as reframing and anchoring
Outcome assessed on cognitive levels and self-efficacy scores
Main findings:
The article provides a tabular format to understand the effects of OT, NLP and OT-NLP in the cases with 3 weeks intervention respectively in areas of cognition and self- efficacy. Though the scores in self -efficacy remained more over same in NLP intervention but there have been vast increase in the score when NLP and OT were used in coordination. The study gives a direct view on the use of NLP in OT and its effect on individual’s cognitive level.
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Implications:
NLP incorporates and draws idea from ones cognitive, biological, social, behavioural psychology, sociology, anthropology, body- language, expressions, neuroscience etc.; all these factors are considered by an occupational therapist while interacting with client and their family members, thus understanding these factors on larger terms and working on these factors using tools and techniques of NLP not only of clients but of their care takers will have a greater impact on the goal settings.
Limitations:
· The study does tell about NLP but the models or tools used are not specified in length.
· There is very limited information on the combine use of NLP and OT.
· A certified NLP practitioner is required to carry out the NLP techniques.
Conclusion:
Thus as an Occupational Therapist our motto is to bring the best of the given situation and provide at most independence to our clients. The authors have sustained to this thumb rule and tried using a method to which very few studies have been done with a commendable success.
Generalizability:
The article gives an over view of adjunct therapy with a good success rate in the clients, which can help therapist to formulate models in different domains of ADL.
Felicitator’s comments:
I have been certified as a NLP practitioner and have been using NLP as an adjunct to my therapies since a year and have found success with it. The most important thing is to understand the Human Behaviour as to why it is been done by the specific person, the need of best option available to them at the given point and finally the meaning of your communication is the response that is elicited. So if these basic assumptions as said in NLP are understood one can easily understand the patterns seen in adults and individuals.
This article is intetesting, the visual images really helped me understand the concept. I feel as OTs we may use some aspects of this approach to support our practice. I was reflecting on my role as an OT, thinking about how we support people to engage in health promoting behaviours by changing the way they think/ talk and ultimately expeience/ see the benefits of an occupation. I have just listened to a podcast on intuitive eating, focus on changing our habits by considering the following; e.g. I have the 'thought' that I need food and so can get rid of a thought. Mindful eating allows us to fully engage in the sensory experience (flavour, appeal and texture) and recognise when we are full.
Did anyone else see any correlations with practice?
Interesting topic to be explored by us Occupational Therapists .. Though this article needs to be cautiously interpretated considering small sample size and no specifications to any particular psychosocial disorder or condition given.
Well appraised @Nidhi Shah