Video synopsis

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In this award-winning streaming docu-series, From Fear to Freedom, NLP master-trainer and world renowned phobia specialist, Kalliope Barlis, will take you on a journey into the mind and beliefs. If you thought  you were cursed with the burden of living with lifelong phobias...think again. Oh, Yes! Kalliope Barlis teach you practical strategies as well.

From Fear to Freedom is "must-see TV!"

To purchase Kalliope Barlis's best-seller:  "Phobia Relief: From Fear to Freedom!"

"Change the way you think, changes the way you feel and changes what you do!"

Biohacker & NLP Trainer, Melina Vicario interviews Richard Bandler about his new book Thinking on Purpose: A 15-Day Plan to a Smarter Life and the practical strategies within it that you can immediately put to use. 

"...'Let me tell you the secret. The secret is it's not the snake that scared you; it was the big giant picture jumping out at you'....the images and sounds you generate in your mind create the feelings.

​Change the way you think, you change the way you feel, thus you change what you do...!"

​Teams of people tirelessly work behind the camera to breathe life into the TV shows we are addicted to each week. Or binge watch when the opportunity presents itself. Let's face it. If you own a laptop or TV then you have a favorite TV show. Perhaps several. (What’s one of mine? The Walking Dead). A skilled staff-writing unit makes up a part of this production team. Their job is to generate premises and break them into story beats. Then a member of this coveted staff writing team transforms all that information into a competent script ready to be filmed. Oftentimes he/she has less than a week to write the episode that hooks and hold us.
 
Most do an exceptional job. However, if a writer dares to complain to the show-runner that "writer's block" is preventing them from handling the job, the solution is simple: Writer is replaced or fired, and the task handed to the next writer in line. TV is a voracious animal. Consuming content is how it survives. It spares not the meek or whiny, whether in front of the camera, or behind it. It’s nothing personal. Just business.
 
But guess what? TV writers claiming to be in the throes of “writer’s block” rarely occur. The smart writers inoculate themselves against it; and if it (writer’s block) arises they have strategies to handle it. This then begs the question, “What are some of these strategies they utilize?”
 
Most important is the proper frame of mind. World-class writers possess the attitude, gained through experience, that their first draft is insufficient, and that their best is yet to come. This helps to keep their mind in top form. Flexibility, focus and confidence are other states of mind writers take advantage of when writing. These states allow surprises and discoveries, submerged within a writer's rich, deep, creative reservoir, to float to consciousness’s surface and reveal themselves.
 
Keen writers are also well aware that the act of writing is an output activity. This presupposes an input as well as a processing sequence exists before any official writing takes place. What subject matter is the writer writing about? What does he/she wish to accomplish with the piece? Etc. Having a direction in mind is part of the input and processing phase. It dictates what type of content the writer chooses to absorb, study, the information he/she gathers in order to explore, read, analyze etc. Law & Order: SVU, (their tagline: “ripped from the headlines!”) the longest running dramatic TV series to date – 20 years strong -, is a perfect example of gathering information – first – then working with it to produce a “work of art- that riveting episode.” Writers' get themselves into trouble when they violate this sequence.
 
The universe as it's constructed can give us a surprise, or two, once in a while. For a writer, those surprises are sometimes disguised as writer's block. When things seem to be going well, the writing is flowing, etc. writer's block can mysteriously creep into ones creative mind space, setting up residence, sometimes acting like a mind virus, weakening, if not crippling our progress. Things happen. It during these challenging times we are given the opportunity to learn and to grow.
 
Definitions vary as to what writer's block is. In a nutshell, it is a tense conflict between the writing task we wish to complete versus the excuses we tell and/or show ourselves why that can't happen. These excuses are just symptoms expressing itself in creative ways. For example, giving yourself so-called 'valid' reasons why your task must be put on hold; procrastinating, avoiding the writing assignment by ranking other activities as more important to do; allowing nasty internal dialogue or images to consume your focus that triggers a cascade of physiological responses, (sweaty palms, nervousness, etc). The examples are limitless...
 
So then what is writer's block from an NLP perspective? Hint...It's in the title. It's a nominalization, a fluid process that somehow has been transformed into a thing, immovable, stuck...a metaphorical "block" impeding progress. Looking from it from this angle then what needs to happen is to transform this static state back into a process, something moving. And that's where the fun and adventure begin.
 
Strategies to either eliminate, get through, above, below and/or around writer's block exist. Here are some more:-Get into a relaxed state and ask yourself, using a curious voice tone, "What is blocking me?" It's important to use the gerund "blockING!' It turns the noun back into a process verb. Also notice the present tense of the verb being used - IS.
 
Pay close attention to what emerges into consciousness via one or several of your modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, gustatory). What you become aware of, revealed to you, is the issue, or issues begging to be taken care of so that you can return to the flow writing state.
 
A variation of the above is as follows: Get into a relaxed state and ask yourself, using a curious voice tone, "What 'was' blocking me?" Just as above, it's important to use the gerund "blockING! This time the past-tense "WAS" is being used. This variation presupposes that the issue is now in the past. Sometimes that might solve the problem. Oftentimes not, what this variation does do is to put space between you and the issue, giving you another point of view in which to address it. (As the expression goes...Give me some space to xyz...). Again, notice what surfaces in one or several of your modalities.
 
Writing is a whole-brain process, meaning the creative as well as the analytical part need to work together...in the proper sequence. Suppress the need edit your work when completing your first draft. Just write! Errors and all! Put words on the page! When you enter the editing phase, that's when the critical mind is needed. Not before. You need something to work with...
 
Another advantage of putting words on the page - first - is that you give yourself the opportunity to unpack and reveal the deeper meanings hidden within the words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc. Take for example a simple sentence; "I watched TV last night!":...:

What kind of TV is it? How big/small? Flat-screen, or a box TV? Color or black & white?
Where were you last night?
What was the temperature like?
Were you alone?
Define "watched?"
Etc...

TV sit-com writer, Ellen Sandler, once said, "Writing is discovery on the page!" This requires that you are in-the - moment, the here and now. You need to put something on the page for this to occur. If writing begins by information input then - reading - is a great habit to get into. Books, (blog, e-book, etc.), aren't the only sources of information. There is also the environment in which you live, the people whom you interact with, places you visit, activities you partake in, the moments you experience, and so much more. There's also the world - within - you that you can read. As the NLP tenet states, "We have all the resource to affect change". Get to know who you are, your strengths, weakness, hopes dreams, pleasures, fears, angst, memories, desires etc. It's about utilizing opportunities to spur creativity and also to get ahead of writer's block.
 
So - "What did you think had stopped you from moving forward, or casting aside, what you had thought was writers block?" 


©2018 John G. Johnson All rights reserved! Subscribe to our mailing list for workshops, newsletters and events. Go to: www.nlpsuccessbydesign.com

​“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.” –  Brené Brown

The more I learn, the more I admire the power of vulnerability.

• “We live in a society that sees vulnerability as a weakness most of the time…”
• “This person cannot take the pressure and will not be good for the job.”
• “I am a women and I work in a male dominant industry, so I need to be tough to be respected.”
• “I cannot show how I truly feel to my clients, (friends, family or whatever the case may be) because they will think I am a failure.”

​“I tried to laugh about it, cover it all up with lies, I tried to laugh about it, hiding the tears in my eyes because boys don’t cry!” –The Cure

Guess what? Let me break the news for you: congratulations, you are human!!!

I can spend more time giving you other examples as the ones mentioned above, but that is not the point. The point I want to make is to show you that we are not robots, we are not machines. Life needs balance and to have a balanced life we need to allow ourselves to be the great super humans we were born to be.

I had the honor to see the blooming power of vulnerability right in front of my eyes a few times, moments where no status quo mattered and everyone was together, being kind, helpful and open to just be and support one another. The love simply poured and tears, hugs and collaboration became “natural”.

And what is natural for us after all??? Worth wondering…

If being vulnerable makes you feel uncomfortable and unsafe out there, practice vulnerability with your loved ones (at least) and open your heart to pour whatever is inside. If you are overflowing happiness, let it out and share. If you are feeling down and need support, open yourself up to ask and accept help from others. What happens when we don’t create a vulnerability “escape valve” is that we keep our feelings inside until they explode!

I am myself guilty to a certain degree, and as I usually mention, my growth as a human being and as a coach is a constant. As a matter of fact, I am being vulnerable right now admitting my imperfection in a public post. If I am human and I work with other humans, I cannot become a robot. I need to feel, hear and see with my heart to fully understand where my clients are coming from, what others need most and be open to ask for help also.

Go-Givers usually feel unnatural to receive and ask for help. After all, they are the helpers and the time “wasted” getting help is the time they will not be “giving” help to others… Right? – WRONG! – Trust me me, giving and not receiving will get you empty. Caregivers need to be taken care of also!
​
I understand that the hard shell we sometimes choose to live inside may have an even greater purpose: our protection! If we felt safe to just be, shine and make things happen from our being essence, if we didn’t fear being judged or massacred by the masses when they find out that super-heroes become humans after removing their cape, we would not hide behind shields of protection.

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brené Brown 

• Book: Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

I once shared with a friend my opinion regarding the difference between being a good person and being a pleaser. Good people are truthful to their values and life purpose and organically deliver their best self to the world. Pleasers on the other hand, will try anything and everything to be noticed and appreciated, and will even go against their own values and life purpose to follow others, please and serve, in hopes to be loved and appreciated. People don’t love you for what you do for them, they love you for who you are for them!

Having said that, don’t forget to take your super-hero cape off when you get to a place where you feel safe to give baby steps practicing the power of vulnerability. Once you are more comfortable, open the doors to your life and start exploring your vulnerability in other places. In the end, you will get to a beautiful point where you don’t feel judged, hurt or afraid anymore and you will be proud to know that you can and have the right to simply… BE HUMAN!

Make it outstanding!
Coach Cris



Cris Repoles - also known as the "Phoenix coach" is a licensed practitioner of NLP, a Havening Techniques practitioner and a peak-performance Coach. Go to her website: Coach Cris Repoles.com to learn more about what she does.  "Start living the life of your choosing and make it non-negotiable!"