Posted by: Steve Andreas in: Articles, New Product

(An excerpt from The Rainbow Machine, by Andrew T. Austin, ©2007 Real People Press.)

Miracle: “Specifically: An event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event, or one transcending the ordinary laws by which the universe is governed.” – Webster’s Dictionary.

I cannot help but wonder how different world history would be if Jesus had gone around boasting of his miracles. I can picture it now, Jesus by the river with his friends, regaling them with the Lazarus story for the umpteenth time, or showing off how a mere crucifixion was no match for His superior talents. The follow-up to that whole set of events might have been very different indeed. There is a certain wisdom in all holy books about keeping quiet about miracles, that really should be paid attention to.

For many in the healing professions, performing the apparently miraculous is a common affair. It is, after all, what one is paid to do. As a staff nurse in neurosurgery I had a patient with a rare condition known as a syrinx. Essentially a syrinx is a fluid-filled cavity within the spinal cord that enlarges over time and can result in devastation to that part of the spinal cord and nerve roots. Imagine a bicycle inner tube bulging through a split in an old worn tire.

A 40-year-old man had undergone various neurological investigations including a spinal tap that had unfortunately resulted in a syrinx. Repeated attempts at treating this condition had failed, and his situation was looking grim.

When I came across this gentleman he was ashen in colour, agitated and very angry. I wasn’t sure of his understanding of what he was facing or what he was experiencing, but it did not take great sensitivity to realise that it wasn’t positive.

“How you doing?” I ask him.

“Fuck off!” he growls angrily.

“No,” I replied, evenly, “I’m not fucking off. What’s up?” I ask innocently.

“What’s up? I’m going to be fucking paralysed, that is what’s up,” he sneered.

“And how do you know that?” Now I am aware of how terribly annoying this last question can be. NLP practitioners who have recently learned the meta-model tend to ask this much too often, and not always with any thought to why they are asking it. However, on this occasion I knew exactly where I was going.

This is the sort of situation in which a colleague of mine looks around on the walls, and says, “Let me see your fortune-telling license,” to draw attention to the fact that the person is making a prediction about the future without being suitably trained and qualified.

“What?!” My patient growled, clearly annoyed at both my continuing presence and the nature of the question. As a health care professional involved in his care, I really should know more than I appeared to know.

I asked again, “How do you know that you are going to be fucking paralysed”? His eyes go up and to the left, then up and to the right. Then back up to the left again.

“There are only so many times that you can put a patch over a punctured inner tube. When a patch doesn’t work, you can only put so many patches over the top before you ruin the fucking thing. That is how I know!” It was obvious that he had a very clear representation of this.

“I think you are wrong on that,” I say quietly. “An inner tube is not a living thing. It is black, dirty, and dead. Have you ever actually seen a living spinal cord?” I asked, as I gestured up to his right. His manner changed dramatically. Now he was attentive and curious, instead of angry. I really didn’t think it was going to be this easy.

I sketch it with my hands. “A spinal membrane is a living matrix. It lives. It is a good healthy colour, even when damaged; under a microscope the cells look beautiful. That is why I think you have the wrong picture.” I move my hands out, as though enlarging the picture.

“Shit!” he says, a better colour coming into his face. “I had never thought about it that way.”

“That’s right,” I say, “you didn’t” and quietly walk away.

Before my long shift was over, this man was eating again and laughing and joking with the staff. Eight hours later his syrinx was found to have mysteriously vanished. Eight hours was all it took! It is a testament to the healing ability that is latent in every living organism. I cannot really claim any particular credit for this minor miracle; after all, I was simply applying something I had been taught (Heart of the Mind, chapter 20). But at the time I was excited. This was amazing, and I just had to share it with the other staff.

A word of advice–don’t ever do this with nurses; they simply do not understand, and always love an opportunity to ridicule the strange man. Teach what is possible, but don’t claim credit for making it possible; that is bad medicine. Since this lesson, I have also learned that the best NLP masters rarely ever mention NLP when they are working out in the world. They just do it.

The Rainbow Machine includes creative episodes and thought-provoking ideas on topics including overeating and eating disorders, ADD, PTSD, rage, depression, schizophrenia, obsessions, compulsions, bedwetting, anxiety, smoking & addictions, dying, emergency room situations, self- esteem, critical self-talk, use of drugs, narcissism, hoarding, hysterical paralysis, agoraphobia, phobias, and much more. We think all NLPers, and anyone interested in personal growth & therapy will want a copy.