A randomized controlled trial of the Rapid symptom shifting therapy - part 2

The intervention will be the rapid symptom shift. The intervention group will receive the Rapid Symptom Shift which is based on neurolinguistics programming concepts. The interviewer asks the patient if they can describe where their anxiety is in space. While this may seem an unusual request, patients often have no difficulty in explaining where it is located. They are asked to describe their anxiety in terms of colour and shape. In almost all cases they say it is close but has no shape and a variety of colours. Then they are asked to change the shape to a circle and put it in front of them. They are then asked what a “safe” colour for them is and to make the circle that colour. That image is then moved away visually and pushed to the horizon where it is stood up like a 50 cent piece. They are asked to then make it a 10 cent piece and put it face down so it is not visible. At this point they are asked how they feel about their “anxiety or stress’ and this visualisation from experience in the clinic almost always provides a positive response. The moving of the image to the horizon we think is the essential difference between the intervention and the control intervention. The mode of the interview delivery will be face to face on a one to one basis. It is done once only and lasts about 3 minutes. The interview will be conducted private clinics. The comparison condition is just sitting doing nothing. This sessions will last 3 minutes and they are done once only. The interviewer will use the remote randomisation to choose the intervention or the comparison intervention. The interviewers will include a medical doctor, a counsellor and therapists trained in neurolinguistic programming.