Monika Nygaard of Quantum Change NLP, is living proof that NLP can make a quantum change in your health. As a diagnosed celiac, she was allergic to the gluten in wheat and many other grains and for 18 years eliminated those foods from her diet. Since gluten is found in many food products, this is not easy, but the consequences of taking even a small quantity of wheat - severe stomach cramps and exhaustion - made her limited diet a must. After a 2 hour NLP session, she could enjoy foods containing gluten again. A miracle? A flash in the pan? Well, she has been on a normal diet for more than three years now and has had no recurrence of symptoms. As Monika says, "An allergy is an overactive response of the immune system to a substance which is harmless for most people. This is because the body has misidentified the substance as harmful. It has been found that the majority of allergies are emotionally based. Therefore, NLP and Time Line Therapyâ can be used to release the root cause of the allergy and reprogram the body through the neurological system to react appropriately to previously allergic substances." In addition to food allergies, NLP can be used to eliminate allergies to moulds, dust, pollen, insect bites, etc. Even Candida has been improved by eliminating allergies to a combination of moulds and sugars.

A counsellor for many years, Monika become aware of NLP in 1989 and it piqued her interest. But her interest turned to serious study in 1994 when NLP eliminated her food allergies. She's a certified Master NLP Practitioner, Time Line Therapyâ Practitioner and Hypnotherapist. She trained in Victoria at Progressive Edge Plus NLP, Inc., a company whose trainers have themselves been trained by many of today's best and foremost NLP trainers. Monika has been practicing NLP for two and a half years and has successfully treated many clients for health related problems. In January, 1997 she established Quantum Change NLP in Duncan and a year later moved her practice to an office in her home in Chemainus. However, she frequently works in Nanaimo and has even travelled as far as Salmon Arm when there were enough people to make it worthwhile. She also gives free seminars to groups to explain how NLP works and what benefits can be derived from the treatments.

So, how does it work? Well, Monika says that "NLP puts you in touch with your unconscious mind, your best friend and a faithful servant. Your unconscious mind runs your body - all the myriad automatic functions, stores all the memories of everything that has ever happened in your life and is the domain of your emotions, among other things. The unconscious takes in about 4.1 million bits of information per second. This great reservoir that is you is doing the best job it can to keep you alive, functioning, healthy, happy and safe from harm. However, negative emotions, limiting decisions and trying experiences from the past, in particular our childhood, can result in it attempting to protect us by perpetuating syndromes that are limiting to us as adults."

Monika uses her NLP skills to assist the client in moving into a relaxed state where they can more easily access the root cause of the problem, which is stored in the unconscious. Through this process they can change unwanted behaviours, clear negative emotions, limiting decisions and past traumas or phobias. NLP is a gentle and easy process that is done with the client's full awareness. It isn't necessary to relive any of the painful events of the past, but just to identify the when and where of the root cause. NLP is results oriented and consequently, treatment is fast, taking only weeks or months. Since our emotions play a key role in many of our health problems, NLP can either eliminate the illness or make a significant contribution to its improvement. Today, many illnesses are directly related to the level of stress in our lives. By putting us in control of our emotions and our life, NLP can moderate our reaction to stress and play a major role in improving or preventing many stress related illnesses such as high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, etc.

I met Monika at one of her free seminars and decided to try NLP. The first contact with my unconscious was so amazing that I have continued to see her to release all of the six negative emotions - anger, shame, hurt, fear, guilt and sadness. This is a very painless way of healing, and I look forward to our sessions. She has a very positive and supportive attitude toward her clients, encourages them through their therapy and celebrates their successes. When the root cause for a negative emotion has been released, she can feel a shift to a higher energy which is confirmed by her clients who say they feel lighter and happier. NLP has helped me become a different person - calmer, more focused, less uptight. I though I had a pretty good attitude before NLP, but it's even better now and life is more enjoyable. I really believe that NLP has improved my ability to deal with stress and thus my over-all health and well being. Try it, you'll like it!

Monika Nygaard is a Certified Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Trainer, Time Line Therapy® Master Trainer and Hypnotherapy Trainer. She can be reached at nlp4change@shaw.ca