Modeling the Wisdom of Jesus by Robert Dilts. successes Jesus was without equal...
ut equal...Yet Health and Well Being (Dilts, Hallbom & Smith,
The words, ideas and actions of Jesus of Nazareth
have been a major influence on Western
civilization for almost two thousand years now.
Through the ages, Jesus has been viewed as
many different things by many different people a
teacher, a miracle worker, a charismatic healer, a
magician, a political and religious leader, the son of
God, a metaphor, etc. Having been raised Catholic
(and attended Catholic schools through secondary
school) I was continually exposed to the gospels
and the stories of Jesus' deeds. I have often
contemplated the relevance of the stories of Jesus'
works for NLP and vice versa.
It is well known that the field of NLP was
established as a result of modeling effective
'healers'. NLP began when Richard Bandler and
John Grinder modeled patterns of language and
behavior from the works of Fritz Perls, Virginia
Satir and Milton H. Erickson, M.D. The first
'techniques' of NLP were derived from key verbal
and non-verbal patterns Grinder and Bandler
observed in the behavior of these exceptional
therapists. Bandler and Grinder's first book was
titled The Structure of Magic. The implication of
this title was that what seemed magical and
unexplainable often had a deeper structure that,
when illuminated, could be understood,
communicated and put into practice by people
other than the few exceptional 'wizards' who had
initially performed the 'magic'.
A number of years ago it occurred to me that
perhaps a similar kind of modeling could be done
with respect to the records of Jesus' teachings and
works of healing. My first study, Cognitive Patterns
of Jesus of Nazareth, explored the structure of the
cognitive strategies employed by Jesus in his
various works and teachings and how we might
apply Jesus' strategic thinking abilities to our own
lives. A forthcoming work, Epistemology of Jesus
of Nazareth, will explore the beliefs, values and
assumptions that lie behind the words and works
of Jesus as viewed from the perspective of NLP
and systems theory. For the past several years I
have been examining the reports of Jesus' acts of
healing through the filters of Neuro-Linguistic
Programming, culminating in my seminars and
video tapes on The Healing Patterns of Jesus.
Since a great deal of my own work in the field of
NLP has related to its numerous applications in the
area of health and healing, I have long been
intrigued by the accounts of Jesus' works of
healing. In many ways Jesus' healing works seem
as remarkable to us today as they did during his
own time. Jesus' exceptional abilities to heal are
mentioned in the gospels more than 35 times -
many of the references describing how he healed
"multitudes" of people "that were taken with divers
diseases and torments, and those which were
possessed with devils, and those which were
lunatik, and those that had the palsy," (Matthew
424), including the "lame, blind, dumb and
maimed" (Matthew 1530). Thus, it is somewhat
surprising to find that very few efforts had been
made to examine Jesus' works of healing from the
point of view of what they might contribute to
practically promote the process of healing. As Ian
Wilson points out in his book Jesus The Evidence
(1985)
"If there is one feature of his activities that
repeatedly shines out from the gospels, it is
[Jesus'] capacity to work what men have called
'miracles'...in the sheer magnitude of his reported
paradoxically, it has been one of the least
explored." (pp. 99-100)
I believe that the tools and distinctions of NLP can
help to cast new light on this fascinating area.
There's an interesting Far Side cartoon depicting a
professor, who looks somewhat like Albert
Einstein, madly writing a very complex series of
mathematical equations on a blackboard. At a
certain point in the midst of all of this very scientific
looking scribbling, he stops and writes, "And then a
miracle happens." And then madly goes on again
with his equations. One of his colleagues is
standing nearby pointing at the comment about the
miracle and asking, "Could you be a bit more
specific about that part there?" In a way, that is a
metaphor for my study of Jesus' healing patterns.
A lot has been written and said about the
'equations' surrounding the miracles. Is it possible
to be a little bit more specific about the part where
the miracle happens? I think that, in considering
Jesus' works of healing, there will always be a
point where we must simply say, "And then a
miracle happens." The question is, "Is it possible,
by modeling the descriptions of Jesus' healing
works, to discover verbal and behavioral patterns
which create a context in which it is more likely that
a 'miracle' will happen?"
The Power of Belief
In the New Testament two words are used in
reference to healing 1) iaomai - which means to
heal in the sense of 'curing' or 'repairing', and 2)
therapeuo which means 'to attend to someone'.
When Jesus referred to healing, he used the word
'therapeuo'. The implication being that he viewed
healing as supporting and encouraging the natural
self healing ability of the system as opposed to
exerting power over it himself to 'repair' it. Jesus
was able to tap into and encourage the healing
process in a way that was both effective and
systematic. One of the ways he did this was
through the person's belief system.
Certainly, a clear pattern that emerges in the
accounts of Jesus' healing works is that a great
deal of his words and actions were directed toward
influencing people's beliefs and belief systems. As
the following statements indicate, Jesus placed a
great deal of emphasis on the power of belief.
Be not afraid, only believe. Mark 536
If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him
that believeth. Mark 924
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say
unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou
cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart,
but shall believe that those things which he saith
shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he
saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever
ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them. Mark 1123-24
According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 929
These quotations certainly imply that belief is one
of the key factors in helping a miracle to happen.
As Goethe maintained, "The miracle is faith's most
cherished child." Even modern medical science
acknowledges the healing influence of beliefs in
the form of the 'placebo effect'. My own work in the
applications of NLP in psychotherapy and healing
have certainly highlighted for me personally the
significance of people's beliefs upon their mental
and physical health. [See Changing Belief Systems
with NLP (Dilts, 1990) and Beliefs Pathways to
1990).] I have seen some fairly 'miraculous' things
happen when people have changed limiting beliefs
regarding themselves and their health; including
recovery from cancer and other tumors, arthritis,
allergies, lupus, eyesight problems, mental
illnesses of many types and even symptoms of
AIDS.
The three most common areas of limiting beliefs
center around issues of hopelessness,
helplessness and worthlessness. These three
areas of belief can exert a great deal of influence
with respect to a person's mental and physical
health.
Hopelessness occurs when someone does not
believe a particular desired goal is even possible. It
is characterized by a sense that, "No matter what I
do it won't make a difference. What I want is not
possible to get. It's out of my control. I'm a victim."
Helplessness occurs when, even though he or she
believes that the outcome exists and is possible to
achieve, a person does not believe that he or she
is capable of attaining it. It produces a sense that,
"It's possible for others to achieve this goal but not
for me. I'm not good enough or capable enough to
accomplish it."
Worthlessness occurs when, even though a
person may believe that the desired goal is
possible and that he or she even has the capability
to accomplish it, that individual believes that he or
she doesn't deserve to get what he/she wants. It is
often characterized by a sense that, "I am a fake. I
don't belong. I don't deserve to be happy or
healthy. There is something basically and
fundamentally wrong with me as a person and I
deserve the pain and suffering that I am
experiencing."
At the core of Jesus' works of healing was his
ability to elegantly and effectively help people to
shift these types of limiting beliefs to beliefs
involving hope for the future, a sense of capability
and responsibility, and a sense of self-worth and
belonging. Jesus' uncanny ability to be able to gain
access to and transform core beliefs and identity
issues in his patients and followers can no doubt at
least partially account for the dramatic changes he
was able to effect.
By all accounts, Jesus had the unique ability to
easily and consistently help people to change
limiting beliefs and establish new empowering
beliefs. The core question in modeling is, "How did
he do it?" One clue is provided by the type of
strategies he promoted in his teachings and
parables.
The Sower and the Seed A Fundamental Paradigm
for Change
Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed provides
one of the clearest and deepest insights into his
approach to working with people's beliefs and
belief systems.
And he taught them many things by parables, and
said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold.
There went out a sower to sow, and it came to
pass, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and
the fowls of the air came and devoured them up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not
much earth, and immediately it sprang up because
it had no depth of earth, but when the sun was up,
it was scorched, and because it had no root, it
withered away. And some fell among thorns, and
the thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no
fruit. And others fell on good ground and it did yield
fruit that sprang up and increased and brought
forth, some thirty, some sixty, and some one
hundred. And he said unto them, Ye that have
ears, let them hear. Mark 42-9
I believe that the parable of the sower and the
seed embodies Jesus' fundamental paradigm for
change regardless of whether that change
related to healing, teaching or leadership. As Jesus
later explained to his disciples, the 'seed' is like a
new idea or belief. For the belief to grow and
produce fruit, it must first be placed in the
appropriate context. If there aren't some kind of
internal reference experiences for the new belief to
'take root' in, it will disappear in the face of any
criticism. The 'bird' plucks it right out of the heart. If
there's no experiential 'soil' for it to grow in, all
somebody has to do is to look at you cross-eyed,
and you think, "Oh, well, I guess I'm being stupid
and foolish, etc." So if the new belief "falls by the
wayside," if it's just shallow and you're running
around speaking it but not feeling it, hearing it,
seeing it or tasting it, then it's easy for it to be
"trodden down" or "devoured". When a new belief
"falls on stony ground" it is blocked, as Jesus
explained, by the "hard places in the heart." These
'stones' may relate to past experiences, things that
you're not ready to let go of. In my work with
beliefs and health, for instance, people often need
to work through 'imprints' experiences in their
past that might create a "hard place." The roots of
the new belief can't grow because the person can't
get past this particular feeling or this particular
event in their life. When this occurs, even though
the belief begins to strengthen, it "withers" in the
face of resistance. When 'the sun is up' it becomes
"scorched" and, since it has no root, it "withers
away, because it lacks moisture." Thus, it is
important to find ways of either removing the rocks
or crumbling them up into more fertile soil. For
example, finding the 'positive intention' behind a
symptom and finding new choices to meet that
intention is a way of releasing some of those hard
places.
A belief that 'falls among the thorns' is one that is
confronted by conflicting beliefs, incongruency or
'thought viruses'. These resistances may come
from either external or internal sources from
within the person or from the person's
environment. Conflicting or limiting beliefs are kind
of like the thorns that overshadow or 'choke' the
new belief, even if there is rich soil in which it could
grow. It is not that the 'thorns' have to be poisoned
or destroyed, but they do need to be resolved or
sorted out. You need to create an ecological
context; otherwise the new belief gets choked.
The power of this metaphor is that 'healing' is
likened to 'gardening'. You can't make a tree grow.
Rather, you can prepare the soil. The gardener
doesn't go, "I'm going to make this tree grow, no
matter what!" But what the gardener can do is to
remove the rocks, make sure the soil is fertile and
see that thorns aren't surrounding the seedling.
That is the essence of Jesus' view of change. In
order for a new belief to strengthen and for new
capabilities and behaviors to develop it is
necessary to:
Deepen the experiences which will serve as the
references for the new belief or behavior.
Address the internal resistances and interferences
to the new belief or behavior.
Deal with any incongruence or conflicts within the
person or his/her environment.
The next step in the modeling process is to explore
more specifically how Jesus accomplished these
goals in his healing works.
Healing Through Word and Touch
Is it possible to actually model specific processes
through which Jesus was able to transform the
obstacles to empowering beliefs and precipitate
healing miracles? According to the Gospels, Jesus'
primary approach to healing involved the
systematic use of language and the 'laying on of
hands'.
"...they brought unto him many that were
possessed with devils and he cast out the spirits
with his word..." Matthew 814
"...all they that had any sick with divers diseases
brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on
every one of them, and healed them." Luke 440
These descriptions would seem to imply that Jesus
tended to use words to address problems related
to the mind, and his hands to treat physical illness.
NLP too has many therapeutic techniques that are
centered on the use of words and touch. It is
intriguing to consider what similarities and
differences there are between Jesus' healing work
and the NLP approach.
Like many, I grew up with only a vague picture of
what Jesus did specifically as a healer. I had an
image of him walking up to the blind, the crippled
or the mentally ill and 'zapping' them with
supernatural power, barking commands and
haranguing them about sin or Satan like some
prototypic 'televangelist'. As I read the various
accounts of his healing work, however, I found
something quite different. He treated different
individuals in different ways. He is described as
interacting personally with each individual he was
healing, often in a gentle, supportive and even
loving manner; addressing his patients as "son" or
"daughter" never as "sinner".
He also treated different kinds of illnesses with
different approaches. In all of the descriptions of
his work with lepers, for instance, Jesus tells them
directly that they are healed and sends them to
complete a task at the temple (see Matthew 82-4
and Luke 713-19). The blind, however, are sent on
no such task. Instead, Jesus emphasizes the
importance of their own beliefs in their healing,
asking "Do you believe I can do this?" and
proclaiming, "According to your faith be it unto you"
(Matthew 927-31). It is only with the lame that
Jesus even mentions "sin," telling one man that his
"sins are forgiven" (Matthew 92) and encouraging
another to "sin no more, lest a worse thing come
unto thee" (John 514).
These types of variations indicate a high degree of
sophistication and flexibility based on the type of
issue one is working with. Consider, for example,
the following description of Jesus' healing of a
blind man.
"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a
blind man unto him, and besought him to touch
him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and
led him out of the town; and when he had spit on
his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked
him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I
see men as trees, walking. After that he put his
hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up
and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
And he sent him away to his house, saying,
Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the
town." Mark 822-26
There are a number interesting elements to this
report. The first is that Jesus did not immediately
heal the man but made two attempts in order to
successfully complete the process, using the
feedback he got from his first attempt. He did not
perceive the initial lack of success as a failure on
his part, the part of his subject or on the part of
God. It is also interesting that that Jesus made the
man "look up". This is considered an 'accessing
cue' for the visual representational system in NLP.
Considering that the man had problems with his
vision and that, at the point Jesus had him look up,
he had partial access to his vision, this may be an
indication that Jesus knew about (at least
intuitively) and used accessing cues.
The fact that he led the man out of the town and
told him not to go into the town nor tell anyone in
the town about the experience, would indicate that
Jesus was not doing this work as any particular
'sign' to the people there. Rather Jesus' focus is on
the health of that individual. Clearly, Jesus makes
no mention of sins or unclean spirits as he does in
some of his works. The fact is, Jesus was
described as doing some very specific things with
his subject that were different from the way he
treated others, and took two iterations to complete
it.
Another of Jesus' healing works that particularly
fascinated me was the account of his treatment of
Simon's mother-in-law's fever. Luke (439) reports
that, "he stood over her, and rebuked the fever;
and it left her" Matthew (815), however, mentions
that "he touched her hand" and Mark (131) says
that Jesus "took her by the hand, and lifted her
up." These description are interesting in that, taken
together, they indicate that even though Jesus was
"rebuking" the fever verbally, he was supporting
the woman kinesthetically. In other words, his
auditory communication and his kinesthetic
communication were directed towards two different
levels, and performing two different functions. His
words were directed toward the symptom and his
touch was directed toward the person.
From the NLP perspective, we can think about the
interaction in terms of a verbal 'message' and a
non-verbal 'metamessage'. The message involves
the "rebuking of the fever". It is directed at the
behavioral expression of the symptom. The touch
of the hand is a nonverbal metamessage that
communicates, "I'm supporting you." Jesus took
her hand and lifted her up while rebuking the fever.
Thus, there's no confusion that he is "rebuking" the
patient for having a fever. I think there's something
very profound and powerful about that simple
combination of word and touch.
It is also interesting that the word "rebuke," in
English was translated from the Greek word,
epitimao which doesn't simply mean to be verbally
abusive. It means 'to set a weight upon'. The
implication is that Jesus was not necessarily
speaking angrily, but rather 'putting pressure' on
the symptom. So we are given this beautiful sense
of putting pressure on the fever verbally and lifting
up the person physically. He is removing the
'stones' and 'thorns' while at the same time he is
supporting the 'soil' by lifting and supporting the
person. I think that reflects a deep aspect of
healing. This type of verbal and non-verbal
combination has been the inspiration for a number
of the techniques in the 'Healing Patterns' seminar.
These are only two of the many fascinating
examples of Jesus' healing works. Unfortunately,
to go into depth with any others is beyond the
scope of this article.
The Mission to Heal
More than anything else, what shines through the
reports of Jesus' works of healing was that there
was a 'mission to heal' behind his actions. I think
that in many ways having the mission to heal is
even more important than having the tools to heal.
I think 'healing', as opposed to 'curing' or 'fixing' or
'mending' something that's broken, comes out of
that sense of mission.
One of the things that shows up quite clearly in the
gospels is that Jesus didn't try keep the mission or
ability to "heal" to himself. Matthew (101) reports,
"And when he had called unto him his twelve
disciples, he gave them power against unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of
sickness and all manner of disease." In fact, one of
the first tasks he assigned to his disciples was to
go out and "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise
the dead, cast out devils freely ye have received,
freely give." (Matthew 108) 'Freely have you
received, freely give'. This is not a message that
healing is something to be held on to and practiced
only by an elite few. Rather it implies that healing is
a mission to be shared.
According to Mark (314-15) "And he ordained
twelve, that they should be with him, and that he
might send them forth to preach, And to have
power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils."
Luke (101) adds that, later on in his ministry, Jesus
"appointed another seventy also, and sent them
two and two before his face to every city and
place", telling them to, "heal the sick that are
therein..."
We are also told that Jesus did not discourage the
practice of healing in his name being done by
people that were not even his followers (Mark 938-
40, Luke 949-50). When Jesus is told that
somebody who was not one of his disciples was
out healing in his name, and asked if he was going
to chastise this person Jesus replies, "he that is
not against us is with us." (Luke 950). It is as if he
was saying that anybody who shares the mission
to heal shares something that is really important
and deep.
My interpretation of Jesus' comments and actions
is that the ability to heal was not just something
that Jesus intended to keep for himself, but rather
was something that he intended others to learn
and to do. Not only did Jesus want and encourage
others to heal, he seems to have been fairly
successful at transferring the ability. Mark (613)
mentions that Jesus' disciples, "cast out many
devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick,
and healed them."
It is in the spirit of the mission to heal that I have
approached the study of the structure of Jesus'
healing works and invite others to approach it.
Regardless of one's religious background or
beliefs, I believe it is possible to find a connection
between these patterns and the mission to heal.
Whether a person is 'Mother Teresa' or a shaman,
people who have a mission to heal, or to be
healed, share a similar path and have something
to gain from such a study.