This blog is Nick Kemp's personal opinions, observations and insights as a therapist, coach and trainer. Any opinions are not medical advice and are presented for information and entertainment. Please read the rest of the site to find out how Nick works with his clients to bring about positive change for many conditions including: stress, fear, anxiety and anger related issues.

Excerpt from Al Whitton session on Provocative Change Works for Anxiety DVD set

Tuesday 22nd June 2010

Below is part of the transcript of the Provocative Change Works(tm) session with Al Whitton talking about public speaking presentations

ALAN: Well I was saying, you know, the idea coming up and doing some teaching, or running a workshop and stuff like that …

NICK: I could give you a slot now.

ALAN: Yeah I know.

NICK: Yeah.

ALAN: I don’t want it thank you.

NICK: Well sometimes you don’t always get what you want.

ALAN: Absolutely. Yeah.

NICK: Sometimes what you get is what you need.

ALAN: So the song says.

NICK: Yeah, you know. Exactly. Bit of mental work out.

ALAN: Yeah. Yeah I think it’s kind of like a thought, a fear of sort of drying up and ..

NICK: It probably will yeah. Not fear of …… but drying up.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: Fear of is imagining it might happen. Drying up is choking.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: Yeah. You know all about choking.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: Exactly. So what’s wrong with that?

ALAN: What choking?

NICK: Yeah. Have you choked many people?

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: Right, so now it’s your turn.

ALAN: Yeah but that’s not fair.

NICK: The Universe decided that your penance for being Mr Super Choker is that now you’re the guy who is going to be on the receiving end.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: Consistently.

ALAN: I don’t want that though.

NICK: Well did that the guys that were being choked say that they didn’t want to be choked.

ALAN: Well they couldn’t speak because they were being choked (made choking actions).

NICK: Ok so they couldn’t speak then and you can’t speak now. It’s kind of a universal levelling out.

ALAN: Ok.

NICK: How many guys do you think you choked? More than 50?

ALAN: No it could be a little bit less than 50.

NICK: Ok. 49?

ALAN: Maybe ….

NICK: 48?

ALAN: 30.

NICK: 30? You remember?

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: Ok so you’ve got 30 different situations to start to balance the books and then you’re on an even keel.

ALAN: Right. Yeah. I’m not really relishing the prospect.

NICK: They didn’t relish being choked. You don’t relish choking either.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: It’s just how things are. The Universe just works in these ways. People can go “oh, oh, oh, I just don’t want, I’m going to stamp my little foot, the injustice of it all”, but that’s just how things are.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: Some things just are the way that they are.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: It’s like day follows night. You have snow. Snow melts away and suddenly you have rain. Rain dissolves and then you have sunshine. Seasons come and go. Birds tweet in the trees. Little bees buzz. Cows moo. The cows aren’t going to buzz and the birds are not going to moo. It’s just how things are.

(looking bewildered).

NICK: You can’t fight how things are. It’s the natural order of things.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: Yeah.

ALAN: (looks blank). I have no idea really!

NICK: What. You want me to go through it again?

ALAN: Well yeah ……. (makes motion of things going over his head).

NICK: Well birds tweet.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: And bees buzz.

ALAN: Yeah.

NICK: And the cows moo.