IASH Conference in San Francisco 10/28 through 11/1/2010
August 31, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
The IASH conference is convened every two years. It is always on the cutting edge of what is new in NLP. This year it is in San Francisco, California 10/28 through 11/1/2010. IASH has always been a strong supporter on the NLP Research and Recognition Project. Indeed the NLP R&R Project was lanched at IASH in 2006, with broad support from the NLP Community.
Frank Bourke will presenting about the NLP R&R Project at the conference. NLP R&R is also a sponsor of the IASH conference. IASH has a valuable conference planned and it is recommended that you consider attending!
Read more about the IASH Conference by clicking on the picture or here: GO TO IASH CONFERENCE SITE.
Updating Volunteer Information
October 7, 2009 by admin · 4 Comments
An email went out to today to the 620 people who have volunteered for the NLP Research & Recognition Project since it’s inception. During the last year there have been some challenges and substantial progress. As is the case with any growth, there have been changes, not the least of which is rebuilding the website and the software supporting the 600+ person volunteer data base. In order to help us streamline our volunteer selection process and the new data base we are asking volunteers to update there information by filling out the Volunteer Form.
If you would like to read the full email that was sent out it is on this site under “Library,” Updating Volunteer Information.
Of course if you never volunteered before, we would welcome your participation in this important project. The letter as discusses some particular areas where volunteers are needed.
On the Verge: Progress Update from Frank Bourke
June 28, 2009 by rfliotta · 3 Comments
I’ve been putting off composing this blog for the last three months waiting for a number of projects to take final steps to actualization so that we could report these GREAT breakthroughs; but here we are…right on the verge of our wildest dreams…but …not …quite …there.
When I proposed the project at IASH in 2006, I knew the proposed forty million dollar trust endowment was a necessary accomplishment if the Project were to be a long term viable research and support organization. Clinical Research has become extremely expensive. Currently, our smallest PTSD clinical research pilot study proposal, at Marshall University, costs out at $350,000. The full three-year study aimed at qualifying the NLP PTSD treatment protocol as evidentiary medicine was submitted to The DOD for $15,000,000 dollars. While development costs (upfront cost of producing a grant proposal) generally run between five and fifteen percent, we accomplished these first steps with dedicated volunteers and our personal resources (my wife has a look which provides the full explanation).
Many project developments have occurred since my last update here. First and foremost, in our sequence of grant developments, the large PTSD treatment grant we were asked to develop for the Department of Defense (as detailed in our last Blog update), was turned down. We have been asked to submit a scaled down pilot study proposal as a first step. In hindsight, we would never have attempted so ambitious a grant proposal without the DOD invitation. While it was rejected in its’ complete form, with normal Washington double speak, its construction leaves us having completed the entire design and collected all the necessary resources to do the entire research, training and dissemination sequence. The independent data analysis companies, research experts, clinical trainers, Washington liaisons, University sponsorships, etc. necessary to make such a proposal, have now all coalesced into a research project team who have seen the efficacy of the PTSD treatment protocol in clinical practice and have become deeply committed to the project. The obvious value of the grant proposal, based on their first hand experience and the extent of the national need, has generated many supporters. While the grants size would have solved all our infrastructure problems and the research put us well on the way to accomplishing the projects ultimate goal of national recognition, the paths to promised lands seldom show themselves as straight lines and are almost always navigated only with plenty of perseverance, flexibility, and hard work.
Despite some disappointments and apparent setbacks, the fact is that we are moving forward on many fronts. I have been heartened by the commitment of our many supporters and the clear momentum the value of the NLP Research and Recognition Project has created. I remember stopping in the middle of combing my hair, the morning before I presented the founding proposal for the Project at IASH in 2006 and saying to the mirror, “you’ve got to be kidding me!” Well amazingly, three years later, in the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, we find we’ve gone from a possibility to a probability. Now when I look in the morning mirror I just shake my head in disbelief and smile……..The Irish jig and bottle of champagne will wait until the fat lady has sung a couple of bars and a one or two of the Grant proposals being currently circulated are funded but……we’re on the verge….and trying very hard not to break the record for either the longest stay there or never getting past it!
Our major current problem is that our accomplishments have outstripped our capability to support them. Core management staff cannot maintain their regular jobs and give the time necessary to carry on the current Projects needs. The web site, our communication hub, went to information technology hell and has only been recently delivered back alive to us by the NLP archangels, Tsirklin and Liotta. Next we need funding to continue the tremendous progress we have made so far.
With the web site back working, we have appointed a Volunteer Coordinator, Gene Plotkin (see his bio under Communications & Networking Team section of this site) and a Development Coordinator, Larry Templeton (see web site for details soon) to put together the next volunteer generation and to continue Foundation funding development to lead us further toward the promised lands. We must gather more volunteer staff to, among other things, continue the NLP Research Library development, Foundation Fundraising, Networking the Institutes into the Project, and enlarging the Project mailing list to 100,000.
Meanwhile the projects already underway must continue growing. Look for more updates and news on this website soon; regarding: Military PTSD Grants, Foundation PTSD Grants, Canada/Israel PTSD Studies, Institute Pilot PTSD Study, Foundation Infrastructure Grants, NLP practitioner fund raiser, Online Sub-modality Research project, Research Library enlargement, NLP Disaster Response Teams, volunteers networking and communications help, national publicity campaign, NLP Institute support and project integration.
As I imagine his brother once said, while standing beside a huge pile of discarded bicycle parts, “Orville I think we may be on the verge of flying this thing!” We’ll continue to persevere, be flexible, work hard and, if we forgot to mention it, have fun in the process.
Research Program: PTSD Protocol for War Veterans
March 8, 2009 by rfliotta · 1 Comment
Early in the evolution of the NLP Research & Recognition Project PTSD was selected as a critical area to pursue research of NLP treatment strategies that clinical experience has indicated are very effective in alleviating the symptoms of PTSD. Multitudes of veterans with PTSD don’t presently have access to the effective methods used by NLP practitioners. In order to help more veterans the efficacy of NLP’s methods for addressing PTSD need to be empirically validated to achieve the wider recognition among therapists and health care professionals that is warranted.
To this end, a major thrust of the NLP Research and Recognition Project has been developing research grants and seeking funding for implementation. Helping in this effort are a team of concerned businessmen, veterans’ organizations, politicians, university professors and NLP experts. A research and NLP treatment protocol has been developed with special emphasis on the needs of returning war veterans. The NLP PTSD Protocol is a standardized treatment procedure designed to facilitate empirical study of the effectiveness of NLP techniques in the treatment of PTSD. Two grants, using state of the art research designs have been circulating for funding since early in 2008. We hope to complete the first major study under a recently submitted $15,000,000 Department of Defense Center for Excellence for PTSD Grant. 3000 veterans will be treated at both University and Army base sites if it is approved as written.
The need for more efficient and effective PTSD treatments is a nationally recognized priority. An extensive review of existing PTSD treatments was completed by the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in October 2007 (see National Academies site for more information on this report). They concluded that only one treatment, of the many examined, has enough evidence to determine efficacy in the treatment of PTSD. They emphasized the need for more high quality research on PTSD treatment options. Clearly the current state of the science does not offer veterans with PTSD treatment choices that they can consider with confidence.
NLP offers promising interventions that have been clinically effective in treating PTSD. A primary goal of the NLP Research and Recognition Project is to ensure that high quality research research is done to demonstrate the efficacy of NLP in the treatment of PTSD. The pending grants utilizing the NLP PTSD Protocol for war veterans are a significant step in the right direction.
To read more, an article has been posted with more details regarding the research program, the research design, and background information. This can be found under the Research tab on this site or click here: Research Program: PTSD Protocol for war veterans. We will keep you informed as developments occur regarding this important endeavor.
New NLPRandR website, Welcome.
December 2, 2008 by rfliotta · Comments Off
This is the new NLPRandR site. We have been revising the previous site since September and this site went live today. We anticipate that it will serve the NLP Research and Recognition Project in many ways. A primary goal is for the site to facilitate communication between people working on various projects, the NLP community, and other interested parties. Additionally the site is intended to be useful as research and education resource and functional as a tool for volunteer recruitment, marketing, and public relations. We thank all of you who provided comments and suggestions during the site development process. We will be adding information on a regular basis to make the site useful and to keep you apprised of developments and opportunities. Rich Liotta, Yan Tsirklin, and Frank Bourke have been developing the site and will continue to work to increase its utility to support the NLP Research and Recognition Project. Frank Bourke, Tom Hoobyar, and Rich Liotta met in early September and concluded that revision of the site was needed and outlined goals for the updated site. Comments are welcome.
RRP Accomplishments at IASH 9/2008
September 19, 2008 by rfliotta · Leave a Comment
Frank was extremely busy throughout the IASH conference connecting with supporters of the Research & Recognition Project, updating others on the progress of RRP, generating enthusiasm for the goals and objectives of the project, and defining future directions. All of the accomplishments made on behalf of the RRP at IASH would be too lengthy to list, but here are a few highlights.
NLP founders and continued developers, Judy Delozier and Robert Dilts, reaffirmed their support of the project and spent a couple of quality hours with Frank reviewing progress and future developments and international networking possibilities. They will also do their part to get the word out about the project internationally. To that end Shelly Rose Charvet is putting together a short PowerPoint enabled Project introduction which will be available shortly.
Frank Bourke with Steve Andreas presented to the entire body of IASH regarding the goals of RRP and what has been accomplished thus far in this developing project, since its inception at IASH in 2006. Frank also did a presentation about his effective work with 9-11 survivors utilizing NLP to address trauma.
Frank met with Tom Hoobyar, marketing specialist, and made the decision to redesign the NLP RandR website to make it more useful, functional, and informative. Enhancing the site’s utility as a forum for marketing, public relations, and communication between people working on various aspects of the project were defined as goals. Plans for a future push for more volunteers were made. Richard Liotta, Ph.D. and Yan Tsirklin joined the marketing and public relations team.
Tim Hallbom and Frank revisited the NLP Practitioners Evaluation Project which has been under development for over a year. Efforts to join the project with NLPt in England and update the IASH community with a presentation at the IASH conference were canceled when Paul DeCarlo, from England could not make the conference. Paul, Tim, and Frank, had been scheduled to do the presentation. Frank is currently attempting to detail the expense of conducting the study using Jeb Browns data processing Corporation Acorn, along with outcome instruments from his “toolbox”.
Susanne Scott and Frank reconnected on the planning and development of an NLP, crisis intervention team that would go to emergencies such as 9/11 and Katrina to render NLP-based services. Money to fund such a venture might be made available in conjunction with the research being done on PTSD.
Frank also met with Kamiko Bokura from Key Institute in California, who will be presenting to a group of NLP health professionals in Japan in November. Kamiko will be introducing The Research and Recognition Project to the group along with details of the PTSD research under construction and possibilities for Japanese replication studies.
Connections were made with other developers in the field of NLP, including Wayne Perry, regarding new technologies that could be useful in furthering the development of the research projects and opening up other options for that work (look for more about this is a future post). Numerous individuals from the NLP community signed on to volunteer time for the project in various realms including research development, sharing of resources, and networking. International contacts with people from NLP institutes in various countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Mexico, France and Japan were established and enhanced.
NLP IASH Conference
July 18, 2008 by admin · 1 Comment
NLP IASH Conference - Friday, July 18, 2008 - Posted by Frank Bourke
The Institute for the Advanced Studies of Health (IASH) world health conference is fast approaching in San Francisco. September 5th thru 7th. Great stuff. Steve Andreas and I will be presenting an overview of the Research and Recognition Project; Tim Hallbom, myself and Paul DeCarlo from the UK, will be proposing a research project to NLP Practitioners and I will be doing a brief overview of my use of NLP in New York after 9-11. Check it out.
NLP Research Conference in England
July 11, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
NLP Research Conference in England - Friday, July 11, 2008 - Posted by Frank Bourke
Just back from a wonderful July 4 NLP Research Conference in England. The European NLP community was a wonderful breath of fresh air for me personally. I was particularly impressed by the number of quality, academics and professionals interested and involved in research. Following are abstracts of the papers presented, including my own PTSD research. We hope as an organization to keep the Research and Recognition Project intimately involved with this new annual conference.