Hi, I am Chris Miller, PhD, LPC (licensed professional counselor) and I work with Tim Bizelli, LPC, at Tim Bizelli Counseling LLC, also known as the Bizelli Counseling Group. I believe in the power of spoken words. As you read below, you will see why you should work with me in therapy. I do NLP (which I emphasize below), Narrative Therapy, and Emotional Freedom Therapy tapping. I accept United Health Care, Aetna, Anthem, and other insurances. Please consider working on words with me and see the words below.
In seeking treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), classically called “Aspergers and Autism”, there are some things that could be considered. ASD entails limited potential to advance in social interaction, difficulty with language processing, and the burden of anxiety. So, what modality of therapy helps with these problematic areas of our existence? I argue that brain change is very important in realizing the modifications of thought, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. With the alteration of language that takes place one's life is completely changed, and as is one’s brain.
To change habits of negative and self-denigrating thoughts, one needs to get a grasp of the language one uses. This is a sure way to address negativity. But, what about deep-seated problems of thought that cause self-injury and distress? Change in these areas comes with hard work with your therapist. The areas of difference grow as your brain changes. Neural pathways and sensory processes are altered with language, and our brains are always changing due to their flexibility.
Through neuroplasticity, the brain physically rewires itself—strengthening synaptic connections—every time you learn, hear, or speak a new word, fundamentally linking language and thought. Certain scientific “findings indicate that neural activities that encoded linguistic information were broadly distributed throughout frontotemporal areas across multiple frequency bands” (Cai, Hadjinicolaou, et al.) Because there are those who noticed that the language we use reformats neural pathways in our brains, Richard Bandler and John Grinder founded what is known as NLP today.
The discovery of the changes language makes on the brain is significant, but the importance of how language shapes who we are was fundamental to the psychoanalytic work of Jacques Lacan. It was Lacan who suggested that the structures of language form our innermost worlds. The realization of the way language is to be important is ingrained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, the well-known and much-used evidence-based practice.
Lacan said that “the unconscious is structured like a language”, that is, how much we are embedded in the words we utter. I cannot impress upon the reader and my potential patient the necessary work we need to and will do with the words we use.
The subject of my dissertation, Simone Weil, once said that average words given capital letters people would shed blood for; her profundity and wisdom is essential in knowing how important words are and how we can use them to create and make ourselves anew. As Ezra Pound once wrote, “language is the most massive and inclusive art".
Given the brain’s mutability, it is important to realize and manifest the possibilities considering these findings. A set of behaviors that can be worked on is the way one participates in social situations; one’s performativity. Fear and anxiety can affect a person’s ability to communicate and read social cues. Their part of life can be made simpler and more comfortable for the person on the spectrum (ASD). Adjusting anxious moments by speaking of them differently and as directed craftily by a seasoned NLP therapist.
Social life is certainly a struggle for those who are neurodivergent or have ASD. Part of communication involves the use of language. The NLP therapist guides the patient on a journey of crafting language, offering all the possibilities for changing neural pathways in the meantime. The many words to choose from, as offered by the therapist, are managed by the therapist and formed into helpful ways to resolve the language barrier experienced by the neurodivergent in social situations.
Some anxiety issues can be resolved with NLP, though anxious feelings in general and interactions for ASD can be reduced completely but can be managed by patients and therapists. A soothing experience and environment are created by the therapist, and change happens in the cradle of language. Reframing words is significant for neurodiversity and performativity. The reduction of anxiety facilitates positive social experiences and interactions through thoughtful performances.
NLP for ASD is an effective treatment, and I use it most frequently. I am pleased with the results of the method, and so are the patients. Tailored with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, NLP advances a natural and realistic linguistic framework within the psyche and offers a way to live rationally and free of harmful beliefs.
Using NLP has involved years of training and experience with an NLP expert in Virginia, my dearest friend and colleague, the outstanding therapist, Alan Beach, PhD, LCSW.