Future Pacing
Future pacing means mentally rehearsing a future situation with your new response in place, so the change is ready when the moment comes.
Origin: A standard closing step in NLP change work, described in Frogs into Princes (1979).
Use future pacing for
- Procrastination
- Anxiety Before Job Interviews
- Lack of Motivation
- Fear of Failure
- Social Anxiety at Networking Events
Related techniques
Anchoring · Circle of Excellence · Timeline Work
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Sources and further reading
- Neuro-linguistic programming (overview and scientific criticism) - Wikipedia
- Sturt et al. (2012), Neurolinguistic programming: a systematic review of the effects on health outcomes - British Journal of General Practice
- Source materials for NLP methods - Andreas NLP
- NLP skills and protocols list - dailyNLP
Honest note: Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a popular personal-development approach, but its scientific evidence base is limited and it is widely criticized as unsupported (Sturt et al., 2012). These exercises are self-reflection tools, not therapy or medical advice. If a problem is seriously affecting your life, please talk to a licensed professional.