“If I’d known then what I know now.” Reimprinting and change personal history are NLP techniques built on that wish: go back to a painful scene and imagine it differently.
What the techniques involve
Reimprinting. The person revisits an early scene linked to a current problem, and in imagination adds resources that were missing at the time, such as courage, support or detachment, so the scene plays out differently. The aim is to change the meaning the memory carries.
Change personal history. Similar, but more directly aimed at changing how a memory feels by revisiting it with new resources and, sometimes, a new view of the people involved.
Both are usually done with a practitioner, often alongside timeline work (NLP part 24).
What these techniques assume
- A current pattern, such as shyness, started in a past event.
- That event can be revisited and, in imagination, changed.
- Changing the imagined scene changes how the memory feels, and so changes the pattern.
What memory research says
- Memory is reconstructive. We rebuild memories each time we recall them, and they can change.
- Imagining can distort. Studies of “imagination inflation” (for example by Garry and colleagues in the 1990s) found that imagining an event can raise people’s confidence that it happened. (From general knowledge; not checked here.)
- Suggestion can create false memories. This is a recognised risk when therapists guide people back to “root causes” (see hypnosis series, part 32).
- Changing a memory’s emotional tone is possible, and is the aim of some trauma therapies, but those use evidence-based methods with careful safeguards.
What the evidence says about the NLP techniques
I found no controlled trials of reimprinting or change personal history. Their use is described mainly in NLP training and practitioner materials.
Possible benefits
- A compassionate re-look. Seeing a younger self with kindness can reduce shame.
- New meaning. Considering what you’d tell your younger self can feel freeing.
- Support. A caring practitioner is valuable in itself.
Risks
- Distorted memories. Rewriting scenes may blur what actually happened, which matters in legal and family contexts.
- Re-traumatisation. Revisiting abuse or trauma without a trained trauma therapist can make people feel worse.
- Blame. Finding a “cause” in childhood can lead to wrongly blaming relatives.
- False reassurance. Feeling better after a session doesn’t mean a problem is resolved.
If you want to work with the past
- For trauma, choose a trauma-focused therapy such as trauma-focused CBT or EMDR, with a qualified clinician.
- For everyday regrets, journalling, talking to a counsellor and compassion-based exercises are safer options.
- If a technique is suggested, ask how memory accuracy is protected and what the evidence is.
The bottom line
Reimprinting is a kind, imaginative idea, but you can’t change what happened, and tinkering with memories carries real risks. Keep it for light use, and see a trained clinician for trauma.
Next in the series: Sleight of Mouth and Belief Change: NLP vs Motivational Interviewing
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.