Tad James

Professional Life
Tad James is originally from Washing DC. He earned his Master’s in Mass Communication from Syracuse University and began his professional career working at a radio station, eventually becoming a consultant. His experience in dealing with people, along with his strong positiv upbringing, led him to pursue effective communication techniques that could change peoples’ lives personally and professionally. He began to study neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and ultimately developed a discipline of this therapy known as Timeline Therapy. He has become a leader in the field of NLP and has used his TimeLine Therapy to transform the lives of thousands of people. He published his first book in 1988, Time Line Therapy and The Basis of Personality. Since then, this technique has become a respected and effective model for affecting positive change in social, family, business and educational arenas. Timeline Therapy has been used throughout the world, including in war torn areas, to help alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress in people living in those regions.

James founded the Tad James Company, an organization that trains, teaches and practices NLP. Together with his wife Adriana, they strive to help people improve their lives and reach their maximum potential.

Contribution to Psychology
Timeline Therapy is a therapeutic discipline that involves readjusting an individual’s internal programming created from life experiences. Each person has an inner photo album, and uses that to create perceptions of their past and their future that can be distorted, based on the life events they have endured. Through Timeline therapy, a client is guided into their unconscious and given permission to release any negative emotions resulting from traumatic life events. A therapist teaches the client how to reprogram their response to the mental photo album, resulting in positive emotional expressions. Ultimately, a person who undergoes timeline therapy learns how to respond to events as they occur and not based on previous perceptions and past maladaptive behaviors. The goal is to provide a client with an overall sense of healthy well-being and productive coping skills.

Timeline therapy integrates several different techniques based on NLP that allow a person to transform their behaviors and thus their lives. Feelings that can often overwhelm people, such as anxiety, depression, or fear, may create blocks that impair human potential. These emotions are rooted in deep beliefs, usually resulting from life experiences, and are often exhibited unconsciously. With Timeline therapy, these behaviors and emotions can be identified at their sources, can be addressed, and within weeks, changed to allow for more positive beliefs and behaviors. Timeline therapy allows a client to create the emotional state they need to embrace life’s challenges in a healthy and productive way.