Provocative Therapy - Articles

Lighting the fuse

I first met Frank Farrelly in 2004 when I attended a Provocative Therapy 4 day Master Class in the UK. This workshop was the inspiration for the original article I wrote on the Human Alchemy website which detailed this extraordinary approach. In early during another workshop in the UK, I approached Frank with two main requests. The first was to create a series of Provocative Therapy products (there were no commercial products available anywhere in the world up until this point) and secondly to begin hosting him in the UK, so more people could hear about his work.

In May 2005 Frank flew to stay with me for a 10 day period and to record his second book “Me and God” which prior to this time was only available in German (now out of print) I wrote about this fascinating project and the original article can be found on www.provocativetherapy.info as well as recently being published in the Model Magazine. “Me and God” was subsequently released as a 5 CD set with Frank narrating the story. This audio set provides an excellent insight into Frank’s upbringing and the influences that later led him to produce this powerful therapeutic approach.

Frank comes to Leeds

Later in 2005 my NLP training company Tranceforming NLP hosted Frank for the first time in the UK and once again I was lucky enough to have him stay with us for a further 10 day period. It was during this period that I also updated Frank’s original Provocative Therapy website with assistance from technical guru Glenn Kelly. However we both realised that there was a real need for a more substantive Provocative Therapy online presence and created www.provocativetherapy.info as a central resource for Provocative Therapy articles, products, news and events. This remains the most comprehensive Provocative Therapy resource online to date.

The 2005 Provocative Therapy workshop was well received and Frank was delighted that I had produced the very first Provocative Therapy training manual which was a collection of many of the available existing articles as well as some new material I had written from my own observations of using this approach. The 2005 workshop was recorded in audio format as well as being filmed for what was to become the “Provocative Therapy Live in Leeds” 3 DVD, 2 CD set. The 3 DVDs were produced by Paul Wright with a multi viewing option for those watching. These initial PT interviews include the famously outrageous Nancy session which has been much talked about within the Provocative Therapy community. The additional CDs included a selection of some of the chapters from “Me and God” and the original interview I did with Frank in 2005.

In 2006 I began to have regular phone calls with Frank which helped to gain a better insight into the Provocative Therapy approach. I had already decided that Frank would become an annual guest for Tranceforming NLP in the UK and that we would continue to record and release material from these workshops. In a very short time we became good friends and Frank was surprised at my work rate, leading him to nickname me “The Can Do Kid”

To me, he’s the ‘Can-Do Kid’. When he says he can do it, he can. When he says he will do it, he does. Asked when he can do it, he says, “I’ll get right on it and call you tomorrow when I’ve finished it.” – Yeah, I thought, when pigs fly. Next day, so help me God, he called, saying “OK, I’ve finished it and put it on your website, like you wanted.” “Are you shitting me?” I asked suspiciously. He burst out laughing. “No, no, Frank! It’s really there, go on line and look. I’ll wait.” Which he did. And there it was, just like he said he would do it. I thanked him, we chatted for a bit, and I hung up. I went into our living room and told my wife June what had happened, and said, “The more I talk to this guy, the better I like him and the more I trust him. Now I just have to figure out who to ask to initiate adoption proceedings.”

- Frank Farrelly, Creator of Provocative Therapy

 In March 2006 I was approached to become a regular guest on BBC radio and for the next 26 consecutive weeks I cured a host of different phobias on the programme, using a combination of Provocative Therapy, NLP and Hypnosis. The addition of Provocative Therapy allowed me to work in a far more accelerated manner and many of these sessions can be found at NLPmp3.com as well as the original and updated 2006 interview I did with Frank. I decided to set up an additional blog style site to detail my observations using this approach on the www.provocativechangeworks.com  website. With the rise of You Tube Frank and I also uploaded a four part “History of Provocative Therapy” to the www.youtube.com site where I ask Frank about the evolution of Provocative Therapy since 1963.

There are no certifications in Provocative Therapy

During our discussions in early 2006 I talked to Frank about the issue of certifications and how this had become a thorny issue for other therapeutic approaches! Frank was (and always had been) adamant that any certifications should only be for attendance and not for capability. During the 2006 Leeds Provocative Therapy workshop he invited me on stage to discuss this issue with hilarious results. During this hour long discussion Frank mentioned that various Provocative Therapy enthusiasts worldwide had made various attempts to create Provocative Therapy certifications, which Frank had refused to endorse. This discussion was released on the 6 DVD “A Provocative Approach” DVD set which also included a series of Provocative Therapy interviews covering such issues as social phobia, anger issues, weight loss and business relationships.

The 2006 Provocative Therapy workshop was also released in its entirety as a 9 CD set titled “Life is Wet” which was a direct quote from Frank during the event where he commented that people are born and die “wet”

Throughout 2006 I began to include a module on Provocative Therapy on the Tranceforming NLP Practitioner and Master Practitioner certificated seminars. On the NLP Practitioner trainings I would demonstrate the power of Provocative Therapy in removing phobias. I showed Frank the first of these sessions and received a wonderful e-mail from him stating 

"You are totally disarming and beyond formalisation. There is an ease and  naturalness about you and you make people relax really quickly. You got the power man!"

- Frank Farrelly, Creator of Provocative Therapy on Nick Kemp
(June 16th 2006

Provocative Therapy and phobias

I decided to extend the Provocative Change Works brand and asked Frank if he would provide an introduction for a forthcoming 2 DVD set titled “Provocative Change works for Phobias”. Frank not only agreed to film the introduction, but also provided insightful feedback for these two sessions of me working with Matt the needle phobia and Karen the claustrophobic for a release in 2007.

In recent times Frank suggested that we record our weekly phone calls and I finally figured out a way to do this and get a reasonable enough recording. One of the many great things about talking to Frank is that he is an extraordinary catalyst for developing all manner of insights and realisations.

Provocative Therapy Workshops in the UK

An introduction to Provocative Therapy by Nick Kemp

This is a one day workshop presented by Nick Kemp, which is an excellent introduction to Provocative Therapy which was created by Frank Farrelly.  During this workshop you will have the opportunity to practice provocative therapy exercises such as “What’s wrong with that?” and “Insane Solutions” to develop your provocative therapy skills.

e-mail info@nickkemp.com for current dates

Provocative Change Works weekend by Nick Kemp

This two day workshop presented by Nick Kemp further explores key elements of the Provocative Therapy tool kit. This is a more advanced workshop than the one day introduction. Here we will be exploring more of the patterns and approaches used in provocative therapy.

e-mail info@nickkemp.com for current dates

Provocative Therapy Master Class with Frank Farrelly

This is a unique opportunity to train with Frank Farrelly, the creator of Provocative Therapy. During this weekend some attendees will have the opportunity to have a personal interview with Frank, explore the Provocative Therapy exercises and gain a deeper insight into this extraordinary approach.
The annual Master Class is hosted by Tranceforming NLP

For current dates see www.associationforprovocativetherapy.com