Voluntary Nervous Breakdown

Published: Jan 15, 2004

Application

A VNB is a technique for simulating a real Nervous Breakdown.

Dr. Hans Seyle, the famous researcher on stress, was inducing nervous breakdown in rats a few blocks from my home. The proximity prompted me to read many of his research papers. This, in turn, prompted me to develop the VNB technique for maintaining a balanced and happy life.

One experiment was to frustrate rats by changing the rules once they had been conditioned to solve the mystery of a maze. The changes were designed to bring the rat to a catatonic state manifested by the rat lying on its back with a blank stare in its little eyes.

Recognizing when its time for a VNB

You realize you are having negative thoughts about most things.
Your passion is decreasing.
Daily business challenges become problems.
Decision-making becomes more difficult.
Tasks require extraordinary time to complete.
Your schedule for the recent past justifies the above feelings.

When the need frequency increases...

it's time to examine your life style or patterns.

If you must have a VNB every weekend or, at least, twice a month you must look for the stressor(s) in your life. Once clearly identified, go about modifying, mitigating or eliminating the stressor(s) before you have a REAL nervous breakdown or you before you seek solace in some harmful addiction.

Stories

I was giving a series of courses on leadership at a police academy when the coordinator asked if I would replace another presenter who had suddenly canceled that afternoon, the final Friday of the course.

It was risky. Policemen don't like to discuss their own personal emotional needs or problems. Their work demands they galvanize themselves against such things.

I had no extra lesson plans with me. Over lunch with the coordinator I presented the idea for a VNB experiment. He thought it would be a great idea and he agreed to back me up should it fail.

I announced I would be winging a new subject without the aid of my usual visual aids.

I faced a typical street-wise audience where everyone sat with arms crossed so as to say, "OK! Try teach me something." Only, this time they did it in complete silence.

Finally, when the concept basics were completed I asked what they thought of the idea rather than the usual, "Are there any questions?"

The moment of silence was excruciating until one huge detective, sitting directly in front of me, who specialized in biker gangs unfolded his arms to exclaim, "It's like having a good sh*t!"

Boisterous laughter was followed by an unprecedented (in that academy, at least) sharing of fears, experiences and down moments.

The coordinator and I knew I had nailed it, just like the biker detective, because it was travel commitments that finally ended the session.

I've found that business leaders without confidants or an Uncle Max can suffer the same circumstances.

Submitted by: NephewGerry

Outcomes

Reduction of stress.
No frustration when doing things that shouldn't be difficult.