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One day Matt stopped getting in his Mum’s car.

 

He couldn’t explain why, mum didn’t know why, it just happened. For months and months and months Matt just couldn’t do it.

 

A Psychologist came for a while to try to help Matt feel ok in the car again. He would sometimes touch the car, but not get in it. Some days he would get in the centre’s bus and go to his community, but most days he stayed home, stuck by the inability to travel in the car.

 

Tara, a wise woman who worked at the centre had a great idea. She thought the maybe a Video Self Model-VSM could help Matt. She already had VSM superpowers and could see that maybe this could help Matt.

 

Tara first asked Matt’s friend Ben to help her make a video to show others how to tie shoelaces. This got Matt’s attention, so when Tara asked him if he’d like to be in a video he said YES.

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‘Ok’, said Tara. ‘The next video is about sitting in a car. Do you want to be in it?’

 

This is where the magic happened.

 

For the sake of helping Tara, Matt was an instant ‘YES’. He went straight to the car, sat in it, and put on the seat belt. Tara filmed him.

 

She then asked if they could get footage of them driving, Again he said ‘YES’. Matt’s mum arrived at this point because she’d been called to come by. Tara asked if Matt would sit in Mum’s car ‘because it’s good to travel in different cars’. Matt happily obliged for the video.

 

AMAZING- now Tara had footage of Matt in two cars happily travelling.

 

She made a VSM, and sent it to Matt’s mum, for him watch each day.

 

And TA DA…!!!! Matt is now happily getting in his family car again.

 

The MAGIC of this story is that Matt’s challenge was never highlighted to him. There was a new possibility shown to him, and his generous nature meant he was happy to try it for the video and to help other people.

 

Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. We don’t know why a tricky behaviour starts. But it just does.

 

And then sometimes a VSM comes along that can undo that tricky behaviour and re-write the story.

 

Strange but true.

 

If you have a story to share, I would LOVE to hear from you.

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Much Love,

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Anthea