Time Line Therapy: The Complete Guide to Tad James’s NLP Technique, Evidence and Costs

Time Line Therapy is a set of techniques created by the American NLP trainer Tad James in the 1980s. You imagine your life as a line running from past to future, then “float above” it to let go of negative emotions and limiting decisions. It is trademarked, commercially taught and has had very little scientific testing.

Psychology technique · Helps with: limiting beliefs, feeling emotionally stuck, goals and motivation (evidence is very limited)

Last updated: 23 October 2026

Reading time: about 30 minutes

How we wrote this guide
We read the founders’ own materials, the official Time Line Therapy™ Association and Tad James Company websites, the US trademark records and every peer-reviewed study of Time Line Therapy we could find (there are very few). Every research claim links to the original paper. Where evidence is thin, we say so plainly. We checked every price, book, video, podcast and account in October 2026. This guide is information, not medical or psychological advice.

Quick answer: does Time Line Therapy work?

• Nobody knows yet. We found only two small studies of Time Line Therapy itself, neither randomised and neither with long-term follow-up (Ahmad, 2011; Khan, 2022). Both reported large short-term drops in negative feelings, but they could not rule out expectation, relaxation or researcher bias.
• The “time line” idea has some real science behind it. Psychologists have shown that many people do picture time in space, with the past on one side and the future on the other (Bonato et al., 2012). That does not prove the therapy built on it works.
• Its parent field, NLP, has a poor evidence record. Independent reviews have found little support for NLP’s claims (Witkowski, 2010; Sturt et al., 2012).
• It is a commercial, trademarked method. Training and certification are controlled by organisations founded by Tad James, and practitioners are not regulated in the UK (rules for therapy titles elsewhere differ, so check locally).
• It is not a treatment for trauma or PTSD. If you have post-traumatic stress, guidelines in the UK (NICE), the US (VA/DoD) and Australia (Phoenix Australia) all recommend trauma-focused therapies, such as trauma-focused CBT or EMDR, delivered by a trained professional (NICE, 2018; VA/DoD, 2023; Phoenix Australia).

Need help now?
Time Line Therapy is not an emergency service or a treatment for a mental health crisis. If you are thinking about suicide or cannot keep yourself safe, contact a crisis line now. USA: call or text 988. Canada: call or text 9-8-8. UK and Ireland: Samaritans, free on 116 123. Australia: Lifeline on 13 11 14. India: Tele-MANAS on 14416. Anywhere else: find a free, local line at findahelpline.com. If someone’s life is at immediate risk, call your local emergency number (for example 911, 999, 112 or 000). Lines: 988 Lifeline, 9-8-8 Canada, Samaritans, Lifeline Australia, Tele-MANAS.

Contents

1. What is Time Line Therapy?
   • Time Line Therapy at a glance
2. Where it came from: NLP and the first time lines
3. Tad James and the birth of Time Line Therapy
4. Core concepts
5. What happens in a session
6. A safe self-exploration exercise: noticing your own time line
7. Does Time Line Therapy work? The evidence, honestly
   • Evidence at a glance
8. Risks and who should take care
9. How much does it cost?
10. How to find a practitioner
11. A note on the trademark and the business behind it
12. Books
13. Watch, listen and follow
14. Frequently asked questions
15. Key takeaways
16. Sources

What Is Time Line Therapy?

Ask someone to point to where last summer is, and then to where next summer is, and most people can do it without much thought. Perhaps the past is behind them and the future ahead. Perhaps the past is off to the left and the future stretches to the right. Time Line Therapy starts from that simple observation: we seem to store our sense of time as a kind of mental map, a line running from our earliest memories to our imagined future.

Tad James, an American trainer in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), turned this idea into a structured set of techniques in the mid-1980s. In a typical Time Line Therapy process, a practitioner helps you work out where your own time line lies, then guides you, usually in a relaxed or lightly hypnotic state, to imagine floating up above it. From that vantage point you “travel” back along the line to a point before a problem first began, take whatever lessons it holds, and notice that the unwanted emotion is no longer there. The same approach is used to drop “limiting decisions”, such as I’m not good enough, and to place goals into your imagined future.

The Tad James Company describes the method as working “at the unconscious level” and producing change “in minutes rather than days, months or years”. Those are big claims. As this guide explains, they have not been tested in a way that would satisfy most psychologists.

Unlike most techniques in our library, it is also a brand: “Time Line Therapy” is a registered US trademark, usually taught within week-long commercial NLP courses (see our note on the trademark).

Time Line Therapy at a Glance

↑ Back to contents

Where It Came From: NLP and the First Time Lines

The NLP roots

Time Line Therapy grew out of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), which was developed in the 1970s at the University of California, Santa Cruz, by Richard Bandler, then a student, and John Grinder, a linguistics lecturer. Bandler and Grinder set out to “model” a handful of exceptionally effective therapists, including Fritz Perls (Gestalt therapy), Virginia Satir (family therapy) and the hypnotherapist Milton Erickson, and to turn what they did into teachable patterns (Witkowski, 2010). Their early books, The Structure of Magic (1975) and Frogs into Princes (1979), set out the core ideas.

Several of those ideas matter here. NLP holds that “the map is not the territory”: we act on internal representations of the world. It teaches that the submodalities of a mental image (how big, bright or close it is) shape how strongly we feel about it, and that seeing a memory from the outside (dissociated) feels less intense than reliving it through your own eyes (associated). It also borrowed heavily from Erickson’s indirect hypnosis.

Steve and Connirae Andreas: the first time lines

NLP trainers had talked about people being “in time” or “through time” since the early 1980s, but as a fixed personality trait. According to Steve Andreas, it was he and his then wife Connirae Andreas who first asked what those labels looked like inside a person’s head. They combined Bandler’s work on submodalities with time orientation and found that people placed their past, present and future in strikingly different places in space. They first taught this “time line” work in March 1984, in a training on advanced submodalities (Andreas, n.d.), and later wrote it up in Change Your Mind – and Keep the Change (1987) and Heart of the Mind (1989).

The Andreases were notably cautious about it. Steve Andreas wrote that changing a time line “is literally reorganizing all a person’s life experiences, so it must be done with extreme care and sensitivity” (Andreas, n.d.). That warning is worth keeping in mind.

↑ Back to contents

Tad James and the Birth of Time Line Therapy

Everett “Tad” James was born in Washington, DC, and studied at Syracuse University, where he earned a master’s degree in mass communication. He managed a radio station and worked as a business consultant before training in NLP. The official Time Line Therapy™ Association (TLTA) says Richard Bandler made him the “second NLP Master Trainer”, and credits him with pioneering the now-common seven-day NLP Practitioner course (TLTA, n.d.). We could not independently verify the “second Master Trainer” claim.

James’s own account is that in 1985 he “applied a therapeutic process” to the idea of an internal memory line, creating a collection of techniques for releasing negative emotions and limiting decisions (TLTA, n.d.). Other official materials date its use to 1986 or 1987, so the exact start date is unclear. In 1988 he published Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality with the NLP trainer Wyatt Woodsmall. The book remains the core text. A year later came The Secret of Creating Your Future, which focused on goal setting.

A German obituary notes that James received a doctorate in 1991 from the American Institute of Hypnotherapy, a specialist hypnotherapy school rather than a university psychology department, and that he moved to Honolulu in the early 1990s (Kluczny, 2021). He built the Tad James Company, which runs NLP and Time Line Therapy trainings internationally, with his wife, Dr Adriana James, who continues to run it. Tad James died in his sleep on 14 April 2021 (Coote, 2021).

Time Line Therapy spread mainly through James’s seminars and the trainers he certified, not through clinical research, which is why it is well known in coaching and NLP circles but little known in mainstream psychology.

↑ Back to contents

Core Concepts

Your time line

The central idea is that your unconscious mind stores memories in order, along a line with a particular location and direction relative to your body. James and Woodsmall described it as a line, “not necessarily a straight line”, unique to each person (Ahmad, 2011). Practitioners usually find it by asking simple questions such as “If you were to point to your past, where would you point?”

In time versus through time

Time Line Therapy uses two broad types of time line:

• In time. The line runs through your body, often with the past behind you and the future in front. People with this pattern are said to live in the moment and find planning harder.
• Through time. The whole line is out in front of you, usually with the past on the left and the future on the right, so you can “see” all of it at once. These people are said to be punctual planners, more detached from memories.

We found no independent research testing whether in-time and through-time people really differ in these ways.

Negative emotions and the Gestalt

Time Line Therapy focuses on a short list of major negative emotions, usually anger, sadness, fear, hurt and guilt. Practitioners usually start with anger and then sadness (Ahmad, 2011).

A key claim is that emotional memories are linked together in a chain, which James called a Gestalt (a German word for a whole pattern). Deal with only the most recent link and the chain stays intact; deal with the first and, the theory says, the whole chain collapses.

Root cause and the first event

So Time Line Therapy hunts for the root cause, the earliest event in the chain. Practitioners ask your “unconscious mind” when the problem started. The answer may come as a sense, an image or a number, and some practitioners accept answers from before birth. This worries psychologists, because memory is reconstructive (more on this in the risks section).

Limiting decisions

A limiting decision is a conclusion you drew about yourself or the world, often early in life, that now holds you back, such as I’m not lovable, money is hard to come by or I always fail. Time Line Therapy treats these like emotions: find the first time you made the decision, go back to before it, and notice that from there the decision no longer seems to exist. The idea resembles “core beliefs” in CBT, though the methods differ.

Before letting an emotion go, the client is asked to “preserve the learnings”, taking any positive lessons from the event. According to James and Woodsmall, this matters more than forgiveness (Ahmad, 2011).

Creating your future

The other half of the method is about the future. Clients imagine a goal as already achieved, then “place” that image at the right point on their future time line. Practitioners call this “creating your future”, a phrase Tad James also registered as a US trademark. It is similar to the visualisation techniques used in sport and coaching.

↑ Back to contents

What Happens in a Session

There is no public protocol: the scripts are taught on paid courses, and practitioners vary. Based on published descriptions and practitioners’ websites (mostly in the UK), a typical session looks like this.

Before the process

• A conversation about what you want. The practitioner asks what you would like to change and what you would like instead. Many describe the work as “content-free”.
• Checking you are suitable. A responsible practitioner should ask about your mental health, any diagnosis, medication and current treatment, and should refer you elsewhere if the problem is beyond their training.
• Eliciting your time line. You are asked to point to your past and future, and to notice the direction and shape of the line.

During the process

• Relaxation or hypnosis. Many practitioners use a relaxation induction or light hypnosis.
• Floating above the line. You imagine rising up above your time line, high enough to see it below you.
• Going back to the root cause. You drift back along the line to the first event connected with the emotion or decision, then to a point just before it.
• Looking towards now. From before the event, facing towards the present, you are asked to notice that the emotion is no longer there, then float back to now along the line.
• Testing. The practitioner asks you to try to recall the original emotion, to check whether its intensity has dropped.

After the process

• Future pacing. You imagine a future situation that would once have triggered the problem, to see how it feels now.
• Creating your future. Many sessions end by placing a goal on your future time line.

A session usually lasts 60–90 minutes; some practitioners offer day-long “breakthrough” sessions combining it with NLP, hypnosis and coaching. Practitioners often say one or a few sessions are enough, far fewer than most evidence-based therapies, which leaves little time to spot and manage problems.

↑ Back to contents

A Safe Self-Exploration Exercise: Noticing Your Own Time Line

Why we aren’t teaching the full process. The release techniques at the heart of Time Line Therapy involve going back to emotionally charged memories, usually with hypnosis, and are designed to be guided by a trained practitioner. They have not been shown to be safe or effective as self-help, and you could stir up distressing memories on your own. We don’t give step-by-step instructions for them.

Instead, here is a gentle exercise to explore how you picture time, similar to the “elicitation” step at the start of Time Line Therapy and to the method used in research on personal time lines (Konefal et al., 2006). It uses only neutral events and a simple positive goal, and doesn’t involve revisiting difficult memories or releasing emotions.

Please skip this exercise if you are currently struggling with trauma, PTSD, dissociation, psychosis or severe depression, or if focusing on your past tends to upset you. If anything uncomfortable comes up, open your eyes, look around the room, name a few things you can see and stop.

How to Notice Your Own Time Line

This takes about ten minutes. You’ll need a quiet place to sit, and a pen and paper.

1. Sit comfortably. Sit somewhere quiet with your feet on the floor. Take a few slow breaths. You can keep your eyes open or close them, whichever feels better.
2. Recall a neutral recent event. Think of something ordinary you did a week ago, such as making a cup of tea or walking to the shops. Avoid anything emotional. Notice roughly where in the space around you that memory seems to be: in front, behind, to the left, to the right, higher or lower.
3. Recall a neutral event from further back. Think of an equally ordinary event from a few years ago, such as a routine birthday or a regular journey. Again, just notice where it seems to sit. Is it further away than last week’s memory, or in a different direction?
4. Imagine a neutral future event. Picture something ordinary you expect to do next week, such as a routine meal or appointment, and then something a year from now. Notice where each seems to be.
5. Sketch the line. Open your eyes and draw a quick sketch of yourself from above, marking roughly where the past and future seemed to be. Don’t worry if it isn’t a straight line, if it is vague or if you can’t find one at all. All of these are common.
6. Place a simple goal. Choose a small, positive, realistic goal for the next few months, such as finishing a book or walking three times a week. Picture yourself having achieved it, then imagine placing that picture at the right point in your future. Notice whether that changes how motivated you feel.
7. Come back to the present. Look around the room, stretch, and notice the sounds around you. Write down anything you noticed. Treat it as a curiosity about how your mind works, not as a diagnosis of your personality.

If your past turns out to be behind you and your future in front, NLP would call that “in time”; if both are laid out in front of you, it would call that “through time”. Remember that the personality claims attached to these labels haven’t been independently tested.

↑ Back to contents

Does Time Line Therapy Work? The Evidence, Honestly

The short answer is that it has barely been tested. As the author of the main study put it, the method “has so far escaped the attention of academics” (Ahmad, 2011). Searching PubMed, Crossref and Google Scholar in October 2026, we found only two outcome studies of it.

Studies of Time Line Therapy itself

Ahmad (2011). This is the study featured on the official association’s scientific study page. Twenty IT workers attended a two-day seminar in Kuala Lumpur run by the author, a certified trainer. On the second day, after a group hypnotic induction, they used Time Line Therapy to release anger and then sadness. Average self-rated anger fell from 6.15 to 1.15 on a 1 to 10 scale, and sadness from 6.85 to 1.80. A comparison group of 32 part-time postgraduate students, who listened to a talk on leadership, showed no change (Ahmad, 2011).

The author himself noted the main limitations: participants were self-selected rather than randomised, there was no follow-up and all results were self-reported. The researcher was also the trainer, and the comparison group did something completely different. Expectation, relaxation and a wish to please could explain much of the effect.

Khan (2022). A study of 25 rescue workers in Pakistan used Time Line Therapy under hypnosis for anxiety. Average scores on the GAD-7 anxiety questionnaire fell from 15.92 (severe) to 7.92 (mild) (Khan, 2022). With no control group, we cannot tell how much of that would have happened anyway.

We found no randomised trials, no long-term follow-up, no independent replications and no studies in people diagnosed with PTSD or depression.

Is the “time line” real?

The idea underneath the method holds up better than the therapy. Cognitive psychologists have shown that people do link time with space. In a pilot study at the University of Miami, 50 adults asked to picture their personal time lines generally placed the future to the right and in front of them, and the past to the left or behind. How far into the future they could see was linked to how healthy they felt: 8 years on average for people who rated their health as poor, 16 for good and 27 for excellent (Konefal et al., 2006).

A major review of laboratory research concluded that there is good evidence for a “mental time line”, with people in left-to-right reading cultures tending to associate earlier events with the left (Bonato et al., 2012). But the direction is partly cultural. Members of an Aboriginal community in Pormpuraaw, northern Australia, laid out time from east to west, whichever way they were facing (Boroditsky & Gaby, 2010).

So the starting point of Time Line Therapy, that we picture time spatially, is reasonable. What hasn’t been shown is that floating above that mental line removes emotions at their “root cause”, or that in-time and through-time patterns reveal personality.

What the wider NLP research says

Research on NLP, its parent field, is mostly discouraging:

• Early tests of NLP’s basic claims, such as the “preferred representational system”, found little support (Sharpley, 1984; Sharpley, 1987).
• A review of the NLP Research Data Base examined 63 studies published in reputable journals. Of the 33 that tested NLP’s tenets, 18.2% supported them, 54.5% did not and 27.3% were inconclusive, and the non-supportive studies were the better designed. The author concluded that the results “contradict the claim of an empirical basis of NLP” (Witkowski, 2010).
• A systematic review in the British Journal of General Practice found 10 studies including 5 randomised trials, four of which found no difference between NLP and comparison groups. The authors concluded there was “little evidence that NLP interventions improve health-related outcomes”, while noting this reflects the limited quantity and quality of research rather than proof that NLP does nothing (Sturt et al., 2012).
• Other critical reviews have called NLP “cargo cult psychology” with no credible theoretical basis (Roderique-Davies, 2009) and concluded that unique NLP practices are “poorly supported by research evidence” (Passmore & Rowson, 2019).
• On the other side, a meta-analysis by authors linked to NLP psychotherapy associations pooled 12 mostly observational studies and reported a moderate effect (Zaharia et al., 2015). Most of the included studies were uncontrolled, which limits what this can tell us.

NLP-based techniques with better evidence

A few NLP-derived techniques have been tested more seriously. The “reconsolidation of traumatic memories” (RTM) protocol, based on NLP’s “fast phobia cure”, showed promising results in two randomised trials in veterans and military women with PTSD (Gray et al., 2019; Gray et al., 2021). Both trials were run by the protocol’s developers, and independent replication is still needed. In a review of treatments for fear of heights, the NLP “rapid phobia cure” did better than a mindfulness exercise, but the reviewers rated the quality of reporting as poor (Arroll et al., 2017). None of this is evidence for Time Line Therapy.

Why people say it works

People who say it helped them may well feel better. A supportive practitioner, a relaxing trance, a detached new view of old events and a strong expectation of change can all do that, at least for a while. Whether Time Line Therapy’s specific ingredients add anything beyond these general effects, and whether changes last, has not been tested.

Evidence at a Glance

↑ Back to contents

Risks and Who Should Take Care

Time Line Therapy is a talking and imagination-based technique, and for most people a session is unlikely to cause physical harm. The risks are mainly psychological and practical.

• Stirring up painful memories. Going back to emotional events, especially under hypnosis, can bring up strong feelings. Practitioners without mental health training may not know how to help if you become very distressed or dissociate (feel detached or unreal).
• Shaping or “finding” memories. Memory is reconstructive. Decades of research show that suggestion and imagination can change memories and even create convincing memories of events that never happened (Loftus, 2005). A Royal College of Psychiatrists working group warned that techniques such as hypnosis and regression used to “recover” memories can produce false ones (Brandon et al., 1998). A method that asks your unconscious mind to locate a “root cause”, sometimes even before birth, carries this risk. Be very wary of any practitioner who suggests what your root cause might be, particularly abuse.
• Delaying effective treatment. The biggest risk is using Time Line Therapy instead of help that works. For PTSD, guidelines in the UK, US and Australia recommend trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or EMDR, delivered by trained professionals (NICE, 2018; VA/DoD, 2023; Phoenix Australia). Effective, evidence-based treatments also exist for depression and anxiety disorders, from licensed therapists or, in England, free through NHS Talking Therapies.
• No regulation. NLP and Time Line Therapy are not regulated in the UK. The certification itself is private, and the TLTA charges practitioners an annual fee to keep it (US$105 a year for Practitioner, US$125 for Master Practitioner, according to its enrolment page). Anyone can call themselves a “timeline therapist”, and official certification can be gained on a course lasting a few days. Check what your own state, province or country requires of anyone who offers therapy.
• Cost and upselling. Be cautious about claims of fast, permanent cures and pressure to book further sessions or courses.

Talk to your doctor or a qualified mental health professional first, and be especially cautious, if you:

• have PTSD or a history of serious trauma or abuse
• experience dissociation, psychosis, bipolar disorder or a personality disorder
• have severe depression or thoughts of suicide
• are already in therapy (tell your therapist before trying anything else)

If you do try it, you can stop at any point. A good practitioner will never pressure you to continue, revisit something you don’t want to, or accept a “memory” that doesn’t feel like your own.

↑ Back to contents

How Much Does It Cost?

Prices vary widely. These examples come from practitioners’ and trainers’ own websites (mostly in the UK, plus one in Canada), checked in October 2026. We did not find a verified price list for other countries, so ask any practitioner for their fees. They are examples, not recommendations. Conversions use the European Central Bank reference rates of 23 October 2026 (€1 = US$1.1193 = £0.837 = CA$1.567) and are approximate.

Sessions

Training

Master Practitioner and Trainer levels cost more. Certificates also have to be renewed through the TLTA to keep using the title. We found no sign that Time Line Therapy is offered by the NHS or other public health systems.

Before you pay, compare the cost with free or lower-cost options that have better evidence, such as the public or insurance-covered talking therapies where you live (in England, NHS Talking Therapies, which you can usually refer yourself to) or a licensed counsellor or psychologist.

↑ Back to contents

How to Find a Practitioner

Official directories

• The TLTA trainer search. The official association lists certified trainers by country. In October 2026, it listed about 26 trainers in the UK and about 13 in the US (TLTA trainer search). It lists trainers, not every practitioner.
• The Association for NLP (ANLP). A UK-based membership body for NLP practitioners, independent of the Tad James Company, with a member directory. Membership is voluntary and isn’t a form of state regulation.

Questions to ask before you book

1. What are your qualifications? Ask whether they hold any recognised mental health qualification as well as their NLP or Time Line Therapy certificate, and how long their training lasted.
2. Are you licensed or on a professional register? In the US, therapists are licensed by state boards, in Canada by provincial regulatory colleges, and in Australia health professionals such as psychologists are registered with Ahpra; ask for their licence or registration number and check it with the regulator. In the UK, counsellors and psychotherapists on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, such as those of the BACP or UKCP, follow an ethical code and complaints process. Practitioner psychologists must be registered with the HCPC.
3. What happens if I get upset? A good practitioner will explain how they handle strong emotions and when they would refer you on.
4. What do you claim it can do? Be wary of guarantees, “one-session cures” or claims that it can replace medical or psychological treatment.
5. What will it cost in total? Ask how many sessions are likely and about any packages.

If you want help with trauma, anxiety or depression, start with your doctor or a licensed therapist. In England that can mean NHS Talking Therapies or a registered therapist through the BACP or UKCP directories.

↑ Back to contents

A Note on the Trademark and the Business Behind It

“Time Line Therapy” is a brand as well as a method. US Patent and Trademark Office records list several registrations of TIME LINE THERAPY in Tad James’s name (USPTO TTABVUE). One of them, registration 3596997 for recorded self-improvement lectures, was registered in 2009, renewed in 2019 and is now owned by a James family trust (USPTO TSDR). James also held trademarks for “Creating Your Future” and “The Secret of Creating Your Future”, and over the years he challenged several companies over similar names, including a domain name dispute he won (National Arbitration Forum, 2003). We have not checked whether the name is also registered in the UK.

The TLTA says the trademark belongs to “the late Everett W. (Tad) James and Dr Adriana James” and is licensed exclusively to the association, and that only its paying members may use the term, with titles such as “Time Line Therapy™ Practitioner” (TLTA, n.d.). You’ll see both ™ and ® used, sometimes on the same website.

What this means for you:

• Certification is in-house. Courses are accredited by the TLTA and its sister bodies, the American Board of NLP and the American Board of Hypnotherapy, which are part of the same business network rather than independent regulators. The TLTA’s own trainer search even runs on the American Board of Hypnotherapy and NLP’s system.
• The “official” research is promoted by the brand. The association’s scientific study page features a single small study by one of its own certified trainers.
• “Timeline therapy” isn’t always Time Line Therapy®. Other practitioners use similar “timeline” or “time line” techniques without the trademark, and a “timeline” is also part of some evidence-based trauma therapies, where it means something quite different: a written life history, not a visualisation.

We use the name Time Line Therapy in this guide simply to describe the method. Self Help Supermarket has no connection with the trademark owners, the TLTA or any of the trainers mentioned.

↑ Back to contents

Books

All checked on Open Library in October 2026.

• Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality by Tad James and Wyatt Woodsmall (1988) – the founding text.
• The Secret of Creating Your Future by Tad James (1989) – James’s popular book on goal setting and placing goals on your time line.
• Change Your Mind – and Keep the Change by Connirae Andreas and Steve Andreas (1987) – the earlier NLP time line work, written up from live seminars.
• Frogs into Princes by Richard Bandler and John Grinder (1979) – an early NLP seminar transcript and a popular introduction to the field.
• Psychology Gone Wrong by Tomasz Witkowski and Maciej Zatonski (2015) – a sceptical look at popular psychological therapies, co-written by the author of a widely cited NLP evidence review.

↑ Back to contents

Watch, Listen and Follow

All videos, podcasts and accounts below were checked in October 2026. Most come from the method’s founders and trainers, who have a commercial interest, so we have included critical voices too.

Videos

▶ NLP Coaching | What is Time Line Therapy®? – Tad James. A three-minute introduction from the method’s creator.

▶ NLP Coaching | Time Line Therapy® Demo, Tad & Adriana James – Tad James. A 13-minute demonstration showing what a session looks like.

• What Techniques in Time Line Therapy® Help With Anxiety? – Dr Adriana James. A short explanation from the Tad James Company’s current head.
• Time Line Therapy™ | Hypnotherapist Mary Bowmer – Happiful. A UK hypnotherapist explains how she uses it.
• My Experiences With Time Line Therapy – A Critique Of Tad James Teachings and Claims – Provocative Hypnosis. A long, critical take from a hypnotist describing his own experiences of the method.
• PTSD – Working with Young People to Develop a Timeline – Anna Freud. How trauma therapists use a written “timeline” with young people with PTSD, for comparison.

Podcasts

• What is Time Line Therapy®? Removing negative emotions, limiting decisions and creating your future – NLP Talks with Laura Evans. A UK TLTA trainer explains the method (she also sells training).
• Timeline Therapy: Is it time to let go and move forward? – NLP UK Training Podcast. Another practitioner’s overview.
• Mind Games – Kaleidoscope. A 2026 investigative series on the history of NLP, from Richard Bandler in 1970s Santa Cruz to the self-help industry.
• What Do EMDR, Tony Robbins, and NXIVM Have in Common? NLP – The Story – TechStuff. A sceptical history of NLP and its offshoots.

Accounts to Follow

• The Tad James Company – YouTube · Instagram · X
• Dr Adriana James – Instagram · YouTube
• The Association for NLP (ANLP) – Instagram

↑ Back to contents

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Line Therapy

What is Time Line Therapy?

Time Line Therapy is a set of NLP techniques created by Tad James in the 1980s. You picture your life as a line from past to future, imagine floating above it, and go back to before a problem began to let go of negative emotions and limiting beliefs. It is trademarked and has very little scientific testing.

Who created Time Line Therapy?

The American NLP trainer Tad James developed it in the mid-1980s and published it with Wyatt Woodsmall in 1988. It built on earlier NLP time line work by Steve and Connirae Andreas. James died in 2021, and his wife, Dr Adriana James, continues to run the Tad James Company, which teaches the method.

Is Time Line Therapy the same as NLP?

It is an offshoot of NLP rather than the same thing. It borrows NLP ideas such as submodalities, dissociation and hypnotic language, and is usually taught as part of NLP Practitioner courses. Many NLP practitioners use other time line techniques without using the trademarked Time Line Therapy process.

What is the difference between “in time” and “through time”?

These are two ways people may picture time. “In time” means your time line passes through your body, often with the past behind you. “Through time” means it runs in front of you, usually left to right. Time Line Therapy links these patterns to personality, but this has not been independently tested.

Does Time Line Therapy work?

We don’t know. Only two small studies have tested it, and neither was randomised or followed people up over time. Both found big short-term drops in self-rated negative emotions, but expectation and relaxation could explain them. Reviews of NLP, its parent field, have found little evidence that its techniques work.

Is Time Line Therapy safe?

For most people a session is unlikely to cause harm, but it is not risk-free. Revisiting emotional memories, especially under hypnosis, can be distressing, and suggestion can shape or even create false memories. The main danger is using it instead of proven treatment. Practitioners are not regulated in the UK, and rules for therapy titles elsewhere differ.

Can Time Line Therapy help with trauma or PTSD?

There is no good evidence that it can. It hasn’t been studied in people with PTSD. Guidelines in the UK, US and Australia recommend trauma-focused CBT or EMDR from a trained professional instead. If you have trauma symptoms, speak to your doctor or a licensed therapist (in England you can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies) rather than relying on Time Line Therapy.

How many sessions does Time Line Therapy take?

Practitioners usually say one to a few sessions, each lasting an hour or more, and some offer whole-day “breakthrough” sessions. These claims of fast results come from the method’s promoters and have not been tested. Evidence-based therapies for most problems usually take several weeks or more.

How much does Time Line Therapy cost?

It varies by practitioner and country, and we found no verified price list outside the UK and one Canadian example. Prices we found in October 2026 ranged from about £45 to £120 (about US$60 to $160) for a one-to-one session in the UK, with whole-day sessions costing several hundred pounds, and a Canadian practitioner listed a two-hour session at CA$688.80 (about US$492). Practitioner training in the UK costs from about £579 plus VAT (about US$774) for a standalone two-day course to over £2,000 (about US$2,674) for a combined NLP package. We found no sign that it is offered by public health systems such as the NHS.

Can I do Time Line Therapy on myself?

The full release techniques are designed to be guided by a practitioner and haven’t been tested as self-help, so we don’t recommend trying them alone. You can safely explore how you picture time, using neutral memories and a simple goal, with the exercise in this guide. Skip it if your past upsets you.

Is Time Line Therapy a form of hypnosis?

Not exactly, but it often uses hypnosis. Many practitioners start with a relaxation or hypnotic induction, and the published studies combined it with hypnosis. Tad James was also a hypnotherapist, and most Time Line Therapy training is sold together with hypnosis certification.

Why is it written as Time Line Therapy® or ™?

“Time Line Therapy” is a US registered trademark originally owned by Tad James. The official association licenses the name to its members, who must use the trademark symbol. Other practitioners may offer similar “timeline” techniques under different names. The symbol shows ownership of the brand, not scientific approval.

↑ Back to contents

Key Takeaways

• Time Line Therapy is a trademarked NLP technique from the 1980s for releasing past emotions and limiting decisions.
• It builds on real psychology. Many people really do picture time in space, but that doesn’t show the therapy works.
• The evidence is very thin. Two small, non-randomised studies with no follow-up, and a mostly negative research record for NLP as a whole.
• It is a commercial system. The name and certification are controlled by its founders’ organisations; UK practitioners are unregulated, and rules elsewhere differ.
• Use it, if at all, for everyday personal development, not for mental illness. For trauma, PTSD, depression or anxiety disorders, choose a trauma-focused or other evidence-based treatment from a licensed professional (in the UK, NICE-recommended).

↑ Back to contents

Explore More on Self Help Supermarket

• Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP): the complete guide
• Havening: the psychosensory technique for calming stress
• EFT tapping
• Thought Field Therapy
• Visualisation: the complete guide to mental rehearsal
• Inner child healing
• Past life regression
• Browse all techniques

↑ Back to contents

Sources

1. Ahmad, K. Z. (2011). The New Age Complimenting the Digital Age: Using Hypnosis, NLP and Time Line Therapy™ Techniques to Reduce Negative Emotions among People Involved with Information Technology. Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5171/2011.200974
2. Khan, J. A. (2022). Effectiveness of Timeline Therapy under Hypnosis for the Management of Anxiety among Rescuers. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 3(III). https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2022(3-iii)29
3. Bonato, M., Zorzi, M., & Umiltà, C. (2012). When time is space: Evidence for a mental time line. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(10), 2257–2273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.08.007
4. Witkowski, T. (2010). Thirty-Five Years of Research on Neuro-Linguistic Programming. NLP Research Data Base. State of the Art or Pseudoscientific Decoration? Polish Psychological Bulletin, 41(2), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10059-010-0008-0
5. Sturt, J., Ali, S., Robertson, W., Metcalfe, D., Grove, A., Bourne, C., & Bridle, C. (2012). Neurolinguistic programming: a systematic review of the effects on health outcomes. British Journal of General Practice, 62(604), e757–e764. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp12X658287
6. Konefal, J., Duncan, R., Meub, W., & Winfield, D. (2006). Time Perspective as a Potential Tool for Psychotherapeutic Intervention. Psychological Reports, 99(1), 111–120. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.99.1.111-120
7. Boroditsky, L., & Gaby, A. (2010). Remembrances of Times East. Psychological Science, 21(11), 1635–1639. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797610386621
8. Sharpley, C. F. (1984). Predicate matching in NLP: A review of research on the preferred representational system. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31(2), 238–248. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.31.2.238
9. Sharpley, C. F. (1987). Research findings on neurolinguistic programming: Nonsupportive data or an untestable theory? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34(1), 103–107. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.34.1.103
10. Roderique-Davies, G. (2009). Neuro-linguistic programming: cargo cult psychology? Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 1(2), 58–63. https://doi.org/10.1108/17581184200900014
11. Passmore, J., & Rowson, T. (2019). Neuro-linguistic programming: A review of NLP research and the application of NLP in coaching. International Coaching Psychology Review, 14(1), 57–69. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsicpr.2019.14.1.57
12. Gray, R., Budden-Potts, D., & Bourke, F. (2019). Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial of 74 male veterans. Psychotherapy Research, 29(5), 621–639. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2017.1408973
13. Gray, R. M., Budden-Potts, D., Schwall, R. J., & Bourke, F. F. (2021). An open-label, randomized controlled trial of the reconsolidation of traumatic memories protocol (RTM) in military women. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 13(6), 641–651. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000986
14. Arroll, B., Wallace, H. B., Mount, V., Humm, S. P., & Kingsford, D. W. (2017). A systematic review and meta-analysis of treatments for acrophobia. Medical Journal of Australia, 206(6), 263–267. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja16.00540
15. Loftus, E. F. (2005). Planting misinformation in the human mind: A 30-year investigation of the malleability of memory. Learning & Memory, 12(4), 361–366. https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.94705
16. Brandon, S., Boakes, J., Glaser, D., & Green, R. (1998). Recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. British Journal of Psychiatry, 172(4), 296–307. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.172.4.296
17. Zaharia, C., Reiner, M., & Schütz, P. (2015). Evidence-based neuro linguistic psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. Psychiatria Danubina, 27(4), 355–363. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26609647/
18. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2018). Post-traumatic stress disorder (NICE guideline NG116). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng116
19. Andreas, S. (n.d.). A brief history of NLP timelines. https://steveandreas.com/a-brief-history-of-nlp-timelines/
20. Time Line Therapy™ Association. (n.d.). Who is Tad James M.S., Ph.D.? https://timelinetherapy.com/who-is-tad-james/
21. Time Line Therapy™ Association. (n.d.). Home page: The creator of Time Line Therapy™ techniques. https://timelinetherapy.com/
22. Time Line Therapy™ Association. (n.d.). Trademark use agreement. https://timelinetherapy.com/trademark-use-agreement/
23. Time Line Therapy™ Association. (n.d.). Scientific study. https://timelinetherapy.com/scientific-study/
24. The Tad James Co. (n.d.). Time Line Therapy® training. https://www.nlpcoaching.com/time-line-therapy/
25. Kluczny, J. (2021). Erinnerungen an Tad “Everett” James [Memories of Tad “Everett” James]. European Coaching Association. https://european-coaching-association.de/erinnerungen-an-tad-everett-james-75-eca-fachartikel-von-johann-kluczny/
26. Coote, A. (2021, July 28). Tad James tribute. Rapport, Association for Neuro Linguistic Programming. https://anlp.org/rapport/articles/show/tad-james-tribute
27. United States Patent and Trademark Office. (n.d.). TTABVUE proceedings: Everett W. James. https://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pnam=Everett+W.+James++
28. United States Patent and Trademark Office. (n.d.). TIME LINE THERAPY, serial no. 76692373, registration no. 3596997. Trademark Status and Document Retrieval. https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76692373&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch
29. National Arbitration Forum. (2003). Everett W. “Tad” James v. Lucora Corporation Limited (Claim no. FA0304000154146). https://www.adrforum.com/domaindecisions/154146.htm