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What is NIC?

Neurointegrative Coaching (NIC) according to Dr. med. Philip Eckhardt gives priority to emotions and behaviour. NIC is a further development of the emotional causes of the Neurological Integration (NIS), and is used therapeutically for symptoms and illnesses which have mainly developed due to experienced and memorized stress situations.

How does NIC work?
Labyrinth

Our organism is programmed to live and stay healthy for as long as possible. In order for the survival mechanism to work, the brain is permanently perceiving the environment using the sense organs. Based on to the already experienced situations and the present situation, the brain regulates our behaviour. If an important experience is missing or a situation was stored under fear, signal distractions can occur in the course of time which can interfere with the regulating process. As a result psychological and physical symptoms can follow. The brain needs a new course of action to correct the behaviour.

How does the NIC treatment work?

NIC-Armtest

In order to identify signal distractions a proven muscle reflex test is used. This is normally done by using the outstretched arm of the patient who is lying down. For babies, small children or patients with shoulder problems, an alternative testing method is used.
The patient thinks deeply about the situation that is supposed to get resolved. The therapist now touches reference points on the patient´s body and tests the muscle reflexes by pressing against the patient´s arm to feel the resistance. If the arm is strong, the signals of the tested process work well. If the arm is weak, there is a signal distraction. In order to enable the brain to focus and repair the signal distraction the therapist softly taps the back of the patient´s head (integrating). Afterwards the muscle reflex test is repeated to check if the signal now works properly and completely, and as a result to find out whether the brain now can solve the focused situation better.
Step by step all of the patient´s relevant stress situations are revised and integrated if needed. Once the signal distractions are found and solved, the connected symptoms can improve during the NIC therapy. Generally in order to assess the NIC therapy only a few appointments are necessary.

Can you combine NIC with orther therapies?

NIC is a purely manual method to diagnose and treat. Therefore there is no need for any technical equipment or additional medication. If it is medically indicated, one can combine NIC with other therapies such as Neurological Integration (NIS), Mycotherapy, Medical hypnotherapy, acupuncture or homeopathic/herbal preparations. NIC can also be combined with psychotherapy and conventional (psychiatric) medication.

Who can be treated with NIC?

The NIC treatment is an empiric method and according to experience is done with no stress or harmful side effects. Therefore adults of all ages, school children as well as pregnant women, people with physical disabilities and patients with severe illnesses can be treated.

Which symptoms can be treated using NIC?

  • Fear
    e.g. fear of flying, fear of making mistakes, afraid of the dark, fear of illnesses
  • Depressed mood
  • Experienced psychological abuse
    e.g. humiliation, opprobrium, stalking
  • Experienced physical abuse
    e.g. beatings, violence, rape
  • Nicotine dependency
  • Phobias
    e.g. social, spiders
  • Traumatic experiences
    e.g. in childhood, loss of partner, accident, threat
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
    e.g. ablutomania, trichotillomania, compulsive ordering/arranging, compulsive checking
  • Problems with self-esteem

Note: The methods of diagnosis and therapies mentioned on this page belong to the empiric naturopathic medicine which is not recognized by the conventional medicine. All statements regarding e.g. aspects, impacts or possible applications are based on the experience and knowledge of the method itself.