But when we reconsolidate memories, the result is permanent. And so that’s why regardless of a person’s race, regardless of a person’s religion or sexual identity, all people deserve to heal. If people can heal in this way, the world has to know.

My name’s David Archer. I’m an EMDR therapy trainer, trauma specialist, and this is your weekly consult. You know, something that would be really cool: What if it were possible to heal a deep-seated phobia just by using a video that someone selecting on YouTube? Well, you’re in luck. I’m going to tell you about what it is that I do and how it works using the predictive processing framework.

Treating Phobia with the RAP Technique: A Case Study

Let me set up the story. Okay. I’ve got a client of mine. Let’s just call him Barry. He was going through some stresses for a wide range of reasons. And one of them was these homophobic microaggressions that would come from his family.

One day he told me, and he’s a Muslim. He told me that during the month of Ramadan, he was unable to listen or read any verses of the Quran because he was fearful because he was instructed that a spell was casted on him. That would pray the gay away if he were to hear these words from his holy book. So this was a little bit of a problem for him as a Muslim. He needed to listen to, read his holy book in order to partake in Ramadan, right?

So this is what we did. We use the RAP technique, and I’ll just explain the process is that we were able to make it so that the fear that came about when he would think about hearing the Quran or think about reading it, we were then able instead to create a prediction error.

Creating a Prediction Error

So we used a video of his choice. He used a video of a desert. And again, for me, I wouldn’t choose a desert. I don’t know what that means. That’s not the most important thing for me, but for him, it might have signified something that was very deep and very important and significant.

And because we were able to then focus on the video, he was then able to take an action, which in this case, I would say the word RAP, he would blink three to four times while watching the video. We were then able to make it so that this phobia instantly reduced by the end of the session.

By the end of the session, I said, “Okay, well, are you able to play a recording of the Quran in the session?” And then he played it on his cell phone and he realized there was no anxiety. This was the first time in a year he was able to listen to someone reciting the holy book and he felt no fear from it.

So what did I say? I said, “Hey, Ramadan Mubarak,” you know, it was a good experience because it was kind of like for the first time in a year after feeling that the spell was casted on him, he was now able to feel at home with his own religion, with his own faith.

Understanding the Predictive Processing Framework

Let’s break down what it is that I did to make this happen. When we use the predictive processing framework, there are four important things to keep in mind. One is the generative model. The other is going to be the prediction. The other is the prediction error. And the other is the precision.

The Generative Model and Predictions

Let’s just break down what was going on. From the generative model perspective, he has an idea in his mind relating to spells, relating to his faith, relating to the words of his religion in his holy book. He also had some predictions that were like, “If I hear this, I might lose my sexual identity. Harm might come to me if I hear this book.”

So there’s this push-pull, this problem there. On one hand, his faith is supposed to protect him and strengthen him. On the other hand, a spell is casted to make it so he can’t access the thing that’s supposed to help him.

Interoception and the Prediction Error

So we needed to find a way of creating a prediction error. In our case, the prediction error we used is, well, instead of thinking that you’re going to hear the words and a bad feeling is going to happen, all of a sudden there’s a beach. All of a sudden there’s a, in his case, there was a desert. All of a sudden there’s something that you are choosing and something that brings joy to you.

Because this was concerned with his faith and in his spirituality and his culture, there was a big focus on spells and a big focus on sexual identity. Of course, this was something that was important to him. And there was a high level of precision on the fear that was related to the specific spell being casted on him.

So then we use the RAP technique. When we are thinking of the desert, I can’t know what importance that has for him, but I just assume that it may be even related to his faith. It may even be related to the fact that he’s not in cold Canada. It could be a whole bunch of things, but we’re assuming that it might be touching on a lot of things that are even deeply unconscious and even really important for him.

The prediction then is there’s this thing we have called interoception. Interoception is one of the senses that allows us to feel what’s going on in our bodies. It’s what allows us to know we’re feeling an emotion or allows us to know that we’re hungry or allows us to know that we’re thirsty. So interoception is super important for the survival of our species.

Oftentimes because of trauma, we get bad feelings when we think of anxiety or we get bad feelings when we make images of people that have harmed us or images of things that are scary for us. We get those bad feelings. Well, we also get good feelings too.

So when he looks at the desert, he’s thinking a good feeling. Maybe a good feeling happens in his heart, which is different from the bad feeling that’s associated with the fear and the anxiety. So now we’re getting a prediction error.

Precision Weighting and Reconsolidation

So when he’s then looking at the video, I’m telling him I’m using the verbal cue of RAP. He’s blinking a few times. He’s tapping his fingers a few times, maybe even doing the number search. What’s going on?

We are increasing precision weighting on the present moment. He’s looking at the video. He’s loving every minute of it. And now we’re taking multiple actions that are increasing the importance of the present moment for him.

So the brain then has difficulty reconciling with, “Wait, I’m supposed to be afraid of this spell right now, or afraid of how I’m going to respond to it. But I got the desert. Wait, I’m not supposed to be listening to these words without being in fear, but I’m connecting to the present moment and I’m actually okay.”

The brain then needs to update its prediction about what is taking place. And that’s what leads it to then make it that, “Okay, well, what’s actually more important? Well, the fact that I’m at peace right now. Okay. Maybe I can update my internal model of reality, because if I’m at peace right now and I’m listening to the Quran and I’m still at peace, maybe I can listen to the Quran. Maybe I can read the Quran.”

The Power of Healing

And so this is how the brain then updated. We have the generative models. We have the predictions. We have the precision weighting. We also have the prediction error, which is the key.

Just think about it. How many people could really be helped if we were able to teach them that healing is just a YouTube video away. Healing is actually, and even if it’s not a video, healing is just you going outside and loving nature. Healing is you being with your loved ones and enjoying soaking up every moment of it. Healing is you because you are the resource.

There’s no way I could have predicted that he would use a desert and change his life. And now it’s been several years and he’s still enjoying every moment, every Ramadan without any fear. This is a whole lot more than just a placebo.

It may look a little different from what you think with a typical therapy, but when we reconsolidate memories, the result is permanent. And so that’s why regardless of a person’s race, regardless of a person’s religion, their sexual identity, all people deserve to heal.

I’m not going to stop this. The thing is, if people can heal in this way, the world has to know. And so we can’t stop until everybody knows that they’re able to recognize their awesomeness in the simple and effective way.

My name’s David Archer. If you like this content, like share, subscribe, tell your friends, tell your colleagues, let the world know that we can use rhythm and processing, that we can use predictive processing and we can revolutionize the way how mental health is done for 2026 and beyond. All right, peace.

Next Steps

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