Time Line Therapy, developed by Tad James and Wyatt Woodsmall, is a trademarked approach to personal development and healing. It is based on the idea that unconscious decisions made in the past can significantly influence our present and future lives. For example, a belief formed as early as age five—such as deciding never to be wealthy—can shape a person’s experiences for years to come. This model explores how individuals perceive and organize their experience of time and offers ways to change how past events are remembered.
How We Handle Time
You might find it interesting that everyone has an internal method or “strategy” for dealing with time and representing it mentally. This is essential because it helps us distinguish between things that happened in the past and things we anticipate in the future. Without this, we wouldn’t be able to tell if we actually did something last week or are simply planning to do it soon.
Spatial Coding of Time
Most people tend to think about time in spatial terms—placing moments along a mental “map” or sequence. Older memories often feel like they are farther away, while recent events seem closer. We call this mental organization a timeline. While it’s not a physical line, this metaphor helps many people relate to how they experience time internally.
Interestingly, people don’t always use the same kind of timeline for every part of their life. For instance, the way you mentally arrange time at work might be quite different from how you do it while on holiday.
Two of the most common ways people experience time are called In-time and Thru-time (or “through time”).
Applications of Time Line Therapy
The most effective way to relate to time is by adjusting how you process it depending on the situation. For example, being “in the moment” makes activities like connecting with someone more fulfilling, while being aware of time passing helps you meet deadlines.
Learning to change your mental way of sorting time can be even more impactful than traditional time management strategies.
Beyond this, Time Line Therapy can be used to reveal hidden limiting beliefs, release negative emotions tied to past events, and reframe painful memories. By combining this approach with working on submodalities—the subtle qualities of our mental images and feelings—you can open up new possibilities and create a more positive future.