Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) What is it in Plain Language? What Does it Do?

The cutting edge processes of NLP effectively help you work towards optimization of:

1. How you think on a conscious and subconscious level (Neuro),
2. How you communicate with others and yourself (Linguistic), and
3. Your patterns of action, beliefs and emotions (Programming)

How it Started:

Back in the mid seventies, at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Richad Bandler and John Grinder researched certain practitioners within the field of personal development who created significant results with their clients. These practitioners included renowned hypnotherapist Milton H. Erickson, Virgina Satir, who shifted the paradigm family therapy, and Fritz Perls, who founded Gestalt Therapy. With this strong foundation, and other fine contributors to follow, the collection of methods evolved into the effective set of tools known as NLP now offered by practitioners and trainers.

What is NLP?

There is a story from India where a group of blind men each touch an elephant to describe it. Each one touches different parts, and they talk amongst themselves as to what they experienced. Like the elephant, NLP is a subject that has many aspects. Each one is fascinating in and of itself. As with any study, going further into each facet of this body of knowledge and actually experiencing it creates an entirely new dimension of understanding.

There are at least thirteen major focuses of learning involved at the Practitioner level alone. These include:

1. Principles for Goal Setting (This includes understanding your own values and way of viewing and interacting with the world)
2. Rapport - on physical, mental and subconscious levels
3. Understanding and working with "Anchors" on different levels and sensory experiences. (Example: The smell of bread and the feelings you create within upon experiencing the aroma)
4. Working with the way we code our thoughts inside our mind. (When you think of a time when you felt ecstatic, "where" is that thought? Is it in color or black and white? etc)
5. Using language skillfully. Special questions to get to the truth behind others' words, and your own internal dialog!
6. How to find out what motivates someone from a subconscious level
7. How to find out how people learn, and dramatically improve the learning abilities of "learning challenged" children and adults.
8. Objection handling in sales
9. The 5 Step NLP Sales Process (includes some of the above)
10. Subconscious Parts Integration
11. Removing past negative emotions and limiting decisions
12. "Installing" a goal in your future.
13. Learning hypnotic induction and hypnotic language

With this set of tools, a practitioner observes the behaviors of the client to ascertain which tools would best help them reach their desired outcome. Use of NLP assumes the client's motivation and willingness to work towards their goal. And as you must already know, the first step is to accept responsibility (read "response-ability," not "blame") for one's circumstances.

What does NLP do?

Put simply, NLP helps you unleash your own natural brilliance. It is a result oriented "technology" that can clarify and help you take control of your conscious and unconscious thought. Imagine clearing up the past "baggage" and starting fresh, able to more easily live in the Now?

For many, the purpose of studying NLP or having a personal coach/practitioner certified in NLP is to provide you with more behavioral and emotional choices to enhance your success in all areas of your life. These areas include personal development, enhancement of creativity, intuition and psychic ability, improved performance, sharpening of communication skills, success in business/career, and accelerated learning.

This is such an exciting field of study, as it is diverse and covers so many aspects of behavior and subconscious connection. There are a wealth of significantly effective tools within NLP that most therapeutic (or sales) practices as well as sports and academic accomplishment may be taken to a new quantum level of results and fulfillment for the client and the practitioner.

Would you like to learn more? I look forward to hearing from you!