What does NLP Mean?

NLP was created and developed in the early 1970’s by Dr. Richard Bandler and John Grinder.  They asked themselves the question ‘What is it that makes the difference between somebody who is merely competent at any given skill, and somebody who excels at the same skill?".  It was through their research that they came to understand that how people think about something makes the difference in how they will experience it.  NLP is based on the underlying belief that human behaviour has a structure which can be learned, changed and maintained.

Neuro - refers to our nervous system, the mental pathways of our five senses - the senses of taste, touch, smell, sound and vision.  Neuro is all about what we think

Linguistics- refers to our ability to use language and how specific words and phrases mirror our mental worlds.  It also refers to our ‘silent language’ of postures, gestures, and habits that reveal out thinking styles, beliefs and more.  Linguistics is all about what we say.

Programming - is the study of the thinking and behavioural patterns which people use in their daily lives (their programmes).  Programming is all about what we do.
NLP represents the relationship between the brain, language and body.  What we say, think and do affects our body, our behaviour and our results.  NLP can change your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and add new ones that will become just as systematic as the old ones – and a lot more satisfying and rewarding.

Presuppositions of NLP

“Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can’t, you are probably right” – Henry Ford

NLP is based on a number of principles or presuppositions of how the brain works.  We have over 60,000 thoughts a day (that’s a lot of thoughts over the course of our life).  All these thoughts form our internal pictures, sounds and feelings.  It is these thoughts which also determine how we feel; our mood and eventually how we respond to events and experience i.e. our thoughts create our behavioural patterns.  However, NLP shows that if you change your thoughts/patterns then you have the power to make exciting and incredible changes to your life. 

The presuppositions of NLP are: 

• The map is not the territory;

• Experience has a structure;

• If one person can do something, anyone can learn to do it;

• The mind and body are parts of the same system;

• People already have all the resources they need;

• You cannot NOT communicate;

• The meaning of communication is the response you get;

• Underlying every behaviour is a positive intention;

• People are always making the best choice(s) available to them; and

• If what you are doing isn’t working, do something else.  Do anything else.

Benefits of NLP

NLP is unique to each individual because everyone has different life experiences and views the world in their own way. However, the benefits of NLP can be experienced by everyone. What holds us back is not our lack of ability or skills, but ourselves.  Honestly ask yourself, is there any area in your life where you are holding yourself back?  Do you hear a little voice saying “You can’t, you’ll fail, you’re not good enough etc”?  Do you want to let go of that inner critic, thought pattern or low self-esteem and start thinking and believing “you can”.  Then NLP can assist you to change your thoughts so you can move forward in your life.   

NLP will:

• Put you in charge of your own motivation;

• Help you create a positive future and your path to it;

• Create more positive feelings and positive mental attitude;

• Change lifelong habits and negative experiences that may have held you back;

• Build new belief systems;

• Help you create access to your peak performance;

• Switch un-useful habits/systems for useful ones;

• Change your thoughts and feelings in an instant;

• Eliminate blocks to your performance;

• Build better relationships;

• Improve your self esteem; and

• Help relieve traumas.

Some of the NLP techniques which I use with clients include:

• Mirroring & Matching – putting yourself in the same position as another person in order to gain rapport.  This allows you to get an appreciation of how  another person sees and experiences the world;

• Congruency – ensuring your goals are in line with your beliefs, values, behaviours and environment;

• Anchoring and states – using a specific stimulus that automatically recalls your mental, physical and emotional conditions;

• Rapport and trust building – the natural process of matching and being in alignment with another person which can creates a clear communication channel;

• Model excellence – studying living examples of human excellence in order to find the essential distinctions one needs to make in order to obtain the same results;

• Reframing  - allowing the pain your have experienced in the past to be re-viewed or ‘reframed’ as a valuable lesson or opportunity to grow;

• Swish pattern – replacing the unwanted thought or response with a more useful and appropriate one;

• Timeline – getting you from where you are now to where you want to be; and

• Well formed outcomes – focuses on what you want and breaks it down into smaller steps.

What is NLP used for?

A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step – Lao-tzu, Chinese Philosopher

NLP is used to assist you to overcome any past patterns, behaviours or obstacles which may be preventing you from moving forward to the life you desire.  NLP can be used by anyone of any age from any background. 

Some common uses of NLP:

• Improve your relationships;

• Learning how to easily achieve your goals;

• Phobia cures (Spiders, dogs etc.);

• Effective help with weight loss;

• Become the person you truly want to be;

• Panic Disorders (Public speaking, business meetings);

• Interview / Exam Preparation;

• Remove obstacles to learning;

• Creating instant motivation and confidence;

• Mastering your emotions and learn to run your own brain;

• Discover your true potential; and

• Better sports Performance.

REIKI