What is Neuro-linguistic programming?
Neuro-linguistic programming was developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler at University of California at Santa Cruz. These co-founders of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) claimed that it would become a valuable asset in helping people to live fuller, richer lives. When they first developed NLP, they deemed it to be an effective and rapid form of psychotherapy.
Neuro-linguistic programming was born from the theory that through communication, both verbal and non-verbal, the brain could be trained to replace negative thoughts and behaviors with positive ones. Once the brain has learned to process events with healthy patterns of thoughts and behaviors, positive results, both physical and emotional, will occur
Everything we experience throughout our lives, every conversation we have, affects how we think, feel, and believe about everything. We are affected with both positive and negative occurrences. They way we react to situations, people, and/or illness is a direct result of our life experiences. It is the goal of NLP to help a person heal physically and emotionally by changing their beliefs about themselves, their health, and the world as it relates to them.
What is NLP used for?
In psychotherapy, the distinction between the mainstream models of psychotherapy and NLP is that NLP focuses on helping individuals overcome their problems by reevaluating their self-perception. Mainstream psychotherapy concentrates on diagnosing the problem and treating the disorders without changing the individuals thought patterns.
Neuro-linguistic programming techniques have also been used in business communication, management training, sales team training, sports training, and interpersonal influence. In short, NLP can be used to overcome personal emotional and psychological problems such as; phobias and low self esteem, and to develop or increase communication skills.
How does the process of NLP work?
The first thing any neuro-linguistic programming practitioner will do is to pinpoint the negative beliefs and attitudes that a person holds and has learned since birth. They do this by asking questions and observing, as well as, listening to the patients answering. A practitioner will take into consideration the facial expression, skin tone, and voice inflection as the patient/client answers. Every minute aspect is considered in order to get to the root of the beliefs that holds individuals back from living a full life. Once the negative beliefs are identified, the therapist will then set about helping the patient to reprogram. They will help the patient displace the negative beliefs and replace them with positive affirmations. Every individual is different and will react differently to any given stimuli. Even siblings who are brought up together will differ in their reactions to certain events. They do so because they have not been through exactly the same situations. Subtle differences in experience can make huge differences in our decision making.
Neuro-linguistic programming can provide us with the tools we need to change our perception; first about ourselves, then our relationships, and the world around us. No matter what our background, we can begin to live a more productive and fulfilling life with the aid of the techniques used in NLP.
