What is NLP?
Essentially, NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming is the study of subjective experience and gives you an insight and practical understanding of "how to run your own brain".
This is useful because it helps empower you to take greater responsibility over how you live your life and the consequences of your actions. You learn strategies which enable you to be more 'at cause' rather than 'at effect' of situations so you find it easier to achieve better results.
As you learn more about yourself you gain a greater understanding and appreciation of how people process information differently and this helps you become a more flexible and effective communicator.
NLP is concerned with and curious about "what works" and "what's the difference that makes the difference?" So as your NLP skills develop you can break down the successful moment-by-moment strategies people use to do what they do so well. This is useful in coaching and training because you can teach peole how to perform with more skill, competence and confidence. On the flip side, you can use this technique to help change unwanted patterns of behaviour!
Spend any length of time studying NLP and you will discover several stories exist as to how the name was coined. So what does each word mean?
- Neurology: relates to our nervous system and how our neurology affects our internal sensations, emotions and external behaviours
- Linguistic: relates to our language and how we interact with ourselves and other people
- Programming: relates to the sequence of steps we take in order to organise our ideas and actions.
The History of NLP
NLP has a colourful and rich history and was developed in the seventies by two American academics, Richard Bandler and John Grinder.
In addition to their Psychology degress, Bandler was a Gestalt therapist and computer programmer, and Grinder a Linguistics professor. Through their association with Gregory Bateson, a scientist and biological philosopher, they studied and utilised ideas from cybernetics, communication theory, linguistics and neurology to model the skills of:
- Virginia Satir - founder of Family and Systemic Therapy
- Fritz Perls - developer of Gestalt Therapy
- Milton Erikson - founder of the American Society for Hypnosis and psychiatrist and hypnotherapist
From studying these three world-renowned therapists, they were able to identify the specific, successful and repeatable behavioural patterns they used to achieve successful outcomes with their patients and clients. This is where the NLP term, modelling, was coined because they were able to replicate these patterns and teach them to others.
The formalisation of NLP into a set of models, techniques and processes came about as a result of their modelling work, together with the subsequent development of the Meta Model (language of precision communicatino), the Milton Model (language of influence) and a set of change techniques, such as The Fast Phobia Cure, Swish and Change Personal History.
The best way to experience NLP is either through a one-to-one session or introductory workshop. Alternatively, if you have any questions about NLP feel free to give me a call on 0781 491 2751.