My thoughts on what NLP is…

I believe that the results that we get in our life are dependant on the way we think so, put simply, NLP is a type of therapy and coaching modality that helps you heal yourself and transform the life you’re living by providing you with the tools to reprogram the way you talk to yourself.

With no woo-woo affirmations in sight.

What is NLP officially?

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a meta-discipline therapy and coaching process that is the amalgamation of many different approaches in neuroscience, psychology, and linguistics. Its primary purpose is to work with your conscious and unconscious minds to achieve optimum mental and physical wellbeing in life, career and business.

From the neurosciences, NLP works with your nervous system – the mind, its neurons and neurotransmitters and how they work. In particular how the mind processes the experiences of your life through your five primary senses: sight, sounds, feelings, tastes and smells, and the outcomes derived from those experiences.

From linguistics, NLP studies the language and non-verbal communication methods through which your ideas, thoughts and concepts about yourself and your world are organised and given meaning to. It is the use of linguistic tools and techniques that enable you to access and communicate with your unconscious mind.

And from psychology, NLP works with the behaviours that you’ve developed from how you’ve programmed the neurological and linguistic information you’ve received from the world around you.

What NLP is not …

… a tool to manipulate other people or to get people to do what you want. Anyone who does this is doing the NLP industry a severe disservice and should be slapped repeatedly.

… a method to have power over another person. It is a method that helps you discover and utilise the power within you – your own personal power.

… a do-to process. It’s a do-with process. Meaning as a client you have to participate fully in the cooperative, collaborative process with the therapist. The reality is, if you don’t you’re the one telling your unconscious mind not to make changes. NLP Therapists cannot make the changes – you have to. We do not want co-dependant clients. We want active, all-in participants. If the therapy doesn’t work, then look in the mirror and ask, did you play full out? Did you really want to put the work in?

… a form of cognitive behavioural therapy. It’s a completely different form of therapy that gets to the root cause of the behaviour or thought-process in a way that CBT cannot achieve because the answer lies in the unconscious mind. CBT is based on the understanding that thinking negatively is a habit that, like any other habit, can be broken. NLP doesn’t believe thinking negatively is a habit. Instead, it looks for the root cause of the associated negative emotions and limiting beliefs that cause negative thinking.

Do you want to experience NLP?

Send me a message to learn about how NLP can help you achieve personal excellence.

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