Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP comprises the top three dominant components involving the production of human experience. These are programming, language and neurology. Man’s neurological system dictates how the human body functions; language ascertains the way we communicate and interface with other humans; and, the human programming regulates the types of world models that we create. Hence, NLP characterizes the basic dynamics among the human mind (neuro) and the language humans speak (linguistic) and how the interaction of these two affects the human body and its behavior (programming).

NLP was founded in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, claiming that it is essential in seeking ways and means to assist people to live fuller, richer and better lives. According to Bandler and Grinder, NLP is a rapid and most effective type of psychological therapy, which can address a whole scope of problems that are likely to be encountered by psychologists, such as depression, phobias, psychosomatic illness, habit disorder and learning disorders. NLP also states that self-determination may be achieved by hurdling learned limitations, and puts emphasis on healthy functioning and general well-being. According to NLP’s founders, any can learn skills to enhance their effectiveness, both professionally and personally.

Who Uses NLP?

NLP has enjoyed popularity in the field of psychology but it remained ignored by traditional science due to issues like lack of empirical evidence, professional credibility needed to substantiate the effectiveness it claimed. Despite being popular, it hardly made its presence felt in the field of academic psychology and mainstream counseling and psychotherapy.

Nevertheless, NLP was appreciated by private psychotherapists – as well as hypnotists – with some claiming to have been trained and are practicing NLP. NLP, though, has made quite an impact on management training, the self-help industry and life coaching.

NLP is based on two basic pre-suppositions:

1. The Map Does Not Translate Into Territory. Because we are human, we do not exactly know what reality is. However, each of us perceives reality in different ways. Thus, we respond to stimuli surrounding us through sensory representational classifications. It is not reality itself which discerns how we behave but, rather, our individual neuro-linguistic charts of reality that does – and which gives our behavior its meaning. It is not exactly reality which empowers or limits us, but our maps or charts of reality.

2. Mind and Life Are Considered Systemic Processes. The processes occurring within a person and between other people and their milieu are systemic. Our universe, societies and minds form environment made up of complex systems along with sub-systems which interplay with and influence one another. It is impossible to thoroughly isolate a portion of the system from the remaining portions making up the system.

All the techniques and models of NLP are founded on the synthesis of these two fundamental principles. NLP says that ecology, wisdom and ethics do not occur directly from one specific map of the universe, because man is not of conceiving. Instead, the goal is make the richest map that acknowledges the ecology and systemic nature of human beings and the universe they live in. The people who turn out most effective are those who are able to conceive a map of the universe which permits them to understand and perceive the most number of perspectives and choices available to them.

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There are a lot of things in life that can cause us to worry and there are also a lot of challenges in life that we want to overcome. In fact, we always want to live a happy and abundant life and we also want to reach our goals and realize our dreams. If you want to learn some techniques to help you with all these, you may want to explore the benefits of neuro-linguistic programming or NLP.

Neuro-linguistic programming or NLP is an approach in psychotherapy that actually involves your mind, your language, whether verbal or not, and how to program these factors to help you achieve the life that you have always wanted. Indeed, you can change your life with NLP.

NLP can actually help you develop your behavioral competence, improves your strategic thinking and understanding of what is behind your behavior. Some of the benefits of this psychotherapy technique include programming your mind to help eliminate self-doubt, improve confidence, turn your thoughts into positive ones and getting rid of counterproductive thoughts that have been buried deep in your subconscious.

This approach towards healing and changing your life actually helps you in finding ways to train your conscious as well as your subconscious mind to think the way you want it. If you are interested on how to change your life with NLP, here are a few things that you might want to know if you are aiming to change your life with NLP.

NLP techniques are often used to help you change the negatives in your life. By eliminating limiting thoughts, you can increase your confidence as well as some factors that will eventually help you achieve your goals and take advantage of the opportunities that come your way without fear or anxiety. It will greatly help you as well in turning yourself into a positive thinker. Being positive can indeed bring a lot of good things into your life.

Aside from all these, neuro-linguistic programming can also help you improve your communications with loved ones, friends and the people around you, thereby improving your relationships as well. If you are suffering from unhealthy eating habits, you can also help tame your eating habits with NLP.

With NLP, you can also overcome learning difficulties as well as anxieties in math or in taking examinations. It helps as well in relieving you from stress and tension as well as overcoming migraines and headaches brought about by such stimuli.

One important benefit of NLP as well is helping you overcome addiction as well as codependency and compulsions. Addictions to gambling, sex as well as smoking can also be stopped with the help of neuro-linguistic programming techniques. Weight loss and eliminating negative self-talk are also among the many benefits that you can reap from this practice.

With the many benefits of the said practice, you can indeed change your life with NLP. You just have to consult expert help from a practitioner to help you with the process.

If you want to learn more about neuro-linguistic programming or NLP and how you can change your life with it, check out this NLP Toolbox. Also check out Back To Life, a guidebook to help you heal and overcome grief brought about by the loss of a loved one or any other reason for your grief.

Following on from our previous article, Reducing Stress – Key Success Factors, we will now look at practical ways in which you can reduce stress and anxiety, without recourse to drugs or other expensive and time consuming treatments.

These practical ways are based around NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming – and we must first understand what this is.

Neuro Linguistic Programming is a collection of techniques that allow us to understand how our minds work, and apply this knowledge so that we can achieve greater success in life and make positive changes to better ourselves.

It is unsurprising therefore that NLP has its basis in Psychology. NLP was founded by John Grinder and Richard Bandler back in the 1970s. Working together, they found a way to turn excellent behaviour into a process. They then sought to teach that process to others, so that anyone can learn excellent behaviour. Their work is based upon their study of eminent experts in human behaviour, including Virginia Satir, Gregory Bateson, Milton Erickson and Fritz Perls.

Bandler and Grinder initially studied these eminent therapists and found them to be excellent communicators – they all generated amazing changes with their clients purely through their conversations and the clever use of their language with their clients. This is where Bandler and Grindler came up with the term Neuro Linguistic Programming:

Neuro – How we use our nervous system to experience the world around us. All the information that enters into our brain using our five senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.

Linguistic – How we use language and other non-verbal communication systems to interpret this information – pictures (is it focussed and clear or hazy), sounds (is it a loud or quiet noise), touch (does it feel rough or smooth), smell (does it smell fresh as a daisy or is it an odour of decay), taste (does it taste too salty or too sweet).

Programming – Once we have interpreted all this information, we run programmes (often unconsciously) to get things done. We are not aware that we are running them; they are just part of our routine. For example, brushing our teeth twice a day, or washing our face, or our daily drive in to work. Using all the information in our mind we can find out what is in that programme. If there’s something that needs changing we can do so. For example if you can write presentations easily but get anxious about standing up and actually presenting, or you find it easy to talk to your boss informally but get nervous when you ask for a promotion or pay rise, or you play sports excellently for fun but always lose in competitions, NLP can help.

NLP teaches you how to change your unwanted actions into excellent actions and behaviours, so instead of feeling anxious about having to lead the client presentation and how you might mess this up, your behaviour would be to feel excited and motivated about how well you will be able to lead the client presentation.

NLP is formed around the concept that all behaviour is rooted in the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is the bit of the brain that is always functioning, and runs all our necessary programmes, even though we are not aware of this, like making sure we keep breathing when we are sleeping.

The unconscious mind stores all our memories, processes all our experiences, filters everything we feel, hear, see, taste and smell, and it attaches emotion to everything we do.

NLP shows us how to access our unconscious minds, and also provides techniques for making changes at the unconscious level. Because the change is unconscious, it is easier, faster and more permanent.

Consider this example – A few years ago I was standing in my friend’s garden with her, her husband and her two year old son, who was playing at her feet. A large cat suddenly jumped onto her garden wall. She screamed and grabbed her son. He instantly picked up on her fear and started crying. The cat stayed immobile on the wall. Her husband, annoyed that she had taught their son to be frightened of cats, took him from her, and tried to show him that the cat was friendly, but his son was terrified, even though the cat had not attacked anyone. He had learned, in an instant, to be afraid of cats.

Anxiety is a learnt behaviour. The brain does not differentiate between a wanted or unwanted behaviour. It just does things to get results. So, where you have learnt to feel anxious in a situation, you can unlearn that too.

You can also learn positive behaviours instantly. If you change your hair style and everyone tells you how great it looks, you automatically style it that way more often.

Every time you have a moment of realisation like this, your brain makes a new connection and you are learning.

And it is in this ability to use NLP techniques to unlearn unwanted behaviour, and learn desired behaviour, that one solution to anxiety lays.

Look out for the next article in this series shortly.

Heena Pattni, Anxiety Treatment Specialist, is committed to providing professional women with tailored, painless, effective and long-lasting solutions to their anxiety, stress and related issues, using powerful NLP Therapy, Time Line Therapy™ and Hypnotherapy techniques. She is committed to providing them with the ongoing resources to maintain the positive changes they make during their time with her, freeing her clients to pursue their goals with increased confidence, motivation and determination. Visit us at http://anxietytreatmentspecialist.co.uk