What is NLP and how can it help me?

As you can imagine before potential students sign up for an NLP course, I get asked 'So what is NLP and how can it help me?'

Unlike other approaches that tell you WHAT you need to do, NLP is a HOW TO technology. It tells and shows you HOW TO be what you want to be, have what you want to have and do what you want to do.  An intoxicating combination.  For most people things happen and they react.  NLP offers a better way.  It gives you tools to react differently by choice, to be more aware of your thoughts, feelings and behaviour.  You are then ready to take responsibility for your results in all areas of your life. 

Let’s look at each part of NLP in turn and I’ll explain what it’s all about:

Neuro is all about what we THINK – or our THOUGHTS. Neuro simply means ‘what goes on inside our heads’.  We have over 60000 thoughts a day.  These form our internal world of pictures, sounds and feelings.  It is these conversations, dialogues or arguments we have with ourselves in our thinking process that drive how we feel, our mood and ultimately how to respond to events.  The critical point to realise is that we can control our thoughts.  NLP helps us to ensure that the 60000 thoughts you have every day are good ones!  Spend a moment considering what proportion of your thoughts are helping you to achieve what you want and what proportion are in some way keeping you stuck.   

Linguistic is all about what we SAY, both verbally and non-verbally. Language determines how we communicate with other people and ourselves. It is how we label our experience and much more. Empowering language generates empowered behaviour. Likewise, negative language, such as excuses, is the result of disempowering thoughts and often happens without our realising it. It’s negative language that limits our choices. Think about how much of your self-talk encourages you and how much holds you back? 

Programming is all about what we DO. We are all running programmes in our minds, all of the time. These programmes, patterns of behaviour and strategies drive the way we behave, our performance and ultimately our results.  They are largely held unconsciously. NLP helps build our personal awareness of what programmes we are running about ourselves? Are they empowering you or holding you back? NLP teaches you how to change any ineffective strategies or programmes for ever.

To bring it altogether, NLP symbolises the relationship between the brain, language and the body.  It provides us with an instruction manual for our brain to enable us to become the best versions of ourselves. 

Here is a simple exercise to demonstrate the power of NLP which helps to change how you feel in an instant. 

Do you have something coming up that you are nervous about?  As you think about that situation now, looking through your own eyes, notice the pictures, sounds and feelings that are associated with that situation.  Now step backwards out of your body so you can see yourself in the picture.  As you look at yourself notice how your feelings have already changed.  Increase the distance between you and the picture and you feel even calmer now. 

How was that?  Easy, wasn’t it. To find out more sign up now for our free online introduction to NLP:

"Unlock the Power of NLP Beginner's Guide"

Have a great week.  

From Lindsey and all at Team NLP