Hypnotherapy and NLP What Is NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)?

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a slightly clumsy term on first appearance, but quite apt. Think of it like this. Neuro = your brain and nervous system. Linguistic = all forms of non verbal and verbal communication including 'talking to yourself'. Programming = how you have learned to behave. Effectively, during the session, we work with how your thinking creates your feelings, because it is your feelings which then influence what you are, or are not, capable of doing.

Quite simply, we look and listen to the way that you think and help you to repattern your thinking to achieve the results that you want. This is not one of us just telling you how to think and what to do, this is us working together to ensure that you begin to experience more choice in the way that you think. You do not have to 'understand' anything, or grapple with any complex ideas. You simply sit and relax and allow your mind to be educated to begin to be able to think differently. The vast majority of people report working this way to be an interesting (and often fun!) experience. From your point of view, NLP provides simple effective techniques that help to enable you to make the changes you want to.

NLP is an attitude ... characterised by the sense of curiosity and adventure and a desire to learn the skills to be able to find out what kinds of communication influences somebody and the kinds of things worth knowing ... to look at life as a rare and unprecedented opportunity to learn.

NLP is a methodology ... based on the overall presupposition that all behaviour has a structure ... and that structure can be modelled, learned, taught, and changed (re-programmed). The way to know what will be useful and effective are the perceptual skills.

NLP has evolved as an innovative technology enabling the practitioner to organise information and perceptions in ways that allow them to achieve results that were once inconceivable.

Neuro - Nervous system through which experience is received and processed through the five senses.

Linguistic - Language and nonverbal communication systems through which neural representations are coded, ordered, and given meaning.

Programming - The ability to organise our communication and neurological systems to achieve specific desired goals and results.

The Presuppositions of NLP

The ability to change the process by which we experience reality is often more valuable than changing the content of our experience of reality.

The meaning of the communication is the response you get.

All distinctions human beings are able to make concerning our environment and our behaviour can be usefully represented through the visually, auditory, kinaesthetic, olfactory and gustatory senses.

The resources an individual needs to effect a change are already within them.

The map is not the territory.

The positive worth of the individual is held constant, while the value and appropriateness of internal and/or external behaviour is questioned.

There is a positive intention motivating every behaviour; and a context in which every behaviour has value.

Feedback vs. Failure - All results and behaviours are achievements, whether they are desired outcomes for a given task/context or not.

© Richard Bandler and the Society of NLP.