Goa NLP presents an Introduction to NLP            

Neuro – Brain and nervous system, brain neurons bathe the whole body

Linguistic – language skills

Programming – The automatic unconscious programmes that control us

Hereinafter referred to as NLP

NLP is a process oriented psychology which deals with the how of any given situation and the why (outcome) and is not concerned so much with the what (content) and the why (excuses for not doing anything) the last two having no bearing on the problem.

“An attitude of insatiable curiosity about human beings with a methodology that leaves behind it a trail of techniques.” – Richard Bandler (co-founder of NLP)

At the heart of NLP is a wide range of methods and models that offer an understanding of how people think, behave and indeed actually change. NLP offers a flexible approach which brings about positive, fast change in individuals and organisations and empowers them to adapt to an ever-changing world. An empowerment that is greatly needed in an ever changing and involving India

NLP describes the fundamental dynamics and connections between the mind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how their interplay affects our body and behaviour (programming).

Neuro refers to the neuro-logical system and is based on the idea if not fact that we only experience the world through our senses and translate this sensory information into thought processes, both conscious and unconscious. These thought processes activate the neurological system, which affects physiology, emotions, and behaviour. NLP is about learning how to manage our neurological system for optimum results. Or to put it more simply NLP is about state control – controlling the state you are in.

Linguistic refers to the way human beings use language to make sense of the world, capture and conceptualize experience, and communicate that experience to others. It is the study of how words mediate and influence human experience. Much of NLP is about learning how to think more effectively and communicate more effectively with yourself and others. Not to  communicate using a lot of superfluous and often misunderstood additional words.

Programming draws heavily from learning theory and deals with how we code (mentally represent) experience(s). Our personal programming consists of our internal processes and strategies (thinking patterns) that we use to make decisions, solve problems, learn, evaluate and get results. NLP shows people how to recode their experiences and organize their internal programming so they can get the results they want with a certain amount of control over the thinking process.

NLP was first developed by Richard Bandler (a mathematician) and John Grinder (an Associate Professor of Linguistics) working together at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the early 1970s this was a time of rapid development in the human relationship field's

They asked the important and now famous question:

“What is the difference that makes the difference between somebody who is merely competent and someone who excels at the same skill?”

Three people they chose to model were the outstanding therapists, Fritz Perls (Gestalt Therapy), Virginia Satir (Family Therapy) and Milton Erickson MD the world renowned psychiatrist who gave his name to a form of hypnosis and brief therapy.

Bandler and Grinder modelled these peoples language, physiology and mental processes and began to identified patterns which could be duplicated and explicitly taught. NLP also drew on many existing fields of study including the work of Chomsky in linguistics, of Korsybski in general semantics, Ashby in systems thinking and many, many others. In fact it has been said many times that there is nothing new in NLP other than the way it is all put together.

How do we know what we know? Understanding our maps of the world

Our perceptions are gathered through our senses and we filter and interpret our experiences based on our beliefs, interests, upbringing, preoccupation and state of mind so that they fit in with what we know this distorted and filtered result  is known in NLP terms as our map of the world. This map is only a copy of the outside world and since this cannot be exact in terms of measurement, and other statistical data, only a model is made.

The main filters used are:

Generalization: Constructing a generally applicable rule from a very limited amount of information.

Distortion: Basing our perceptions on subjective opinions rather than objective observations. As we build our models we inescapably distort things by deleting and generalizing data.

Deletion: Ignoring everything we don’t like or can’t be bothered with. We delete because we cannot possibly process all of the millions of bits of information(2.4 approx) that impinge upon our nervous system at any given moment as our conscious mind, at a given time, can only process  about 7 (plus or minus 2) items at one time.

Once the external information has passed through these filters, it creates a state of mind in response to our internal representation and internal dialogue, which will then instantaneously translate into an observable physiological response (our behaviour). We therefore do not live in reality but in our perception and interpretation of reality.

What is particularly interesting about human communication is that each of us seems to prefer one sensual system in preference to the others. The sense we prefer affects our choice of words, our breathing, body posture, and the way we move our eyes. We tend to use the visual (seeing), auditory (hearing) or kinaesthetic (feeling) channels more in our communication. The olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) are less often preferred as a lead system

The visual person selects pictures from memory to make sense of what is happening. His eyes may be up, sometimes-defocused staring two feet ahead, and if you happen to be standing in that pace, it interferes with his pictures and thinking. The visual person while describing a holiday would describe the scenery, the colours of the buildings, the colourful dresses of the people etc.

Musicians, radio announcers and even accountants are usually auditory. They are proud of their voice and the correct accent. They talk to themselves a lot (Internal dialogue). Vocal speed is medium.

The kinaesthetic people often have their eyes to the right and down. They breathe from their lower part of the chest. Their voice is deep, speed slow, with gaps as they go inside and feel what they are saying, sometimes they are unable to keep still, and gestures a lot.

There is also a fourth group known as the cerebrals (digital/audio), the ones who seems to use a lot of technical jargon, philosophical terms. They are often lost in deep thought.

The words i.e. the sense based words or predicates that someone uses, reflects their preference of using their Visual, Auditory or Kinaesthetic systems and this gives us an insight into how their brain is sorting the information at the time.

Sub-modalities are the sub category of the sense modality used. For example in vision there could be colour/black and white, moving/still etc. In each of these sub-modalities there are elements, which increase or decrease the intensity of the experience.

Rapport

It is the ability to hold someone’s attention and create a sense of trust by making them feel that you are like them. It means implanting the feeling that you understand each other. It is not that you necessarily agree with what is being said, you attain the ability to go fully from your map of the world to their map of the world and create a common map and so an atmosphere of mutual confidence and trust can be created

R eally  A ll  P eople  P refer  O thers  R esembling  T hemselves

NLP training helps you gain instant rapport with almost anybody.

Anchoring

How do we get into the ideal state of mind instantly and with ease? NLP recognizes the importance of physiology in changing and sustaining internal states and therefore getting into the ideal mental state is vitally important to be effective. Someone once said, “The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances.”

Imagine being in a “not so good” state of mind, your work is suffering due to that, and suddenly you hear a favourite song, which reminded you of a fantastic time in the past, or it could be a picture, smell or taste, which evoked such memories. Don’t you think that your mood will suddenly change to something very similar to how you felt at that time in the past when this stimulus was first experienced? This is therefore a trigger to bring back the old experience or an anchor.

Using an anchor to obtain a desired state

Recall a great scene from the past; something as close as possible to what you want to achieve now. Totally immerse yourself into that past state, see what you saw, (Visual); hear what you heard, (Auditory); and feel what you felt (Kinaesthetic), when you have really immersed yourself fully into that past experience and are beginning to enjoy the conclusion of the past experience press a part of your body, for example your wrist or elbow for a second or two and let go. The pressure should be applied just as you peak all the feelings of the past experience. What you have now done is to connect the feeling to the touch, just like the triggers that connected you to the experiences in the past.  You have set your own happiness anchor. During NLP training you gain insights into various anchoring techniques and including covert anchoring.

Meta-Programs

Meta-Programs are self running programmes, often unconscious that we use to determine what information gets through. They are important in the areas of motivation and decision-making and by using language that matches another person’s meta-programs, you can ensure that the receiver can easily make sense of what you are saying or doing. They are useful when recruiting, for placing the right people in the right places, to provide the right incentives and to achieve rapport. Below are a few examples; Proactive-Reactive: The proactive person initiates, and gets on with it, will tend to use complete sentences with a personal subject “I am going to”. The reactive person waits for others to initiate an action, will tend to use passive verbs and incomplete sentences. e.g. “I wonder if it is possible”. Towards-Away: People with a towards meta-program stay focused on their goals and know what they want and create their own motivation to reach their outcomes. Away people recognize problems easily and they know what to avoid and are excellent at finding errors and work well in job like quality control and as art critics. Internal-External: An internal represented person will have his standards internalized, becomes motivated only if the ideas are his. External people need others to supply the standards and direction, need guidance from outside. NLP training helps you to instantly recognise others meta-programmes and thus communicate with them clearly, concisely and to the point with perfect rapport.

Time Line

It is interesting to note that people will place events, past and future in different places in relation to our body. For example when we think of the past we see things in one direction and the future in another direction. The virtual line that connects the two is the Time-line we refer to. People’s perception of time and times relationship to their decision is very important. Some people are attracted by the past history of a company while applying for jobs, some are interested only in a job, and some are always looking to the future prospects. Time line also enables one to change past memories and install new ones and to create a state of experiencing a desired future. Time line therapy was developed by Tad James and Whyatt Woodsmith in their book Time Lines and the Basics of personality.

NLP is an outcome based behavioural technology which believes, as Stephen Covey says “Start with the end in mind” Human beings act as goal achieving systems. If we can have an outcome before we start and especially if we can imagine the sight, sound and feeling of the fulfilment of the outcome, then it will be well directed, effective, and unlikely to get sidetracked. Well-formed outcomes are positively stated, resourced and realistic. The well-formed outcome gives you a structure like a blueprint. You are in control and so you are responsible. During NLP training you will be taught the steps for creating an effortless well formed outcome for yourself and others.

The Principles/Presuppositions of NLP

The principles  and presuppositions which form the foundation of NLP have been modelled from many key people who consistently produced superb results, as well as from systems theory and natural laws. As well as a set of powerful skills, NLP is an art and a science.  These presuppositions are the rules of living a good life and should not be questions but  just live your life as if all are true.

Some of the presupposition of NLP are listed below. During an NLP training you will get to understand these principles in great detail and will come to understand why we never question them.

Mind and body form a linked system.

Your mental attitude affects your body and your health and, in turn, how you behave can change your thinking.

The meaning of your communication is the response you get.

While your intention and meaning may be clear to you, it is the other person’s interpretation and response that reflects your effectiveness. NLP provides you the skills and flexibility to ensure that the message you send equals the message they receive.

There is no failure, only feedback.

What seemed like failure can be thought of as success that just stopped too soon. With this understanding, we can stop blaming ourselves and others, find solutions and improve the quality of what we do. NLP training encourages you to only give feedback to others not criticism or guilt.

Behind every behaviour is a positive intention.

When we understand that other people have some positive intention in what they say and do (however annoying and negative it may seem to us), it can be easier to stop getting angry and stuck and start to move forward. During NLP training you learn many ways to understand this principle.

NLP is about modelling excellence

NLP processes/strategies are a result of discovering how experts or excellent leaders do what they do so well; it is then possible to teach these skills to others. Modelling skills, based on detailed observations and careful questions around beliefs and values, are the key to competence in NLP. During NLP training you learn exquisite modelling skills

NLP is about mastering your mind

Research shows that emotional intelligence (understanding yourself and others) can be more important than your Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in many work and home situations. NLP describes, in very precise terms, the images, sounds, and feelings that make up our inner and outer world. How do we know what we know? How do we do what we do? For example, how do you know that a pleasant memory is pleasant? How do you know when to feel scared or happy at certain times? NLP training explains all….

NLP is the study of internal experience

NLP is a tool to calibrate and understand how an individual makes sense of the world. NLP studies individuals’ experiences: how our thoughts, actions and feelings work together to produce our experience. In NLP we know that each person has a unique style of learning, perceiving and responding to the world. NLP is inherently respectful of differences.

These are a few of the many presuppositions of NLP on your training you will learn many more,

 

 

How useful and practical is NLP in our lives

NLP has a wide range of practical applications in business (e.g. management, personnel, sales, consulting), training and development, education, law, medicine, health, farming, writing and the arts, sports, parenting, hobbies and personal development - anywhere communicating and excelling are important. The more you are interested in communication, personal effectiveness and development-the more NLP has to offer.

NLP in Business

Basic NLP skills which improve and enhance communication, rapport building and goal setting are all immediately applicable to the business world and have a proven effect on the bottom line. Many leaders and consultants in businesses have turned to the creative and innovative aspects of NLP for inspiration in organisational development, total quality management, team building and strategic planning. NLP skills underlie much of what is taught in negotiation courses. It enables sales persons to sell the fantasy and make the customers want to buy the product than having to sell it to them Presentation skills and public speaking are an integral part of corporate life. NLP self-management techniques, language patterns and goal setting are vital to effective speaking and peak performance.

NLP offers the tools for: Building rapport with a variety of clients Understanding the structure of beliefs and identity Understanding the power of language, metaphors and frames, Content-free processing, making lasting change easier for you, your clients, your friends and your family.

NLP in Health

The applications of NLP are important both to those in the medical field and to individuals interested in good health. In today’s rapidly changing field of health care, medical professionals need more than technical abilities. They are increasingly called upon to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills and flexibility, as well as abilities in the area of negotiation, business management and conflict resolution. NLP provides these necessary skills for relating effectively-and communicating clearly with patients and co-workers.

NLP in Training and Education

NLP’s practical applications include understanding how we learn, developing strategies for both students and teachers, using our five senses, and making use of accelerated learning techniques. Through NLP, trainers, teachers and parents can gain concrete methods for helping students to do well. For example, the NLP Spelling Strategy encourages learners to visualise the spelling, omit the sounding and develop the feeling check that most good spellers have naturally. Classroom teachers are incorporating key pieces of the NLP approach into their teaching methods and classroom management. NLP enables the students to know how to learn what they learn. NLP for Personal Change

Many people come to NLP for relief from limitations. The NLP attitudes and techniques can provide freedom from old habits, fears and limiting beliefs and give structure for new and empowering ways of being in the world. NLP offers more choice in the way you communicate, how you respond and how you feel. When you have more options you can make better decisions. If you have not been living the life you want, NLP offers you a path to new and satisfying alternatives.

NLP and Parenting

NLP skills and principles help foster productive communication between child and parent. You will discover how to define what you want in a positive manner and then communicate clearly so your child understands and responds appropriately to the choices.

Really listening to your child and working with their descriptions of life can reveal how they construct their own world. Teaching them to visualise can help them to excel in today’s education system. You will learn ways to manage your own ‘states’. Parents who learn NLP can teach the skills to their children and leave them with a legacy of good habits for clear and effective communication; tools for learning and for building self-esteem Learning NLP is, for many people, a new way of coming to terms with what you already know. By applying the very simple techniques provided, you can make changes that lead to new thinking and new behaviour. Within ourselves, there are more possible choices than you can imagine: numberless ways to represent our thoughts, infinite distinctions and shades of meaning, unlimited forms of behaviour.

Imagine yourself being able to:

Influence more people, ethically & effectively with greater consistency of performance.

Get them to forget objections & obstacles, as they listen to you and see them as challenges.

Find ways to create motivation and confidence in unfamiliar situations and with the resources they thought only others had.

NLP is best learnt from professional trainers with others as the whole thrust of learning is experiential.

We offer the full range of NLP training as follows

NLP diploma run over 4 days

NLP Practitioner run over 20 days

NLP accelerated Practitioner run over 7 days with home learning

NLP Master Practitioner run over 14 days

NLP Trainers Training run over 20 days

 

© David J Lincoln March 2008 psychologist@therapist.net

 

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