If you’ve been around the world of self improvement for awhile, you’ve probably heard of the term. NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and has been described and used in a variety of ways since the early 1970’s when it was developed by co-founders Richard Bandler and John Grinder.
Essentially, NLP is a process by which we come to understand the factors that influence human behavior; namely our neurology (neuro), our language and communications (linguistic), and how these factors come together to influence our behavior (programming). It’s power lies in the fact that the techniques used are results orientated, seeking positive change vs. a complete understanding of how someone’s behavior got to be in its unwanted state. It is also non-judgmental in terms of desired outcomes, lacking clinically defined standards of “normal” like you would find in the field of psychotherapy, for example. It is this lack of judgment regarding outcomes that makes the field of NLP so entirely useful, but which has also tarnished its reputation somewhat as people have used it for everything from how to sell used cars for higher prices to how to pick up women in bars. Bottom line, NLP works. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t be applied successfully in as many different venues as it has. The key point, of course, is how can NLP work best for you?
Through the use of NLP, we can achieve a variety positive outcomes in our lives, including but certainly not limited to:
How to understand the motivations for our actions
How to change unwanted behaviors
How to re-frame limiting beliefs
How to understand the behavior of others
How to better relate to others by building rapport
How to overcome fears and phobias
Sound interesting? In subsequent posts, we will begin to explore ways in which you can use certain aspects of NLP to improve the quality of your life. Stay tuned!
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