NLP was originated in 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder for the purpose of modeling successful people. One of the main questions that they were interested in was - why are some people successful in what they do whereas others are not?
Their first work identified the verbal and behavioral patterns of therapists Fritz Perls (the creator of gestalt therapy) and Virginia Satir (internationally renowned family therapist). Further they examined the verbal and behavioral patterns of Milton Erickson, founder of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and one of the most widely acknowledged and clinically successful psychiatrists of our times.
As a result of this work, Bandler and Grinder created a technology known as "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" to symbolize the relationship between the brain, language and the body. Their aim was to discover the successful patterns of behavior and communication.
- Unlike the traditional field of Psychology, NLP focuses on subjective experience rather then objective observation. NLP is aimed at answering the question how do people do what they do subjectively.
- NLP is about teaching people how to organize their neurology by organizing their conscious thoughts in a particular way that produces a different set of feelings so that their brain has a choice how to respond. It teaches people how to consciously control their usual automatic responses and reaction to internal or external stimuli.
- NLP teaches people how to better communicate with themselves and others. Understand the language of your unconscious mind allows you to make proper communication and create a long lasting change.
- NLP is an attitude which is highly based on behavioral aspects such as curiosity and adventure.
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Improving Interpersonal Communication Skills
- Obtaining great control and freedom over your own state of mind, responses, and communication.
- It is about how the brain works and how to use your brain for a change.
- It is about language and communication.
- It works for anyone who wants to learn to use their brain more effectively, efficiently, elegantly, etc.
- It has has two identifiable parts: Skills and the Applications of those skills.
Today it is being used by teachers, sports coaches, personal coaches, doctors, lawyers, nurses, clergy people, accountants, negotiators, managers, entrepreneurs, motivational speakers, and so on and so on.
Some of the main ideas of NLP:
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The way an individual thinks about a problem or desired outcome has an effect on the way he or she will deal with problems and choose a certain course of action. More specifically, mental representations of problems, wishes and desired outcomes, what people see, hear, feel, taste and smell in their mind, their representational systems is crucial to determining state and, hence, action necessary to achieve outcomes.
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When communicating with someone, rather than just listening to and responding to what a person is saying, NLP aims to also respond to the structure of verbal communication and cues outwardly expressed in their nonverbal communication, such as voice tone, gesture, posture, facial expression and eye movements. These verbal patterns and non-verbal cues reveal information not typically available when distracted by preconceptions or expectations.
- The actual state someone is in when setting a goal or choosing a course of action is also considered important.
Principles and Presuppositions of NLP
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The map is not the territory.
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Life and mind are systemic processes.
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Behind every behavior there is a positive intention. Even a seemingly negative thought or behavior has a positive function at some level or in some other context.
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There is no failure, only feedback. The meaning of the communication is the response it produces, not the intended communication.
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One cannot not communicate: Every behavior is a kind of communication. Because behavior does not have a counterpart (there is no anti-behavior), it is not possible not to communicate.
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Choice is better than no choice. An idea from cybernetics that holds the most flexible element in a system will have the most influence or choice in that system.
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People already have all the internal resources they need to succeed.
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Multiple descriptions are better than one.
- Phobias, anxiety, panic and fears
- Stress management
- Weight loss and eating disorders
- Building confidence
- Depression
- Dealing with grief, loss and change
- Sleep disturbances
- Habit control
- Academic performance
- Sporting performance
- Motivation and creativity
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