Neuro-linguistic programming encompasses a range of skills, techniques and models with which you can actively use your mind, emotions and body to lead your life successfully - and communicate with other people with extreme efficiency. NLP studies the way successful people achieve outstanding results in a wide variety of fields and teaches other people these skills, techniques and patterns. By changing the way of thinking and behaving, as well as by becoming aware of our potential, we can reach the desired goal faster and easier.
The popularity of the NLP method increased in the seventies of the last century, when it was discovered that it helps in the fight against phobias, anxiety, but also that it positively affects the professional success of an individual, as well as the development of personal happiness.
What is NLP and how does it "work"? Is it really possible to "program" yourself for success?
What is NLP?
NLP uses perceptual, behavioral and communication techniques to make it easier for people to change their thinking and behavior, or to "direct" them.
The term NLP includes three words:
Neuro - refers to the nervous system and how we communicate with other people through our 5 senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. This is how we receive information and based on that we create our reality.
Linguistic - refers to the way we use language patterns in everyday speech and how other people's perceptions can be influenced through speech. The words we use affect our way of thinking, our mood, our way of behaving, our attitudes and actions. They also influence our interlocutors.
Programming - refers to internal processes, ie. programs of thinking, feeling and behaving and the ability to replace certain patterns of behavior that are not useful to us with more useful ones (in accordance with our values and goals that we want to achieve).
The NLP method was conceived and developed in the 1970s by Richard Bandler, a mathematician and psychologist, and John Grinder, a university professor of linguistics at the University of Santa Cruz in California (USA). They conducted research on the topic - what is the key difference between successful and less successful people. They wondered how they could discover the key elements of success and describe them in a way that other people could learn. They called this process - modeling. They studied how successful people communicate, how they motivate themselves, how they make decisions, how they learn. They believed that it was possible to identify patterns of thinking and behavior of successful individuals and that it was possible to teach others to them.
Their popularity lies in their versatility - the NLP method solves many different problems that people face, from private to professional.
How does NLP work?
Neuro-linguistic programming is based on the idea that people function on the basis of internal "maps" of the world that they learn through sensory experiences.
The outside world is so all-encompassing that we are forced to simplify it in order to understand it. The brain cannot consciously pay attention to all the information that enters through our senses, which is why it filters them.
We do not all pay attention to the same information from the outside world, but our filters only leak certain information and based on that we create our internal map of the world (our experience of reality).
Everyone's map is unique and somewhat different and depends on his age, experience, life stages, beliefs, values. It represents a simplified picture of the world, which is why we say that a map (picture of the world) is not a territory (world). Just as the map of the world is not the same as the world
It is said that an unknown man addressed Picasso and asked him why he did not show the objects as they really are.
Picasso replied confusedly: "I really don't understand what you mean."
The man showed a photo of his wife.
"Look," he said, "my wife, for example, looks like this."
Picasso looked on in disbelief. "She's very small, isn't she?" And flat? ”
Often, communication problems and conflicts arise because we assume that other people experience reality in the same way as we do. When we realize that this is not the case, then we argue over who is right. It is important to understand that no map is wrong and to learn how to recognize other people's maps, to respect them and to adjust our communication.
Neurolinguistic programming can help us with that.
NLP attempts to detect and modify the unconscious limitations of a map that an individual may have.
NLP works through the conscious use of language that leads to changes in the way we think and behave. For example, one of the main ideas of NLP is that each person has a different sensory system, known as the preferred representative system or PRS.
NLP specialists can discover this preference through your vocabulary. For example, if you often use phrases like "I see the point" - it can signal a visual PRS. On the other hand, frequent use of the phrase “I hear what you mean” can signal an audible PRS.
An NLP coach or trainer can identify a PRS person. Then, during the coaching process, it starts with gathering information about the character of a certain person, studying the way of accepting information (and reacting to it), as well as setting a goal together with the student.
NLP techniques
UFO is a broad field of practice. Accordingly, NLP practitioners use a variety of different techniques which include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Anchoring - turning sensory experiences into triggers for certain emotional states.
• Rapport - The NLP practitioner connects with the person to improve communication and empathy.
• "Whistle" - change the pattern of behavior or thinking to achieve the desired instead of the desired outcome.
• Visual / kinesthetic dissociation (VCD) - removal of negative thoughts and feelings associated with past events.
Where can NLP be used?
NLP is used as a method of personal development. Therefore, it is useful for promoting the skills or abilities you have. It helps to develop self-reflection, self-confidence and communication skills. It is possible to apply NLP to achieve work and career-oriented goals, such as improved productivity or job advancement. With the help of these techniques, it is also possible to improve mental abilities, develop creative thinking, and overcome stressful situations.
In a broader sense, it has been used as a therapy for psychological disorders, including phobias, depression, general anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is applied in the following areas: managerial practice, coaching, education, upbringing, sports, health, negotiation, psychotherapy, counseling and many others.
How is NLP learned?
NLP is a skill, not information - that's why it can't be learned in the classic "school" way.
One way to get acquainted with the NLP method is through books and online courses. Experienced NLP masters say that learning NLP is only through books and video tutorials, as if you are learning to ride a horse without real practice. You can learn a lot of information about horse riding, but when the time comes to ride a horse yourself, a problem will arise.
The fact is that one hour with a horse and an experienced trainer can do more for your riding skills than a whole day of reading and researching on the Internet.
That is why there are courses, workshops and trainings around the world. Learning NLP should be an active experience of personal and professional development in which what you will learn and master:
• Explained to you.
• Researched and used by you and others in training.
• Tested with other people from whose experience you are learning.
• Developed through the training of a professionally trained and certified NLP trainer who will allow you to develop your own NLP style - a style that suits your personality.
• Discussed with the coach and your training colleagues - instead of passive acceptance because it comes from “experts”.
NLP helps you realize that you have more choices. The greater the choice, the greater the chances that you will succeed.
If you have only one choice in behavior, you are a robot. If you have two choices, you will often be in a dilemma. If you have three choices, you are a Free Man.
Richard Bandler
So the human mind can be programmed to direct his behaviors wow, this is nice.