 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
| |
What is NLP?
Neuro
• Neurology - The mind and how we think.
Linguistic
• Linguisitics - How we use language and how it affects us.
Programming
• Programming - How we sequence our actions to achieve our goals.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Neuro-Linguistic Programming
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a rather jargon bound name that belies its brilliance. I like to think of it as a 'users manual for the brain'. After all we have the most complex software system between our ears imaginable and it doesn't confine itself to the space in our cranium, it interfaces with every aspect of our body. BUT were we ever told how to use this spectacular instrument? I know I certainly wasn't.
What?
What? re-write the brain's software and therefore have an effect on my behaviour. You mean I could learn more easily? I could stop myself worrying? I could experience happiness more often? Be less bad-tempered? It was an amazing notion to me and it has worked. Although I will say right up front I AM NOT PERFECT!! A very dear colleague and friend of mine often says 'this stuff doesn't give you licence to walk on water'. I continue to work on re-programming my 'software' but I can tell you that I am calmer, more at peace, happier in the world now than I ever anticipated being. And I attribute it all to learning NLP.
So let's think about the name then: it covers the three most influential aspects of our human experience: neurology, language and programming. Our neurological (let's call it nervous) system regulates how our bodies function, our language (let's say the words we use) determines how we communicate with other people and ourselves (this is important - I'll come back to this) and our 'programming' determines the kinds of models of the world we create. This takes a bit more explaining: what do we mean by 'programming'? Every single one of us puts all the information that is coming in through our senses through a variety of 'filters'. The reason for this is one of sanity. We process HUGE amounts of sensory information- I've read numbers anywhere upwards of 2 billion pieces of information every second - and we can't possibly pay conscious attention to it all, therefore we learn to Delete, Distort and Generalise.
|
|
|
