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NLP
What Does NLP Stand For?
Neuro
How our brains and minds work, producing specific neural pathways in response to our thoughts, emotions, behaviour and language.
Linguistic
How the language we use (both when communicating with others and talking to ourselves) is processed and affects our neurology.
Programming
The patterns and habits created as a result of how our brains make sense of everything we experience.
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What Is NLP?
The Users Manual To The Brain
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a psychological approach that works to understand how our thoughts, language, and behaviours are connected, how our brains process and organise this information into patterns, and how it consequentially influences our outcomes and lived experiences. NLP explores how we can consciously adjust these patterns to create positive change in how we think, act, and communicate, including improving personal performance, change unhelpful habits, and achieve specific goals. Fundamental to NLP is ‘modelling’, this is a concept that the founders of NLP developed whereby success in various areas is broken down so that others can replicate that success in their own lives. NLP techniques incorporate modelling to help people make changes in any area of their life, from falling asleep easily to speaking in public confidently.
Thank Goodness For Neuroplasticity!
The more we use, access and experience different thoughts and feelings, the easier they are to experience again - this is something incredible the brain does so we know how to react and behave in future situations! The more we access any of these neurological pathways the stronger they become until they are automatic; just like when you’re driving home from work and realise you’ve driven most of the way on autopilot. However, the brain can’t distinguish between useful thoughts and patterns and those that are limiting and sometimes even destructive.
So thank goodness for a little thing called neuroplasticity! This is the brain’s natural ability to change throughout our lives, although it does need a bit of guidance from time to time - that’s where practitioners like myself come in.
Why Is NLP Different?
What sets NLP apart from many other therapies is its practical and solution-based approach. Rather than dwelling on past experiences, NLP helps individuals identify what they want to achieve, using techniques that engage both the unconscious and conscious minds in order to effectively shift neurological patterns. NLP processes are designed to provide not just rapid change but applicable tools that can be applied to various aspects of life – allowing clients to make positive changes in their life outside of sessions.
The Origins of NLP
NLP was developed in the 1970s by Richard Bandler, a computer scientist and mathematician, and John Grinder, a linguist. ​They were inspired by the work of several prominent therapists and thinkers, including Milton Erickson (a famous hypnotherapist), Virginia Satir (a family therapist), and Fritz Perls (the founder of Gestalt therapy). They worked to discover how experts in their own fields were capable of outstanding achievement when others failed - this was done by modelling, ultimately developing a set of tools and techniques known as NLP.
Hypnotherapy
What Hypnosis Is
Hypnosis uses natural states of mind that we regularly enter without even knowing it, also known as 'flow states'. Here are some common examples of times where we often experience hypnosis/flow:
Daydreaming
Have you ever drifted off in a daydream where you’re no longer in your current, physical setting?
Engrossed In TV,
A Book or Your Phone
Ever watched TV, read a book or scrolled though social media and been so engrossed that you didn’t notice someone come into the room?
Driving A Familiar Route
Arrived at your destination and can’t recall much (if anything) of the journey?
Absorbed In A Hobby Or Sport
Or have you been so totally absorbed in a hobby that time seems to go by quicker than usual?
Many of our thoughts and behaviours are driven by the unconscious mind, which is why it can sometimes feel difficult to make lasting changes through conscious effort alone. Hypnosis allows you to enter a relaxed flow state where you can more easily access the unconscious mind and process the changes you want to make. When combined with NLP techniques, working with the unconscious mind can be highly effective in creating lasting, positive transformations. As seen in the natural examples of hypnosis above, it’s a state of complete focus that is perfectly safe and comfortable. You’re always in control, able to talk, and can return to full awareness at any time.
What Hypnosis Is Not
Rest assured, any hypnotherapy techniques I use are not 'stage hypnosis' or any form of mind control. You remain fully aware and in control throughout the session, able to speak or interact whenever you choose. It’s not about entering a sleep-like state or lying down watching a swinging pendulum; as shown above, many natural states of hypnosis, like driving or reading, involve being alert with your eyes open. You are fully conscious and can recall everything from the session. Hypnosis is simply a relaxed, focused state where your mind is more receptive to positive change - nothing more.