Wesland Institute Blog

What is Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)? How can you apply NLP techniques in your life? In this article, I will discuss all aspects of NLP and how you can benefit from NLP techniques.

What is NLP?

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a behavioural science that was developed in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. They had claimed that NLP had theories, principles, practices, methods and techniques of three varied fields – linguistics, computer science and neurology.

So NLP has three main components: neuro, language and programming.

NLP has often been defined as a “modeling excellence”. Modelling is the core activity in NLP and is the process of extricating and replicating the language structure and behavioural patterns of an individual who is excellent at a given activity.

NLP  may be described best as “the science of human excellence”!

History of NLP

NLP originated when Richard Bandler, a student at University of California, Santa Cruz, was transcribing taped therapy sessions of the Gestalt therapist Fritz Perls as a project for the psychiatrist Robert Spitzer, who had commissioned Bandler to teach drums to his son.

Soon he was engaged in a different project for Spitzer and transcribed the recorded therapeutic sessions of therapist Fritz Perls. Bandler believed he recognized particular word and sentence structures which facilitated the acceptance of Perls’ positive suggestions. Bandler took this idea to one of his university teachers, John Grinder.

Then Bandler and Grinder together produced the model they named “Meta Model”, a model of what they believed to be influential word structures and how they work.. They also “modelled” the therapeutic sessions of the family therapist Virginia Satir.

They published a book “The Structure of Magic” in 1975 which contained their work. The main subject of the book was that it was possible to analyse and codify the therapeutic methods of Satir and Perl. They said that even the therapy appeared magical, everybody could learn it easily.

British anthropologist Gregory Bateson introduced Bandler and Grinder to Milton Erickson, an American psychiatrist and founding member of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis.

Erickson was well known for his unconventional approach to therapy, for his ability to “utilize” anything about a patient to help them change, including their beliefs, favorite words, cultural background, personal history, or even their neurotic habits. He treated the unconscious mind as creative, solution-generating, and positive medium.

Soon Erickson became the third model for NLP.

Today, NLP is a profitable industry and many variants of the practice are found in seminars, workshops, books and audio programs in the form of exercises and principles that intend to influence behavioral and emotional change in self and others. There is great variation in the depth and breadth of training and standards of practitioners, and some disagreement between those in the field about which patterns are, or are not “NLP”.

NLP Principles

There are 2 important principles of NLP.

1- The Map is Not the Territory. As human beings, we don’t understand the reality, we only understand the perceptions of the reality. We respond to the world around us through our sensory representational systems. It means that it is “neuro-linguistic” map of reality which determines how we behave, but not the reality itself.

2- Life and ‘Mind’ are Systemic Processes. The processes taking place within a human being and between human beings and environment are systematic. It is not possible to isolate the part of the system from the rest of the system.

All NLP techniques and models are based on these 2 principles.

How Can NLP Help You?

Training in Neuro Linguistic Programming benefits you in different ways. It mainly helps to maximize your power of communication with others.

NLP is the practice of understanding how people organise their thinking, feeling, language and behaviour to produce the results they do.

NLP also helps to understand and alter unconscious behaviors. NLP teaches how our brain works, how we store the information and the most important, how we can change our behaviors etc.

Many people study NLP to help them become more effective in their chosen field. The patterns can be employed across a wide area of applications ranging from fields as diverse as education, team building, sales, marketing, personal development, leadership and coaching. Wherever there is human interaction and growth potential, NLP can be used to develop and enhance performance.

NLP techniques are widely used in teaching, self help, management and other spheres. NLP is generally taught in an accelerated manner using direct examples and hands-on experimental training. One of the best ways to learn NLP is working with NLP practitioner.

You can also learn it from books, seminars and online home study courses and apply NLP techniques in your life.

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Copyright (c) 2008 Mark Albertson

The escalation of obesity rates in this country has sparked a flurry of activity among both serious researchers and charlatans to discover the perfect weight loss method. A recent study of four diets revealed that the key to weight loss success isn’t the diet, but how closely you follow it. Investigators from Tufts-New England Medical Center (Journal of the American Medical Association, January 2005) have determined in a study of four popular diets that the key to successful weight loss is not the diet itself, but actually following the diet. In this one-year study of 160 overweight adults, the researchers split people into four diet groups:

· Weight Watchers (low calorie)

· The Zone Diet (low glycemic index)

· The Ornish Diet (low fat)

· The Atkins Diet (low carb)

The conclusion of the investigation was that all of these diets worked when the participants in the study followed them. The problem is that less than one in four were able to stay on their given diet for just this one year.

It should be noted that the hardest diet to follow was Atkins, followed by the Ornish Diet, but according to the authors of the study, “no single diet produced satisfactory adherence rates.” Hypnosis has been recognized as a both a method for helping people to adhere to their diets, and for re-training the mind to “think” like a lean person, in order to be able to give up dieting completely and to develop healthy eating habits that parallel the eating habits of lean people.

That being said, wild and exaggerated claims abound regarding hypnosis as it one of the more appealing methods dangled before the eyes of those who are hungry for a seemingly easy solution to a complex problem.

A careful review of the scientific literatures exposes many of the claims about weight loss through hypnosis on the internet as overly optimistic at best and openly fraudulent at worst.

Considerable controversy swirls around the mechanisms by which hypnosis actually contributes to weight loss. Leon (1976) suggested that hypnosis can help obese people team new healthier eating patterns and retain them. One author remarked that the hypnotic state is characterized by heightened concentration, suggestibility, and relaxation (Mott, 1982). Certain individuals are thought to be capable of achieving this state more readily than others. A so-called hypnotic “induction” whereby a hypnotist using certain procedures to bring an individual into the hypnotic state is not a prerequisite for achieving the state (Mott, 1982). Hypnosis, contrary to the claims of some intemet advertisers cannot magically reprogram people’s minds. In short, methods of hypnosis run the gamut from simple relaxation techniques to formal inductions administered by hypnotists, but should not be considered supernatural in its effects.

Studies showing weight loss as a result of hypnosis alone are few in number and suffer from methodological problems. Andersen (1985) reported that following 8 weekly treatment sessions and 12 weeks of practicing self-hypnosis subjects lost an average of 20.2 pounds. Cochrane and Friesen (1986) concluded that moderate weight loss was obtained by subjects using hypnosis. The experimental group, lost more weight than the controls and maintained the weight loss at a six month follow-up.

Mott (1982) stated that “although hypnosis is sometimes referred to as a method of treatment, it is more accurate to regard hypnosis as a facilitator of a number of different treatment methods.” The study concludes that the use of hypnosis for a moderate weight loss is effective using hypnotherapy. Hypnosis Plus Behavioral Weight Management A number of studies indicate that hypnosis combined with a behavioral weight management program contributes significantly to weight loss. Bolocofsky, Spinler, and Coulthard-Morris (1985) revealed that the addition of hypnosis to a behavioral program designed to alter eating patterns increased the amount of weight loss at 8-month and 2year follow-ups. Both the behavioral and hypnosis programs were tailored to each subject individually in the study. Bolocofsky et al. (1984) acknowledged that “the less a person weighed at the start of the program the more likely he was to lose weight and maintain the reduction”. Hypnosis combined with behavioral weight management seems to be more effective for small amounts of weight loss. Another study of 45 females found that supplementing a basic self-management program with hypnosis resulted in a slightly greater amount of weight loss at a 3-month follow-up (Barabasz and Spiegel, 1989). The group for which individualized hypnotic suggestions were developed lost more weight than those exposed only to a group procedure. Kirsch (1996) noted a weight loss of 6.00 pounds without hypnosis and 11.83 pounds with hypnosis based on a meta-analysis of six studies. Allison and Faith (1996), however, disagreed and maintained that hypnosis only enhances cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy slightly if at all. Long-term individualized hypnosis combined with a behavioral weight management program appears to contribute to modest weight loss and helps maintain it.

Hypnosis operates mainly as a way to increase participants’ attention to suggestions of behavioral programs as well as to reinforce their weight loss. Studies using behavioral treatments successfully “typically have developed incentive systems to bridge the gap between the short-term -reinforcers provided during treatment and long-term goal of weight reduction” (Bolocofsky et al., 1985). Hypnosis can fulfill this role by stepping in as a psychological reinforcer. Hypnosis may assist subjects in learning positive eating behaviors and creating healthy long-term patterns of food intake. Subjects are then more likely to incorporate the rules of a particular program into their behavioral regimes (Bolocofsky, 1985). Kroger (1970) points out the similarities between hypnosis and behavioral treatments which share an emphasis on visualization and imagination. The literature suggests that hypnosis is an ideal addition to behavioral weight management programs which tend to need supplementation to achieve long-term results.

The Hodgepodge Problem in Weight Loss Studies The use of subjects of varying ages and backgrounds represents one challenge that plagues studies of hypnosis as a useful treatment for weight loss. Andersen (1985) utilized subjects ranging in age from 21-56 years, a considerable spread. Subjects in another study ranged in age from 17 to 67 resulting in considerable potential differences between the control group and the hypnosis group (Bolocofsky et al., 1985). The fact that subjects were not matched with regard to age could exaggerate results of weight loss as a result of hypnosis that may more accurately be attributed to age differences. McCabe, Jupp, and Collins (I985) suggested a tendency for younger women to drop out of weight loss programs relative to older women leading to a possible masking of potential effects of age. Bolocofsky et al. (1984) indicated that successful hypnotic weight loss participants were higher in self-control, weighed less at the start of the study, married, and more expressive. A wide variety of factors influence whether a given subject will lose weight through a hypnotic weight loss program. Anderson (1985) cites the absence of matched subjects as a weakness in her experiment. More studies with subjects closely matched on various characteristics should be conducted to substantiate claims about the effectiveness of hypnosis for weight loss when combined with a behavioral program.

Most studies require weekly consultation with a hypnotist for 8 weeks or more in addition to self-hypnosis (Bolocofsky et al., 1984; Bolocofsky et al., 1985, Andersen, 1985; Cochrane & Friesen, 1986; McCabe et al., 1985). Internet advertisers who claim weight loss will occur following a single hypnotic session, especially a group hypnotic session, are frauds selling dreams to desperate customers. Allison and Faith (1996) underscore that “there is currently no panacea for the treatment of obesity and hypnosis is no exception”. Treatment using hypnosis then is not a quick and easy way out of weight troubles. In order to achieve any benefits from its use, hypnosis must be practiced on a regular basis for a significant period of time.

Conclusions and Limitations

Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective treatment for low to moderate amounts of weight loss. One qualification of this statement is that the hypnotic program should be tailored to each individual. Hypnosis is a process by which an individual enters a state of relaxation and heightened suggestibility, Transformation of the brain through some mysterious process defines only the hypnosis of pseudoscientists. Quick-fix hypnosis is probably much less effective than an 8 week program using both in-session hypnosis, at-home self-hypnosis, and behavioral weight management. The only people who claim hypnosis is easy, simple, and quick are those trying to sell people on their program. The largest obstacle in weight loss is its long-term retention, but follow-ups of hypnosis as a weight loss treatment have been conducted at the longest after two years. Weight loss tapes lack scientific evidence to support their success and should be purchased with this knowledge in mind. Weight loss through hypnosis has been largely ignored by scientists and more studies with control groups and large subject pools are required to understand its action and import.

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This article will cover the first level of NLP training, the NLP Practitioner course. There are two levels of NLP training, the first comprises of a basic set of NLP tools called the NLP Practitioner training course and the second, more advanced level, is the NLP Master Practitioner training course.

5 Things You Will Learn With An NLP Practitioner Training Course

1) Specialized techniques for fears and phobia’s

2) Advanced communication tools uncover information, persuasion, getting agreements, being able to tell how people think via eye accessing)

3) Techniques to master mind and emotion of yourself and others

4) Techniques to create resourceful states where people are otherwise unresourceful

5) Strategies for goal setting and goal achievement

The following is a sample of some of the things you will learn with a NLP Practitioner Training Course:

Day 1: Introduction to NLP

·What is NLP
·History of NLP
·How communication works – Verbal vs. Non-Verbal Communication
·How do people process information

Day 2 & 3: Techniques on How to Lead a Client

·How to help clients move in different perceptual positions
·Changing behaviour of a client
·Learning to techniques how to influence the emotional state of a client
·Non-verbal techniques to detect clients preferences
·How to deal with objections
·Techniques to help a client create excellence

Day 4 & 5: Techniques on How to Gather Information From a Client

·Learning language that a client can agree to
·Technique to respond well to criticism
·Questioning
·Using Eye Accessing
·How to set compelling goals

Day 6-7: Techniques on How to Change a Clients Bad Habit’s

·How to cure phobia’s, extreme fears, and trauma.
·How to get rid of a bad habit nail biting, smoking, etc.)

6 Reasons To Take NLP Training

1) NLP Training in Popular Culture
The NLP training course helps to give you a mastery of communication which can be used for media interviews, influencing others, and giving you the ability to appear to be charismatic and a great public speaker. There are many known famous coaches that implement NLP training techniques from Paul McKenna, Anthony Robbins to Phil Jackson NBA coach Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers), Jimmy Conners tennis) and Jay Brunza Tiger Woods Mental Coach).
 
2) NLP Training for Business
With an NLP training course you will be able to influence others, increase sales, learn leadership, coaching, and management skills. NLP training for business is best suited for Managers, Sales People, Marketing Professionals, Human Resources, Recruiters, and  Corporate Trainers.

3) NLP Training for Self-Development
Some people decide to take an NLP training course simply for self-development and  empowerment. And still some people just come because they have heard that NLP can fix certain very big problems very fast. On average there are up to  3 phobia’s cured per course, in less then 10 minutes!  NLP training can help with trauma, fear of public speaking, motivation, weight loss, insecurity, and more.

4) NLP Training for Coaching
NLP training will help with setting goals, communication mastery, techniques for motivation and achievement, techniques to resolve fears and phobia’s, and weight loss techniques. NLP Training for coaching is best suited for Business Coaches, Life Coaches, Personal Coaches and Fitness Trainers.

5) NLP Training for Therapy
NLP training will give you a mastery of communication techniques to help resolve deep rooted issues, fears and phobia’s, habits and addiction, and moving people from unresourceful states to resourceful ones. NLP Training for therapy is best suited for Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Doctors, Nurses and Dental Professionals.

6) NLP Training for Education
With an NLP training course you will learn techniques for instilling motivation, understanding learning and coding of experience, how to enhance memory and create faster learning. NLP Training for Education is best suited for Teachers, Professors, and parents.

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