I am often asked what NLP is, and when I tell people that NLP is the study of the structure of our subjective experience, I frequently get some very blank looks. We all experience the world in different ways, even when our experiences are objectively the same. We process and store information about our world differently, and we take different steps when approaching what are essentially the same tasks. It is only by understanding our own unique experiences, how we process and store them, and what steps we take to do what we do that we can make changes. So, ask yourself; are you currently doing, having, and being what you want? Now imagine it with NLP.
NLP looks at the mind and nervous system, which is where are experiences are processed and how we represent the outside world to ourselves through our five senses.
It explores language and how we use it. Additionally, it looks at the language and other non-verbal communication systems through which our neural representations are coded, ordered and given meaning. This includes pictures, sounds, feelings, tastes, smells and words (self-talk).
Finally, the “programming” looks at the processes we follow, the sequence in which we do things, to achieve our goals. If we understand how these processes are formed and accessed, we can reinforce the processes that lead to success and change the ones that lead to less successful outcomes.
Importantly, NLP is not a single theory or model. It brings together a range of processes, techniques and language models. All of them are underpinned by the link between neurology, language and process.
So just imagine for a moment that you are walking along a street, any street in any town or city. You are being bombarded with sensory information. Firstly, you are seeing the people and the traffic, the shops and restaurants, the street furniture, benches, traffic lights, street lamps and so on. Secondly, you can hear the traffic, the noise the people are making, the sound of a passing ambulance.
Further to this, you can smell the traffic, perhaps food being cooked, maybe the scent of a passing person. You may be eating or drinking as you walk along, perhaps a coffee to go. Deliciously, you will be experiencing the tastes of your food or drink. You can perhaps feel the uneven pavement beneath your feet, your clothes against your skin.
In addition, you may be feeling relaxed and happy, on your way to meet friends, or perhaps you are stressed as you are running late. All of this is going on and your senses are processing all of this, some of this consciously and most of it unconsciously. Where your focus lies is unique to you, and this is your subjective experience. How you react to everything that is going on around you will be affected by your past experience, your purpose now and what you will be doing next.
If you are a city dweller, the cacophony around you will seem normal. However, if you are a country dweller who rarely visits the city, everything can be overwhelming. This will be how you are coding all that is going on – what matters to you and your unique take on all that is happening. And finally, your combination of past and current experiences will determine how you react to your situation and what you do, your programming.
If this is where you live and you are off to work, your actions will be different from what you would do if this was a new city and you were on holiday. And you may want to change your reactions, shifting perhaps from negative to more positive outcomes, breaking free from past experiences and creating a new future. And this combination of sensory input, processing and action is happening to us all of the time.
NLP gives us the tools to understand how we experience the world. It gives us explanations and understanding of how we process, store, and recall our experiences. Furthermore, it gives us techniques to challenge our experiences, our decisions, our actions, and our current model of the world. Crucially, it shows us how to analyse and understand the processes we follow to do what we do. It provides us with tools to change our thinking, change our behaviour and change our world.
And, if we can understand how this all works, and master the process and techniques which allow us to analyse it all and change what gives us outcomes which are different from the outcomes we actually want, we can move from where we are now into a new model of the world with greater choice, more opportunities, and outcomes which are what we actually want.
I therefore challenge you to think right now about the difference it makes as you understand where you are now and what you are doing, and what you do to move from the reality of your now into a new model of your world. If you can take the next step, take it now. If you’re not sure, book an initial consultation here, and then take the next step. You know that you can do it and you know that it makes sense, don’t you?
