What is NLP?

NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) is a technology of human behavior that can be used to help people make important changes, eliminate unwanted behaviors or acquire new skills. It is based upon the premise that experience has structure, and that by altering the structure, you can change the experience. In NLP when we talk about the structure of experience we are talking about the pictures, words and feelings - The internal images we make, the things we say to ourselves (self-talk), and the feelings that we experience. NLP is about learning how to run your brain (rather than letting it randomly control you) to get the results you want for yourself. There are a number of processes used by NLP Practitioners to elicit and adjust the structure of experience. Images, sounds and feelings are only a few of the many structural elements of human experience that NLP is concerned with. Beliefs and Values, for example, play a key role in how we experience our lives.

Presuppositions of NLP

 Tad James, a noted NLP Trainer says, "NLP is an attitude and a methodology that leaves behind it a trail of techniques." This is especially useful in that it expresses the fact that NLP is not its techniques, but the attitude out of which those techniques (and more to come) are developed. An NLP Practitioner applies a number of presuppositions as he works with clients. These presuppositions are the foundation of the NLP approach:

•  The map is not the territory
•  People work perfectly. No one is "wrong" or "broken"
•  People make the best choice available to them.
•  Choice is Better than no choice
•  Everyone has the resources needed to accomplish what they really want
•  There is no failure, only feedback
•  There is a positive intention beneath every behavior
•  The meaning of your communication is the response you get
•  Communication is redundant.

Applications of NLP

The applications of NLP are far reaching. The communication skills of NLP have been applied successfully in such professional areas as negotiation, sales and marketing, education, medicine, management and others, as well as proving invaluable in strengthening personal relationships with spouses, lovers, family and friends. The therapeutic applications of NLP have been used to help individuals develop greater personal resourcefulness, change unwanted behaviors and limiting responses, accomplish important goals and achieve greater health. Using the technology of NLP, people have been able to:

Eliminate Phobias	Resolve the Past
Deal Effectively with Grief/Loss	Change Procrastination into Motivation
Gain Confidence	Relieve Allergies
Stop Smoking	Lose Weight
Overcome Compulsions and Obsessions	Develop Greater Creativity
Learn More Effectively	Ease Transitions
Reduce Stress	Eliminate Migraines
Achieve a sense of well-being	... and many other things