How will NLP benefit me?

“NLP is the practice of understanding how people organise their thinking, feeling, language and behaviour to produce the results they do. NLP provides people with a methodology to model outstanding performances achieved by geniuses and leaders in their fields. NLP is also used for personal development and success in business.” ref NLP Academy

Neuro-Linguistic Programming has been used to change the way people think and act since 1975 when it appeared in Robert Bandler and John Grinder’s book The Structure of Magic I.

Neuro-linguistic programmes are very beneficial for many people. This is a very gentle modality that looks to solve issues by examining the use of language and senses in different situations.

NLP enables you to have better relationships and a better understanding of others which is particularly helpful in work situations and home life.

Unlike various therapies that can go on for several years, NLP usually only takes a small time frame for the effects to be felt.

How NLP can change your life

Neurolinguistic programming can be transformative for many people. Although we are all unique and have our own experiences in life, the practice of NLP can be applied to many people with the same conditions.

For anyone who suffers from stress, anxiety and depression, phobias or limiting beliefs, the use of NLP can be transformative in their lives.

NLP looks at,

Neuro - the process of gathering information from the outside world using our five senses: sight, sound, smell taste and touch.

Linguistic - the study of language and the way that we make sense of the information we get by organising it into language structure.

Programming- how we interpret the world that we live in and how we control our behaviours and choices.

What is the NLP method?

There are various methods used in NLP. Although there is no one set method, most NLP practitioners will use a selection of the following methods;

• Modelling. This is one of the main methods of NLP. There will always be someone who has done something that somebody else is attempting, therefore modelling can be put into practice to produce change and results. Think of children modelling their parents or peers to become proficient at something

• Mental Rehearsal. This is a classic technique of NLP, the use of visualisation to achieve the results that you want, Used also in The Law of Attraction, mental rehearsal draws a vivid and detailed picture of what you would like to achieve. This is a very simple technique that anyone can master in a very short time frame.

• Mirroring. NLP uses mirroring as a highly effective tool. Mirroring uses body language to build rapport and connections with other people. Body language plays a major role in communication with other people, in fact, 55% of the message that you are conveying goes through your body language.

• Affirmations. An affirmation is a saying that you repeat to yourself over and over until your brain begins to view it as a reality. Affirmations help you to reprogram your mind to think in the way that you want to behave. If you want to be good at a particular sport, for example, using affirmations that reinforce your success, will help you to become successful.

• Reframing. Reframing is a way of thinking about something in a more positive and helpful way. It is a way of reassessing your beliefs and thoughts from different perspectives so you have a more rational approach to your life.

How long does it take before you notice the effects of NLP?

NLP is not a therapy but is generally carried out with someone who has studied NLP. It is a modality that can be carried out in a few sessions with good results. Because NLP is a solution-based procedure, you should start to see results after 1 -3 sessions.

What can NLP be used for? 15 best ways

1. Improve your communication skills

Most people want and need to have effective communication skills in life. They aid in better relationships at work and at home, can help career progression and can help to boost your social life.

Many people though lack great communication skills, either through a lack of confidence, shyness or learning.

Applying NLP techniques can be highly beneficial in improving how you communicate with other people. The use of mirroring helps you to build rapport with others. It can help you to become a better listener, enabling you to develop the skill of focusing on others in the conversation and, not just yourself.

2. Help you to boost your self-confidence

The better you are at communicating and mixing with other people, the more self-confidence you will have.

If you are someone who shies away from social situations, this can begin to have a negative impact on how you feel about yourself.

The more confident you are the less likely you are to suffer from stress and anxiety. You will be more willing to experiment and push yourself forward in life.

Using the modelling technique, you can model your behaviour on someone who you believe is confident. Modelling their behaviour will help you to increase your confidence levels.

3. Help you to achieve your personal goals

You need goals in order to progress and move forward in life. If you never set goals you will never reach your true potential or discover how much you can achieve. NLP is a great tool to help you to set and achieve goals.

You could be someone who has always held yourself back in life due to your subconscious thinking. Unhelpful thoughts such as “ you will never be able to do that” or “you’re just not good enough” will never allow you to reach your goals.

Becoming aware of negative automatic thoughts and self-limiting beliefs and then changing your thinking can mean that you will be far more likely to reach the goals that you set. NLP can aid in eradicating many hindering thoughts.

4. Helps you to reach a feeling of calmness to combat anxiety and stress

NLP is often used for combating stress and anxiety and as a tool to produce feelings of calmness and relaxation. The use of visualisation techniques can help you to take back control of your mind and the way that you are thinking. It can help you to identify the thoughts that are causing the stress and anxiety within you and can help you to programme new ways of thinking that will combat any emotional problems that you have.

5. NLP can help you adjust to a difficult situation

We will all have difficult situations to face in life, that is a certainty. How you face them will so often depend on how well-equipped you are on an emotional level. NLP can aid in building a stronger more prepared mind to help you when you are faced with a difficult situation.

The thoughts that you tell yourself will be crucial when dealing with a tough situation. If you are thinking positive, affirmative thoughts you are far more likely to adjust than if your thinking is negative and unhelpful.

Study the thoughts that you have and change them where necessary to make you more adaptable when life throws you a curve ball.

6. NLP helps you to deal with negative thoughts

Everyone can be prone to negative thinking from time to time but when negative thoughts start to have serious implications in your life, and the thoughts that you are having are beginning to hold you back, then it is time to take action.

NLP can help to combat negative thinking by implementing different tools that can change the thought processes that are going on inside your head.

Journaling can help you to address negative thinking by studying the language that you are using in different situations.

By writing down what you are thinking and feeling, you will begin to see patterns emerging in relation to your circumstances and can help facilitate real, productive change.

7. Helps you to become more insightful into your deeply held beliefs

Our core values and beliefs are what make us the people that we are.

We will all have core beliefs and values that dictate how we live our lives, the jobs that we do, the friends that we have and the hobbies and interests that we love to engage in.

When you are fully aware of your belief systems you will make more informed decisions that will have a greater impact on your world.

NLP helps you to identify what those beliefs and values are by studying and processing the language that you use and the thoughts that you have to give you a fuller, rounder picture of who you are.

8. Helps you to understand how your behaviour comes about

You will act in a way that is unique to you because of the behaviours that you have. Everyone is a unique individual and although many will share the same behaviours, values and beliefs no one will share all of the same at the same time - this is what makes you You.

NLP will help you to understand how you think the way that you do and why you behave the way that you behave. By learning to understand the way that you think, you will begin to fully understand the reason for your behaviour, and this in turn will enable you to change your behaviour if it isn’t working for you,

9. NLP can help you to eliminate an unwanted habit

No one is immune to the occasional bad habit but sometimes, you can have habits that aren’t helpful or that are damaging to you. If you have been looking for ways in which to eliminate an unwanted habit, then using NLP can bring about the change that you are looking for.

Habits are long-established patterns in the mind. Most habits occur without you even being fully aware of them. Many people will smoke because it is a habit, rather than a conscious decision.

By replacing unconscious thought patterns with conscious thought patterns, habits can be broken.

Using NLP to examine the thoughts that you are having can pinpoint which thoughts need changing and can make you more aware of the thoughts that are going on inside your mind, enabling you to make more productive, reasoned thoughts your way of operating.

10. It can help you to assist others

You could be someone whose job entails helping other people, whether that is in a learning capacity or a caring capacity. Therefore, you will need to be able to communicate and interact with others in a way that is going to be of the most benefit to them and of the greatest ease to you.

NLP can help you by building rapport with other people, meaning that your working relationships will facilitate greater ease and benefits to you and those you are working with.

11. NLP can empower you to reach your personal potential

Are you someone who has let your thoughts dominate who you are and what you have achieved? Many people will never reach their true potential because of the harmful thoughts that they have about themselves.

You can at times be your own worse enemy because of the detrimental thoughts that run through your brain, meaning that you hold yourself back and suppress the person you could become.

Use NLP to empower yourself and to help you to reach your true potential in life. Examine the limiting beliefs or automatic negative thoughts and replace them with empowering thoughts and beliefs that will move you to where you want to be in life.

12. It can help you build skills to deal with a high-pressure environment

We all need to be able to deal with pressure, but this is even more important if you have a highly pressured environment that you work in or a home life that contains a higher level of pressure.

How you think will affect the way that you adapt and deal with high-pressure situations. Being in control of your thoughts and emotions is the key here. NLP can make you aware of how you are thinking and feeling and can aid in changing your thoughts to meet the situations that you are in.

13. NLP can help in harnessing the power of the unconscious mind

Most of our thinking takes place in the unconscious part of our mind. The thoughts that take place without us even being aware that they are there, or that we are having them. Imagine how much more powerful we would be if we had control over them and could make them work for us.

14. It can help develop your ability to solve problems

Positive thinking will produce positive actions that bring about positive results, Applying NLP modelling to your thinking can develop your ability to solve problems which can help in every area of your life.

If you only ever think in a negative pessimistic way, you will see problems where ever you look. If you apply positive thinking, you will be more solution focused in your outlook, therefore giving you problem-solving abilities,

15. NLP can help you deal with chronic pain

Chronic pain can sometimes be dealt with by using mind over matter. There have been many studies that have discovered that a positive mindset can reduce pain and illness.

Examining your thoughts with the use of NLP can allow you to harness the power of positive thinking when dealing with chronic pain and illness.

• NLP can teach you how to deal with negative thoughts and emotions associated with pain.

• NLP can help you to release stress and anxieties that are associated with chronic pain,

• NLP can aid in the release of worries and concerns associated with chronic pain.

• NLP can help you to become more mindful and present in your body and mind.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking at ways to change the way that you think or to put more positive elements into it, then think about incorporating some NLP methods into your life.

NLP can be used on many levels and for many different circumstances. You can apply the methods yourself or you can engage a coach who has studied NLP to help you to put the tools into place for you to receive maximum benefit.

NLP is a safe, easy quick modality that can bring you results in a short space of time and can aid greatly the overall quality of your physical and emotional state.

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