What Is NLP?
NLP is a model which can enable me to reach for excellence, the fundamental goal pursued by its founders, Richard Bandler and John Grinder. The NLP model reminds me of how the brain works when met with external events. Due to the way limbic and neo-cortex are structured, our interpretation of things tends to be more emotional and filtered through deletion, distortion, and generalization before becoming part of our experiences that influence our internal representation, state, and physiology, and affecting our behaviours.
The 11 NLP Psychological Models Learnt Throughout the NLP Practitioner Course
Like all psychological models, there are assumptions underpinning NLP. In this course, I have learned 11 of them. Looking at the NLP model, there are mental-related, behavioural-related, and emotional-related assumptions. The mental include
- the map is not the territory;
- there is no failure, only feedback;
- the mind and body are one;
- you are in charge of your mind and therefore your results; and
- whatever you focus on becomes a reality.
The behavoural part includes:
- the law of requisite variety;
- people already have all the resources they need to act effectively; and
- there is a positive intention behind every behavior.
The emotional part includes:
- the most ecological changes come from responding to the intention, rather than the behavior;
- when I believe it, I will see it; and
- there are no unresourceful people, only people with inappropriate states.
These assumptions are key cornerstone of processes and systems within the NLP model.
Preparation Phase – Intention and Self Acknowledgement
Having understood these concepts, it is apt to learn the processes and systems. I find the Preparation phase – intention setting and self-acknowledgement – very essential step to NLP application success.
By intention setting, we are having in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind and to aim. Since all external events go through the mind, setting the mind in the right direction is key. To me, the mind is an integrated system consisting of consciousness and sub-consciousness. Self-acknowledgement ensures that when one goes through the process of achieving one’s intention, I am consciously affirming and approving oneself (i.e., loving oneself).
Principles Phase – State Management
The next phase which I will coin the Principles phase consist of the principles of state versus goal management, and of achieving success principles (knowing your outcome, take action, have sensory acuity, behavioural flexibility, and operate from a physiology and psychology of excellence). There is a domain of knowledge and skills related to each success principles.
For the first principle, there are keys to activate achievable outcomes. This is also backed by the coaching aspects of NLP.
For the second principle, there is the SCORE model to generate solutions and thus enable people to take actions. The SCORE looks at symptoms, causes, outcomes, effects, and resources we have to move from past to the future.
For sensory acuity (3rd principle), it is important to understand the interactions among physiology and 2 types of response which are Sympathetic (flight/fight) and Parasympathetic (relaxed). The 4th principle is undergirded by a few systems: Knowing the power of beliefs (i.e., references); reframing (content versus context); state management (acting, feeling, thinking, and physiology), submodality management (contrastive analysis, mapping across, swish patterns, dissociative techniques, perceptual positions, anchoring, and new behavior generator).
The 5th principle (physiology and psychology of excellence) is explained by our understanding of the prime directives of the subconscious mind, the locus of control framework (language of cause or effect, perception is projection), and representation systems (eye pattern chart, hierarchy of ideas, the body pivots and mirror neurons).
Ultimately, the basis of NLP is excellence. In my own view, it means achieving success in our goals and having influence over our environment, people, and most importantly, our destiny.
Acme Achievers NLP Practitioner Graduate – Christopher Lim