Neuro linguistic Programming: Training the mind

I went to a talk by one of our senior colleagues and part of the talk was about Neuro-Linguistic Programming ( NLP).

src: holistic wellness project

What is NLP?

NLP is like learning the language of your own mind. It is a way of changing one’s thoughts and behaviour to achieve desired outcomes. It was created by Richard Brandler and John Grindler in California, US in the 1970s.

There is a big communication gap between our conscious mind and subconscious mind. Conscious mind is the goal setter and subconscious mind is the goal getter.

src: naturalhealthcourses.com

NLP operates through the conscious use of launguage to bring about changes in one’s thoughts and behaviour and is not a hypnotherapy. It is an approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy.

src: iwcollege.ac.uk

NLP can be used to develop communication and strengthen the relationships. For an example if a friend or a partner has made a mistake and you are not happy about this. Ofcourse we love them and instead of saying “ you made a mistake “ you could say “ that is a common mistake people do and this is the way to avoid it”. Simple and small things like this make a positive impact and makes life more meaningful.

Another useful thing is of self confidence.
If you tell your mind “ I can’t do this or I can’t cope with this “ this is a negative input you are giving your subconscious mind and the outcome would be obviously negative. If you tell your mind “ I can do this or I can get through this” then you are feeding your mind a positive thought and your mind opens and searches for solutions. This is the basis of NLP psychotherapy used to treat phobias, anxiety and depression.

I am sure you might have come across this. Look at this photo and try to find a man’s face hidden in coffee beans.

src: lifehack

It might take sometime before you can figure out if you have not seen the photo before. Once you have figured out the man’s face, the next time you look at the photo, whats the first thing you see? Its the man’s face. Now look at the picture again and try to find the dark and odd bean out. Once you find this look at the picture again after few seconds, the first thing you might see is the black bean and not the man’s face. This is mind mapping and how NLP works.

It was an interesting talk and definitely useful although there is no scientific evidence for this. There are many courses organised and i am giving a serious thought to attending one.

Thanks for your attention and have a great day.