What is NLP?

NLP explores the relationship between how we think (neuro), how we communicate both verbally and non-verbally (linguistic) and our patterns of behaviour and emotion (programmes).

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is recognised as an effective means to improve performance in many areas of life, including business management, sales, education, therapy and personal development.

NLP provides a series of tools and methodologies to enable individuals to challenge and change any limiting beliefs, behaviours and habit.

You already possess the most powerful tool known to mankind - the human mind. Unfortunately, it didn't come with a set of instructions, so you probably don't yet know how to use your mind to its full potential.

This is where Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) comes in. Using tried and tested techniques, NLP allows you to unlock the 'secret code' to your mind's potential, giving you a degree of command over your feelings and control over your thoughts you may never have believed is possible.

NLP was initially created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in 1975 who began by developing models based on top communicators of the time. Their goal was to discover why certain people produced excellence and then to create models to allow other people similar behaviour. Initially they studied the likes of Milton Eriksson, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir but over the years many others have contributed to the growth of this dynamic field.

Inevitably, from these models grew a host of techniques for rapidly and effectively changing thoughts, behaviours and beliefs that previously had limited ones development. These techniques collectively are what is commonly known as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

NLP Therapy is a short term goal-orientated and practical therapeutic approach to problem solving. Whatever problem you have, NLP Therapy can help.

People contact me for many reasons and have often explored other forms of therapy and counselling beforehand. Areas I can help with include coping with stress/stress management, anger management, anxiety, improving performance, pain management; the list is endless.

There are many reasons why choosing to have a One to One NLP session will improve your life. What happens as a result of a session is in your hands. Past problems can be explored and NLP techniques used to set you on a path towards achieving your goals. As well as noticing change in yourself, those around you in personal or professional capacities will notice changes too.

You will experience life changing events during NLP Therapy. NLP Therapy is about action, it's dynamic and energetic, making the changes you want to change happen now.

A One to One NLP session last approximately one hour and can be arranged at your convenience, either at your home or at the medical clinic, so take that first step towards a brighter future.

NLP and self-help

Everyone has all the resources they need to make positive changes in their life, so with a One to One NLP session, NLP techniques are used as a tool to facilitate these changes, leaving you to concentrate on what you are thinking, feeling and any other sensory observations.

New patterns of behaviour are established and the NLP techniques learned can be used in other situations. So YOU become your own expert. This reduces the potential for reliance on the trained therapist which can be the case with other therapies.

NLP Therapy can be content free

NLP Therapy can also be content free. This means the therapist can be effective without knowing about the problem in great detail. Clearly this is a major advantage of NLP over traditional therapies as people seeking therapy may be embarassed about the idea of discussing personal issues one to one with a stranger. The very nature of NLP removes this hindrance.

NLP Therapy can be fast

As well as being content free, experience shows that NLP Therapy also tends to be fast, typically resolving issues in several brief sessions, which will of course make it very cost effective and much cheaper than traditional therapies.

Emotional problems

NLP techniques provide new ways of dealing with emotional problems such as low self esteem, anxiety, lack of confidence, destructive relationship patterns (coping with breakup), and are successful in effective bereavement counselling.

Fears and Phobias

Phobias such as spiders, heights, dogs, escalators, water, lifts/elevators, etc can be overcome as there are many NLP phobia cures available depending on the subject and your personal circumstances. The same phobia cures are successfully used on fears, such as fear of failure, fear of public speaking, fear of examinations and fear of driving.

Increased performance

NLP can help improve performance, so making a good performance excellent and also improving the consistency of performance. It feels good to do well, and it feels VERY good to do well all the time. People perform at all levels, from the person who views golf as a hobby to the professional athlete. We all enjoy that feeling of knowing our game has improved, and for some high achievers that improvement is paramount to stay ahead.

Achieving and maintaining good performance is essential at all levels including work and personal relationships. Performance is often judged by others. Having the clarity to notice this and listen to what others are telling you is an asset. NLP can help develop the skills needed for relationships that stay ahead.

Stress reduction and weight control for a healthier lifestyle

NLP has been successfully used with weight reduction and many other healthier lifestyle choices. There are clearly physical benefits from a One to One NLP session in coping with stress. When we struggle with problems we feel the affects of stress, especially when the problems are longstanding. Addressing the problem reduces the level of stress so therefore not only do we feel better emotionally, we feel physically better too.

Where does NLP fit into traditional psychology?

NLP is becoming increasing mainstream thanks in part to the television series of Derren Brown and Paul Mckenna. NLP has been described as the next generation of psychology, although it is not formally recognised in the UK by the British Association of Psychology.

Traditional Freudian psychology and psychotherapy requires a large commitment of time as the client tries to uncover unconscious processes which determine conscious behaviour.

Counselling is a shorter process, usually undirected by the counsellor who facilitates the client to explore feelings and behaviour around a specific issue such a bereavement.

Cognitive behavioural therapy is task centred work which identifies a problem behaviour and how the mind thinks about it, and therefore behaves in regard to it. Cognitive behaviour therapy then aims to alter those beliefs and thought processes, so influencing the behaviour towards a positive state for the client.

NLP has its roots in the field of behavioural science, developed by Pavlov, Skinner and Thorndike. It uses physiology and the unconscious mind to change thought processes and therefore behaviour.