The Facts on NLP

These are answers from Richard Bandler, creator of Neuro-Linguistic Programming

1. What is NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming is "The Study of the Structure of Subjective Experience and hat can be ca!cu!ated from it"" !. What is NLP technolog" NLP is based on finding out hat or#s and forma!i$ing it" %n order to forma!i$e patterns % uti!i$ed everything from !inguistics to ho!ography" % didn&t just e!icit peop!es& strategies since hen % started out there eren&t any strategies' yet" % invented them" Strategies are a mode!" ( strategy is just that' a strategy" % thin# it is important for peop!e to ma#e a distinction bet een a mode! and a techni)ue" ( mode! *!i#e Strategies' Submoda!ities' (nchoring' Transderivationa! Search' +haining States' the ,eta ,ode!' ,eta Programs' Semantic Primes' Semantic -ensity' etc". i!! a!!o you to create ne techni)ues" The techni)ues generated from these mode!s are techni)ues' nothing more" /hen peop!e discover hat someone they consider to be a genius or expert does inside their head in order to perform a tas# exceptiona!!y e!! using the mode!s of NLP' hat they&ve discovered is not a ne mode!" %t is a strategy" The se)uencing of various aspects of the mode!s that constitute NLP in order to change someone&s interna! representations is ca!!ed a techni)ue" ( mode! is a forma! representation of behavior that a!!o s prediction" ,ode!s are most common!y used in physics' e"g"' in order to predict the rate of distribution of one !i)uid ithin another as e!! as ho much movement the added !i)uid i!! have if poured from 0 inches above a bea#er ith a 0 inch diameter" The mode!s that constitute NLP are a!! forma! mode!s based on mathematica!' !ogica! princip!es such as predicate ca!cu!us and the mathematica! e)uations under!ying ho!ography" 1urthermore' a!! of these mode!s are generative' e"g"' hen cha!!enging one ,eta ,ode! distinction' the ans er i!! a! ays be a surface structure containing further ,eta-,ode! distinctions" They are a!so recursive' i"e"' the mode! can be app!ied to itse!f' e"g"' you can use the ,i!ton ,ode! in order to define and uti!i$e the distinctions described in The 2ypnotic Patterns of ,i!ton 2" Eric#son' ,"-"' 3o!" 4 in order to understand ho the boo# uses the princip!es described therein in order to teach them' i"e" it defines itse!f" These distinctions i!! he!p peop!e understand the difference bet een hat a mode! and a techni)ue is"

#. $ow are the NLP %uilding %loc&s such as cali%ration techni'ues, (atterns in the language someone uses, (redicates and )eta )odel, e"e mo*ements and +u%modalities, other anal"tical models such as Logical le*els, )eta-(rograms, (erce(tual (ositions, timeframes, etc. used to o%ser*e e,(erts These too!s ere not deve!oped in order to observe experts" They ere discovered by observing experts" They ere deve!oped in order to further evo!ve human consciousness to the point that peop!e cou!d rep!icate s#i!!s and have de!iberate contro! over their o n consciousness" Nothing in NLP is ana!ytica!" %t is a!! designed to be app!ied" %f you do not #no ho to app!y something that you !earn as "NLP" then' it is either not NLP or you have a bad teacher" % thin# the best examp!e of this misunderstanding is ,eta-Programs" %&ve had peop!e te!! me that someone is a visua! ho sorts to ards" That can&t be true because if you as# a person to ma#e a picture of themse!ves brushing their teeth ith a toothbrush they just iped their behind ith' they probab!y on&t move to ards that" ,ost of you ou!d probab!y say' "5uc#6" and move a ay from doing that" *%f you behave in the previous!y described manner" ST7P %T6 %t&s not a good idea". ,eta Programs describe ho peop!e sort through mu!tip!e genera!i$ations" (s such' they i!! te!! you hat !ies inside and hat !ies outside of someone&s genera!i$ations about things !i#e doors" /hen someone says' "Stupid door6"' that gives you a pretty good idea about hat !ies outside their genera!i$ations about hat doors "are"" %f you then as# them ho they #no the door is "stupid"' they&!! give you an ans er that i!! identify their "sorting sty!e"' i"e"' "There&s no #nob'" meaning that it can on!y be a not-stupid-door if it has a #nob" %f hat they ant is to be ab!e to open more #inds of doors' then you have to teach them to sort for things other than just a #nob in order to identify a door" That&s ho ,eta-Programs or#" They don&t just describe someone diagnostica!!y" They give you something to do" NLP consists of mode!s" 8y app!ying these mode!s one can generate techni)ues" The mode!s are patterns" (s such' they i!! be true 499: of the time" That is hy statistics don&t app!y" -. What can . do with NLP There are many areas in hich NLP has been uti!i$ed" /hatever your profession is' you can use NLP to bui!d on hatever it is you are a!ready doing" /. What are t"(ical NLP a((lications +o!!apsing (nchors' 3isua! S)uash' ;-step <eframing' 3=> dissociation' +hange Persona! 2istory' 8e!ief +hange' <eimprint *a!! hich are sometimes ca!!ed NLP.' are some of the techni)ues that ere derived from app!ying the mode!s" 0. .sn1t NLP mainl" used for thera(" and that1s where the (rocedures came from

% have never once ca!!ed anything % do a "procedure"" % ca!! them techni)ues or exercises" %t&s important to emphasi$e that NLP is an educationa! too!' not a form of therapy" /e don&t do therapy" /e teach peop!e some things about ho their brains function and they use this information in order to change" 2. What are the %est (roducts and a((lications for %usiness % have no idea hat some of these products are" 7nce again' % thin# it is important for peop!e to understand the distinction bet een a mode! and a techni)ue" To use "products" a!so seems s!ight!y mis!eading as % persona!!y have used more of these simp!e things in business environments" % have used everything from strategies and anchoring to the ,eta ,ode! and ,i!ton ,ode!" ?nderstanding board meetings seems to me to be the same as understanding ho a fami!y functions" %&ve done things !i#e change here peop!e sit at a tab!e and change the outcome of the meeting" 3. What a%out enhancing creati*it" % thin# the more you ant to become more and more creative you have to not on!y e!icit other peop!es& *p!ura!. strategies and rep!icate them yourse!f' but a!so modify others& strategies and have a strategy that creates ne creativity strategies based on as many onderfu! states as you can design for yourse!f" Therefore' in a ay' the entire fie!d of NLP is a creative too!' because % anted to create something ne " 4. What a%out learning strategies /hich !earning strategies are usefu! in hich contexts@ /hat if e design ne ' more intense states and used those as the basis upon hich e !earn@ (!! the mode!s and techni)ues can be of use in many areas or professions" None of these areas are different from one another once you denomina!i$e the ords' i"e" "therapy' creativity' !earning' business"" 15. What is the %est (rogression for learning NLP6 is it to attend a Practitioner (rogram, then a )aster Practitioner , then a Trainer None of these are the on!y ay to !earn NLP nor necessari!y the best for any one person" The !earning strategy they engage in i!! determine ho they !earn' but as e #no ' those aren&t set in stone" %t isn&t necessary that peop!e go in any particu!ar order" % #no that some peop!e ma#e you do them in that order' but they are' as % origina!!y designed them' different courses hich cover different materia! and % #no that !earning doesn&t come in !eve!s' because' if it did' you ou!d a!! have to have my persona! history up to 4ABC in order to use the ,eta ,ode! and that just isn&t the case" There are a!so introduction courses' -esign 2uman Engineering courses' business and persona! consu!ting' Persona! Enhancement +ourses' NLP as an app!ication to 2ypnosis' Sa!es courses' etc"

11. 7an "ou recommend some good NLP %oo&s 8 ta(es % recommend reading Persuasion Engineering' The Structure of ,agic 3o!" %' and 3o!" %%' Time 1or ( +hange" ,agic %n (ction %%' ?sing 5our 8rain 1or ( +hange' Patterns of 2ypnotic Techni)ues of ,i!ton 2" Eric#son 3o! % D 3o!" %%' as e!! as The (dventures of (nybody" % a!so recommend reading the texts !isted in the bib!iography of The Structure of ,agic %" The tapes % recommend inc!ude Patterns of Persuasion' -esign 2uman Engineering' 2ypnosis in ,unich *unedited.' Persona! Enhancement Series *The Neurosonics Tapes.' The 8arbi$onTapes' and The NeuroSynchroni$er" ,ost of these products can be purchased through NLP Seminars Eroup %nternationa!&s 8oo# D Tape +ata!og" 1!" What are the roots of NLP (ny references to the ear!y or# can be found in the bib!iography to The Structure of ,agic 3o!" %" These refer to some of the research that % used to deve!op NLP" <eading these boo#s ith a #no !edge of hat NLP is i!! sho that they had something but didn&t #no hat' yet" % too# a fe things from these and other p!aces and forma!i$ed them into mode!s hich % app!y" % ou!d high!y recommend reading those texts referred to the bib!iography of The Structure of ,agic 3o!" %" Sometimes it seems that NLPers as# stupid )uestions and the reason hy NLPer&s seem to as# stupid )uestions is because The Structure of ,agic 3o!" % is ritten bac# ards and doesn&t te!! you ho to use the ,eta ,ode! in order to go some here" That&s because it as a mode! of ho therapists as#ed )uestions" Try reading chapter F from the !ast distinction to the first" That is the proper order"