The story goes (may or may not be true), Richard Bandler was driving down the road, when he hears a siren sounding. He pulls over, and the cop asks him for his occupation.
Thinking on his feet, and wanting to say something impressive, Bandler says 'I am a neuro-linguistic programmer'
And, so, (possibly), the term NLP was born.
A lot of new hypnotists seem to think that NLP is a form of covert or conversational hypnosis, or a collection of techniques and methodologies of therapy or persuasion.
Unfortunately, that's not quite right...
Now, I can't stand people who get all technical about terminology at the expense of real, practical skills.
Hopefully, however, the understandings and clarity you gain from this post will open up a whole new world for you in terms of ideas, techniques, and strategies, whilst preventing you from stepping on the toes of pedantic purists who, frankly, need to get a life!
I was certified as an NLP practitioner by Igor Ledochowski when I was 16.
Up until then, I too was baffled as to where the line between NLP and hypnosis lay.
Here's the thing you gotta understand:
NLP is NOT hypnosis.
Nor is it therapy, persuasion, self development, a pattern or technique.
At it's most fundemental form, NLP is modeling. (no, not clay modeling...)
Modeling, in NLP terms, is basically the process of finding people who are unusually good at something, and figuring out how they do it.
This has been most extensively applied (or at least most publicly,) in the field of psychotherapy, and one of the key people modeled was our good friend, Milton H. Erickson, M.D, (from Phoenix, Arizona).
Bandler and Grinder (using a combination of what is basically Deep Trance Identification, some really confusing mathematical equations [Bandler's a computer programmer], and lot's of needlessly big words [Grinder's a linguist], broke down the unconscious actions of these successful people into what have become the techniques of NLP (IE the swish pattern, the squash pattern, collapsing anchors etc).
Here's where is get's a bit muddled...
People teach the techniques born from this modeling as what NLP is, and Ericksonian hypnotists too, model Milton Erickson, but don't usually claim to be NLPers. People teach covert and conversational hypnosis which seem to be the techniques of NLP, with a some other stuff thrown in, and traditional hypnotherapists demonstrate perfect anchoring technique and submodality elicitation without ever hearing the term 'neuro-linguistic'...
Hands up whose confused here...
Here's how I gain mental clarity, learn heaps more than I otherwise would, and have an unlimited supply of rich ideas at my disposal:
Step 1: Ignore the contradictions.
The direct hypnotists think the indirect lot are a bunch of intellectuals who take far too long and never get results. The indirect lot think the direct hypnotists are brutal authoritarians one step above Svengali. NLPers often stand above the fray and lure in corporations with fancy phrases and needlessly convoluted terminology.
Step one in your magic process of reconciling the hypnotic world we live in, is to just accept it.
Step 2: Ignore the labels.
It's all hypnosis. Or, none of it's hypnosis, or it's all NLP, or whatever!
I call it all hypnosis, however the label is irrelevant except for public relations and branding. (Who else is beginning to think we are really just comparing Nike and Adidas here, different brands of the exact same thing!)
Don't get me wrong here though, (did you know I got shouted at by an NLPer the last time I used that phrase!), what Bandler, Grinder and the many other NLP movers and shakers have done for the world is hugely valuable. If we ignore the pointless politics, NLP has brought hypnosis forward many years, and given people of numerous fields access to an enriching new outlook and wonderful ideas and tools.
At the end of the day, I would suggest that you ignore what it's called, take what's useful, and leave the rest.
I really hope this helps, and if you have any questions, just comment.
Cheers
Nathan Thomas
PS
The Confident Hypnotist launches January 10.
We've just had all the main audio elements fully transcribed, and despite some inevitable hiccups, we are well on schedule.
Right now, you'll find a 30(ish) minute long Tele-Seminar on the homepage which will teach you some useful strategies for being successful with street hypnosis, instant inductions, and self hypnosis. Check it out (free) here.
Unless my computer get's eaten by a snake or explodes in this atrocious heat (I'm living in Australia at the moment, and spent half of today chasing a red bellied black snake away from the pool with a water blaster whilst visitor proofing the property) make sure you check TheConfidentHypnotist.com the second you wake up on the 10th, to make sure you grab your copy.
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