Neuro Linguistic Programming

Neuro
Nervous system through which experience is received and processed through the five senses

Linguistic
Language and non-verbal communication systems through which neural representations are coded, ordered and given meaning

Programming
The ability to organise our communication and neurological systems to achieve specific desired goals and results

The roots of NLP are founded, as is Solution Focused Brief Therapy, with Milton Erickson, the foremost hypnotherapist in the world.

The developer of NLP, Dr. Richard Bandler, studied with Erickson as did Steve deShazer, founder of Solution Focused Brief Therapy. While deShazer asked “why do we have to hypnotise our clients – why can’t we just have conversations for change?” Dr Bandler was of the opinion that often the subconscious would sabotage any positive moves forward and developed a process to avoid this.

I am of the opinion that both are right. When working with individuals who wish to make personal change on addiction or fears – or for those individuals who are so resistant to change that they feel traumatised at the thought of it - NLP is an excellent process to implement when done so by a skilled practitioner. 

When working with families who would like the situation around them to change as part of family conflict-resolution work and in other situations where people are just lost in the problem and can not see outside of that – Solution Focused Brief Interventions is also an excellent tool to use.

Just as Dr Richard Bandler harnessed his own skills with those handed down to him by Erickson, Paul McKenna has taken the training he received from Dr Richard Bandler, harnessed this to his own skills and used it to great effect to demystify the whole area of hypnotherapy.

Having been trained as a Licensed Practitioner in NLP by both Paul McKenna and Dr Bandler, I was thrilled to have a lifelong belief confirmed by these people - that tracing the pathology of the problem does not necessarily help anyone to move on.

In keeping with my own belief that "everyday above ground is a good day"  - helping someone to achieve a different frame of mind; to embrace change because they have been freed from their negative beliefs systems in a short space of time rather in years of psychotherapy can only be seen as a positive thing. This does not, of course, negate the client's wish to explore the pathology of their problem or issue or indeed their life - it just ensures that the worker does not place a ceiling on change.

Eileen Murphy