A few weeks since my last post as part of my new “do less” strategy, which seems to be paying dividends in moving forward in my life (work and personal). I’d say sorry, but I’m really not. Less is definitely more.

One thing I have been doing though is continuing my NLP Therapy sessions and boy am I glad I am doing this. Despite the fact that I don’t want to be an NLP Practitioner in the field of therapy, I am finding that I am learning a lot by doing these few practical sessions, learnings that are filtering across all areas of my life.

One-on-one, when I am moving down one path in therapy and it goes wrong, I love it. I am learning flexibility, I am learning to think on my feet and I am developing more and more confidence in my NLP skills.

And, as a bonus, along the way I have helped someone get over a fear of heights, another person over a fear of water, another person I have helped to sleep better (amongst other things) and I helped a gymnast get over a flinch in his routine.

Actually, let me rephrase all of that last paragraph. I have enabled these people to make their own changes and it’s empowering to empower.

I am also working with someone that I am (to be honest) not getting the result that I would have hoped for by now. It’s only been two sessions, but the challenge is the response I am getting (or not). Again, it’s a learning experience and I won’t claim that I am getting it right first time (whatever ‘right’ is).

In summary, I’d suggest to anyone who is studying NLP for business or personal growth, the more varied your experience, the more flexibility you will enable yourself with.

Share:

More »

Went on another course last week at Noggin - Generative Trance. Not sure what I was expecting but Daryll had told me that it was influenced by a Stephen Gilligan course he had been on late last year.

Basically the premise of this two day course was to introduce the conscious and unconcious mind working together during trance.

My understanding and utilization of hypnosis over the years has been that the therapy is always done in collaboration with the unconscious mind and this is what I have applied whenever I work with them. However, this technique of creating a light trance and getting co-operation with the unconscious and (just as importantly) the conscious mind seems to make sense to me.

The conscious mind plays such a large part in making things happen, or not in some cases, so why shouldn’t it get involved?

One interesting aspect of the course was to use the “interuption” of the conscious mind. ie. When you are relaxing for a specific reason and conscious thoughts pop up in your head, acknowledge why they might be there and what they may mean in this context, at a semi-conscious (you are in trance after all) and unconscious way.

It’s left me with more questions - which is a good thing - which I know I will be applying in my future sessions.

Share:

More »

I did another NLP session last night and took a different tact. The thing is, I’m finding NLP a complex discussion point and confusing in the real world of therapy.

It’s worth reminding everyone that I am not a therapist and am using my NLP in this arena only to get better at applying it and learning what I learn away from the classroom, sitting in a room, one-on-one. A bit like learning to drive a car after you’ve past your test.

So, back to last night. After a 30 minute discussion, where I found myself battling a logical mind and explaining some basic principles of NLP, including Cause/Effect and Maps and Territories, I asked the client if it would be okay to hypnotise them.

By quietening the concious mind, I am then left the clear conversation with the unconcious, and not only did I feel more confident and comfortable with the session (and I realise that this is not the point), I managed to achieve my objective - complete amnesia of any unconcious conversation.

Now I am not sure if this makes me lazy or incompetent but I am feeling that as a ’sales proposition’ to a client, hypnosis is much more agreeable than NLP, even though (in my mind) I am doing the same techniques.

Comments / advice / feedback?

Share:

More »

I’ve scaled back on the original piece I was going to write, purely because I don’t know enough about it, but it’s something I have thought about a lot since it was mentioned at my NLP Practitioner course way back in 2004 when I was told that NLP could cure things like Cancer (that’s a big dramatic claim, but like I said, I don’t know enough about it).

I was reminded of this by an article called “The “Secret Language Codes” Used by Doctors and Drug Companies to Manipulate Patients” via Steve Bauer at the How To Master NLP Blog.

Basically, I am fascinated by the use of people’s language when it comes to illness and how some people have a knack of talking themselves into illness, whereas as others are very good at talking themselves out of it. My mum keeps telling me how she is getting just like my nan, who suffers from dementia.

From my own experience, I grew up as a teenager / 20 something being told how I was “just like my dad” who died at 49 from heart disease. This was a big awareness from my NLP Practitioner that came into my conscious mind… “well Craig, you better hurry up and be unhealthy then so you die young”. I managed to pile on 60 lbs during my late twenties.

And hereditary illnesses. If you believe in it enough it’s gonna happen in my opinion.

Even on the smallest scale, how many times do you hear that there is a cold doing the rounds and it’s only a matter of time before you are going to get it?

We seem to love illness and pain. Why not talk ourselves round the other way?

One of the most inspirational stories I have read is of Lance Armstrong and his fight with cancer - and I am sure there are many more stories of guts, determination and positive thinking out there. Someone who wouldn’t take no for an answer and fought and fought.

If you know someone who gets ill alot, why not check out what they are saying to themselves.

Share:

More »

I did my first phobia work with someone this week and boy did I learn a lot.

Deep down, I have wanted to do more client work for some time, especially phobias, as a way to gain more flexibility with my NLP  in that area, so I was carrying a level of anticipation and expectation. I had also spoken to a few people beforehand and this pushed me towards one specific technique (fast phobia cure with double disassociation). To be fair, it’s what I would have veered towards anyway, I just needed some confirmation.

Basically, the fast phobia cure didn’t work, and that is down to my initial lack of flexibility. Having not worked with clients before, I also now realize that I needed to explain some of the ’stuff’ we were doing up front rather than expecting that they  knew what we were doing (in terms of process) - this may, or may not, have helped. The client was trying to analyze the process as we went along.

What I did learn was that a lot of the ‘NLP techniques’ or ‘processes’ are completely flexible and don’t need to be done by the book. Basically I thought I had reduced my options but in reality had uniwttingly created more by the fast phobia cure not working.

After some initial “flapping”, where I found myself going into too much content, we moved into some temporal linguistics and a new code NLP technique called sanctuary, which gave me the calibration that I was looking for.

Expectation of NLP Therapy

The ‘client’ had previous experience of NLP and came into the session with expectation… waiting for a ‘Wow’ moment and to be honest, so was I.

One thing I have learned about NLP in therapy is that you simply don’t know what to expect with each client. In this instance, time will tell with the phobia and I am prepared to keep chipping away but I am also very confident that I managed to ‘crack’ the phobia on the night, ie. make it seem less logical to them and leave them with many other more positive options when the situation arises in the future.

One big thing I did learn, is that I need to do more NLP therapy sessions. Next one is Monday.

Share:

More »

New Year, New Me. That was the name of an NLP based workshop I went to on Monday, run by Daryll at Noggin. (I have to say that I do work with Daryll, but he is also my NLP Mentor).

Without getting big headed (like the pics of the guys on their website) I was only really going to participate and to have the experience, and, I didn’t learn any new NLP techniques I didn’t know about. But, just taking part and being in that environment, I was bound to get something out of the session for myself, and of course I did.

One of the main things about the workshop was that most of 20 people were newbies. I don’t mean that in a condescending way, rather that for me, it was great to work overtly using NLP with people who have not experienced it before.

A very brief overview of the day involved:

• How to set a well formed goal - positive, measurable, etc.
• New code NLP game (NASA) applied on a situation where better performance was desired.
• New code NLP game (walk of life) as above, but with the intention that people could use for themselves after the workshop.
• The day was wrapped up with a bit of group timeline stuff applied in conversation. (This was very interesting to watch).
• Of course, loads of metaphors and embedded suggestions throughout the day.

As I know Daryll, and I have recently done his NLP Master Practitioner Course, he had asked me to ’supervise’ a group of five people and all being new to NLP, conscious minds were working overtime. I found it challenging and enlightening to work with people in this way as I don’t often (if ever) get to. NLP for me is usually in the background.

Needless to say, by the end of the day, and from subsequent feedback, I think some of the people were bemused and amazed at what had taken place. “Can it really be that simple?”

Maybe, for some of them, their journey down the rabbit hole has begun. I do hope so. As for me, my goals are set and underway, some in my conscious awareness, some, I have parked with my unconcious mind to work on in the background.

Share:

More »

Yesterday, while out for a leisurely stroll, I started mulling over a situation I have. Something I want to do, but haven’t yet, even despite the fact I have had the experiences I have had with NLP.

When thinking about ’stuff’ like this I tend to refer back to something I learned on my NLP Practitioner Course - it helps me sort ideas out, or at the very least challenge the way I approach them. I am talking about something called Cartesian Logic.

Cartesian Logic

Cartesian Logic comes from the French Philosopher Réne Descartes and although a seemingly simple exercise it sometimes confuses the hell out of me, which is the aim I guess.

The premise is this. You have an issue / problem / question that you want to ask yourself to gain more clarity. In my instance, it was a case of asking why I have chosen not to live a more healthy lifestyle yet. Quite ambiguous I know but there is more content behind my generalization.

The principle of Cartesian Logic involves four questions:

• What would happen if X happened?
• What wouldn’t happen if X happened?
• What would happen if X didn’t happen?
• What wouldn’t happen if X didn’t happen?

When applied to my situation, the Cartesian Logic goes like this:

• What would happen if I did get healthy
• What wouldn’t happen if I did get healthy
• What would happen if I didn’t get healthy
• What wouldn’t happen if I didn’t get healthy.

The interesting thing about Cartesian Logic is that it may seem like you are asking the same question each time and perhaps you are but with a much more rounded approach and although I sometimes get to the third or fourth question and have to repeat it over and over until it sinks in what the question is, I tend to end up with a much more rounded answer or direction.

I get so much more clarity about the issue. Sometimes, an answer may even pop up from my unconscious mind (probably because I have confused my conscious mind into shutting up?).

Whether you are applying this technique within an NLP excericse, or are just looking at problem solving, Cartesian Logic really challenges your brain to challenge the question. Why not give it a go?

Share:

More »

NLP is obviously the badge I am using to talk about what I talk about on my Blog. But, linguistic imposition and influence happens in nearly every conversation… whether you label it NLP, hypnosis or even mumbo jumgo.

From the classic response of “If I were you I’d…” to my personal favourite where people talk in the second person, “You would wouldn’t you, because that’s what you’d do”; I find conversation fascinating, especially when it is informal.

In my everyday interaction with the people around me, especially friends and family who know of my interest in NLP, I am often pressed on my ‘influence’ in verbal communication because I have learned special skills, as if they should be wary of me and my words. I love that we all do it, it kind of gets me off the hook of having to explain myself when I can turn the tables.

Share:

More »

The UK has been very cold this week and the roads are deceptively icy. Today, my wife was driving home and span her car. Although shook up, she described the situation of “things slowing down” - a natural response - dare I suggest a high performance state.

It’s amazing how many ‘NLP codes’ appear in everyday life, just not badged as NLP. For many, they probably never even need to understand what NLP is (or can do) but for me, the more I understand about the natural occurance of these events, the more I see that ‘NLP’ is within everything and used by everyone.

Share:

More »

I have a young daughter, who is currently five months old. Like all babies, sometimes she gets herself in a tizz. By accident the other day I found myself being able to calm her with a simple hand movement that has obviously anchored itself with her as ‘calm’.

It’s funny because my wife recently asked me about using NLP with babies who have no developed language. When you think about it though, whether you call it NLP or not, everything is a potential anchor, from a ‘there there’ and a cuddle to a ‘NO’ said with a certain tone.

This one is a joy to watch though. From crying, she comes transfixed on my hand which I placed about 18″ away from her face, clench my fist tight and then release all my fingers to a stretch - slowly in and out. She stops crying immediately.

Like all good anchors though - I will use it sparingly.

Share:

More »

I recently did a video with Daryll at Noggin, who is developing some new code NLP games to induce high performance states. When I did my Master Practitioner course with Dartyll in November, we were encouraged that we could develop our own, which I found strange - what me?… create a New Code NLP Game?

Anyway, I realised after a while that it’s just about getting certain criteria right and it’s all “work in progress”… ie. Does the game work and can I make it simpler?

This shows itself in the video below in as much that I found the game quite easy, until Daryll added an extra condition that included moving my feet. If you also watch part two, where Daryll works with another person, you can see that they did not need the extra condition.

Share:

More »

There was an interesting programme on ITV1 in the UK last night called Britain’s Weirdest Phobias. I have never personally worked on a phobia with NLP but I have seen the fast phobia cure and the new code game ’sanctuary’ performed on a person and it was amazing to watch because the ‘patient’ had an extreme fear.

I do have a phobia lined up for the new year, but I need to wait until the other person is ready. Needless to say, I am looking forward to that one.

What struck me about last nights programme were three main things:

1. I realise it’s a TV programme but it was sensationalized to the point where they are highlighting the ‘weirdness’ of peoples irrational fears.
2. The therapists language was very negative, almost reinforcing the fear. His approach also required the people to ‘confront’ their fear which can “sometimes be traumatic”
3. Having witnessed first hand, an NLP Phobia cure, I can’t see why anyone would choose any other way.

Perhaps I am biased and naive based on what little experience I have and my leaning towards NLP techniques. Also,  I am reading Frogs Into Princes at the moment, so I am taken with the idea that all you are giving the other person is choice - taking away the limited ways in which they can react to a situation. The traditional therapy route seems to involve taking someone through an experience rather than just looking for the result.

I am interested to hear other peoples experiences with Phobias though as I would like to enhance my experiences (by metaphor), and, I can only hope that the person I am doing the Phobia with soon didn’t see last nights programme.

Share:

More »

My ‘day job’ involves building web solutions for corporate clients. As part of this, I always analyze ways in which I can bring in NLP Communications to the marketing ‘experience’ that I am trying to create.

Lat week, I interviewed Daryll Scott, friend and NLP Guru,  about it - here’s the resulting video…

Share:

More »