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NLP - Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who founded NLP?
2. What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)?
3. What is Neuro-Semantics?
4. What is Coaching?
5. What is Hypnotherapy?
6. What is the difference between Traditional Hypnotherapy and NLP Hypnotherapy?
7. How does NLP differ from Psychology and Psychiatry?
8. What are the applications of NLP?
9. What are the principles of NLP?
10. What is your background?
11. Concerns about Hypnosis.
12. Blog notes on Hypnosis

1. Who founded NLP?

Richard Bandler is credited with 'discovering' the NLP modelling technique in the early 1970s when he inadvertently modelled Fritz Perls. According to John Grinder, Bandler and Frank Pucelik were highly skilled in both modelling and Gestalt Therapy by the time he started working with them in 1974. John was originally co-opted to turn what Bandler and Pucelik could already do into a coherent model they could teach to others. Credit also needs to be given to a host of other codevelopers who played a part in its development as a field.

Bandler went on to develop Design Human Engineering, Grinder developed the New Code NLP,  Anthony Robbins developed Neuro Associative Conditioning, Michael L. Hall developed Neuro Semantics, and many others have developed their own change models based upon the original NLP model.

If you have an interest in studying NLP it is recommended that you study some of the early books and training materials in order to gain an understanding of the spirit in which NLP was created.

 

2. What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)?

• General Semantics: Non Aristotelian Systems. Alfred Korzybski. The map is not the territory.
• Transformational Grammar: An evolution from General Semantics. A change in the structure of language affects behaviour. Linguistic analysis.
• Logical Levels: Steps to an ecology of mind. Gregory Bateson.
• Stimulus response conditioning: Ivan Pavlov.
• Family Therapy: Virginia Satir. The Meta Model.
• Hypnosis: Milton Erickson. The Milton Model.
• Gestalt therapy: Fritz Perls.
• Body work: Moshe Feldenkrais.
• Physics: Laser technology and foray patterns.
• Systems theory: Strategies. Galanter, Miller and Pribram.
• Quantum physics: The observer influences the subject and therefore the outcome.
• Psychology: William James. Principles of Psychology 1891.

3. What is Neuro-Semantics?

Neuro-Semantics was developed by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. "As an inter-disciplinary field, the models of Neuro-Semantics come from the field of the Cognitive Behavioral sciences, from Developmental Psychology, the neuro-sciences, General Semantics, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), cognitive linguistics, cybernetics, and system dynamics. The first and core model of Neuro-Semantics is the Meta-States Model developed in 1994 by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. The Meta-States Model contributed to the NLP Model the modeling of self-reflexive consciousness and has taken NLP to a higher level of professional ethics." (L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. www.neurosemantics.com)

4. What is Coaching?

Coaching is the process of helping another person to access their internal and external resources, and utilise those resources to achieve a desired outcome that is in alignment with their highest potential. Coaching is a method to bring dreams about the future into the reality of now. Coaching may involve clearing up past issues that prevent the actualisation of your goals but the focus is always on the future. Coaching in Neuro-Semantics is called Meta-Coaching.

Coaches may specialise in one area of expertise, for example: business coaching, performance coaching, executive coaching, team coaching, personal coaching, life coaching, health coaching, wealth coaching, sports coaching, relationship coaching, spiritual coaching, transformational coaching, etc.

Business coaching focuses on the structure of a business as in financial planning, marketing, systems and procedures, business development, etc. Business coaching may involve working with an individual or a team.

Performance coaching focuses on improving performance in a specified area of expertise.

Executive coaching, personal coaching and life coaching are all similar in that they focus on personal development and on the individual performing better either in a business environment in their personal life.

Transformational coaching has the aim of awakening the client to their life's purpose and helping them to restructure their sense of self and then build a propulsion system towards achieving their desired outcomes.

Levels of Coaching

1. Performance Coaching: is focussed on improving the performance of current behaviours and skills. As one improves behaviour the changes may slowly filter up through to higher levels of mind and stimulates change in capability, beliefs, values, attitudes, identity and spirituality.

2. Developmental Coaching: is focussed on developing capabilities and new behaviours by working directly at the level of beliefs, values and identity.

3. Transformational Coaching: is focussed on facilitating a paradigm shift at the level of identity and spirituality.

5. What is Hypnotherapy?

Therapy is the process of healing problems that originate in the past from conditioning and life experience. Therapy gets you ready for coaching. Hypnotherapy is the process of using hypnosis for therapeutic outcomes. Combining NLP with hypnosis makes therapy more effective. Therapy may include some elements of coaching.

6. What is the difference between Traditional Hypnotherapy and NLP Hypnotherapy?

NLP provides a methodology for identifying the structure of the mind. NLP allows us to map out our unconscious process much like a road map. Traditional hypnotherapy provides a method to communicate with and make suggestions to the unconscious mind but it can be a little vague and ill defined. For example, with traditional therapy one may be advised to attend four to five sessions and then wait and see if you get the desired outcome. However, by combining hypnotherapy with NLP you get immediate results while you are in the session room. By the end of the session you should know that you have made significant changes. Often times the changes are transformational. That is why on the NLP Hypnotherapy feedback pages you will read so many examples of people having made massive change in one or two sessions.

7. How does NLP differ from Psychology and Psychiatry?

Both psychiatry and psychology tend to focus on the content, hence psychiatrists and psychologist may spend considerable time having you talk about your past problems. Both psychiatry and psychology ask "why" the client has a problem. They analyse the client until they decide upon a diagnosis which invariably means the client ends up wearing a label. Psychiatry and psychology are related to the medical model.

Rather than focus on content NLP works with the structure of the mind. NLP is solution oriented. NLP is process oriented. NLP is not interested in why you have a problem. NLP is interested in how to get a result as quickly as possible. NLP is probably not considered to be scientific by the psychological profession but NLP is practical and methodical and most importantly NLP consistently gets results.

8. What are the applications of NLP?

NLP can be used as a therapy to heal the past and to help people change bad habits. Most importantly NLP can be used to create peak performance in the areas of business, sales, health, sport, education and learning. NLP can be used to influence most things in a person's life. The NLP models can be applied to an organisation as well as an individual, and can be applied to the study of any discipline such as science and religion.

9. Principles of NLP

• NLP is the study of subjective experience.
• The mind has a structure that can be mapped.
• Mind and body are not separate. Mind-body is one system.
• The meaning of your communication is the response that you get.
• There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.
• People are not broken - they work perfectly. We just need to find a solution.
• If your beliefs limit you then rather than changing the world change your beliefs.
• All behaviour has a positive intention. The intention needs to be acknowledged. Behaviour is the output of the matrices of mind.
• We need to add choices, not take them away. People will always choose the best option.
• If someone else can do it, then their is a possibility that others can to.
• There needs to be sufficient degree of rapport (trust and respect) between the coach and the client for transformational change to occur.
• The NLP Practitioner / Coach / Hypnotherapist acts as a facilitator to help the client reorganise their matrices of mind.
• The session outcome needs to be well formed.
• The client has all the resources they need to bring about a change.
• The client is responsible for the changes they make.

10. What is your background?

Abby Eagle NLP hypnotherapy qualifications.

I started out my academic life by studying Applied Science and working as a Laboratory Technician at the University of Western Australia, department of Botany for twelve years. I completed half of first year towards a degree in Psychology before deferring due to ill health. In retrospect not completing a psychology degree was one of the best things that happened to me as I did not get indoctrinated with an antiquated model of change work. After the Lab Tech position I held a number of telemarketing positions and then explored a variety of self employment opportunities. For a short period I held a position as Honorary Probation and Parole Officer at Department of Corrective Services in Fremantle WA which involved interviewing offenders and writing personal history reports.

Just after leaving the university I took Sannyas with the contemporary Zen mystic, Osho. I participated in many types of meditation practice and personal development workshops with other Sannyasins between 1984 and 1990. In 1984 I took a weekly psychic skills development class with Jesse Greene at which we learned how to develop intuition and psychic skills for the purpose of deepening our meditation. It was at her classes that I was introduced to NLP and hypnosis. Jesse went on to specialise in the field of Addiction and Co-dependency.

I travelled to the United States and India to visit Osho's communes and explore meditation and leading edge personal growth procedures. On returning from India I promoted various psychologists in the personal growth industry, the most relevant one being Terry McClendon who delivered the first NLP Practitioner Certification to be held in Perth.

After that I applied my NLP skills to modelling clairvoyants, channelers and psychics, and proceeded to run courses in Psychic Skills on the Gold Coast. Over the years I have presented talks on NLP to industry bodies, associations and to any audience that would listen; and given personal consultations and delivered workshops on NLP and hypnosis. For three years I consulted at Hippocrates Health Centre on the Gold Coast Qld where I was able to observe the healing effect of the mind on the physical body.

I branched out a from personal development for a while and applied my skills to marketing for small businesses. Up until 1999 my sales experience had been restricted to direct sales, seminars and telemarketing so I took a job as a show room sales consultant with a Gold Coast retailer and sold furniture for six months before moving back into marketing.

From 2001 to 2003 I managed the business development arm for Bazdale Finance Brokers on the Gold Coast. I wrote their administration manual, designed recruitment procedures, compiled a training manual for their agents and consultants. Sometime around 2002 I refocused my energies back into the application of NLP, hypnotherapy and meditation for stress management and mind-body healing.