What is NLP ... and Is It for Me?
Author: Louise LeBrun

NLP - or Neuro Linguistic Programming - has been around for about 25 years. A body of knowledge that was originally put together by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, many have since invested years of experience and training working with people to create what has evolved into a science. And as a science, it has been recognized as one of the singularly most powerful tools that supports rapid and profound change in human behavior. Here's what a couple of journals have to say about NLP:

"NLP may be the most powerful vehicle for change in existence..."
Modern Psychology

"NLP could be the most important synthesis of knowledge about human communication to emerge since the sixties."
Science Digest

"NLP cannot be dismissed as just another hustle. Its theoretical underpinnings represent an ambitious attempt to codify and synthesize the insights of linguistics, body language and the study of communication systems."
Psychology Today

"(NLP) does offer the potential for making changes without the usual agony that accompanies these phenomena... Thus it affords the opportunity to gain flexibility, creativity and greater freedom of action than most of us now know..."
Training and Development Journal

"... real estate brokers and salespeople use Neuro-Linguistics to enhance their communication skills and provide them with more choices when working in a difficult situation. ... it shows how we make sense of the world around us and communicate."
Real Estate Today

"Peter Senge introduces the concept of personal mastery in his book 'The Fifth Discipline'. NLP provides the 'how' to achieve this."
Sue Knight, NLP at Work: The Difference That Makes a Difference in Business



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We are long past the point of debating whether or not NLP works. The jury is in, and the results are outstanding!

Learning NLP is not so much discovering a new way of doing things, but becoming able to recognize not only what we are doing but how we are doing it. This awareness, coupled with the techniques that NLP has produced, gives us both the insight and the practical skills to change our lives. Not only can we make the choices that change the course of our lives, we can easily and with grace also change our behavior. And we all know what it's like to want something, even to commit to something -- and be undone by our habits. If this sounds familiar, then maybe NLP is for you.

NLP gives us both the context and the techniques to be able to notice different things, and to notice things differently. Think about being able to look at a forest -- and then, to distinguish a pine, from a maple, from a cedar. Without the knowledge of NLP, there is only forest. Those finer distinctions elude us. And frankly, sometimes it is useful to be able to distinguish which of those trees would best suit our need in the moment: a pine for its majesty; a maple for its syrup; and a cedar for its wonderful aromatic properties. A cedar closet produces a different experience than one made of elm.

NLP gives us the tools to be able to notice ourselves. We are a culture that prides itself on our conditioned capacity to notice things outside of ourselves, particularly the rules, and to mold and shape ourselves accordingly. We are quick to pay attention to what someone else has done or said or worse, what they haven't done or said; and we are quick to notice what someone else is doing; and particularly who's fault it is. And even with all this training, how successful are we at changing other people? Not very! NLP gives us both the context and the tools to begin to notice ourselves, for a change (both literally and figuratively!). Given that the only thing we have any control over is ourselves, that may not only be the most practical place to start - it may be the only place.

NLP: the language may be new to you, but the things that NLP represents are as old as time. And we've been doing these things naturally and by habit, since to do so is the nature of being human. Wouldn't it be more useful to be able to know how we're doing what we're doing, so that we know how to do something else if we so desire? Perhaps something more powerful, more respectful, more revitalizing? Something with more dignity, honor, integrity?

If you choose to explore NLP, shop around. We often recommend some basic texts that are relatively free of the jargon of NLP. Seymour and O'Connor's books are great; as is 'The Magic of NLP Demystified' by Lewis and Pucelik. These will give you an idea as to how far your interest will take you. Talk to people, too. Ask for client references from your prospective trainers so that you can talk to the people they've trained. Feel free to ask your trainers some of the tough questions, and then listen well. Ask them: Why did you choose NLP? What has it done for you? How are you different as a result of your
experiences teaching NLP? Where are you still growing with NLP? Look for a trainer who is a living model of what NLP teaches; who behaves like the kind of person that you want to become. It's not about the 'right trainer' or the 'wrong trainer': it's about the right trainer for you. Find someone who is not only technically sound and well-credentialed, but who feels right to you when you talk with them. And, finally, choose a trainer that leaves you feeling good about yourself. After all, when you go home, the trainer stays behind.

Make no mistake - making changes in your life will have consequences. Yet, what you often fail to recognize is that NOT making changes in your life already has consequences - you get more of what you've got. How much do you like what you've already got?

Your life is up to you. Are you equipped to handle it?






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Louise LeBrun is the Managing Partner of Partners in Renewal Inc. (www.partnersinrenewal.com) an Ottawa, Canada based company providing education, facilitation and assistance in organizational change, career / life transition using the latest methodologies, including NLP. She is a world-class educator, speaker and facilitator; as well as a published author and creator of the Women and Power audio tape series. She can be reached at wel-systems@canada.com.

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