Juliet Grayson and Brigid Proctor
NLP is a systemic way of working. This means we see people as a system of interactions (for example physical, mental emotional and spiritual) and also see the system within a system within a system (for example, a child within a family, living in a village, living in England and so on).
NLP arose from studying the structure of an individual's everyday experience in detail, particularly focusing on people who were considered exceptional in their field. From this NLP developed:
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a set of presuppositions (guiding principles and attitudes) |
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a methodology for modelling (what to observe and how to 'frame' that) |
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a system of coding (the how to - a detailed description) |
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a series of models (different ways of understanding) |
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a trail of techniques (things to do) |
An NLP therapist will encourage us to interact trustingly with our unconscious, and help us learn how to do that using movements, sensations, sounds, language and visualizations. The words we use will be taken seriously and literally. By paying close attention to language, and sharing an understanding of the deeper implications of using certain words, phrases and tenses, the therapist will help us to explore and experience different ways of thinking, and to consider alternative meanings behind our hopes, behaviours and experiences. When coming for help we will probably have explored most of the conscious solutions (those we are aware of). The NLP process is designed to help us become more aware and use all the possibilities which are within us, including the unconscious ones, which have been out of our awareness, lying dormant and unknown.
Further information about this therapeutic approach written by the authors, can be found in "Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: The Essential Guide", edited by Professor Stephen Palmer and published by Sage, London. Price £18.99.
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