Namaste
Things are definitely gearing up for the start of new school year - just a few days to go now! - It was palpable in everyone I met yesterday.... that old familiar feeling?.....buying of pencil cases, satchels and pristine notebooks for a fresh term to start. (is this just a girl thing?) There is even a smell in the air as the Dog days of Summer begin to pass, just a little chill in what has been an amazing summer of weather. Am I really talking about the weather? .... well yes. I love the change of seasons, the promise of the new, particularly the move into Autumn and then from winter into Spring. People move differently as weather changes as we head into September, skin gets covered and we brace ourselves for wind and rain. Not quite there yet - but a faint whiff. Even in the workplace we are affected by the beginning of the school term feeling - no more 'holiday' excuses for things not done - lets just get on with it.
Yesterday was full of meetings about new creative projects for Jasmine Street spanning a wide range of ideas and some exciting news on the horizon......
One of my conversations was about the integration of NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) into my artistic practice. I did my Master Practitioner training over a decade ago - to enhance my directorial skills, character and mood
analysis etc and to develop my coaching practice. I found it a hugely useful technology and have integrated it very naturally into how I do my work. But I was asked yesterday to describe specifically what NLP is and I have to admit to searching deep for the best description - and actually I wasn't very satisfied with my definition. So I went back to basics - always useful I find to revisit your training books, handouts etc because however expert you are in a particular discipline - there will be things to relearn and remember.
So here is a definition by one of the leading NLP minds - Robert Dilts reproduced from his website www.nlpu.com
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that encompasses the three most influential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming. The neurological system regulates how our bodies function, language determines how we interface and communicate with other people and our programming determines the kinds of models of the world we create. Neuro-Linguistic Programming describes the fundamental dynamics between mind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how their interplay affects our body and behavior (programming).
NLP is a pragmatic school of thought - an 'epistemology' - that addresses the many levels involved in being human. NLP is a multi-dimensional process that involves the development of behavioural competence and flexibility, but also involves strategic thinking and an understanding of the mental and cognitive processes behind behaviour. NLP provides tools and skills for the development of states of individual excellence, but it also establishes a system of empowering beliefs and presuppositions about what human beings are, what communication is and what the process of change is all about. At another level, NLP is about self-discovery, exploring identity and mission. It also provides a framework for understanding and relating to the 'spiritual' part of human experience that reaches beyond us as individuals to our family, community and global systems. NLP is not only about competence and excellence, it is about wisdom and vision.
In essence, all of NLP is founded on two fundamental presuppositions:
1. The Map is Not the Territory. As human beings, we can never know reality. We can only know our perceptions of reality. We experience and respond to the world around us primarily through our sensory representational systems. It is our 'neuro-linguistic' maps of reality that determine how we behave and that give those behaviours meaning, not reality itself. It is generally not reality that limits us or empowers us, but rather our map of reality.
2. Life and 'Mind' are Systemic Processes. The processes that take place within a human being and between human beings and their environment are systemic. Our bodies, our societies, and our universe form an ecology of complex systems and sub-systems all of which interact with and mutually influence each other. It is not possible to completely isolate any part of the system from the rest of the system. Such systems are based on certain 'self-organising' principles and naturally seek optimal states of balance or homeostasis.
All of the models and techniques of NLP are based on the combination of these two principles. In the belief system of NLP it is not possible for human beings to know objective reality. Wisdom, ethics and ecology do not derive from having the one 'right' or 'correct' map of the world, because human beings would not be capable of making one. Rather, the goal is to create the richest map possible that respects the systemic nature and ecology of ourselves and the world we live in. The people who are most effective are the ones who have a map of the world that allows them to perceive the greatest number of available choices and perspectives. NLP is a way of enriching the choices that you have and perceive as available in the world around you. Excellence comes from having many choices. Wisdom comes from having multiple perspectives.
NLP was originated by John Grinder (whose background was in linguistics) and Richard Bandler (whose background was in mathematics and gestalt therapy) for the purpose of making explicit models of human excellence. Their first work The Structure of Magic Vol. I & II (1975, 1976) identified the verbal and behavioural patterns of therapists Fritz Perls (the creator of gestalt therapy) and Virginia Satir (internationally renowned family therapist). Their next work Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. Vol. I & II (1975, 1976) examined the verbal and behavioral patterns of Milton Erickson, founder of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and one of the most widely acknowledged and clinically successful psychiatrists of our times.
As a result of this earlier work, Grinder and Bandler formalised their modelling techniques and their own individual contributions under the name "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" to symbolise the relationship between the brain, language and the body. The basics of this model has been described in a series of books including Frogs Into Princes (Bandler & Grinder, 1979 ) , Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I (Dilts, Grinder, Bandler, DeLozier, 1980), Reframing (Bandler & Grinder, 1982) and Using Your Brain (Bandler, 1985). Through the years, NLP has developed some very powerful tools and skills for communication and change in a wide range of professional areas including: counselling, psychotherapy, education, health, creativity, law, management, sales, leadership and parenting.
NLP is now in its third decade as a field of study and has evolved considerably since its beginnings in the mid 1970s. Over the years, NLP has literally spread around the world and has touched the lives of millions of people. Since the 1990's, a new generation of NLP has been developing. This form of NLP addresses generative and systemic applications and focuses on high level issues such as identity, vision and mission. More details about this new generation can be found in NLP II: The Next Generation - Enriching the Study of Subjective Experience (Dilts, DeLozier and Bacon Dilts).
Citation: This page and all contents copyright © 1999, 2011 Robert B. Dilts, Santa Cruz, CA. All rights reserved.
As a Master Practitioner of NLP I belong to the professional body ANLP through which we continue to learn, train, share and develop practice. I will be writing an article on theatre practice and NLP for a forthcoming edition of the NLP magazine Rapport. http://www.anlp.org/
Yesterday was full of meetings about new creative projects for Jasmine Street spanning a wide range of ideas and some exciting news on the horizon......
One of my conversations was about the integration of NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) into my artistic practice. I did my Master Practitioner training over a decade ago - to enhance my directorial skills, character and mood
analysis etc and to develop my coaching practice. I found it a hugely useful technology and have integrated it very naturally into how I do my work. But I was asked yesterday to describe specifically what NLP is and I have to admit to searching deep for the best description - and actually I wasn't very satisfied with my definition. So I went back to basics - always useful I find to revisit your training books, handouts etc because however expert you are in a particular discipline - there will be things to relearn and remember.
So here is a definition by one of the leading NLP minds - Robert Dilts reproduced from his website www.nlpu.com
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that encompasses the three most influential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming. The neurological system regulates how our bodies function, language determines how we interface and communicate with other people and our programming determines the kinds of models of the world we create. Neuro-Linguistic Programming describes the fundamental dynamics between mind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how their interplay affects our body and behavior (programming).
NLP is a pragmatic school of thought - an 'epistemology' - that addresses the many levels involved in being human. NLP is a multi-dimensional process that involves the development of behavioural competence and flexibility, but also involves strategic thinking and an understanding of the mental and cognitive processes behind behaviour. NLP provides tools and skills for the development of states of individual excellence, but it also establishes a system of empowering beliefs and presuppositions about what human beings are, what communication is and what the process of change is all about. At another level, NLP is about self-discovery, exploring identity and mission. It also provides a framework for understanding and relating to the 'spiritual' part of human experience that reaches beyond us as individuals to our family, community and global systems. NLP is not only about competence and excellence, it is about wisdom and vision.
In essence, all of NLP is founded on two fundamental presuppositions:
1. The Map is Not the Territory. As human beings, we can never know reality. We can only know our perceptions of reality. We experience and respond to the world around us primarily through our sensory representational systems. It is our 'neuro-linguistic' maps of reality that determine how we behave and that give those behaviours meaning, not reality itself. It is generally not reality that limits us or empowers us, but rather our map of reality.
All of the models and techniques of NLP are based on the combination of these two principles. In the belief system of NLP it is not possible for human beings to know objective reality. Wisdom, ethics and ecology do not derive from having the one 'right' or 'correct' map of the world, because human beings would not be capable of making one. Rather, the goal is to create the richest map possible that respects the systemic nature and ecology of ourselves and the world we live in. The people who are most effective are the ones who have a map of the world that allows them to perceive the greatest number of available choices and perspectives. NLP is a way of enriching the choices that you have and perceive as available in the world around you. Excellence comes from having many choices. Wisdom comes from having multiple perspectives.
As a result of this earlier work, Grinder and Bandler formalised their modelling techniques and their own individual contributions under the name "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" to symbolise the relationship between the brain, language and the body. The basics of this model has been described in a series of books including Frogs Into Princes (Bandler & Grinder, 1979 ) , Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I (Dilts, Grinder, Bandler, DeLozier, 1980), Reframing (Bandler & Grinder, 1982) and Using Your Brain (Bandler, 1985). Through the years, NLP has developed some very powerful tools and skills for communication and change in a wide range of professional areas including: counselling, psychotherapy, education, health, creativity, law, management, sales, leadership and parenting.
NLP is now in its third decade as a field of study and has evolved considerably since its beginnings in the mid 1970s. Over the years, NLP has literally spread around the world and has touched the lives of millions of people. Since the 1990's, a new generation of NLP has been developing. This form of NLP addresses generative and systemic applications and focuses on high level issues such as identity, vision and mission. More details about this new generation can be found in NLP II: The Next Generation - Enriching the Study of Subjective Experience (Dilts, DeLozier and Bacon Dilts).
Citation: This page and all contents copyright © 1999, 2011 Robert B. Dilts, Santa Cruz, CA. All rights reserved.
As a Master Practitioner of NLP I belong to the professional body ANLP through which we continue to learn, train, share and develop practice. I will be writing an article on theatre practice and NLP for a forthcoming edition of the NLP magazine Rapport. http://www.anlp.org/
2 comments:
Nicely put .Carole. I find that Bandler has mellowed and got more spiritual as he gets older. NLP as I practice it in tandem with hypnosis is a great way to give tools to clients - at he simple level anchoring can help an anxious or stressed person intervene and re educate themselves to react calmly rather than anxiously and look for the best possible solution. I teach many performers to utilise NLP with self hypnosis from focussing for an audition to exploring character.. The possibilities are endless!
Thanks for your comment Graham - There -iis a great deal of synergy with the disciplines - interesting too how we all make it our own! Sounds like the work you do with actors is very beneficial.
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