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Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming and is a new branch of psychology. It provides a model for excellence which focuses more on process than content i.e, it discovers out how we think and how we do things as well as what we think and do. Many processes are unconscious and produce patterns which are repeated whereas content is constantly changing. NLP enables us to recognize unconscious patterns, and by identifying and changing these, bring about rapid change that is more fundamental and permanent.
NLP evolved in the mid seventies in the USA. John Grinder a linguistics professor and Richard Bandler a mathematician and Gestalt therapist were influenced by the ideas of anthropologist, Gregory Bateson.
Grinder and Bandler became interested in what makes the difference between someone who is excellent at something and someone who isn't. They modeled or studied a few of the most successful communicators and therapists; Fritz Peris, Virginia Satir and Milton Erickson and discovered that they each held certain positive beliefs and attitudes and used particular behavioral and linguistic patterns. Grinder and Bandler created models of these and found that when less skilled people applied these models their performance improved. These models form the basis of NLP.
NLP can be used for personal and professional development. It can be applied to any area of life: counseling/psychotherapy, physical therapies, training, business, education, sport and the arts but it has particular application in counseling and therapy (mind and body). It provides the therapist with a system for effective communication, gathering information very precisely and quickly and identifying limiting patterns. It also provides a number of powerful therapeutic methods to bring about more choice, flexibility and lasting change.