N.L.P.

Using Your Brain … for a Change

by Gayle North

Most of us have spent more time learning how to operate the food processor than we have spent learning how to use our own brain. We struggle with frustrating aspects of our lives that could be easily improved with a few elegant techniques that have been researched and proven effective by behavioral scientists around the world.

When we think about past or future events or focus on a movie to the point that we lose track of time temporarily, we are in a trance state or altered state of consciousness. We are most often in a trance state while performing routine tasks.

There is nothing mysterious about these levels of consciousness, they are a natural part of our everyday lives. In these trance states our subconscious brains are highly receptive.

We all know our thoughts and self-talk influence our personal reality. What we may not know is that we may be using our natural trance states when the mind is highly receptive to instill images and thoughts by re-running old movies of ourselves in unpleasant experiences from the past or worrying about possible traumas in our futures.

Repetition increases the power of these suggestions even more helping us to very successfully create what we do not want.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming facilitates the acceptance of a new personal image or concept as a non-smoker, better golfer, more wise and loving parent, effective public speaker, etc.

With the acceptance of the new empowering self concept, the negative image and self-talk is replaced with the desired images and supportive self-talk. This happens without any conscious effort.

NLP technology developed from the knowledge gained in studying how top people in different fields achieve their outstanding results. The approach is practical. It gets results.

N.L.P., very gently and elegantly, breaks through the conditioned limitations that keep us from reaching our full potential. Anyone may be guided through N.L.P. to improve personal and professional effectiveness.

The process used in N.L.P. is called modeling. It is being used in world class sports, counseling, education and business for more effective communication, personal development and accelerated learning.

If I describe to you my vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii telling you about snorkeling in a clear lagoon watching the swift movements of the brightly colored tropical fish, and how it soothing it was being in the warm water as I scanned the underwater scenery, -- as you listen to my story, your state of consciousness, hopefully, will be altered so that you can experience some representation of what I experienced. If so, I will have achieved the same hypnotic patterns of communication that are used by successful poets, salesmen, parents, religious leaders, etc.

Hypnosis is a patterned communication process that allows us to "hear" and be "heard" better because receptivity is enhanced. In these altered states of mind, our outmoded unwanted behaviors and responses can be gently replaced.

With practice, we can facilitate our own changes using self-hypnosis. All hypnosis is ultimately self-hypnosis anyway, and the competent professional always teaches techniques that can be called upon at will.

A professional hypnotherapist only streamlines the learning curve and guide clients through the change process.

NLP and hypnosis are used together to bring about remedial changes by creating new images of ourselves and then releasing resistance to successfully making the changes we desire. The natural next step then, is to calmly and easily stop smoking, release unreasonable fears, correct insomnia, or assume ideal weight, etc. - without effort.

These tools are also used in pro-active ways to increase our abilities and choices in life. We can increase self-confidence, improve memory, increase relaxation and eliminate tension, communicate more effectively with family and associates, control blood pressure, improve performance, concentration, overcome grief, increase the ability to earn and hold onto money, etc.

Using these technologies as tools, we can break out of a negative spiral by relaxing and communicating to the deeper areas of our brain to manifest the desires of our hearts.