What is NLP? The study of Human Excellence – The Ultimate How-To

More than thirty years ago, and at a low point in my life, the most amazing thing happened on my way home one night. An unexpected meeting and a note passed to me that simply read, “get this book,” led me to the most extraordinary life of NLP.

I used NLP to solve some monster emotional problems in my life and find my soul mate, Ronda, and together, we created the first fully Certified Online NLP Training.

It all happened as if it were meticulously planned, but it wasn’t.

So, perhaps you’ll be curious and create an amazing life too? It’s worth checking out, isn’t it?

But that may not be why you’re here. You may be just a little curious about what this NLP thing is, and that’s OK too. So, check out the most common answers below.

Already know what NLP is and want more?
Check out these pages:

• NLP Techniques
• Benefits of NLP

Surprise! NLP is short for Neuro Linguistic Programming

OK, so this is the obvious part, NLP is the short form of Neuro Linguistic Programming. But in the old days, some people got weirded out by the Neuro Linguistic Programming part. So let’s break that down, so you’re clear on what it actually means.

• Neuro stands for the study of the mind or brain and nervous system.
• Linguistic is for how our language creates our internal processes.
• Programming connects how you create or program your reality by these processes.

Now, here are 4 descriptors to explain what NLP does:

1. The study of people and how they perceive reality.
2. The study of people and how they process information about the world around them.
3. The “how-to” manual or psychology for how we work as human beings.
4. The study of Human Excellence – how people do what they do well.

My favorite was number 3 above, but other lesser systems have copied it for their own. And so it has become watered down and not associated with strickly with NLP as it once was. Number 4 was from Tony Robbins.

Here Are Some More Answers For “What Is NLP?”

First Our Short Answer:

“NLP Techniques & NLP Patterns help you achieve Excellence in Your Life.”

A Longer Answer:

“A model of communication that focuses on identifying and using patterns of thought that influence a person’s behavior as a means of improving the quality and effectiveness of their lives. It offers a paradigm of how the brain works (neuro), about how language interacts with the brain (linguistic), and how we use this interaction to get the results we want for ourselves and others (programming). It is an effective, proven vehicle for accelerated human change, radically altering the “old way” of lengthy psychotherapy.”

Simplest And Absolute Answer:

“NLP is the common process all human beings use for encoding, transferring, and modifying their behavior.”

Minimalistic Answer:

NLP Neuro Linguistic Programming – is a practical set of tools that you can learn to Maximize Your Life Potential.

From the originators:

“Neuro” (derived from the Greek “neuron” for nerve) stands for the fundamental tenet that all behavior is the result of neurological processes. “Linguistic” (derived from the Latin “lingua” for language) indicates that neural processes are represented, ordered and sequenced into models and strategies through language and communication systems. “Programming” refers to the process of organizing the components of a system (sensory representations) to achieve specific outcomes. From Robert Dilts, John Grinder, Richard Bandler, et al, Neuro-Linguistic Programming: Volume I (California: Meta Publications, 1980)

Answers From Psychology:

It’s the study that understands the inner psychology of how people process information to then create a compelling future, thereby assisting them in:

• changing unwanted automatic reactions or behaviors and beliefs
• releasing stored trauma from the body
• relieving panic and anxiety
• eliminating unwanted emotions and limiting decisions
• relieving pain and allergies

These studies also understand:

• the appropriate roles of the conscious and unconscious minds
• the role of the higher conscious mind within psychology
• extraordinary visual and auditory sensory awareness which assists in “reading” others to determine what they’re really saying at a deeper level
• learning eye movement to detect if the information a person is obtaining is visual, auditory or kinesthetic
• exceptional levels of rapport and communication skills and ability to key into others use of visual, auditory or kinesthetic words to know the channel in which to best present information to them so that they process quickly
• a cutting-edge approach to people and problem solving through applying the principles of HNLP and the process of setting goals that really happen!

Answers From Popular Magazines:

“NLP may be the most powerful vehicle for change in existence…” – Modern Psychology

“NLP has untapped potential for treating individual problems….It has metamorphosed into an all-purpose self-improvement program and technology.” – Time Magazine

“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