Neuro Linguistic Programming

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) was developed in the 1970s in Santa Cruz, California, drawing on hypnosis and trance work from Milton Ericksson, rapport development from Virginia Satir’s family and relationship therapy, timeline and elements of Gestalt therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. Each of these elements comes into the picture when the practitioner feels they are what you need, so you can fly above the challenges along life’s bumpy roads.

NLP founders’ John Grinder (linguist) and Richard Bandler (computer programmer) modelled the ‘best of the best’ therapies to create a new map for mind-body enhancement. Bandler saw the brain like a computer and knew that by creating techniques to unwind the patterns of the mind, you can discover the faulty ‘chips’ and change them, therefore making lasting changes to behaviour to overcome fears, phobias and anxieties, or for example, to accelerate learning, enable peak performance in academics and athletes alike.

More fundamentally, NLP gives you the ability to delve consciously into the often-entangled patterns and processes of the monkey mind, so you can understand your self (and each other) better. It gives you a magnifying glass through which to decipher neurological processing by focusing on different linguistic patterns and what further information they give about your emotional and physical behaviours. On a more spiritual level, NLP offers methods to meet your true desires and even connect with your life purpose and your deeper sources of motivation. Yes, it can absolutely give you the keys to creating happiness, success and wealth too!

Founded on a bedrock of ‘presuppositions’ such as ‘the only behaviour you can change is your own’ and ‘people are always doing the best that they can given the circumstances’ NLP offers self-knowledge and realisation. With the right outcome and supporting resourceful beliefs and states like confidence and calm, NLP seeks to truly give you the reins to ride your horse over any jump that you come across.

NLP recognises that through your sensory ‘filters’ (eyes, nose, mouth, ears and senses) you create an internal representation of the world and external experiences. This representation, as seen in NLP, is not permanent. It is something you can change by altering your perspective, by associating different ideas, future ideas or past memories. In this way, it is possible to change the way you think and feel about things right now so that you feel positive and confident about an approaching interview for example, or, feel clear about exactly what you need to say to your husband, so that he can understand your feelings more easily.

Would you like to feel even better RIGHT NOW?

*Think about your favourite drink.
*Imagine you are drinking in right now.
*Feel it being drawn in over your lips, into your mouth.
*Remember the sensations right now as you savour the flavour and enjoy the sensation of swallowing the drink as it moves down your throat.
*Visualise the colour of the drink, seeing what you are seeing, feeling what you are feeling, tasting what you are tasting, smelling what you are smelling and hearing what you are hearing.
*Take another long cool mouthful and hold this drink in your mouth for just one more second.

What did you notice?

NLP is often used within coaching as it gives you the power to be able to change the way that you think and feel. It also supposes that you have the responsibility to create the good feelings you are hoping for, so with it comes a challenge to grow, to learn, to heal and to be real. Here at Ibiza Retreats, we particularly love to offer NLP embodied in compassionate ways within heartfelt, holistic life coaching or for entrepreneurs who want to raise their game in a conscious, ecologically sound way.

Larah recommends a minimum of 3 x one-to-one sessions to experience a tremendous transformation in body, mind and soul.