Hi, it’s Ben here. In this article I want to lay out the core beliefs of NLP which can make a real difference to your world just by acting as if they are true.
Remember, before I start, that you don’t even need to belief that these are true. They are a guiding philosophy and I simply ask you follow them now and observe the changes they will have brought you later.
The map is not the territory
We do not know what reality is. Our senses, beliefs, and past experience give us a map of the world from which to operate, which we describe using our language. A map can never be exactly accurate; otherwise it would be the same as the ground it covers. We do not know the territory, so for us, the map is the territory. NLP is the art of changing these maps, so we have greater freedom of action.
Life and mind are systemic processes
It is not possible to make a change in one without the other being affected. When we think differently, our bodies change. When we act differently we change our thoughts and feelings
The meaning of your communication is the response you get.
When you say or do something a person receiving this communication will have some experience which will have meaning for them. This may or may not be what you intended in your communication. However, we could say that the meaning for that person is whatever their experience is, i.e. whatever their response is. If you want to get a different response you can just change your communication.
Having a choice is better than not having a choice
Act always to increase choice. The more choices you have, the freer you are and the more influence you can have
People make the best choice they can at the time
A person always makes the best choice they can, given their map of the world. The choice may be self-defeating, bizarre or evil, but for them, it seems the best way forward. Give them a better choice in their map of the world and they can take it.
We already have all the resources we need, or we can create them
There are no un-resourceful people, only un-resourceful states of mind.
All actions have a purpose; all behaviour has a positive intention
Our actions are not random; we are always trying to achieve something. NLP separates the intention or purpose behind an action from the action itself, a person is not their behaviour
There is no failure, only feedback.
Results are guaranteed Our specific thoughts, actions, and feelings consistently produce specific results. We may be happy or unhappy with these results, but if we repeat the same thoughts, actions, and feelings, we’ll get the same results. The process works perfectly. If we want to change our results, then we need to change the thoughts, actions, and feelings that go into producing them. If you want to understand, act – the learning is in the doing.
Everything and everyone is interconnected
The material universe is a dynamic web of inter-related events. None of the properties of the web are fundamental. They all follow from properties of the other parts and the overall consistency of their inter-relationships determines the structure of the entire web. At the quantum level we are one, there are no local causes. Things exist by virtue of their mutually consistent relationships.
There you have it folks – the presuppositions of NLP
Ben
Tags: NLP Presuppositions
