Put the missing pieces together through NLP Training
“You only get one chance in life, so do your best to make it count, in whatever way that is meaningful to you”
There is not a single person in this world, who has not encountered challenging situations in life. Our lives can be aptly compared to a jigsaw puzzle. We keep putting the pieces together, manage to complete a puzzle only to encounter another and the process goes on and on. In this chaos, we strive to find some meaning in this madness, which many times lead us to disappointment and despair.
Our lives are ruled by reactions, some pleasant, some unpleasant. A pleasant reaction gives us joy whereas unpleasant reactions can leave many of us feeling stressed, angry or sad. We have to deal with ourselves and other human beings, each day. Sparks are bound to fly. Negative feelings are bound to happen. What it would take, to deal with such situations would be, a strong sense of awareness and control of one’s mind and actions. Gaining this power and strength would allow us to lead fulfilling lives and be in control of the – who, what, when, why and how’s – in our lives. We could also call them question marks or limiting patterns.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques (NLP training in action) show the way to create something meaningful out of these limiting patterns. NLP techniques during an NLP training are designed to support important and subtle skills which include dissociation, rapport building, content re-framing, modelling, anchoring, and belief change.
These techniques which a participant can learn in an NLP Practitioner program in India are based on the concept that we already possess the abilities and capabilities needed to bring about the change in our lives and the lives of people we interact with. What it takes is understand the ‘how’. Zeroing in on a specific area of our life that we want to improve, by detecting our current thought patterns, to uncover self-limiting beliefs and working on those areas to achieve positive results is what NLP training in action will helps us uncover through various techniques, mainly:
1. Dissociation
This NLP technique helps to diffuse or overcome negative feelings which might have aroused due to some stressful situations. It restores objectivity and gets rid of feelings of negativity. It follows the process of dissociating – meaning taking out the personal association with that particular scenario and approaching it like you are watching a movie. With an outside-in perspective. The negative feelings slowly disappear. It takes out the involvement angle, so you become objective and find solutions to the said problems.
2. Rapport Building
Very useful to build relationships, Rapport Building involves the use of techniques like Matching and Mirroring the Outside and the Inside; Pacing and Leading. Watching another person/s behaving in a positive manner and mirroring one’s body language, words and actions to match that often helps in coming out of negative emotions. In the same way, connecting with people who are on the same page as we, understand us as no other, helps us move into a more positive direction in self-building. Pacing and Leading is about rapport building, with empathy.
3. Reframing Content
Which means, looking at an experience from a different perspective, enabling removing focus from the negative elements of that experience. In other words, changing the meaning of the sad experience, by reframing the content. A classic example of reframing would be: You gave an interview, which went well and you were sure of getting the job. Unfortunately you didn’t, which makes you sad, angry and frustrated. Your friend says not to worry; it could mean you could be getting an even better job. The focus shifts from being negative to a more positive frame of mind.
4. Modelling
Role models have always been a part of our everyday lives. NLP uses the same techniques to bring harmony and success into our lives by the process of recreating excellence. Modelling human behaviour by mastering the skills, beliefs, value system and other qualities that make successful personalities and infusing them into our Psyche to produce successful and welcome results is the strategy here.
5. Anchoring Yourself
Anchoring in NLP means associating a particular, positive emotional response with a particular phrase or sensation. The positive emotion or thought can be connected to a simple gesture which performs the role of an anchor. It could be as simple as ‘touching the back of our hand’ when we feel ‘angry’ and ‘relating it to calmness’. It also involves repeating the process, everyday for some days till eventually, anytime we feel angry, touching the back of our hand will bring forth the happiness factor, which allows us to get into a calm state of mind, eventually. One could also connect to a phrase or a word, a picture and so on.
6. Belief Changing
More often than not, due to previous experiences, we get judgemental. We tend to form opinions. These opinions become so strong that we start thinking they are the truth. We form a large amount of limiting beliefs that stops us from truly achieving our potential.
NLP training in action helps us to change such limiting beliefs by focussing being in the present, on being in first need, assess the situation or persons gather positive facts about them as opposed to negative ones. For example, you might have been in a bad marriage but there are people out there in your circle, who have really good, caring partners and good experiences. NLP training helps us focus on forming affirmations that will do away with these limiting beliefs and form new beliefs. These new beliefs, once instilled in our unconscious through the belief changing process, will help us move in the right direction and associate with the right people.
No technique would work if one doesn’t want the change to happen. If the will to become excellent doesn’t exist, no amount of strategies would prove fruitful. We have to be determined and focussed to welcome these positive energies into our lives. NLP is one of the strongest technique which helps build strong relationships – with others and with ourselves. External change is not visible at the start. NLP does its job silently, but the outcome is tremendously positive and effective. Whether in communication, negotiation, strategising, self-growth or just our day-to-day interactions, NLP techniques will always guide us like a beacon guiding ships to the harbour.
