NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) | Reprogramming Patterns
What is NLP?
NLP is short for Neuro Linguistic Programming.
It can be a very practical method of helping clients rapidly achieve positive change through language, behaviours and thoughts. This change is done conversationally and works beautifully with or without Hypnotherapy, and works both consciously and unconsciously. In essence what each part stands for is:
Neuro – How we choose to view and make sense of the world
Linguistic – The internal dialogue and external language we use -the words we think and say to ourselves, and to those around us.
Programming – The behaviours we exhibit. The greatest influences on our behaviour are our beliefs. Common negative beliefs are things like “I am not good enough”, and a belief like that becomes the “filter” through which we see our actions and our lives. It is these types of negative beliefs, some of which we may be totally unaware of, that we will look to change with NLP.
NLP was founded in 1976 by a linguistics Professor John Grinder and Dr Richard Bandler, who was a computer scientist. They studied the work of three therapists and modelled the way they got results. These three therapists were:
Milton Erickson – the world famous father of modern Clinical Hypnotherapy.
Virginia Satir – a family therapist specialising in very complex cases.
Fritz Perls – the originator of Gestalt therapy.
They examined all of the processes, attitudes and behaviours these three therapists did to get such extraordinary results. They noticed there were certain common aspects that each did, as well as techniques individual to each therapy. Bandler & Grinder modelled this & created NLP.
From understanding the models of success, they were then able to create entirely new models. What this means for you is that it’s possible to deal with problems very quickly and often much more rapidly than other branches of therapy.
Today, very famous and successful people utilise NLP. Paul McKenna uses NLP at the core of what he does so successfully, as does arguably the biggest name in personal development, Tony Robbins.
NLP has always been a model of therapeutic excellence. As the basis of NLP is about improvement, it is constantly growing to accommodate new models of excellence. This is why good Master Practitioners of NLP are constantly learning the latest new tools and techniques, in order to help them help their clients in the shortest time possible.
The Practical Applications of NLP
NLP is uniquely adaptable because it works directly on the mechanics of human behaviour. In our sessions, we apply these specific tools to rapidly shift your everyday performance:
- Overcoming Sudden Triggers: Dismantling intense emotional reactions to specific people, phrases, or environments.
- State Control & Confidence Anchoring: Learning how to intentionally summon a state of absolute calm, focus, or unshakeable confidence on demand—crucial for interviews, public speaking, or high-level decision-making.
- Breaking Compulsive Habits: Weakening the internal automated drives behind unhealthy habits, procrastination loops, and repetitive negative behaviours.
- Resolving Internal Conflicts: Aligning those frustrating moments where part of you desperately wants to make a change, but another part of you holds you back.
- Advanced Communication Upgrades: Improving how you communicate with yourself and others, transforming your professional leadership style and your personal relationships.
The Speed of Dynamic Change
The defining characteristic of Neuro-Linguistic Programming is its’ incredible speed. As it works with the brain’s natural ability to form new neural pathways (neuroplasticity), deep behavioural patterns that have caused frustration for decades can frequently be rewritten in just a handful of sessions. It strips away the long, agonising process of talking around a problem, and replaces it with clear, systemic behavioural architecture that gives you immediate control over your emotional states.
I also use NLP in conjunction with the other therapies I use, such as Clinical Hypnotherapy and Mindset Coaching for rapid and permanent change.