If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get the same result. If what you’re doing isn’t working, change it and do something else.
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get the same result. If what you’re doing isn’t working, change it and do something else.
NLP originated in the 1970s at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, where Richard Bandler (a mathematician, Gestalt psychologist, and computer expert) and John Grinder (a linguist) studied human behavior patterns to develop models and techniques that could explain the magic and illusion of human behavior and communication. Their research stemmed from their curiosity to understand how communication and language produced changes in people’s behavior.
The subjects of their observation included the successful family therapist Virginia Satir, the father of modern medical hypnology Milton Erickson, and the creator of Gestalt therapy, Fritz Perls. They were also greatly influenced theoretically by Gregory Bateson. Bandler and Grinder concluded that these masters of change shared certain interaction patterns that they applied mostly unconsciously. They started from the principle that the structures underlying the work of effective therapists can be discovered and, once understood, reproduced and taught. The set of patterns they shaped and their intellectual influences gave rise to NLP.
The name Neuro-Linguistic Programming consists of three terms:
Programming: This term refers to the processes of organizing the components of a system. It alludes to the established mental programs that govern our thinking and behavior, which we can program in a way similar to how a computer is programmed to perform specific functions that interest us.
Neuro: derived from the Greek word “neuron,” it states that all behavior is the result of a neurological process. Every action or behavior is a function of neurological activity triggered by the information we receive through our senses. The interpretation we give to this information shapes our perception of the world around us.
Linguistics: derived from the Latin word “lingua,” it indicates that the neurological process is represented, ordered, sequenced, and transmitted through communication based on words or language. It recognizes the role of language as a representation of our mental organization and operational strategies.
