Coaching enables us to bridge the gap between where we are now, to where we would like to be far more effectively than if we worked alone using self help books, etc. Coaching, at its best, inspires new ways of thinking and new ways of approaching the challenges we may face. It can be tricky to really grasp the experience of coaching until you go through it but the material will broaden your understanding and also help to explain what NLP is and how that has helped me alot!
A coach achieves this by:
· Helping to raise the awareness of a client with powerful questioning techniques so they can get clear on what they truly desire and who they are at their core
· Assisting them to create practical, step-by-step action plans to reach their goals
· Providing on-going support through any changes or obstacles a client may encounter
· Providing a client with tools, techniques and strategies to create lasting change and success
Introduction to NLP – Neuro-linguistic Programming
NLP, stands for Neuro-Lingusitic Programming and was founded by John Grinder and Richard Bandler in the early 70’s. They were fascinated by people who were excellent at personal change, people who were amazing communicators and how some people excelled whilst others failed. They studied people who they believed to be excellent at what they did and set about discovering their beliefs, success mindset, values, strategies and ways in which they did what they did. They focused on discovering ways in which people could quickly and effectively change things to bring about sustained personal and professional change. NLP literazlly stands for:
Neuro - the term relating to the mind, mindset & our thinking Linguistic - our language – verbally & non verbally Programming - our patterns of behaviour and our emotions
The techniques, principles and attitudes provide a way for people to remove self-imposed limitations. It enables people to have choice over how they feel, their emotions, their behaviours and physical states. if you change your thinking, you can change your results in business and life!
Richard Bandler says: “NLP is an attitude of curiosity and a willingness to experiment and THAT has left behind a trail of techniques.” One of our favourites is that NLP is essentially an “instruction or owners manual for the mind”.
In response to the question, ‘what is NLP’, Psychology Today Magazine said “Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is arguably the most powerful Behavioural Science on the planet today”. Science Digest describes it as, “the most powerful vehicle for change in existence.”
NLP does not tell you what you need to do. It offers ways in which you can change things to be, feel or behave how you wish – it offers the ‘how’.
NLP is the practice of understanding how people organise their thinking, feeling, language and behaviour to produce the results they do. NLP provides people with a methodology to model outstanding performances achieved by geniuses and leaders in their field. NLP is also used for personal development and for success in business A key element of NLP is that we form our unique internal mental maps of the world as a product of the way we filter and perceive information absorbed through our five senses from the world around us.
Neuro - Each individual has established their own unique mental filtering system for processing the millions of bits of data being absorbed through the senses. Our first mental map of the world is constituted of internal images, sounds, tactile awareness, internal sensations, tastes and smells that form as result of the neurological filtering process. The first mental map is called ‘First Access’ in NLP.
Linguistic - We then assign personal meaning to the information being received from the world outside. We form our second mental map by assigning language to the internal images, sounds and feelings, tastes and smells, thus forming everyday conscious awareness. The second mental map is called the Linguistic Map (sometimes known as Linguistic Representation)
Programming - The behavioural response that occurs as a result of neurological filtering processes and the subsequent linguistic map.
NLP has many functions in terms of supporting psychological health and emotional wellbeing. It has been used to help many clients overcome phobias, let go of limiting beliefs as well as support people with making life changing decision with conviction and effective strategies for achieving what they truly want in their lives.
Although some skills are very similar to therapists’ skillsets, a coach is not a counsellor, therapist or consultant. A coach focuses on the client’s potential and future possibilities. This is achieved through known and well established exercises and techniques that assist the clients to effectively explore their goals and gain clarity and confidence to achieve these.
Earl Nightingale ‘The mind is like land, whatever you plant it will grow…regardless”
How has NLP helped me?
Firstly, it enabled me to identify some deep, core limiting beliefs that I didn’t know I had! But once I acknowledged these, I knew these were holding me back in quite a few areas of my life. Through specific NLP exercises, I released these limiting beliefs and accepted new, limitless beliefs for myself and this has lead to lots of positive change for me, including moving my psychological coaching business forward in ways I had never dreamed of!! On a more personal level, I had a daily habit of drinking diet coke as a “pick me up”. I had given it up in the past but I just couldn’t kick the habit even though I knew it was bad for my teeth and just an unhealthy habit. However, I took part in a simple NLP exercise and that was it, I no longer craved the diet coke, I became indifferent to it! And still to this day, I no longer drink diet coke. Now this may seem a small thing to you but to me it was huge! And I have worked with clients who have overcome other dependencies through NLP. And that is only one thing I have achieved, I have become completely self accepting of everything about myself even my flaws! I now celebrate me for who I am which is very liberating! And now to be dramatic is has been life changing in terms of my enjoyment of my life and who I am!
If you’re to feel the joy of self-acceptance and love, like
my Facebook page: Helen Neary Coaching, go to my website: https://www.helennearycoaching.com/ and contact me on helen@helennearycoaching.com for a free 30 minute session to get you focused on being the best version of you!
