My Research into Neuro-Linguistic Programming Neuro-Linguistic Programming was developed by Richard Bandler, and John Grinder under the tutelage of anthropologist, social scientist, linguist and cyberneticist Gregory Bateson Bandler and Grinder initially modelled three individuals who were considered highly competent in their fields Fritz Perls (Gestalt Therapy) Virginia Satir (Family therapy) Milton H. Erickson (Ericksonian Hypnosis) They were also influenced by Alfred Korzybski Later, further contributions were made by Leslie Cameron-Bandler Judith DeLozier Robert Dilts David Gordon The NLP presuppositions are a set of axiomatic beliefs used as an approach to change work. Although they vary slightly in expression or classification they are essentially expressed at some point in all NLP schools. They include: The map is not the territory. The world we perceive is not the same as the actual world. Everyone lives by their own unique and equally valid model of the world. People always make the best choice available to them, given what they know. No one is wrong or broken. People work perfectly to accomplish what they are currently accomplishing. There is a solution (a desirable outcome) to every problem. People already have all the resources they need to effect a change. There is a distinction between a person and the behaviors they exhibit. Every behavior is useful in some context. No response, experience or behaviour is meaningful outside of the context in which it was established or the response it elicits next. The behavior of a person is not who they are. The intention of all behaviour is always assumed positive. The meaning of a communication is the response it elicits. The intention behind a communication is not its meaning. The person with the most flexibility and variation of behavior guides the outcome of the human interactions. Memory and imagination can have the same impact as actual experiences when a person is fully engaged (associated). Knowledge, thought, memory, and imagination are the result of sequences and combinations of representational systems. If someone can do something, anyone can learn it. Mind and body are part of the same cybernetic structure, so anything occuring in one also affects the other. If you aren't getting the response you want, do something different. There is no such thing as failure. There is only feedback. Change comes from releasing the appropriate resource, or activating the potential resource, for a particular context by enriching a person's map of the world. "Energy flows where attention goes": Here is the Wikipedia article on Neuro-Linguistic Programming Here are some notes and reviews I made while researching NLP: Summary of the book NLP in a Week Summary of the book Introducing NLP Notes from the book Reframing by Bandler and Grinder Back to Home Page © 2006 John Mann Last updated 30 Sep 2006