What is NLP? A Simple Explanation of NLP

An Introduction to Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Contents of this E-Book

What does NLP stand for?
What does NLP do for you?
Where does NLP come from? Its origins
Quotes about NLP
Is NLP dangerous?
The effectiveness of NLP
The NLP presuppositions
The Top 10 NLP Techniques
Learning NLP – but how?
How do I begin as a beginner?
Ways to learn NLP
NLP training structure
NLP certificates
Areas of application

I’m delighted you’ve downloaded this e-book and started reading it. In this e-book, I’ll introduce you to NLP. I’ll explain and discuss each bullet point in detail so that you’ll have a clear overview of what NLP is all about by the end.

P.S. We have many other NLP e-books available, and we’d be very happy to welcome you to one of our free evening seminars!

What does NLP stand for?

Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP for short, is a motivational and communication model developed in the 1970s. It emerged from analyzing the methods of highly successful psychotherapists and is now applied in various areas of life, such as therapy, sales, leadership, relationships, and dealing with children.

NLP merges conversational, behavioral, hypnotic, and body-oriented approaches. Our thinking, feeling, and behavior (Neuro) are systematically changed (programmed) using language (Linguistic).

Let’s look more closely at the individual parts of this complex name:

Neuro refers to the nervous system we need to perceive and process information from our environment through our senses. Our perception, thinking, feeling, and behavior depend on our nervous system.

Linguistic stands for language, which we use to communicate both externally with other people and internally with ourselves. Words create our inner reality.

Programming means a systematic, goal-oriented change. The NLP approach suggests: I change myself as purposefully as possible and maintain that change so that I can build on it, instead of having to start from scratch each time.

Do you want to improve your communication skills to interact more successfully with others? Do you want to be more creative and develop your full potential? Then use NLP to shape your life and your personality in a happier and more successful direction!

What does NLP do for you?

Through NLP, you learn how to:

Handle emotions in everyday life consciously
Sharpen your perception
Communicate at a new level of quality
Adopt a positive mindset
Bring about long-term behavioral changes
Find solution-oriented approaches to achieving goals

Participants in NLP trainings learn useful techniques to help them in different areas of life.

If something goes wrong, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. The question is: “How do I make the best of it? Why might this situation even be good for me?”
Even negative behaviors can hide positive intentions. Being stubborn and defensive might be helpful in some contexts. The question is: “In what situation might my behavior be useful?” Overall, NLP encourages self-reflection.

NLP graduates often report that NLP changed their perception and that they had a much more positive attitude after the training. Sometimes a single thought is all it takes to bring about change.

Of course, NLP can also be used in therapeutic contexts. For years, the method has been successfully adopted in psychotherapeutic clinics, counseling centers, and psychosocial institutions. Naturopaths and psychotherapists use NLP to help clients permanently alter certain behaviors.

Professional NLP trainers use NLP techniques in goal-oriented coaching sessions, strengthening the coachee’s potential in the process. NLP’s range of applications is immense, and there are practically no limits to how it can be used.

3. Where does NLP come from? Its origins

Richard Bandler, John Grinder, and Frank Pucelik met in the 1970s. At the time, John Grinder was an assistant professor of linguistics at the University of California in Santa Cruz. Richard Bandler was a mathematician, a Gestalt therapist, and a computer specialist. All three were interested in constantly learning and developing themselves further.

They discovered how certain experts achieved exceptional results in their fields. Bandler, Grinder, and Pucelik began modeling successful people to identify patterns these individuals used to reach their goals. They examined, for instance, why some renowned psychotherapists were so successful in treating clients, while others weren’t. They found that these successful therapists shared a common pattern in their work.

Bandler, Grinder, and Pucelik developed a model that anyone can apply to improve communication, learning, and personal transformation. They called it “Neuro-Linguistic Programming.” They began teaching their knowledge in workshops and seminars for students. They became famous mainly for modeling hypnotherapist Dr. Milton Erickson, family therapist Virginia Satir, and Gestalt therapist Fritz Perls.

4. Quotes about NLP

“If any human being can do something, so can you!”

Richard Bandler
Author and Co-Creator of NLP

“NLP is a user manual for your brain!”

Richard Bandler
Author and Co-Creator of NLP

“Whatever someone else says cannot make us what they see us as, unless we allow it.”

Virginia Satir
Renowned Psychotherapist

“The only thing standing between you and your success is the story you keep telling yourself.”

Tony Robbins
Motivational Speaker and Author

5. Is NLP dangerous?

Caution! NLP can be dangerous if used by someone who hasn’t received professional training on the possible risks of certain treatments. If done incorrectly, trance inductions, confrontation therapy, or trauma work can harm a client psychologically.

Certain interventions shouldn’t be performed at all without having the credentials of a naturopath or psychotherapist. Professional NLP trainers know the limits of their competences and where they must stop applying these methods.

On the other hand, NLP can lead to inflated self-esteem and feelings of omnipotence. Users might start believing they’re invulnerable because of their knowledge, losing track of reality by shedding any sense of self-criticism and indulging in endless self-affirmation.

One reason NLP is sometimes criticized is prejudice, ignorance, quick associations, or negative experiences people may have had with it. Although its roots lie in scientific approaches and there are numerous studies highlighting its effectiveness, there are still critics claiming that NLP isn’t sufficiently scientifically substantiated.

Others believe that using NLP allows people to read minds and manipulate others—that NLP is a threat. Gaining insight into NLP techniques indeed unlocks new possibilities that can guide someone’s behavior in a desired direction. Knowledge about yourself and about others, as well as a deeper understanding of human nature, could be labeled “manipulative.”

It’s also wise to stay critical of loud marketing promises. “NLP brings instant happiness, wealth, and success” is a popular claim that you shouldn’t take too literally. Reality is a bit more complex.

6. The effectiveness of NLP

The subconscious plays a key role in decisions and actions. Richard Bandler and John Grinder already recognized this in the 1970s. They took into account that deep change work must include the unconscious. Only by involving the brain can change become truly long-lasting and effective.

A new behavior can be “programmed” and practiced. Neural pathways used frequently form a “highway” in the brain, whereas seldom-used connections “grow over” like a jungle. If the behavior isn’t “programmed” properly, the brain may revert to the old route and drive on the “highway.”

What does this have to do with NLP? NLP gives the brain access to new behaviors. Through what’s known as a “future pace,” alternative ways of acting are programmed into the brain’s network for the future. Also, placing the focus on solutions (rather than staying fixated on a problem) stimulates a willingness to change. Using various NLP tools, practitioners can deliberately—and sustainably—change behaviors and emotions.

7. The NLP Presuppositions

The map is not the territory.

We all have different ideas of the world, but none of these ideas fully or accurately represents it. People don’t respond to reality itself, but to their own representation of reality.

There are no mistakes—only feedback.

Every response or event can serve as feedback and a learning opportunity.

There are no right or wrong models of the world.

Certain models are simply more useful than others for specific tasks. If you’re trying to go on a hike but only have a road atlas, that’s not a very useful model. A hiking map would be simpler. Still, the road atlas isn’t “wrong.”

Every person has all the resources they need.

NLP assumes people are full of resources. Sometimes, they simply don’t have access to them. In that case, a skilled practitioner can help restore that access.

Through the right resources, people can solve problems and achieve remarkable things.

Within their model of the world, people make the best choices they see available to them.

If people had other, more suitable ways to fulfill their needs, they wouldn’t do a lot of what might appear to be “pure malice.”

Behind every problematic behavior or symptom, there’s a positive intention.

Every behavior serves a positive function for the person doing it, regardless of any negative side effects.

For every behavior, there is a context in which it can be meaningful or helpful.

Once learned, a behavior must have led to some desired outcome at one point. The goal is also to develop more choices in addition to that behavior.

Resistance in the client indicates a lack of flexibility in the counselor.

Resistance isn’t caused by the other person’s malice; it’s a sign of insufficient rapport. The counselor can do something to improve the connection with the client.

If something doesn’t work, do something different.

Too often, we assume that simply persisting longer will help us break through. But if you keep running into a wall, it can take a very long time to break it down. Instead, try a different approach—maybe look for a door.

8. The Top 10 NLP Techniques

NLP offers powerful methods in many different areas of application to improve communication and other areas of life. All these techniques are fundamentally effective—you just need to know how to apply them.

1. Rapport

“Rapport” refers to a positive connection between individuals, characterized by mutual respect, understanding, and trust. Master communicators meet their conversational partner in that partner’s model of the world, then guide them from there. First, rapport is established—meaning trust. When pacing, the person who wants to lead adapts their own behavior, body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and even words to match their conversation partner. Then, they transition to “leading.”

Exercise: Do you have an upcoming conversation that absolutely has to go well, such as a job interview or meeting? Pick a partner and practice how best to establish rapport. This link might provide some inspiration and ideas.

2. Anchoring

An anchor is a stimulus (trigger) that always elicits the same reaction in a person. Hearing a particular song might recall a feeling of being in love and a host of other memories. Conscious anchoring extends the principle of classical conditioning (Pavlov). In this way, you can deliberately create desired emotional states.

Exercise: Recall a situation in which you laughed a lot. Notice the feeling of amusement vividly, and just before you reach its peak, set an anchor—for instance, clench your fist tightly three times. Distract yourself by thinking of something else for a moment, then trigger the anchor again by clenching your fist. You should immediately feel amused again.

3. Six-Step Reframing

Change your behavior in six steps. Think about the behavior you want to alter and identify the underlying pattern. Communicate with the inner part that’s responsible for that behavior. With the help of a creative part inside you, develop a new behavior pattern and ensure you implement it in the future.

4. Swish Technique

The Swish technique can dissolve annoying habits and build strong motivation. First, visualize a picture of your unwanted behavior, then create a separate image of your goal state. Then you “Swish” the two images: you enlarge and brighten the picture of the unwanted trigger, while the smaller, darker goal image is in the lower right corner. Suddenly, you make the small dark goal image rapidly grow until it completely covers the first image. And... Swish!

5. Representational Systems: VAKOG

Humans experience the world through their senses. NLP distinguishes five senses: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), kinesthetic (feeling), olfactory (smelling), and gustatory (tasting). By sharpening your senses, you can significantly improve your perception.

Exercise: Let three people read the same book and then share their experiences. Who uses which representational systems? Here’s the task.

6. The Meta Model

When people speak, they often omit, generalize, or distort information. They commonly use deletions, generalizations, and distortions. If the message sent doesn’t match the intended message, misunderstandings can happen. The Meta Model helps get to the deeper structure of a behavior or problem.

Exercise: In your next conversation, pay attention to the language the other person uses. If something is unclear, ask for details. When can you apply the Meta Model and certain questioning techniques to clarify misunderstandings?

7. The SMART Method

Define your goals using the SMART method. Your goals should be well-formed: Specific (S), Measurable (M), Attractive (A), Realistic (R), and Time-Based (T). Do you have a goal in mind?

Exercise: Find a place that feels especially comfortable to you. Take a pen and paper and think: maybe there’s something you’ve always wanted to do but never really managed to accomplish. What goals and dreams do you have? Write down your well-formed goal using the SMART method.

8. Time Line

Using a “time line,” you can plan goals systematically by including events of the past, present, and future. Develop an irresistible vision. There are different time line “types,” such as “in-time” or “through-time-up.”

Exercise: With the “Alluring Future” technique, you can plan your future and pre-program it on your time line. The Re-Imprinting process by Robert Dilts is a powerful approach for dealing with deep traumas or difficult experiences from early childhood.

9. The Milton Model

Linguistically, the Milton Model is the inverse of the Meta Model, instructing you in how to use imprecise language. Deletions, generalizations, and distortions are employed to induce and maintain a trance state so that a person can contact the hidden, unconscious resources in their personality.

Exercise: Take a conversation partner and use the language patterns of the Milton Model to guide them into trance and relaxation. Be as creative as possible: “Maybe you’ve already noticed how you inhale and exhale slowly and deeply. Maybe you feel your right little finger move. While you sit in that chair and hear my voice, you can relax.”

10. Strategies

There are so-called “macro” and “micro” strategies. A macro strategy might be building a career step by step: graduating high school, going to university, completing a doctorate, being hired at a university, earning tenure, and so on. Micro strategies describe a specific internal way of processing sensory information. If you want to find out how someone learns effectively and efficiently, it helps to identify their micro strategy.

Exercise: Use the “love strategy” to feel as infatuated as possible. Recall a time when you felt very happy with your partner. What exactly did your partner do that made you feel that deep sense of love? Identify the strategy that led you to that feeling and re-trigger it anytime you want.

Learning NLP – but how?

As the saying goes: “Practice makes perfect.” No master has ever fallen from the sky. Imagine you’ve just come home from an intense NLP training weekend and stash your notes away in a desk drawer. Three weeks pass, and you stumble across your notes again by chance. You realize you only remember a few exercises. What do you do now?

Decide to:

Repeat some exercises and apply them in your daily life
Attend one of our NLP practice group evenings
Form your own practice group so you can regularly discuss NLP

Participate in further seminars, trainings, and online courses by Landsiedel NLP Training

How do I begin as an NLP beginner?

Out of a wide range of training options, you can choose your ideal starting program as a beginner. Maybe you want to focus on NLP and become a master in this field. Perhaps you want to work as a coach yourself and run seminars.

Which options might be suitable?

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you want to learn NLP from home or on-site in a group?
Which topics interest you the most?
How can you implement the training content in your daily life?
What do you want to do once you’ve completed the training?

If you don’t want to commit to a complete training right away, you can also explore NLP at one of our weekend seminars or free NLP evening seminars. There, you’ll see presentations by our NLP trainers on topics like “Live Your Dream” and “Successful Communication with NLP.” The NLP practice group evenings are particularly helpful, allowing participants—novice to advanced—to repeat and deepen exercises, practice techniques, and continue to develop their skills under the guidance of qualified NLP trainers.

Ways to Learn NLP

NLP Online Academy

Have you seen our free webinars and online courses? Participate from the comfort of your home in these online seminars. Get an overview of our current NLP online seminar offerings. Expand your knowledge and learn more about the subject. The webinars are updated and expanded on an ongoing basis.

Studying NLP from Home

You currently have no time to attend seminars and trainings, but you’d still like to continue your education? You prefer studying at home or travel frequently for work? No problem. With us, you can complete your NLP certifications through distance learning. NLP Premium is suitable for participants who have already completed an NLP training, as well as for those who are encountering NLP for the first time. Audio and video courses combined with learning modules will gradually turn you into an expert. Upon successfully passing the regular tests, you receive the “NLP Online Practitioner” and “NLP Online Master” certificates in the study version.

Seminars and Trainings

NLP enthusiasts can choose from a variety of NLP seminars and training courses at Landsiedel NLP Training. At the end, participants get a certificate of attendance. Future coaches are certified in small groups following DVNLP guidelines, attending courses that run up to 18 days over several months. In general, the difference between a seminar and a training at Landsiedel NLP Training lies in the duration, group size, and the specific certification.

Develop your personality in the NLP Practitioner, NLP Master, NLP Trainer, or NLP Coach training, based on DVNLP guidelines. Train alongside 12–18 like-minded people to learn NLP at the highest level for a moderate price.

Follow us on YouTube

On our YouTube channel, you’ll find numerous videos on the subject of NLP. Watch recordings of an NLP introductory workshop at the NLP Congress in Nuremberg with Stephan Landsiedel and discover more about the fascinating world of NLP.

12. NLP Training Structure

NLP Practitioner

The NLP Practitioner training is the first formal program, providing the basic theoretical knowledge and practical skills for NLP techniques and methods. Duration: at least 18 days and 130 hours.

NLP Coach

The NLP Coach training based on DVNLP (German Association for NLP) and ICI (International Association of Coaching Institutes) standards equips you with the necessary skills and knowledge to work as a coach. In this coach training, you apply the methods learned in the NLP Practitioner course to concrete coaching contexts. Duration: at least 18 days and 130 hours.

NLP Master

After completing the NLP Practitioner, you can go on to the NLP Master training, where you practice the learned formats in a variety of situations and contexts. You’ll also learn new elements. Duration: at least 18 days and 145 hours.

NLP Master Class Training

In the NLP Master Class, advanced NLP practitioners discover the methods of the “next generation” of NLP and develop them further. Techniques are connected and combined. Participants work not only with NLP, but also on NLP itself.

NLP Trainer

The NLP Trainer program provides all the skills and knowledge you need to run your own NLP training sessions. It’s also helpful for those who want to use NLP professionally for designing seminars, presentations, and workshops. The goal is to apply NLP at the highest level and expand your pedagogical and communication skills. Duration: at least 18 days and 130 hours.

The Associations

DVNLP: The German Association for Neuro-Linguistic Programming (e.V.) is the largest independent expert forum for people who use NLP in professional or private contexts, with around 1,900 members. The association’s vision is to support its members in realizing their own visions and using their capabilities effectively.

INLPTA: The International NLP Trainers Association is a global NLP trainers’ organization dedicated to quality, professionalism, ethics, and business applications in NLP. It has its own coordinators in China, Japan, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and most European countries, linking them all.

Areas of Application

NLP is used anywhere communication and reaching one’s full potential are important:

In psychotherapy
In business (e.g., management, HR, sales, consulting, training, HR development, company functions)
In education
In healthcare
For personal development
In sports
To promote mental and physical health
In politics
In parenting
In the legal system
When developing creativity in writing, performing and visual arts
Hobbies, etc.

NLP in Companies

All communication begins with ourselves. Good rapport, precise goals, and excellent behavior form three core elements of “Inner Management.” Naturally, optimizing your own behavior also raises the quality of your leadership at work and in relationships. In the business world, successful communication, trust, and clear direction are essential for a smooth working day. NLP helps to respect and understand colleagues, managers, and customers in their own reality. It can also help reduce cultural barriers in multinational companies.

NLP in Business means:

Thinking solution- and goal-oriented
Optimizing your perception
Learning and developing effective strategies for action

Presentation skills and rhetorical training have also become fundamental in modern corporate culture. Many corporate leaders and consultants have taken inspiration from the creative and innovative aspects of NLP, using NLP expertise for organizational development, team-building, future strategy design, and quality management. NLP techniques are also increasingly used in negotiation training.

NLP and Health

In recent years, NLP research has focused on:

How to attain and maintain personal health
How to reduce stress
How to boost the body’s healing powers
How to understand the relationship between health and deeply held beliefs, assumptions, and attitudes

Relevant health topics tackled by NLP include weight loss, anxiety, sleep disorders, depression, panic attacks, addiction, tinnitus, heartbreak, anxiety disorders, smoking cessation, etc. The key question is how to alter repeating patterns and conditions so that illness doesn’t reoccur in the first place.

If you’re interested in alternative approaches, yoga can be an excellent, practical complement to NLP. Yoga’s physical and mental methods can positively impact your life, helping you develop calm and composure in a hectic environment while improving your health. Learn more about yoga and meditation.

What does NLP have to do with psychology?

In the 19th and 20th centuries, psychology almost exclusively studied depression and mental illness. American psychologist Martin Seligman reversed the perspective, intentionally focusing on positive emotions as a means for change. He found that optimism can be learned and wanted to nurture people’s strengths.

Positive psychology discovered you can boost wellbeing and happiness by using your character strengths. When people do what they find meaningful and employ their strengths, they lead healthier lives. Happy people live longer and are less prone to mental illnesses.

Martin Seligman identified six virtues, which in turn are divided into 24 character strengths:

Wisdom and Knowledge: creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, perspective
Courage: bravery, persistence, integrity, vitality
Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence
Justice: social responsibility, fairness, leadership
Temperance: forgiveness and compassion, humility, modesty, prudence, self-regulation
Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality

NLP in Psychotherapy and Counseling

Historically, NLP has its roots in various brief, solution-oriented, hypno-systemic, and constructivist psychotherapeutic approaches. For some years, there has been a recognized “NLP Psychotherapy” – an independent psychotherapeutic method that is still in search of formal recognition. In some practices, psychotherapists offer short solution-focused therapies using NLP. Beyond that, there is overlap in the techniques used by classical psychotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. The best-known example is probably the treatment of phobias, where NLP can help people overcome a phobia in a very short time.

NLP provides tools...

For establishing trusting relationships with different clients,
For understanding the holistic structure and effects of attitudes, beliefs, values, and self-image,
For a deeper insight into the power of language,
For process-oriented work that protects client integrity and privacy while facilitating long-lasting changes,
For a solution-focused, brief therapy approach.

NLP, Parenting, and School

The sooner children learn to communicate, the better. Of course, it also depends on their social environment and what they pick up from others. NLP generally fosters communication between parents and children. Adults discover how to communicate positively and compassionately with their kids.

By expressing themselves clearly, parents help their child understand them and respond appropriately. Word choice is particularly important. Constant negatives can have a harmful effect on a child’s behavior. Saying “Don’t spill!” might even result in more spills, because the child has to think about spilling in order to avoid it.

Anyone who wants to understand children should put themselves in the child’s shoes, ensuring the message is actually received and understood:

• What does my child already know?

• How does my child feel right now?

• Do they understand me?

NLP can also be helpful in the school system, where certain learning strategies are vital to coping with academic pressure. Tools for effective learning can help develop self-confidence. Learning can be fun—and it’s even healthy!

We’ve reached the end of this short introduction to NLP. Make use of our extensive e-book library to download many more NLP-related e-books.