Something to think about from Dr. Wil Horton

Intro to NLP Today E-Zine

NLP Today E-Zine is a monthly series of articles that will bring you the best information in the world of NLP and Hypnosis. We will bring you articles that have been proven in the real world. Heavy with techniques and information you can use in your daily life, whether it's as a therapist with clients, business or sales, or just for self-development. We will get you the information you want and can't get. We focus on proven applications, not theory. Our trainers all "do the work." This is the difference that makes the difference. We cut the fluff and bring the main course. Mental Food you can use. NFNLP is the leader in this type of technology.

This is a service of the National Federation of NeuroLinguistic Psychology and Dr. Wil Horton. We want people to achieve their highest potential, and NLP is the #1 tool for this. If you feel you have been added to this list in error, check out an issue, and then let us know if you would like to be removed.

You can achieve your dreams.

Captains Chair:

As summer goes into full swing, we hope that you are planning some personal time for you to recharge your batteries. As people who are constantly helping others, we must take the time for our own nurturing.

I just returned from India, and had the pleasure of doing a NLP Master Practitioner Certification Training, A NLP Trainers Training, and for the first time in awhile, a Basic Hypnosis course. I look forward to starting to teaching hypnosis again in the United States starting this fall. I always stress how lucky I am to be able to teach something I love, and to help others unlock their potential. It truly is a joy to see the faces light up as they learn the secrets of NLP, and how the brain works. Why anyone would want to restrict this information, or make it hard to learn baffles me. The more people that are exposed to this technology, the better off our world becomes.

While I was in Mumbai, I was struck by how truly small our world is becoming. I was in the restaurant at the Lotus Suites Hotel (where they have a circus daily in the atrium) watching the Euro-Cup Football (Soccer to us Yanks) tournament. I was watching this in real time. Live. I got on the cell phone and could call my wife (cheaper than a land line), and of course the internet. Think how inter-connected we all truly are. Events that happen anywhere are instantly available to the world. The need for our skills grows as we fully understand the need for the ability to communicate clearly, across all line. REMEMBER, THE MEANING OF YOUR COMMUNICATION IS THE RESPONSE THAT YOU GET!

Try to go out your way in the next few days and help someone with your NLP skills, and not let them know. Humility is being able to help others regardless of credit.

From the Road:

Harry Potter, Learning NLP?

While I was in India, I got to see the new Harry Potter movie, in the worlds largest IMAX (That was interesting!). I cannot stress enough that anyone into NLP and Hypnosis must see this film. Besides the metaphor of growing up and facing your demons, and having the courage to follow your heart (regardless of outside views), this film has a couple of great scenes that show NLP in Action!

There is a scene where Harry has to face his biggest fear, he is taught a MAGICK spell, the basis of which is stepping into the strongest happy memory he has. Think of Accessing Power States, Circle of Excellence, and my Fear into Power techniques.

When the Spell, doesn’t work, do they give up, NO, they try again (There is no failure only feedback!) Harry tries again, but with a stronger memory, and it works! Afterward he states, he doesn’t know if the memory is real or not. His wise instructor (I am pointing at my chest here : ) stealing an anchor) states it really does not matter as long as it works!

Another powerful scene is where Harry and his friend go back into time (You know I love time lines and the space-time continuum.) to save his godfather. In the process he has to find the power to face down his biggest threat; he has to find the inner strength, and he does. When it’s over he states, he knew he could do it, because he saw himself do it before in the past! (Recognize these? Rewriting Personal History, New Behavior Generator in the past timeline.)

Do not take my word for it, go as see this film for yourself, and put your NLP eyes on!

Theory into Practice:

Those who speak two languages are less likely to get Alzheimer’s. Researchers at York University in Toronto found older people who spoke two languages most of their lives did better on tests that measure cognitive functions. Being bi-lingual may help stop forgetfulness associated with getting older.

It seems that bilingual people scored highest on tests that measure fluid intelligence, that’s the ability to focus ones attention, and to respond to rapidly changing tasks. This was discovered by Ellen Bialystock, a psychology professor at York University.

This adds to the growing body of evidence on both the physiological and psychological benefits of being bilingual. Most of this research has been done on children, which shows that children that speak two or more languages tend to be better at problem solving, are more creative, and score better on literacy tests.

Research shows that children who are bilingual process information, both languages remain active even though they use one language at a time. To ensure that the languages remain separate, the brain develops mechanisms to allow the speaker to block out unwanted intrusions from the unused language. This also proves the brains unique ability to evolve grow.

The new research by Bialystock suggests that this ability to compartmentalize and focus carries over to other functions, this could be why bilinguals remain sharper as they age. The groups spoke both languages fluently, and use both languages every day, which would seem to keep the brain fluid in its thinking style. It was unclear if the benefits would apply to those speak a second language occasionally.

I would wonder if the same brain benefits would be obtained by learning a totally new skill, and become proficient at it. Living in Florida I see older people who constantly challenging themselves to learn new things keep mentally sharp.

Techniques and Tips:

~ Unpleasant Circulair Anchor ~

(For stopping the smoking habit)

By Harald Eberson, Netherlands

A quite while ago a girlfriend of mine asked if I could help her quit smoking. First I said that I was not so experienced in relieving or stopping addictions but it would be worth it to try several NLP-techniques like the Swish Technique, Compulsion Blow Out and even EFT…before trying “real” medical therapies / medications.

I tried several of the former known basic and more advanced NLP techniques but none seemed to be very effective for this particular situation. Some stopped her smoking just for a few hours, but the pleasant feelings about her smoking habit didn’t resolve effectively. The habit seemed to return fast in certain situations…

So I started asking her several questions about her smoking, like when she started smoking, how she smoked and many more different questions, trying to find out her strategy and what kind of associations she had with smoking. I knew that smoking cigarettes puts people in a kind of physical and emotional peaceful state which they desire and it’s often associated with good feelings or thoughts.

She always used to start smoking easily after a stressful situation at work or at home. So her strategy started by being in a stressful situation / environment (Kinesthetic internal) where she started negative self-talk (Auditory internal) telling her self that this situation was difficult to cope for her. In these moments she needed a cigarette badly. After self-talk she took a cigarette which made her feel quite at ease especially in her stomach (feeling of fullness Kinesthetic internal). Than she told her self that it’s ok now (Ad). In short terms this seemed to be her smoking-strategy. Than I started reproducing these situations in our sessions and while listening I noticed that she used a lot of Kinesthetic representations and associated good kinesthetic feelings with smoking. I knew that I or she couldn’t always take away stressful work situations but we could preferable try to connect, associate really bad feelings (Kinesthetic) with her smoking. So to at least try to change her smoking strategy since some of the former NLP techniques, which were more visual, didn’t work very well.

Then I started thinking, how kinesthetic-orientated persons can use a combination of a simple physical anchor/association technique which everyone can use by him or herself at home. I believe the simplest techniques are the most efficient ones because the more complex a technique, the more the person becomes uninterested or distracted by the process itself than the feelings associated with it. Long difficult techniques are more favorable for auditory digital orientated people…not for kinesthetic orientated persons.

Here’s what we did:

1. “I asked her how badly she wanted to quit smoking?”

She answered me with ease, a little bit uninterested,“ Yes I really want to…”

Than I elicited a state in her memory where she felt very stressed and felt the need of a cigarette at this moment. We completed the strategy as what she does normally and I let her smoke one cigarette.

2. After this I “asked” her several times how badly and necessarily do you really want to stop smoking now!? (with a raise of my tonality /command).

Again she said “I really want to stop, what ever it takes.”

So it seemed I got some leverage compared to the first statement for stopping smoking…

3. Ok, we elicited again the previous stressed state but at the end of the strategy when she started smoking I commanded her “Stand up and turn around in a circle while you smoke and notice what happens in your stomach…”

4. So she hesitated but I said again ” just do it ,what ever it takes…”

5. She started turning in circles a couple of times fast, which was off course very unpleasant, especially in her stomach.

6. A few moments later after rest again I said /commanded her : “How badly do you really want to smoke ?” And asked her to lighten up a new cigarette while turning around in circles…

7. This exercises we had to repeat up to 5 times till she almost got sick of smoking (turning around) which of course was a negative kinesthetic anchor to smoking.

8. After the session which almost lasted an hour I said to hear if you really feel again the desire to smoke today or tomorrow just repeat this exercise…

9. I asked her to visit me if possible a few weeks later. It helped well she said…but off course I had to test it and I took a cigarette from my drawer and asked her to smoke for the last time. This time I could see already at her facial expression that she didn’t like the sight of the cigarette. The sight of a cigarette alone did make her feel miserable.

10. Later I asked her to repeat this exercise or another learned one whenever the desire of smoking would come up.