How would you like to be able to tap into the raw power of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
What if you could do this easily… and almost magically?
By the end of this article, you’ll have your finger on the button of something so powerful…that you’ll have to exercise caution, because when used right, NLP has the power to instantly dissolve problems and old worn-out mindsets.
But we’re actually jumping way ahead of ourselves here. Before we go any further, we need to bring you up to speed with what NLP is.
If you’re already well-versed in the mechanics of NLP, you can treat this article like a refresher. However, if what we’re saying is brand new… hang onto your seat because you’re about to get a crash course in NLP.
“So, what is NLP?”
That’s a really good question.
If you ask 10 people, you’ll get 10 different answers. And unfortunately, these answers are often missing one historical fact…
But first, let us tell you what NLP isn’t.
It’s not a magical system to solve the world’s problems over night. It’s not a set of plug-n-play formulas to cure people. And it sure isn’t a paint by numbers system.
“What is it then?”
Long story short – NLP is a cognitive psychological art form. It was first developed in the late 1970’s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, as a result of working with the likes of Milton H. Erickson, Virginia Satir, Gregory Bateson, Fritz Perlz, in addition to a few more.
Bandler and Grinder boiled down what each person knew into an easily understood model, which was based on the premise that there is a connection between neurological processes, learned behavioral patterns and language.
Since then, it’s become an ever growing study into how the mind operates, and how NLP can be used to change ways of thinking and behaviors, in addition to reach goals.
In essence, NLP is an innovative approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy. It’s a set of practical language skills you can use to improve how you communicate and enhance your mental state, in addition to helping others achieve the same.
But going back to the historical fact people often leave out when explaining NLP, here it is:
When you boil it down…NLP is a covert form of direct hypnosis.
And a silence washes over the audience.
Let us explain.
NLP (at least good NLP) is covert because most people who do NLP don’t realize they’re doing hypnosis.
After all Milton H. Erickson – the grandfather of modern hypnotherapy – had a key role in the development of NLP.
So why take the hypnotic element out of NLP? If you do this, you’re robbing yourself and your sessions blind of any power.
Think of it like swapping out an explosive Ferrari engine… for a wounded duck.
This is why, in this article, we’re going to explain a few NLP principles and techniques so you can get a sense of how you can incorporate them into your hypnosis practice.
If you want to master the full set of techniques, you can also check out the NLP in Hypnosis Program for instant access to breakthrough content…
Let’s jump on in.
For ease of use, this article has been broken into the following parts:
The Nitty Gritty of Submodalities: What You Need To Know
So what are submodalities and how do they relate to NLP?
A submodality is a subset of your 5 major senses (modalities): smell, sight, taste, touch, and hearing.
Submodalities are used to give your sensory experience greater meaning and definition, while enhancing communication.
For example, “I heard a noise around the same time someone broke into my neighbor’s house last night.”
This sentence doesn’t really describe much except that the person heard something. There’s no information about what the noise was like in terms of whether it was loud or soft, or near or far. Or whether it was even coming from the same direction that their house is in.
The reason submodalities are very effective in NLP is because they define the quality of a sense.
Meaning you can leverage this distinction to your advantage.
Take someone who’s experiencing a “huge problem,” you can use submodalities to change their perception of the size of the problem.
For example, if you asked this subject to think of an object that signifies the size of their problem, and they imagine a large rock, you could help them reduce this rock down to a small pebble as a result of using submodalities during trance.
But a word of warning when using submodalities:
Adjusting a submodality will only be effective if it makes sense metaphorically or symbolically.
What we mean is this:
If you were to tell a person in the 1800’s to turn the brightness of the TV screen in their mind down…they’d stare at you like you’re an alien. Or a madman. In that case you’d be sitting on Freud’s couch.
To use NLP in hypnosis effectively, you’ll need to be flexible in your approach. Imagine arguing with someone from the 1800’s about the TV screen they’re supposed to see in their imagination.
Since they’d have no real experiences of a TV, they wouldn’t know how to represent it in their mind. It wouldn’t make sense metaphorically or symbolically.
You wouldn’t make much progress.
This ties in with the Embodied Cognition theory. Embodied Cognition is a growing branch of cognitive science that suggests many features of humans are shaped by aspects of the body beyond the brain.
Now for the English translation of that:
Embodied Cognition suggests that a human being will turn their most basic experiences into a template of how the world works. And how their mind works as well.
Here are a few examples. Going back to the “problem” example, there are people with big problems and people with small problems.
Do these problems really have a shape and weight to them in the real world? Of course not. They exist in our mind as a big problem or as a small problem.
Take distance for example. Have you ever heard the expression: “He seemed distant to me.” Was this person really further away? Nope. They just seemed distant and emotionally disconnected.
Likewise, when something is closer to you it often feels more intense. Have you ever been in a situation and felt anxiety creeping into your chest? Hell, it’s because you’re knee deep in the action. When you step back and create some distance between yourself and the stressful situation you can begin to relax.
What’s the difference between 20 feet from a stressful situation and 100 feet? Nothing really. When you think about it, it’s all in your mind.
If you’d like to see how Hollywood manipulates your submodalities snuggle up with an action packed movie.
They’ll rapidly switch camera angles to keep you on the edge of your seat, begging for more.
Think of it like this. You’re watching the hero fighting off the bad guys. In an instant the camera shot is switched so you’re looking through the hero’s eyes. You’ve become associated into the character, so you start to feel for them.
You become captivated by this hero. At the same time they’ve got all sorts of crazy audio special effects going on. This further pushes your imagination down the line.
Now on the other hand, if you were to use common ideas it would be smooth sailing from here on out.
Our descriptions of submodalities have been formed by our cultural and personal experiences over the years.
Take the Fast Phobia Cure, for example. This technique is used to help subjects get over phobias, and is often done by getting them to imagine they’re in a movie theater.
The reason this technique is effective is because it allows subjects to disassociate from the traumatic event.
If you’ve ever been to the movies, or watched an engaging movie at home, you’ll be able to understand how this works, because on some level you’ve experienced stepping into a character on the screen.
For example:
Think back to a movie that you really enjoyed. To narrow it down a bit, think of a specific scene from this movie.
Don’t worry, we’ll wait.
Ok, good. Now go ahead and imagine what it would be like to become this character. Take a few moments to let this visualisation percolate and really sink in.
Now pause and become aware of what’s happening.
Maybe you’ve started to adopt a different personality. Perhaps some new thoughts popped into your head. Or maybe you’ve started to shift your posture a bit.
It doesn’t really matter what your reaction was, the point is this little experiment helped you to play around with a visual submodality.
Which one, you ask? Associated vs dissociated.
It’s a totally different experience to be in the heat of the moment versus watching it unfold to someone else (i.e. the character from the scene in your favorite movie).
To further drill on home how powerful submodalities are, we’re going to dive a little deeper into submodalities.
Did you just catch that?
Here, read that last sentence again. This time pay close attention to how you mentally represent or experience the sentence below:
“We’re going to dive deeper into submodalities.”
Did you imagine someone or something diving (dissociated)? Or did you have a kind of felt sense that you were diving (associated and kinesthetic)?
Let’s take a look at size as a visual submodality. The bigger something is the more important it is.
“I’ve got a big day coming up” “It’s been a huge pain in my butt” “I’ve got a big problem”
Think about that last sentence again. A big problem! Who in their right mind would want to have a big problem? If you had a client or a friend that said they had a big problem, how do you think could help them?
Maybe you could have them experience seeing this big problem from a different perspective. Does the phrase, “Birds eye view,” ring a bell?
Perhaps you could have them imagine they are stepping out of their body… and can see this big problem in a whole new light.
You can also use The “Golden Rules” to give you the power to quickly and easily connect with people so they like and trust you almost immediately. Find out more about the “Golden Rules” on this page.
Hypnotic Language Patterns & How They Work With NLP
Next up we’ve got hypnotic language patterns. Perhaps you’ve heard of hypnotic language patterns, but if you haven’t, let us paint a picture for you:
If you’ve ever been hypnotized, or caught yourself daydreaming, you know it can feel like you’ve been taken on a journey. A mental journey if you will. You can see a hypnotic trance as a car. A car can take you from point A to point B.
We all know how cars work. If you want to get to a certain place you need to use the steering wheel.
Unless you use the steering wheel you’re going to go straight down the road. Or you might fly off the road into a ditch. When you’re influencing a person in a conversation you need to be steering their mind in a certain direction.
That’s where hypnotic language patterns come into play. They allow you to steer a conversation (and your clients mind) down the road. Keep in mind that hypnotic language patterns are only as good as you make them.
Have you ever been caught in a conversation that you wanted to jump out of? Perhaps the other person gave you a bad vibe. Or maybe it was a one sided conversation and you couldn’t get a word in?
That is not the effect you’re after. There’s a fine line between a smooth ride and a journey filled with potholes, fender benders and road rage. When used incorrectly language patterns will derail a conversation almost as quick as it started.
You’re about to discover how to use hypnotic language patterns in an artful way.
And remember, the more you practice these language patterns, the more you’ll find yourself using these patterns unconsciously. And as you find this happening you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Want a comprehensive program on the application of Neuro-Linguistic Programing for powerful change work and transformation? Sign up for the NLP in Hypnosis Program today.
As with anything in life, you need a solid foundation laid out in front of you. So here goes…to begin speaking hypnotically, you’ll need to…
Discover How To Tap Into The Explosive Power Of Presuppositions
“Pre suppa what?”
We know it’s a fancy pants word. The concept behind it is much simpler. A presupposition is a linguistic assumption, usually implied, that something is true. They allow you to presuppose something is true.
What’s the best part about this? For starters, these implied assumptions go undetected. You don’t have to explain yourself in length. If done correctly, people will just get your message loud and clear.
We realize that this might not be fully sinking in yet. As soon as you start to wrap your head around presuppositions you’ll be even more persuasive.
Let’s look at that last sentence. There’s a grab bag of assumptions we’ve made.
- You’re going to learn presuppositions (as soon as you)
- You’re able to learn (wrap your head around)
- You’ve got a head (silly we know…but it’s an assumption nonetheless)
- You’re persuasive
- You’re going to become even more persuasive
A word of caution – they’re tricky little beasts. They can trap your thinking in a negative way. As well as in positive ways. People can and will break out of the mental boxes presuppositions attempt to place them into.
For example, sales tactics are often boiling over with presuppositions. Take the following sentence for example:
“Would you like to pay with cash or credit card today for your new car?”
What are some of the presuppositions that are loaded in this question?
- You’ve got cash on you and a credit card
- You’re ready to purchase
- You’d like to pay
- You’ve got a choice between cash or a credit card
- You’re going to purchase today
- The car that you’ve been checking out is your new car
Now read the text below and notice the difference.
“I assume that you want to buy this car right now. So why don’t you just choose between cash or a credit card for this car you’ve been checking out?”
Both of these statements pretty much say the same thing. However, by implying the desire to buy the car, an automatic process engages. Your unconscious has to start digesting what it’s just been exposed to.
Pretty neat right? If you’re finding this stuff fascinating, you can take your NLP practice to an advanced level with the NLP in Hypnosis Training. Find out more here.
Master the right way to combine NLP with hypnosis for an even more powerful hypnotic toolkit with the NLP In Hypnosis Program.
Now we’re going to switch things up a bit. To make the presuppositions flow out of your mouth smoothly, we’ve got a secret weapon up our sleeves…Hypnotic Power Words!
What Are Hypnotic Power Words?
Simply put, a Hypnotic Power Word helps you to smoothly transition between sentences. They help to create a smooth flow from sentence to sentence. Hypnotic Power Words are like the grease that keeps a conversation flowing smoothly.
Whether you call what you’re doing NLP or hypnosis, it’s important to have your language flow smoothly because this lulls the critical part of the conscious mind into accepting your suggestions.
Before we dive head first into Hypnotic Power Words, let’s imagine what your conversations would be like without this smooth flowing feel to them.
Picture this – right when you start throwing out Hypnotic Language Patterns… you feel like you’ve hit a speed bump.
You start to worry that they’re going to catch onto what you’re doing. It’s like you’re in a never ending battle of throwing language pattern after language pattern at them to see if anything sticks.
Eventually you give up.
Now this isn’t going to happen to you. Why not? Because you’re here to uncover the right way to use language patterns.
Introducing 4 Potent Hypnotic Power Words
The 4 hypnotic power words are: because, means, when, as soon as.
In order for you to fully grasp the importance of these words, we’ll use them in an example.
“As soon as you finish reading this article, you’ll look forward to using these power words because you’ll have already begun to unlock the raw power of NLP.
Which means you’ll soon find these power words flowing out of your mouth unconsciously…when you get your conscious mind out of the way.
And when you think back to this article you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment when you realize how far you’ve come.
You might even begin to feel this sense of accomplishment growing in your body now…which means your unconscious has already begun to integrate these power words into language.”
That one’s a doozy. On the surface it might just feel right and natural to you. Why are these power words so powerful? They do a damn good job of greasing up a person’s unconscious mind.
Here’s a quick primer on what they each do.
1. As Soon As
This sets up a condition. It presupposes what follows will happen.
“As soon as you finish reading this article”
2. Which Means
This gives meaning to what you’ve already said. It can also help to reframe something your client believes.
“Which means your unconscious has already begun to integrate these power words into language.”
3. When
This works on two levels. It helps to presuppose something will happen. And it also sets up an expectation of something to happen.
“When you think back to this article you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment when you realize how far you’ve come.”
4. Because
This is one of the most powerful words in the English language. Why? Think back to your parents telling you why you couldn’t eat dessert before dinner. When you asked “Why can’t I?” they responded with:
“Because I said so” or “Because it will spoil dinner.”
We’ve been programmed since we were young to respond to the word because. Usually anything that follows the word because is a belief.
Don’t believe us?
Think about a person that can’t stop eating junk food. Ask them why they can’t and they’ll respond with an excuse like “I can’t stop eating junk food because I can’t control myself.”
“Because you’ll have already begun to unlock the raw power of NLP.”
So where do we go from here? We’ll tell you what we’d love to see: you to take what you’ve learned and start practicing on your own right now. Play around with using NLP during hypnosis trance with your clients. Have fun with it, experiment and don’t be afraid of getting it wrong!
And drop us a comment below telling us which NLP technique(s) are your favorites to work with, or have generated the best results.
If you’re ready to take the next step and combine the strengths of NLP and hypnosis into a new and more powerful way to help people, check out the ground-breaking NLP in Hypnosis Program.