Tuesday 4 August 2015

Review: NLP - How to Use it to Change Your Life

I’m going to be honest, I was not a fan of NLP. I pretty much avoided anything to do with it, despite the fact that several pagan friends, who I respect a lot, are NLP practitioners. The thing is, NLP (or Neuro-Linguistic Programming) always made me think of pushy door-to-door salesmen.

Back when I was younger, door-to-door salesmen were one of my pet hates. They seemed to be constantly knocked at my flat, trying to persuade me to buy encyclopedias, kitchen appliances, double glazing or some other stuff I didn’t need. And they would try to use psychological techniques that I discovered were NLP.

But I was wise to them. When they tried to get me to mirror a nod, thinking I would then nod to anything, I would instead shake my head. When they asked me: “Would you choose the basic set or the deluxe model?” instead of falling into their trap of guided questions, I would clearly say: “I don’t want either, thank you.” My favourite – although not strictly speaking NLP – was when they went over to the large cage in my room thinking that praising my cute pet would be a winner. I loved the change in expression while they said: “What a lovely...rat...” Rats are actually lovely pets, but that’s a further digression.

So, you might be wondering why I asked to review Hay House Basics: NLP.Well, I’ve been reviewing pretty much all the other books in the Hay House Basics series and been impressed. They explain mind, body, spirit subjects in clear and simple terms, are aimed at beginners and are generally entertaining to read. I also thought it might do me good to learn about NLP – at the very least it could warn me of more pushy sales techniques to be on the look-out for.

I read the first few pages through gritted teeth, but then started to warm to the subject, particularly when author Ali Campbell wrote, about ethics: “I trust you’ll use this knowledge positively and only ever ethically and for the greater good.” Yes, I would, and I'm glad to hear that many NLP practitioners do.

Essentially, when dealing with others, NLP is about communication skills – building a good rapport. This is useful in all aspects of life that involve talking to people, from work to socialising to dealing with sales staff. You can also use NLP techniques on yourself, such as for tackling phobias, coping with stress and (my downfall) avoiding the temptation of cake when on a diet. Sure, NLP can be used unethically – to try to make people buy stuff they don’t need, for example – but it can also be used ethically, to promote harmony, peace and goodwill.

Publisher Hay House describes the book (its full title being NLP: How to Use Neuro-Linguistic Programming to Change Your Life)as: "An introduction to one of the most powerful and exciting psychological techniques in use today, and how you can use it to make positive changes in your life."

Ali Campbell certainly won me round and has inspired me to learn more. I might even check if my local adult education centre is running evening classes in NLP this autumn.

To find out more, Hay House's website for the Basics series is: http://www.hayhousebasics.com/. At the site you can find free downloads to go with each Basics book.


Links and previous related posts
NLP: How to Use Neuro-Linguistic Programming to Change Your Life (Hay House Basics)
http://www.hayhouse.co.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/03/review-hay-house-basics-mindfulness.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/04/review-hay-house-basics-lucid-dreaming.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/07/review-hay-house-basics-energy-healing.html

1 comment:

moongirl said...

I remember those door to door salesmen too and they always had a sneaky way with words. Bad karma, I say! There's nothing like some good self-talk. I think I’ll give this one a try. :)