My introduction to NLP
A work colleague is going on an NLP Practitioner course in June and I was chatting through it yesterday with him (recognizing the need not to impose my own experience on his). It took me back to when I first ‘found’ NLP.
All through my twenties I remember reading about eastern ‘religions’ such as Buddhism, Taoism, etc. having not really bought into our westernized ways of organized beliefs; looking for something to help make me stronger mentally. I still think these two philosophies especially have an amazing amount to offer…
Then, Derren Brown came on to our TVs and he fascinated me. His style of illusion really intrigued me and whilst reading his website one day, I saw the reference to NLP. He makes no bones that he is an illusionist and showman but I still thought I’d carry on my journey and bought a book on NLP.
I ended up reading a number of books on the subject - some better than others - and I understood bits but not really in any practical way. Then, by chance, I bumped into someone who had just been on this course called ‘NLP Practioner’ and I knew I had to give it a go.
I signed up with a company called Opal and received my Tad James CDs and a book to read. I listened and I read and it still didn’t really make much sense. In fact, after listening to the CDs I started wondering what I was letting myself in for. I went on my course and as much as I enjoyed it; it wasn’t until I came away that things started to really piece together.
That was in 2004 and I went on to do my Master Practitioner with Opal two years later and I am doing another Master Practitioner course with another New Code NLP trainer later this year.
I think I will continue to develop my NLP skills - in fact, I think I need to. I speak to many people who ‘understand’ NLP, so they tell me, and have even had an extremely weird experience with a trainer of NLP, which left me questioning the whole concept.
I guess, like religion, NLP is an individual experience - not a ‘one size fits all’ and I am comfortable with my own experiences. There was a beginning but the end will never come I feel - the journey is the destination.
Tags: General NLP talk