In many public gatherings when asked to introduce myself I say: “Hi I’m Jojo Apolo and my passion is to help people and businesses get what they want by teaching NLP. I’m so happy when I can help someone overcome self-sabotaging behavior and be able to do what they want because of NLP.”
Later in the gathering, many will approach me asking: What is NLP?
You probably heard about NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming and are confused as to what it really is. It gets mentioned quite a lot on the web, in print media and in conversations.
And there are many versions of what it is - but finding a simple, straightforward and Plain English answer to the question what exactly is NLP? Here is a simple explanation.
NLP: The USER Manual for Your Brain
NLP is like the “USER’s Manual for Your Brain” so that you can make profound changes in your life and influence other’s quickly and easily.
Okay, pause and think awhile about USER MANUAL for Your Brain.
I bought a new printer and of course before I began to use it, I read the quick start USER MANUAL to know how to connect the cables, upload the driver, how to print, how to use the scanner, etc. When it is not working properly, I refer back to the user manual for quick do-it-yourself diagnostics and repairs.
What if you had a practical guide to how your brain works? A user manual that tells you how to connect to the three parts of your brain: conscious, sub-conscious and reptilian brain.
• Think more clearly.
• Communicate more effectively to influence others.
• Manage your thoughts, moods and behaviors more effectively.
• Do whatever you already do reasonably well, even better.
• Acquire skills and attitudes to do what you cannot do right now, but would like to be able to do.
How Neuro-Linguistic Programming Works
When I was in college, we had a course on computer programming. We were introduced to programming languages like COBOL, Basic Programming; all instinct now because what is used today is Java, Python, C, JavaScript, SQL. These computer languages were used to create the software to make computer work.
For a computer work you had to know and do three (3) things:
1) Understand the computer language structures.
2) Program the software to make
commands for the computer.
3) Store the software and access or create files in the computer hard drive.
If you made a wrong software, then the output will be wrong. Sometimes the computer will hang or it may take too long to compute because your programming is inefficient.
Of course, you can easily correct the software by reprogramming as long as you understood the computer language used.
NLP found a way to describe the software, computer language and storage system of our brain.
1) Software/Patterns : Why do we do what we do: habits, beliefs, patterns of thinking
2) Storage : How we store our stuff: experiences, memories, beliefs, habits
3) Computer Language : How we communicate to ourselves
The software and storage are called our neurological configurations or the NEURO in NLP
The computer language are our linguistic structures or how we communicate especially with our subconscious and reptilian brain or the LINGUISTIC in NLP
The PROGRAMMING is the process of CREATING, MODIFYING, or USING the software of our brain or patterns in order for us to get out desired output.
Conventional therapy of behavior disorders such as phobia or traumas can take months or years to cure with a low success rate. With NLP, because of the understanding of the patterns of thinking, storage of the experience or memory in the brain, then these can be phobias of rats, snakes, heights, etc. can be healed within minutes with a very high success rate.
You Can Experience NLP Now
Would you like to experience how NLP works by removing an experience that annoys you quickly?
Before we start, the key to make this work is to generate the chemical called “oxytocin” in your brain. Oxytocin creates plasticity in the brain and allows programming to work faster by expanding the understanding of the situation by the brain. Our sub-conscious mind and our reptilian brain can work together to find solutions.
Computers only function with electricity. Oxytocin is like the electricity supply that allows change in the circuitry of the brain to make new synoptic connections.
We can increase the oxytocin in our brain by being engaged in the process. Another way is by being joyful and peaceful, laughing & joking, being hugged for 20 minutes and even having sex (for those married). Activities that bring us in a happy state of mind generate oxytocin and allow us to be more insightful. No wonder you make great decisions when you are peaceful
If you follow you may be amazed how fast you can get rid of being annoyed …
Think of an experience that annoyed you. Perhaps slow internet connections, someone cut you off in traffic or drove closely behind, people who smell, rude shop assistants or friends, people not falling in line, airport inspection, etc. Those experiences that mildly get you angry or irritated.
For me, I thought about 2nd airport luggage inspections that annoyed me every time I checked in to the passenger departure area. Think about yours now.
1. As you are thinking of that memory, do you now imagine a picture about it? Notice where is located in space. For some it can be located right in front or to left or to the right side.
2. Is this picture colored or black and white? Is it moving or a still picture? What is the size of the picture?
For me, my 2 nd airport luggage inspection picture was located in-front about a meter away. It was colored and moving picture of this dark skinned person inspecting my stuff.
3. Notice now the body sensations that you have as you look at this picture. Do you feel any tension or heaviness in any part of your body? Is there any movement you feel to this body sensation?
I felt the tension in both my temples and also my eyes. It was a slight throbbing experience in my temple and eyes and also a churning feeling in my abdomen.
4. Look at the picture again and then pretend or imagine you have an invisible pen in your hands and act as if you are writing across the picture. You are writing about the things you can learn about this event. As you do this, ask your sub-conscious to learn from this event. Just pretend to write then suddenly you will gain insights about the event. You can also invoke the Holy Spirit to guide you in learning from this event.
For me, my thoughts suddenly became clear that I was telling myself that these inspectors were violating my privacy and treated me like a criminal. That was the reason I was annoyed. Soon a new thought came out as I started to see this event from the inspector’s perspective.
They were just doing their job to ensure the safety of the passengers. They had to be consistent with their inspection and it was nothing personal or that they were singling me out or treating me like a criminal. I would have done exactly what they would do if I were in their position.
You will be amazed at the amount of insights that you get by just pretending to write across the picture. Metaphors are part of the language of the subconscious therefore the writing in space starts the subconscious to evaluate the event in different angles; faster that your conscious mind can think and then the thoughts start to surface to the conscious.
5. Look at the picture of the event and imagine you can hold on the left and right edges of the picture. In your own pace, shrink the picture as you bring your hands together and make the picture smaller and smaller until they are only a tiny 1 x 1 cm picture. Take the picture and throw it to your back. Notice how you now feel about the event. Check yourself if you still had the same body sensations as you had in step 3.
For me the throbbing feeling in my temples and eyes stopped and the churning feeling in my stomach subsided whenever I think of airport luggage inspections.
6. Notice that a certain color will now dominate the space where the picture of the event was. Just think of your first thought of the color. There will also be a direction in the rotation of this color. Again think of your first thought. Imagine you can make the rotation faster in the same direction and use your hands to spin the rotation faster. As you rotate it, notice how that feels in your body. Make it rotate even faster and notice how you feel and at the peak of the feeling just grab the object with your hand and slam it in the part/s of your body where you felt a negative feeling previously.
This process allows you to magnify the positive energy of the new understanding and reverse whatever remnants of the negative feeling you have in your body.
7. Make a final test and think about again that event that annoys you. Notice if you still have any remaining negative feelings of that event. In fact challenge yourself to look for the negative feeling. You will be surprised that you cannot even feel it.
Your pattern of thinking has been re-programmed in a different way than conventional counseling and coaching methods. You now have expanded your understanding of that situation and this has enabled you to have a new view and new reaction to that event.
Learn more from Jojo Apolo in our upcoming Performance Leadership Workshop on 27 Feb to 01 March and 8-10 October in Singapore or 01-03 July in KL, Malaysia. While, we are running Leapfrog Your Business & Yourself Seminar on March 7-9 and June 7-9 in Manila, Philippines or November 1-3 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Both courses include NLP Basic Practitioners Certification Course.
Here are options for online and blended learning on NLP.
About the Author Jojo Apolo. Asia’s Revenue Breakthrough Leader. Author. Public Speaker. NLP Master Trainer. His passion is to help people and businesses get what they want by teaching Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). He managed major FMCG companies in Indonesia and start-ups in the brink to become profitable. He developed the New Breakthrough Selling Advantage for Sales Professionals using NLP that has resulted in doubling a business from USD 500 million to USD 1 billion in 3 years. He established a 500,000 direct outlet coverage via 300 distribution networks with real-time sales & stock systems. He pioneered the use of IPAD’s for salesmen, use creative “Quantum Sales” games and established same-day delivery service guarantees for pharma products. He has given numerous seminars on sales, personal & spiritual development in Southeast Asia. He is a certified Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP from the National Federation of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, USA and the American Union of NLP, USA, Certified NLP Practitioner Trainer of NLP Academy, UK under John Grinder co-creator of NLP. He spearheads the REFORM program for Drug Rehabilitation across the Philippines in cooperation with the Department of Health and numerous religious organizations. He is the author of the book “Be Free from Painful Memories and Traumas in 30 minutes, 7-Step New Breakthrough Selling Advantage, i-Thrive: 7 Keys to a Fruitful Life and co-author with Dr. Romy Paredes of Awaken the Doctor in You.