by Dee McMath

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is a method of studying our behaviour and deep-rooted patterns to help us understand and therefore improve our lives.

NLP was developed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler in America during the mid 1970's. The well known motivational presenter and author of 'Personal Power', Anthony Robbins, has used the NLP tools in his work for many years. With the spread of interest in NLP worldwide, many people becoming more aware that they have more personal power than they use in their day-to-day lives.

Andalucia is a popular area for NLP groups from America and the UK to choose for conferences and training sessions. With the very high population of British and other English speaking foreign residents on the Costa del Sol, many of the better hotels offer special 'incentive' rates for groups of this kind. This, along with general interest in this relatively new way of thinking, has made NLP very popular along the coast. Many NLP practitioners now live in Andalucia and especially in the main towns of Marbella and Fuengirola.

We are often unaware that it is our internal view of life and life experiences that make us react. The NLP practitioner will work towards interpreting your actions as well as the language you may use to describe a certain situation. You're thought processes are punctuated by specific eye movements, slight change in the tone of your voice, sometimes pupil dilation and even subtle skin colour changes. The trained NLP practitioner will have the skill to notice and interpret this type of information.

NLP is not therapy, nor is it a theory-based method, but is the process of making models to be tried out. There is nothing analytical about NLP - it is made up of models to be applied. If they don't work, the idea is to move on and try again. As a practitioner observes and listens to you, he/she gathers information about you that you may not be aware of. The idea is to evolve your human consciousness and break old, unwanted patterns, which are holding you back. You will find out how your brain functions and then be able to use the information to make the changes you want.

People often feel 'stuck', as if they just can't move on. More often than not, we are holding ourselves back from fulfilling our full potential. This can be in our career, in relationships, or perhaps in our physical or mental state. A good NLP practitioner will help you to recognise where your perception is blocking progress and then offer exercises, which help you to let go of these old patterns. NLP can also be used to help people conquer their phobias. Past traumas are identified and belief systems are used to sort out specific problems.

I know of a Danish doctor who uses many holistic methods for prevention as well as cure with many of her patients and she is also an NLP qualified trainer. She operates between Fuengirola, Malaga and Denmark and often travels worldwide to work her combination of cures around the globe. She feels that the NLP method can be combined with alternative therapies to bring the conscious body and mind into harmony.

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