The Fundamental Principles of NLP

NLP (or Neuro-Linguistic Programing or Neurolinguistic Programming**) is often viewed as or, more accurately, marketed as a series of techniques with which to "do" things to people.

This is quite sad because it misses out on the holistic approach that was developed by the original team including Richard Bandler, John Grinder. Robert Dilts and others.

NLP could be more accurately described as an attitude towards oneself, towards other people, and for towards life that is supported by a very structured way of thinking and which, in turn, is supported by a range of techniques.

This "NLP attitude" rests upon a number of guiding principles, or "working hypotheses" including

	Meet people in their own unique model of the world - and respect their world view
	The meaning of your communication is the response you get
	The map is not the territory - people interact with their internal maps of the world rather than with pure, sensory-based, input.
	Positive self worth is always held constant. People are not their behaviours - behind every behaviour there is/was a positive intention. In any situation a person makes the best choice with the resources currently available to them
	In any interaction the person with the greatest behavioural flexibility has most influence on the outcome
	All human behaviour has a structure and results from how a person uses their representational systems
	NLP is a generative rather than a repair model - it emphasises solutions rather than analysis of causes
	People have all the resources they need even if they do not currently have access to these resources
	NLP is a model rather then a theory
	Mind and body are part of the one system: external behaviour is the result of internal behaviour
	Conscious mind capacity is very limited - supposedly to about 5-9 chunks of information
	Always add choices - never take them away
	There is a solution to every problem
	Redefine mistakes as feedback - so if what you are doing is not working do something else.
	If one human can do something then, potentially, anyone can.

These are the principles which, ideally, form the foundation for your application of, and approached to, NLP.

However they are neither idealistic nor unrealistic. The principles, sometimes called presuppositions, have been around since the early days of NLP and are a guide on how best to use NLP. In particular, some of the principles are excellent guidelines on how best to use NLP with other people.

NLP is a very powerful technology and, if you did not apply it using these guidelines, could quite easily have unfortunate consequences for other people. This is why, in our NLP Practitioner Certification Programme we explore what each principle means in terms of behaviour and attitude.

It is also the reason why these NLP Principles form an essential part of our assessment for certification.

We believe that a true Certified Practitioner of NLP will have absorbed the key principles from the above list and this will be evidenced in their behaviour at an 'unconscious competence' level so that their behaviour respects the self esteem, values and beliefs of other people.

Our objective is to ensure that Pegasus-certified NLP practitioners truly walk the talk.

** in English the word programming spells that way -- in American English it's spelt programing. This is just one of the many anomalies between English and some of its dialects -  see this article.

Information about NLP 

NLP Courses in the New Forest

What is NLP + NLP FAQ

Why learn NLP

How to learn NLP

Where to learn NLP and how to choose a training provider

The NLP Practitioner Certification Programme

The NLP Master Practitioner Certification Programme

Features of Pegasus NLP Trainings

How we integrate NLP with outdoor activities

The Pegasus NLP Principles

Our main NLP section has now been re-located to http://www.nlp-now.co.uk - you will find more up-to-date information there.

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