From Henwood and Lister (Wiley, Spring 2007) It is difficult to say categorically what NLP is. There are numerous definitions of NLP in the literature, each sharing a slightly different perspective and focus on what NLP is and what NLP achieves. If we break NLP into its three main components we can see that Neuro relates to neurology. Neurology in medical terminology is the study of the nervous system and its diseases, in NLP it is the study of the mind and brain and in particular how we think about things, how we process information. We experience life through our five senses and internally we make sense of that information and behave accordingly. This places NLP at the core of who we are – it is about what we think inside, how we interpret our reality. NLP will probably challenge your view of the world and open new doors to allow you to see other points of view and to explore other ways to see the world. NLP will also enable you to see how closely the mind and body work and how by changing one you can hugely impact on the other. Linguistic is all about language skills. In NLP this is how we use language to communicate and how other peoples’ use of language affects us, it includes how we use language to structure our thoughts and to communicate those thoughts to others. In NLP what you say is important and how you say it is even more important. To bring this together then, NLP is the study and practice of how we think, how we use language to communicate and how we develop ways to react to external and internal stimuli, thus generating behaviours which determine our actions. It gives a depth of understanding about ourselves which allows us to strive towards and achieve excellence in practice (essential when you consider moving into a leadership position, or to be more effective in any role with elements of leadership within it). As if that were not enough, NLP not only changes the way we think, talk and act, thus enabling us to transform our professional practice into being truly expert practitioners, it also impacts on our self image so that we learn to love and respect ourselves and consequently allows us to live life to the full. Some of the published definitions include:
NLP started in the 1970s when two academics, John Grinder and Richard Bandler in California began to work together to look at the effectiveness of three highly regarded therapists. They spent hours watching and modelling the successful practice of the three therapists and identified some common patterns, from which they developed a model (or set of tools) which could be used to enhance communication, to accelerate learning and personal understanding and to effect real and lasting change. Over time the tools of NLP have been further refined and developed and continue to evolve so that they can be applied across any context. Talk to anyone who has been coached or trained using NLP techniques and you will hear of excellence and powerful personal transformation. Why is NLP relevant to health care today? Within health care we are living in a world of constant change. We are no longer secure in our once familiar environments and instead are facing constant uncertainty. In addition the health care environment is rapidly progressing and becoming more and more complex. Roles are extending and new roles are being developed. We are being constantly challenged to remain up to date and to develop new skills and competences. The rate of change is also increasing, making it more and more difficult to keep up. Health care practitioners then need new skills to cope in this new world. They need to be able to have a central core of calm and control in order to be able to practice effectively. They need to be able to take care of themselves, so that they in turn can care for others. Health care practitioners need to be able to respond to change and yet also have the expertise to retain what works well. They need advanced communication skills in order to ensure patients are comfortable within this potentially chaotic health care environment and to ensure patients become active care partners instead of passive recipients of care. They also need to be able to communicate at an advanced level with other health care practitioners who are facing different, yet equally disturbing changes, who might also feel insecure and threatened. And, finally, they need to be able to communicate internally, with themselves, to make sense of their values, beliefs, feelings and reactions, to truly reflect on their practice. In any such radical and fast pace of change there will be differences of opinion. Expert practitioners in the future will be able to appreciate others points of view and discuss and negotiate to continually move practice on, thereby reducing potential conflict or unnecessary stress. Why then is NLP relevant to health care? We would go further and say it is essential. Without NLP (or some equivalent set of tools and techniques) health care practitioners will struggle to cope with the pace and scope of change in the future. With NLP they will have the ability, not only to cope with the changes, but to actively influence and direct them. They will enjoy and be passionate about their practice as they fulfil and live out their beliefs and values about making a real difference for patients. They will thrive on the challenges and work together to make improvements. They will build up and leave behind a legacy of expert practice for others to follow. You might be wondering where NLP fits in relation to other initiatives, for example, mentoring, clinical supervision, preceptorship and even appraisal and development planning. In brief, mentoring is likely to be a longer term relationship and is usually done by a more experienced practitioner, for someone needing support early on in any aspect of career change. Clinical supervision is a varied term adopted by some professions and again is usually undertaken by a more senior or experienced practitioner who helps to problem solve and increase understanding of particular issues. Preceptorship is a more formalised approach adopted by some professions to assist and support someone who is changing roles or initially when they enter clinical practice, a time to offer guidance before expecting them to work completely autonomously. It is our belief that NLP sits comfortably alongside these other practices. NLP will allow individuals to be active in each of these areas, for example to prepare fully for appraisal and to know how to get the most out of a mentoring or supervisory relationship. What can NLP offer? NLP is valuable in so many contexts. Some of those most important ones for health care practitioners include: By using NLP you will learn to communicate more effectively. Within health care the power of communication is even more vital to understand. What impact does your comment have on a patient when you say ‘oh yes you have osteoporosis, this is where the bones crumble’ or when you say to someone ‘it is very easy to get depressed in this situation’. We need to seriously start to question the terminology we use which might generate negative internal representations in patients which impact on their potential health and / or recovery. This is in addition to all the communication which occurs between colleagues and teams which can often be combative and excessively competitive, rather than empowering and encouraging. In terms of CPD, NLP could be the most effective CPD you have ever undertaken. If you determine effectiveness by its ability to impact on your practice and its ability to improve the services you offer, NLP will do both of those things, naturally and easily, without you even really focusing on that as an outcome. NLP will blow your map of the world. You will change the way you think and you will know and respect yourself in a new and exciting way. NLP is at the very heart of leadership excellence. NLP enables you to fully understand yourself, but also to understand your colleagues and staff so that you can enable them to work to their strengths and acknowledge safely the areas which still require development. Some of the key guiding principles of NLP include:
Just in case you are not already convinced of the potential value of NLP to you as a health care practitioner, there are also a whole range of advantages to you personally from using NLP techniques. We have already mentioned confidence and self esteem, within CPD, but we cannot over emphasise the potential value in transforming you through enhancing your own belief in yourself. When real change work is undertaken using NLP people talk of being a ‘new person’, of ‘starting life over’. We often think it is impossible to change some of those personalities which are so ingrained, we assume they are just part of us. From personal experience we can all give testimony to the fact that even those deep and longstanding aspects of us which we do not like, can be lost easily and quickly, with the right person guiding you through the techniques. You can see how by achieving these outcomes you will be happier and less stressed and if you consider the strong mind-body link which exists, you can see how this can make you physically healthier too. You may read this and think we are either over stating the potential of NLP or talking about just a few people who experience such radical and life changing results. It is your choice whether you believe us or not, the only criteria for success is a desire to change, a desire to have more and to achieve more. Do contact us if you want to find out more about NLP could do for you. Click here for reviews of NLP and Coaching for Healthcare Professionals: developing Expert Practice by Suzanne Henwood and Jim Lister which was published by Rapport Magazine from ANLP.
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