How NLP Works

By Marisa Broughton, MNLP, MCHT

The curious often call and often ask, "How does this NLP work?" The technical description sounds impressive, but still it's difficult to understand. I've found the best way to describe how NLP works is through an analogy (a example using something familiar to describe something unfamiliar). For example: A pen is like a pencil, except you can't erase the marks it makes on the paper.

The Computer Example

Your computer isn't working as efficiently as it can. Sometimes it loses files and sometimes what you want it to do and what it does are two different things. You suspect a virus. Out comes your Norton Anti-Virus program and soon enough, your computer is working better than ever. In fact, now that you have the anti-virus software installed, it lets you know when a virus is trying to enter your system.

NLP is the anti-virus software of the mind. Our brains are like computers. Our unconscious is like the "operating system" (such as  Windows) that runs your body and determines how you understand the world around you and governs your actions and reactions.

A "Thought Virus" (Dilts) works in a similar way to a computer virus. Where a computer virus changes how your computer runs, a "thought virus" changes how you act or react to certain situations. NLP finds the "thought virus" and replaces it with a more functional program that gets you the results you want. 

Just like any good technology, the mind is capable of many upgrades to its programs allowing it to function in a healthier and happier way. In computer terms, it's like defragging your hard drive or upgrading to the latest version of your favorite program. In humans, the favorite program is happiness.

The Car Example

Your car is difficult to start in the morning. Once you do get it going, you notice that the engine isn't running as smoothly as you like. When you envision going to the mechanic, you almost break into a sweat because you imagine that not only will the mechanic over-charge you, s/he'll also look for all sorts of other things that s/he figures is wrong. You could end up seeing this mechanic forever and mortgaging your house to pay for it. Yikes!

Eventually your car's behavior becomes more and more troublesome you can't ignore it any longer. You see an ad for a mechanic advertising services at a reasonable rate - you make the appointment and are pleasantly surprised when the mechanic tells you that your car is fine but it needs a basic tune-up.  Sometimes problems look worse than they are and in the right hands, a simple tune up does wonders.  The mind, like the car engine, needs to be maintained and every now and then if it's not running as well as you think it could be, it's a lot easier to have it serviced than to live with the glitches.

The Television Repair Example

Your TV goes all snowy in the middle of the football game. You jiggle the wires on the back of the set, which doesn't work so you hit the TV set. The picture momentarily clears up but then the horizontal hold begins to go haywire.  You could take your TV to the shop, but it's kind of a hassle and if your buddies found out that you couldn't fix your own TV, they may think you're incompetent. So, you go looking on the internet and find some advice. With instruction sheet in hand, you try to figure out which knob is what and how do I find my "Flyback Transformer" even if I knew what it looked like. Frustration builds and hey, what's a little picture fuzz anyway. 

A few days later a buddy comes over and notices your TV picture isn't great. You mumble something about your TV trouble. Oh Oh Advice. He tells you to take some tin foil, a spoon and coat hanger .....  You wonder if he really knows what he is talking about. It's doubtful. You ask your father. He's had lots of TVs ....

You dad, uncle and four buddies show up and after hours of trying this and that and getting no where, you all stare at each other in silence. One of your friends happens to drop by and after hearing about what's going on, furrows his eyebrows and asks what he believes is an obvious question, "Did you call the Repair Guy? That's what I did when my TV wasn't working?" 

Suddenly everyone is staring at you like you are an idiot for NOT calling the repair guy first. 

In the end, what you learned was that if you can't fix it yourself, the reasonable thing to do is find someone who can. If it gets to the point where other people are noticing what you are doing isn't working, you save face by taking the initiative to find someone who does repair work for a living.