Neuro Linguistic Programming Exercises

The mind processes sensory information on a continuous basis. How this information is processed determines how a person perceives her surroundings. Neuro linguistic programming (NLP) uses this mental ability to reprogram limiting assumptions, beliefs and behaviors that prevent a person from reaching a desired goal or outcome. NLP exercises uses the five senses as tools to communicate new behavior patterns to the mind.

Identification

• Neuro linguistic programming is based on principles derived from psychology, linguistics and neurophysiology. Its main focus is on how the mind uses sensory information to program a person's emotions and behaviors. The five senses--sight, sound, touch, taste and smell--act as the routes through which communication takes place. NLP exercises are used to improve the quality of a person's life by rearranging how communication input is received. NLP can be used for personal development as well as for improving relations within a group setting.

Function

• Neuro linguistic programming exercises can be used within a variety of situations where a person may want to eliminate an undesired behavior or develop a new one. By manipulating different aspects of sensory input--like color, sound, texture and intensity--a person's perception of a situation can be molded, thereby creating the desired emotional and psychological responses. An example of this would be changing how a person recalls a bad memory by changing the color intensity, or brightness, until the most pleasurable (or least offensive) recollection of the memory can be found. This exercise can work towards desensitizing a person to a past traumatic event.

Presuppositions

• Neuro linguistic programming is based on a set of presuppositions that dictate how a person approaches an exercise routine. Presuppositions are defined as assumptions a person holds towards a particular experience, certain behaviors and how communication affects behavior. Presuppositions act as belief systems that influence emotional and behavioral responses. NLP works from a set of core assumptions that work to promote individual growth and development. Examples of NLP presuppositions include: what a person believes is either true or will become true, the mind and the body affect each other, and knowing what you want helps you to obtain it.

Submodalities

• Neuro linguistic programming exercises make use of the submodalities, or sensory aspects, of an event or situation to bring about the desired behavioral response. Sensory aspects are categorized according to the five senses. An example of this would be a visual image in which a person adjusts characteristics of the image's contents. Characteristics would include brightness, color, contrast, distance and size. Auditory submodalites would include loudness, clarity, range and distance. As a tool for personal development, a person can visualize an upcoming situation and adjust its visual aspects to create pleasurable assumptions that can be drawn from when the actual situation comes to pass.

Anchors

• In neuro linguistic programming, anchors are used to trigger perceptual or emotional responses. Anchors are created during the visualization process to prepare for an upcoming event or situation. An anchor can be any form of stimulation, like tapping one's foot or placing one's hand inside the other. This technique relies on the brain's ability to associate events and actions with emotional feeling states. The positive feeling state created during the visualization is, in effect, triggered when a person carries out the anchoring behavior.