Can a person do harm to their own ability to practice NLP?

I am sure most here are familiar with my story, but I will generalize it here.

I recieved my first Basic NLP training from a friend who is a hypnotist and NLP paractitioner and trainer.

I am also all set to take another training from Global NLP in November, later this year. That trainingwill be for Basic (a repeat) and then Master practitioner.

In the meantime, I have been reading a lot, and listening to CDs. Theraputic Metaphores by David Gordon, and currently The users manual for the brain Vol. I (cant recall the authors names). I have Vol. II and plan to read that when I am done with Vol I. I have just finished listening to Tony Robbins Absolute Power tapes and I have his book started as well. I also have another Tony Robbins book and CD collection, Awaken the Giant within. All of this reading, I am taking lightly, but I am doing the reading. Mostly, I am doing this reading in order to keep my mind focused on NLP while I wait out the six months before my training in November.

Is it possable to overload on information, or burn out?

In a word, no. Some might say you're better off going in as a blank slate, others encourage some self-study, and neither of those methods can "make your NLP go off."

Dave,

NLP is not a thing it is a meta-system and attempts to put a framework around human experience and interaction.

Without knowing lots of people employ NLP in their everyday lives, for example I was in a meeting yesterday for a project I am managing and one participant said "We always have the same problem with delays in procurement" and another participant said "always?" now I know neither of them has had any NLP training but one used a meta model question to what we would call a universal quantifier.

Because it was modelled on communication examples are all around us and now your eyes have been opened to it you will never fail to see it in front of you and hear it in others language when speaking.

All I would suggest with all the reading and listening is to set your own expectations for learning a friend of mine does a shed load of reading and also then practicing what he has read and sometimes (as with any new skill) his results have been hit and miss and there have been occasions when the misses have shook his confidence.

In my eyes he is a great NLPer/Hypnotist and has lots of drive, he will go out and practice, which many others will not do and he has improved in leaps and bounds but his expectations of himself are extremely high.

Good luck with the trainings and keep posting about your experiences and progress.

Jason

FFRDave wrote:

Is it possable to overload on information, or burn out?

Are you doing any NLP besides reading and listening about it?

John

How come abbreviated is such a long word?

You might build a huge frustration if you read a lot without doing anything.
This could lead you to become disillusioned.

Get out and play.

Read around the field too, if you feel the urge to imbibe more words. Steven Heller's Monsters & Magical Sticks is an excellent book on Ericksonian hypnosis by a contemporary of Bandler and Grinder's. Maybe check out some up-to-date books on language covering, eg cognitive grammar, to see how the field has moved on since the Meta Model was first devised way back when. Research brain functions as they're understood now. And look into systems theory. All these will enrich your understanding, possibly more so than the people who have written the NLP books you're reading!

I would add to Adrians recommendation by suggesting

How to solve it by George Polya

I don't think you can harm your ability to practice NLP. But I would recommend that you slow down with your on-take of new information. Make sure that you have absorbed the contects of one book (or CD) before moving on to the next one.

Ivor

Thankyou everyone,
In its broadest sense, I would say that I am using NLP routinely. I am experiencing and noticing all sorts of new things about the people in my world. Right now, at this time in my life, every day seems totaly new and interesting. I used to want to be wealthy because I thought that wealth would allow me to travel the world and have many strange and interesting new experiences. Now I have all of that right here in my town, at work and with friends and family. I cant not use NLP.

However, for therapies that benifit other people, my NLP is not in use. I have asked my friend who is a hypnotist to allow me to spend some time with him in his sessions with real paying clients, as an observer. In a training, this would be the role of Meta-person. I am not pressing the issue as I know that he is awair of my desire and will come to a decision in his own time.
I will do coaching and encouragement using my NLP skills and abilities wherever and whenever oppurtuinties arrise.

MY desired outcome, from all of this reading, is that I will be able to enhance my NLP training (in November) because I will already have some familiarity with the terms and concepts. Some of the ideas found in NLP are a little abstract and hard for me to understand at first.

An example:
I was reading about perceptual positions in The Users Manual For The Brain. I understand the First position, as my own fully associated veiw of the world, and the second perceptual position as My (clients, friends, coworker, fellow humans) listeners veiw of me as I am communicating, and finaly, the Third perceptual position as I veiw myself and my (client, friend, coworker,fellow human) from a position outside both of us. I even understood the fourth perspective of 'the system' and the fifth perspective as that of 'The Universe, or God'. My challenge came when I tried to understand what is on the following pages (Pp 58, 59, & 60) about alligning those perceptual positions within myself. The pattern starts on page 58. My way of dealing with this challenge is to just trust that it will come up again, later, in some other context that will be more easily understood. When or If I ever encounter this pattern in a training, I will be able to ask about it or just learn it in the new way presented in training. I put little pressure on myself to completely grasp, and put to use the stuff I am now reading. This is not to say that I am not trying to make use of my learnings in the real world, its just that I am not pressuring myself to do so.

Dave

Maybe a bit of scepticism would help amid all this. You've got a great opportunity to observe some real client situations, but don't believe everything you're told or that you read.

For instance, it sounds grand to view things from the perspective of 'the system' or 'the universe' but have you also considered that you could perceive things from the perspective of a fly in the room, at the same time as a passer by looking into it..?

In other words, relish the experience you're having -- and question it, look for counterexamples, alternative explanations. And that's the way -- one way at least -- that what you're learning starts to become yours.

Adrian,
I am open to what you are, or seem to be saying. I just need some clarification.

Maybe a bit of scepticism Are you suggesting that I should be a bit more sceptical? would help What would be helped ? amid all this By 'this' do you mean my study of nlp?. You've got a great opportunity to observe some real client situations, but don't Are you advising that I dont believe everything I am told or read,
OR
are you suggesting that I already dont beleive everything I am told or read, and that I should? believe everything you're told or that you read.

I recognize that you are being more helpful than provocative, but I am haveing a little trouble translating your message, and I dont want to get it wrong.

The last two paragraphs of your post seem to suggest that I do some sorting by difference in order for me to internalize the 'stuff' I am trying to learn. Is that right ?

I have recently charted the six Meta-programs that I use.

My diredtion is usualy twords.
I operate mostly out of necessity
My frame of reference is often external
My way of telling if someone else has quality skills is first by Kinestetic, meaning that I will want to join the skilled person and have a "hands on" experience andthenSubsequently, to see them in action. It uslaly take a few trials before I totlay am convinced.
My Relational Meta-program is (at least in converasation) Sorted by difference with exceptions
My attention is mostly on myself and what I have to gain

The scepticism I'm talking about is a kind of playful curiosity designed to draw your attention to things that don't fit with your developing models.

It's great that you're noticing what meta-programs you're oriented to...but what about times when they don't fit? Do those times engage other meta-programs, or is it possible that another phenomenon is at work?

Explore alternatives, however unlikely. Look at how the notion of humors from medieval thinking can work. Study Tarot and notice situations that correspond with particular cards. Decide that most of what happens in the world is down to Eris, Goddess of Chaos, and collect evidence for that perspective.

It's all about keeping your brain moving, not letting your thinking get fossilised by believing you know what 'is' happening. You don't. But what you can aim for is a series of understandings, all partial, all arbitrary, that between them can stand in for 'actual' knowledge, assuming that such exists.

What Do You Really Want??

My understanding of meta-programs is black & white in extremes with a slight differences of colors in between. It's just a filters, a choke point as in perception, like an hour glass between the territory and map with deletions or distort and gener. Same with values and beliefs. Also, a non-conscious operation provided that you don't bring it up (meta) consciously for evaluation, change, modificating or enhancement.

Then you've got decisiveness, by stacking or de-stacking of the logical levels. As if, you first start write from the bottom of the page working your way to the top as in layers. Or, you could write on paper the positives on the left column, negative on the right as in balance sheet and then tear that one out and go run with the positives.
Disclaimer: Check out Andrew Bryant webpage.

Frame Person Positions. 1st = I; 2nd = You; 3rd = they (other than 1 & 2. Observing 1 & 2 or not). It's basic grammer. Map frame is different.

On PhotoRead, I haven't check on these yet because.... Maybe someone will delineate a review.

My most valuable value is in my understanding of the Primary Self or 1st-position as to the 2 & 3 is hocus-pocus just like the dude (narcissus?) who watches his reflection from the water w/c I don't understand anyway. The 2 & 3 positions as in id & superego is part of the 1 or ego as will.
Disclaimer: Check with NLP Comprehensive. Maybe Marc Hogan.

Maybe Simpcore would enlighten me some more, but I do definitely doubt I think so as it's all theoretical or man made up.

Hope this helps. I too can get confuse as in a human, but I do something about it! Maybe.

A review here in helping to read the book that at least I got no access to. What Is It That You Really Want?

I really want to go home and watch NCIS.

I think Abbey is really hot.

Taking it lightly

southnick wrote:

You might build a huge frustration if you read a lot without doing anything.
This could lead you to become disillusioned.

Get out and play.

I second this. Look at all the marriage councellors who can't keep a stable marriage.

simpcore wrote:

I second this. Look at all the marriage councellors who can't keep a stable marriage.

all the marriage councellors? which marriage councellors specifically? stable according to whom?

This might help Batman

http://wisdomofyourface.com/blog/

simpcore wrote:

I second this. Look at all the marriage councellors who can't keep a stable marriage.

...and overweight NLP trainers....

John

The older you get the tougher it is to lose weight because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends

Ok, you all have convinced me.

Right here, right now !!!

A mark is drawn on the time-line of my life.

I will totaly devorce myself, of all things NLP. I will make no further attempt to learn or help others learn anything about living a great energizing fun life until I have achieved perfection myself.

No, no !! You cant talk me back into it, my decision has been made.

No more NLP
no more coaching of friends and family.

I will get back to you when I have become perfect in every way.

Whew !!!

Its good to be back.

.... You know... Perfection just wasnt all it was cracked up to be.

Its good to ba back.