How is NLP different from psychotherapy?

NLP is based on 'modeling' rather than 'theory'. A model is a description of how something works, without any commitment regarding why it might be that way.

NLP and psychotherapy have different underlying assumptions about the human mind and its connections with the body as a whole. NLP and all forms of traditional psychology have different methodologies, different measures and different concepts in practice.

Major differences include...

• NLP is not a model of psycho-pathology (mental illness).
• NLP makes no diagnoses about a person's mental health or illness. Its focus is purely on results. It proposes that people are not broken -- they work perfectly to produce the results they are getting -- even if the results are not desirable. If a person doesn't like the results they are getting, NLP provides tools to help them get the results they desire.
• Psychology has no explicit integration or resolution process; NLP is entirely based on integration and resolution.
• In psychology, integration and resolution are left to non-specific processes. As a result, many psychotherapy patients complain that their sessions lack structure; that they go in, let their thoughts wander for 50 minutes, and leave without any sense of progress; then they repeat this ritual for an indeterminate amount of time, sometimes lasting 10 years or more.
• Often, after years of psychotherapy, psychoanalysis or psycho-pharmaceutical treatment, while problems may have been explored and brought to conscious awareness, or at least treated to reduce their effects, a person is still left with ongoing patterns which resulted from their cause. Resolution is often left unfinished.
• This is not to say that traditional psychological models are useless or unhelpful. Many people have been greatly helped by them, and we would encourage anyone to explore them if that is their interest. But there is so much more that can be accomplished in far less time.
• For those who have already invested in psychotherapy for a number of years, NLP can be an important finishing or resolution process when psychotherapy has concluded or reached a point of diminishing returns.

NLP is non-Exclusive

In NLP we encourage people to make the most of any resource they wish to use. NLP works well either as a primary or complementary modality of self exploration and change. It does not take an adversarial position to psychotherapy, traditional medicine, or other alternative approaches, and clients are free to pursue any and all other avenues while exploring NLP.

Some psychotherapists are equally non-exclusive and work well in cooperation with NLP coaches and therapists.

How is NLP Coaching different from ordinary coaching?

If you search the web for executive or personal coaches, in addition to finding descriptions of the benefits which coaching can provide, you'll find a common coaches' rule about clients - that they are only "ready" for coaching if they are "emotionally stable and not going through any major, personal period of crisis or distress," and that most of their "family of origin issues and conflicts have been resolved."

Yet emotions, crisis, distress, family of origin issues, and conflicts are among the most common factors that limit a person's success. Few people have purely conceptual obstacles to reaching their goals.

An experienced, professional NLP Master Practitioner or Trainer who is also a Certified Coach is a greater resource to anyone seeking help with a goal or a problem because such practitioners are not out of their depth when the water gets deep. They can professionally guide you to the resolution of deep emotional, self concept, behavioral and relationship issues and move forward in ways which ordinary coaches cannot.

Coaching is future oriented and is not equipped to deal with any issues in the past which might prevent you from creating the future you want.

Who may benefit from NLP, Time Line Therapy™ and Hypnotherapy?

Again, the answer to this question is “virtually everyone”. Given that these therapies can be utilised to access a person’s inner potential and that probably no one is performing to their actual potential, then this answer is literally true. However, it is not just potential which these therapies are well placed to address but also one’s inner resources to effect beneficial change. In this regard, it is the innate healing capacity of our own body that may be stimulated by these therapies. Consequently, the list of problems which may be amenable to NLP, Hypnotherapy and Time Line Therapy™ is far too long and varied to catalogue but certainly includes: stress, anxiety, panic, phobias, unwanted habits and addictions (e.g. smoking, overeating, alcoholism), disrupted sleep patterns, lack of confidence and low self-esteem, fear of examinations and public speaking, allergies and skin disorders, migraine and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Additionally, they have proved of value within surgery, where normal anaesthetics have not been practical, in the wider sphere of pain management and in the areas of both sporting and artistic performance enhancement.

What are your coaching and therapy sessions like?

Sessions are custom designed to explore your full potential and overcome problems in a caring, effective way.

From the beginning, you participate fully in setting direction and staying focused on results.

All processes are of self-discovery and self-change. They do not impose ideas on you. You decide what you want, and we help you get there.

During sessions we take a number of different approaches according to where you are at the moment, what you want, and what you are ready for next.

Not every session involves the NLP process, Hypnotherapy and Time Line Therapy™, but all sessions use NLP in some form. We may give you a task before we see you and during our sessions. Doing so keeps momentum going between sessions and opens opportunities for accelerated progress.

Is NLP, Coaching and Time Line Therapy™ effective on the Phone?

“YES” because your mind works the same whether you are on the phone or not. We do not need to see your body language or the famous NLP "eye accessing cues" to know what's going on with you or to work with goals and problems.

Sessions by phone allow for easy accessibility. Whether you live in Sydney, Melbourne, London or New York, telephone clients have equal access to NLP.

It is important for you to have a quiet, private space for the session, and that you make arrangements not to be interrupted. "Call waiting" should also be turned off. Your location might be your office, anywhere in your home, in your parked car, or even outside while you take a walk in a quiet park or neighborhood. Your environment is up to you. However, we do not conduct NLP sessions while people are driving or doing anything else which requires their primary attention for safety.

We recommend that you use a hands-free telephone headset so you don't have to hold the phone with one hand, and that you have a simple chair (if possible) for sitting which allows you to sit in a comfortably straight position for certain NLP processes.

It is a good idea to have a pencil and paper handy for taking notes.

Who can be hypnotised?

The answer to this question is undoubtedly “virtually everyone”. This claim must, however, be qualified by the observation that some are more readily hypnotisable than others and that it will also depend upon one’s willingness to be hypnotised at the time. This willingness will itself depend upon a number of factors, not least of which will be the strength of the person’s particular need and their trust and confidence in the therapist concerned.

Will I lose control in Hypnosis or Time Line Therapy™?

People are sometimes concerned that they will “lose control” in these sessions. However, general consensus indicates that regardless of how deeply people may go in hypnosis or Time Line Therapy™ and however passive they may appear to be, they actually remain in full control of the situation. They are fully able to talk if they wish to and can stand up and leave the room at any time. Neither can an induced person be made to do anything against their usual ethical or moral judgement or religious belief. It is likely that the notion of a loss of control stems from most people’s misconception of stage hypnosis, wherein participants are apparently made to perform all manner of usually foolish acts. However, the reader should be aware that participation in a stage act is an entirely voluntary process (thus “permission” is already given to the hypnotist) and that there can be no such volunteer who is unaware of exactly what they are letting themselves in for!

How will I feel after a session? Will I be or feel different?

Our objective is for you to become aligned with the person that you want to be — your true self. Freeing yourself of issues in your past that are keeping you feeling uncomfortable in your own skin, feeling like an imposter (others view you one way but you view yourself a completely different way inside and you say things to yourself, like "if they only knew the real me"), feeling like you must always compare yourself with others, or any other thoughts or feelings that hold you back will allow you to create the life that you want.

You may or may not feel immediately different after the session but you will be empowered and confident that you have the techniques necessary to completely release the old issue. About 30-40% of our clients go in to a situation where they may have previously felt uncomfortable and be successful or free of the old issue without even having to think about it. The other 60-70% need to follow through on some simple homework: a conscious conditioning program in order to ensure their success. This conditioning program is a requirement for every client to ensure success because we cannot predict who will integrate the changes at an unconscious level immediately or over time.

Are your coaching and therapy sessions confidential?

All our sessions are completely confidential and discreet to the fullest extent possible under the law.

We do not reveal or discuss client names or any other personally identifiable session content or information with anyone without the express permission or request of the client.

How do I pay for training, coaching or therapy?

All training and coaching sessions, whether domestic or international, require payment by cash or credit card (VISA, Mastercard) or EFT.