Neuro Linguistic Programming NLP was created in the 1970's by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. Through systematically studying the processes applied by legendary hypnotherapist Milton Erickson, family therapist Virginia Satir, gestalt therapist Fritz Perls and many others, Bandler and Grinder assembled a formidable arsenal of tools and techniques for effecting personal change, effectively creating a whole new technology of human development.

NLP has since permeated many other disciplines including management training, leadership skills development, sales training, change management and hypnotherapy. You can now find an NLP coach, NLP trainers, NLP training courses, NLP workshops, NLP seminars and NLP CD's throughout the UK and the United States, from Bournemouth to Boston, from Poole to Pasadena and from Detroit to Dorset.

The most accurate, if somewhat academic sounding definition of NLP is that it is 'the study of the structure of subjective experience'. Translated into everyday English this simply means that NLP takes account of the way in which each unique individual perceives and responds to 'reality'.

People experience the world through three key filters: Distortion, Generalisation and Deletion. A popular way of explaining this is to say that we each live in our own universe. My universe is different from your universe, because what I delete from experience, what I generalise and how I distort reality is different to the way you make deletions, distortions and generalisations. Both our 'universes' are valid and are simply subsets of the universe as a whole. How many times have you heard the popular expression, 'he's on another planet'? The real question is, does your 'universe' (perception of reality) serve you well? Is it useful or not useful to believe and perceive the things you believe and perceive?

By paying close attention to the metaphors, language, eye accessing cues and uniquely individual patterns of non-verbal communication, NLP practitioners are able to elicit the habitual patterns of thinking, feeling and responding which all human beings learn and develop throughout their lives. Once the patterns have been understood it becomes a relatively simple matter to facilitate appropriate change.

NLP is consequently very effective in influencing people, not only in therapeutic and coaching situations, but also in sales, negotiation, public speaking, artistic, creative and sports performance enhancement.

NLP is highly effective in treating anxiety, phobias, depression, unwanted habtis and compulsions, building confidence, overcoming self-limiting beliefs, building self-esteem and enhancing performance in any professional context.

Richard Bandler: Get The Life You Want and Richard Bandler's Guide To Trance-formations

Richard Bandler and John La Valle: Persuasion Engineering

Michael Neill: Feel Happy Now and You Can Have What You Want

Also check out other books, Hypnosis CDs and DVDs, NLP CDs and DVDs by Roberts Dilts, John Grinder, Michael Breen, Paul McKenna, Richard Bandler, John La Valle.