Presuppositions of NLP continued...
OK, so let's examine the very first building block to really understand how it looks and feels. The first block is one of the most important because it forms part of the foundation upon which everything that follows is built. Let's take a look at the presuppositons upon which NLP is based.
-
The ability to change the process by which we experience reality is often more valuable than changing the content of our experience of reality.
-
The meaning of the communication is the response you get.
-
All distinctions human beings are able to make concerning our environment and our behaviour can be usefully represented through the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory senses.
The resources an individual needs in order to effect a change are already within them.
The map is not the territory
-
The positive worth of the individual is held constant, while the value and appropriateness of internal and/or external behaviour is questioned.
-
There is a positive intention motivating every behaviour, and a context in which every behavior has value.
-
Feedback vs. Failure - All results and behaviours are achievements, whether they are desired outcomes for a given task/context, or not.
Don't worry if some, or even all of these are confusing - that's OK as confusion always precedes understanding, remember?
On the next few pages we'll find out more about what each one of these actually means.