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Founded by Dr Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s, NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Although often perceived to be, NLP is not a therapy, it is a solution orientated educational process that can be used to bring about lasting and constructive change. A "user manual for the mind" NLP can help people better understand how their thinking patterns affect every aspect of their lives.

NLP can facilitate lasting change by influencing a person's thought process (the "neuro" part of the phrase) through the use of language (the "linguistic" part) and other types of communication. In so doing the person is able to "recode" the way their brain responds to stimuli (that's the "programming") allowing them to manifest new and better behaviors.

NLP can be used alone or to enhance and complement many other therapies, in particular hypnosis is often used to help achieve the desired change. There is no standard session length, but clients should expect sessions to last between one and two hours, depending on the complexity of their issue and whether the practitioner prefers to incorporate other therapies.

Clients may find the use of NLP techniques helpful with the following issues:

• Anxiety and stress
• Creativity
• Business performance
• Confidence
• Learning difficulties
• Fears and phobias
• Sports performance
• Relationships
• Health and wellbeing
• Personal change
• Presentation skills
• Parenting skills

Those practicing NLP should hold the qualification of NLP Practitioner or Master NLP Practitioner. However, as the practice of NLP is currently unregulated, it is strongly recommended that clients choose a professional who is also a member of, or accredited by a reputable organisation, which has a code of ethics, such as the Association for NLP (ANLP).

Our NLP description was kindly supplied by Beth Neve.