NLP Tools – Use Visualization AND Physiology to Make Instant Changes

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• A basketball coach has his players run through an unusual free throw practice. Each player stands at the free throw line without the basketball and practices making shots. In his mind, the player watches himself dribble the ball, crouch with bended knees, stand up, make the shot and watch the ball make a perfect arc from his fingertips through the net with a perfect "swoosh." With his body, he makes all the same moves. He feels his body crouch with bended knees and make the shot with his arm at his side and feels the ball leave his fingertips perfectly.
• A cancer patient visualizes white blood cells attacking her tumor with little axes. The just chop, chop, chop away at the cancer cells. At the same time, she takes her hand and makes karate chops on the tumor area from the outside. Over and over again, she chops at the area and visualizes her white blood cells chopping away as well.
• A man who wants to start walking every day for exercise, but can not seem to get himself out the door on a consistent basis, starts visualizing him walking out doors, moving briskly, watching him bounce with each step and enjoying the fresh air. At the same time, he also marches in place in his living room for about 60 seconds. While he is marching, he is feeling the sensations of his body in motion and feet energy flow through his body.
• A sales person stands in front of a mirror before a sales call, visualizing her customers reacting warmly to him, asking her interested questions, and smiling at her. She even visualizes colored waves of rapport and agreement coming from the customer towards him through the interview. All the while, she is using the mirror to straighten her posture, put an expression of confidence, enthusiasm, and warmth on her face. Only when the mirror shows her a sales person who is butly dynamic and confident, is she done.

Each of these examples uses two neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP, tools to change a person's state. These people are creating internal representations of their states with visualization, and they are using their physiology or movements (the karate chops, the simulated free throws and changing the way they look in front of the mirror).

Science has long recognized that the way move or position our bodies can affect how we feel. If you want to put yourself in a depressed state, just slip your shoulders forward, stare down, walk with a shuffle and bend your spine as if the weight of the world were up you. Almost instantly you will feel down.

The body and the mind are not separate entities that can coexist and not impact the other. They are part of the same system and will work in harmony wherever we want them to or not.

Now try the opposite physiology. Get out of a bad mood by standing up straight, lift your eyes forward as if just above the horizon, walk around the room as if you are the most confident person on the planet, stand in front of the mirror and watch as your facial expressions change from gloomy to bold and energetic.

I suspect this is advice you've received from a parent or grandparent before, but it really works. Just spend a few moments re-creating a strong state of good feelings and high energy. The actual feelings will quickly follow, they always do.

Copyright (c) 2008, Charles Brown. All Right Reserved.

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