Archive for the ‘NLP in The News’ Category

As many of my readers know, one key difference with NLP is the acceptance that every person has his or her own Mental Map or Model of the World — we all have our own way of thinking how the world works. This is what makes NLPers so much more flexible when it comes to working with and communicating with other people — even if we don’t always agree with someone’s perspective we can acknowledge that it exists and work within that person’s beliefs and values.

One of the best stories I came across last year was about a German nursing home for seniors that had figured out a way to actually utilized a patient’s alzheimer’s in ensuring their own safety … to basically keep them from wandering too far off. Here’s the full story:

Fake Bus Stop Keeps Alzheimer’s Patients From Wandering Off

German nursing homes are using a novel strategy to stop Alzheimer’s patients from wandering off: phantom bus stops.

Written by Harry de Quetteville in Berlin, and Published Jun 3, 2008.
(CLICK HERE to go to the original news story)

The idea was first tried at Benrath Senior Centre in Düsseldorf, which pitched an exact replica of a standard stop outside, with one small difference: buses do not use it.

The centre had been forced to rely on police to retrieve patients who wanted to return to their often non-existent homes and families.

Then Benrath teamed up with a local care association called the “Old Lions”. They went to the Rheinbahn transport network which supplied the bus stop.

“It sounds funny but it helps,” said Franz-Josef Goebel, the chairman of the “Old Lions” association.

“Our members are 84 years old on average. Their short-term memory hardly works, but the long-term memory is still active.

“They know the green and yellow bus sign and remember that waiting there means they will go home.”

The result is that errant patients now wait for their trip home at the bus stop, before quickly forgetting why they were there in the first place.

“We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later and invite them in for a coffee,” said Richard Neureither, Benrath’s director. “Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave.”

The idea has proved so successful that it has now been adopted by several other homes across Germany.

Personally … I think it’s damn brilliant of an idea! It totally makes sense from an NLP stand point and it’s proven to work — what more can you ask for? I only hope that my nursing home is that smart when I get to be that age … although, some people say that dementia is just parent’s vengeance for all the trouble you cause during your teenage years.

Sadly my friends … it is time once again for a Dan Rant — recently, a friend of mine brought to my attention an article published in a local newspaper a few days ago that simply left me shaking my head in disbelief …

The article (Eye movements mirror thought) was about how *Science* is suddenly discovered there is a connection between eye movements and thought patterns … and, in fact, you can use eye patterns to predict what people are thinking! Wow, eh? The fact that this has been a major component of NLP training since the 1970′s is only coincidental — and why is that? … because NLP hasn’t been *Scientifically* proven.

Yep, it’s true. NLP is still today considered nothing more than mumbo-jumbo-witch-doctory-new-age-wish-wash … a scam … a placebo, at best. The only reason is because the way NLP works is to utilize each individual’s personal way of thinking … and that means if I find a way that works to help one person the exact same steps may not work for anyone else! The most effective NLP techniques are constantly in flux based on immediate feedback received from the client — and that means it’s damn near impossible to create a universal set of steps that some scientist in a lab anywhere in the world can replicate! … but … medication can be replicated and proven to work in more than 50% of the cases and that’s good enough for psychologists and psychiatrists to get behind — because it can be *proven* using current scientific methods.

However, now we have these so-called *new* studies that have been discovering wonderous things about the way the human mind works … and lo-and-behold — ye old NLP flim-flam just happens to have been saying the same thing for decades … (*grumble, grumble, grumble!*) …

The Second International NLP Research Conference has just put out a call for papers! I strongly recommend students of NLP check it out — the more research we continue to build in order to validate the claims of NLP and all our success, the more the scientific community will be unable to deny and discount our abilities.

For everyone who is interested, go to their website here:

http://www.nlpresearchconference.com/

For all my NLP students and colleagues out there, here are a few NLP jokes that I’ve found around the internet…

Q. Why did the NLPer cross the road?

A. It’s not important. what is important is how specifically did they cross the road?

Q. What NLP techniques do speed seducers like most?

A. In Bedded Commands!

Q. How many meta modelers does it take to change a light bulb?

A. In what way, exactly, would you like it to be ”changed”?

Q. How many milton modelers does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Think about it.

Q. How many psychoanalysts does it take to change a light bulb.

A. 1 – but it must reeeally want to change

Q. Why did the man give his photo albumn to Richard Bandler?

A. He wanted the pictures reframed.

Q. Why was the NLPer so happy?

A. Because he met a model.

Q. How many metaphors to change a light bulb?

A. Many hands make light work!

Q. How does the egomaniac screw in a lightbulb?

A. He just holds the bulb up to the light fitting and the whole world revolves around him.

  If you have any more please feel encouraged to share them with us…

Aubrey de Grey, a formidable expert on the theory of immortality and aging, made a comment in a TED video I recently watched regarding “Global Trance” and I believe he made a damn good point!

How many things in this life and in our world are considered “normal” simply because the world has learned to tolerate it? So many limiting beliefs exist my meta question is not “Where do they come from?” but rather, “How do we learn to create limiting beliefs?” Aging and death are considered by science as fact because it is true. However, there is no reason for it to remain unchallenged or unalterably a fact when in truth we have the ability to change it.

The problem is that change is not predictable and thus, for many, frightening. The whole “better to stick with the Devil you know than to risk something worse with the Devil you don’t” is not longer an attitude that should shape our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and our world. It’s time to do something about it!

NLP has the Institute for Advanced Studies in Health which promotes the use of NLP teachings and techniques to help people alter the course of illness. The challenge I have for all my fellow NLP colleagues is to help promote the endless possibilities by watching for and challenging people’s statements condoning any “Global Trance” which limits not only them but the people around them. In my opinion that would be awesome!

And as for the Aubrey de Grey you tube video I mentioned at the start … it’s called “Why we age and how we can avoid it” and I’ve copy-pasted it below for anyone who is interested. I think it’s awesome (mainly because I’m still young enough to benefit from it) and I really hope it happens! Check it out:

When Robert Dilts first introduced me to the idea of the 4th perceptual position, I wasn’t completely certain I truly understood. NLP colleagues and I discussed it time and time again, slowly wrapping our minds around what it means and what its value is.

In retrospect I remember a short story and video which Robert presented about “Knowing your instrument.” The basic premise was simple — when you first pick up a guitar you need to learn what it is. Then you learn the positions to play it. Then you learn the cords and scales. Then you learn how those notes go together to create music. With time and practice you begin to let go of the structure of scripted music and you learn the relationships of notes and music and how that applies to the guitar. Eventually you can just pick up the instrument and play randomly and to the average person you are creating music on the spot.

The point Robert made was that you need to know your instrument before you can just naturally do it without hesitation or thought — in order to “jam” with others and interact with them in an unstructured and free-flowing way. Something I might define as the highest form of interpersonal communication.

What I didn’t connect at the time was how this has meaning with regards to the 4th perceptual position — the group mind.

Now the question has turned back on itself: what if I set the interaction without defining the group? Well … with the help of YouTube and the World Wide Web, someone has done just that! It’s called YouTube’s Symphony Orchestra … the piece is titled, “The Internet Symphony” … check it out:

Okay – I found this short documentary on synesthesia done by a student by the name of Mark from the University of Colorado at Boulder. I thought it was so excellent that I had to get a copy from him so I could show my NLP students during the Practitioner Certification Training Courses I teach.

If you’re a student of NLP then you need to check this out:

(Special thanks to McrawfishMAC at YouTube for letting me get a copy! You totally ROCK dude!)

Okay y’all — this is another one of those raves I think is really important for people to check out!

I had never heard of the problem until I met her — Annie Hopper! She is a Brain Retraining Specialist who has been in the Health and Wellness Industry for 20 years, and you need to read her story! There are so many things in this world we hope never happen to the ones we love … cancer, alzheimer’s, MS … the list goes on. Well, this one is a major one and it’s something people need to know we are doing to ourselves! It’s called Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and it’s where we’re all headed in the next decade … so perhaps you should check out Annie’s website(s) and know what it’s all about. (Plus, you might want to let others know because the people who have it, right now they have no where in this world to turn … except for those very rare people like my friend and colleague Ms. Hopper!)

You can find her websites here:

People have often compared life to a pond — each thing you do in this world is like a pebble dropped in the pond … its ripples spreading out across the water effecting everyone and everything around you.

Julie Salisbury is less of a pebble and more like a huge stone! She makes a real splash in people’s lives and it doesn’t just ripple out across our little pond … droplets of water seem sprayed into the puddles and ponds out beyond the shore of our own little lake.

Since October of last year Julie has been helping me (and by helping I mean taking me by my widdle hand and guiding me like you would a toddler) to put together my first book. Recently I’ve come to refer to her as my “Book Coach” because she has forever been there — like a guiding light in the darkness of confusion — to help me along the path towards becoming an author. So many times I’ve thought about how easy it must be to write a book … yep… now, let me tell you how wrong I was!.

Writing a book has been the toughest challenge I’ve faced in a long time and yesterday I made my first step towards getting internationally published. With Julie’s help I finally finished my first book proposal which was submitted late last night to a publishing house in the NY. I know there is still a long way to go but it feels so good to just have that much done. The 3 chapters I submitted with the proposal ain’t my best writing but it’s a solid start. I have only 5 more chapters to go plus the copy editing before I will actually have something resembling an actual book. Then I just need to find a publisher. (And No, I’m not interested in self-publishing — I intend to go big … I mean, if you’re gonna run with the big dogs, then ya gotta git off the porch and go for it!)

Anyway, I just wanted to send a shout out to my wonderful book coach and friend, Julie Salisbury (*woo-hoo!*) … inventor of the InspireABook book building system! (*boo-ya!*) A giant heartfelt thanks goes out to my luck stars which brought this true “Nomad from around the world” into my life. Tons of hugs of appreciation from me to you, Julie — thank you.

Well, today I did my 2nd ever TV interview…and it was great. Some TV personalities and reporters are just so nice and kind and I love ‘em – and Maggie Cox of the A-Channel Morning show is one of those people.

Maggie was awesome. She came and did an interview at Pacific Rim College in Victoria, BC all about the school, the programs (including the new NLP Diploma Program – instructed by me!) and she seemed to have a lot of fun. Her warm smile and gentle charm really put everyone at ease and so all of us who she interviewed had a really nice experience…however, a few of us did notice that she sure has boundless amounts of energy for a person that starts work at 5:00a in the morning.

Anyway, I just want to extend my deepest Thank You to Maggie Cox of A-Channel Morning. Today was a solid reminder of what I can expect when my first book is finally finished.