by Dave Berman
(Arcata, CA)
Dave Berman
The Law of Attraction (LoA) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) are naturally complementary and so I use them together in my Life Coaching practice, Manifest Positivity. LoA and NLP converge on the idea of keeping your attention on what you want. In LoA, we run energy of gratitude and appreciation for already having our desires filled. In NLP, we identify the evidence our senses will require as proof that we've got what we want - what it will look, sound, feel, smell and taste like to meet our goals, or to establish preferred behavior patterns.
NLP is a model of communicating with the subconscious using sensory-based language to influence how the brain stores and accesses information. Picture your brain as a filing cabinet, your own personal mental filing system that accounts for your unique perception of reality. The files (thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, memories and emotions) can be rapidly reorganized by updating aspects of visualizations, inner dialog, and other sensory experiences. This makes NLP a versatile modality used to:
--build confidence and self-esteem;
--improve memory and accelerate learning;
--eliminate phobias, trauma, anxiety, insomnia, compulsions, addictions and other unwanted habits.
In general, NLP is used to align behavior and intention, enabling conscious control of bodily performance in areas previously controlled by the subconscious. When beginning NLP work it is common to ask, "what do you want?" And, "how will you know when you've got it?" The answers to these questions must be experienced repeatedly for practice, just as a beginner guitar player starts out watching slow moving fingers picking out individual notes, then chords, then playing rhythms in time, before eventually being able to play without looking and possibly even while singing at the same time.
When we can take action like that without requiring complete conscious focus, we have developed "muscle memory" (we have it for walking, tying shoes, brushing teeth, etc.). Rehearsing the sensory experiences of having what you want is analogous and so practicing NLP techniques builds "sensory memory." From the LoA perspective, this ensures multiple ways we are physically aligning our vibration to be a match with our desires.
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