The Science Behind Neuro-Lingusitic Programming
What is NLP?
Neuro - refers to the neurological pathways that are stimulated by our external environment and/or our internal dialogue (thoughts).
Linguistic - the language we use, both verbal and non-verbally to communicate .
Programming - the ability to re-program our nervous system by stimulating new neurological connections .
Your nervous system is constantly processing information in response to your external environment. These experiences are recorded and stored at the cellular level. Any emotion, thought or behavior you have ever experienced is held in the memory of your unconscious mind. Therefore you have the ability to use these same thoughts, emotions, or behaviors at any given time. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) allows us to access resourceful emotional states, effective behavioral strategies, and healthy thought patterns to achieve our desired results.
A nerve impulse is the transmission of a coded signal from a given stimulus along the membrane of the neuron. Nerve impulses (stimulated by our external environment or internal processes) are passed from one cell to another. These cells attach to each other to form a network of interconnected neurons. This is called a neurological pathway.
Each time you feel an emotion or think a thought, you are literally setting off a series of neurological connections. When a message in the form of a thought is sent to the brain, it releases a mixture of chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemicals are then released into the body and effect how we feel. Habits and patterns are developed when people continue to think the same thoughts which then stimulate the same neurological connections.
The chemical process of the interaction between nerve cells is called a synapse. For a synapse to occur, the dendrite of one cell touches very closely to the dendrite of another cell. The dendrite is the part of the nerve cell that receives messages from the axon. The axon relays information from one nerve cell to another.
Once the message has been received, the axon of the nerve cell releases the neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters are released and attach themselves to chemical receptors in the membrane of the following neuron.
The nervous system is stimulated by information received through the five senses: taste, touch, sound, sight, and feeling. Every time we think a thought, we are accessing a representation using one of these five senses. Our conscious mind gives us the power to access and use our five senses in whatever way we choose. The unconscious mind simply follows the orders (thoughts) given to it by the conscious mind.
When you change your thoughts, you change your reality. Thought by thought you can deliberately re-program your nervous system to think, feel and act in healthier ways. What do you choose?…!