NLP and Mindfulness9 min read

Are NLP and mindfulness compatible?

Can they work together?

The answer is yes, and in this post I will show you how…

Mindfulness is a wonderful state of being to be in. being very much in the present moment allows you to be keenly present and aware. 

There is something about conscious awareness that brings immediate calming and healing effects.
This is of course something that has been known for thousands of years.

Mindfulness can be achieved in a number of ways, meditation, observant practice, music and chanting and dance are all gateways to the ‘moment’. Hypnosis is also worth mentioning as a great tool, trance states are really the ultimate in being ‘here and now’.

How does NLP fit into this?

NLP is the study of the structure of subjective experience and knowing NLP opens up an understanding of how your inner life works.

When we understand the principles of how our inner life is structured, we can then of course start to change things to make them even more effective.

What happens when you combine NLP and mindfulness?

With the precision awareness that NLP provides, your conscious attention can find its way into so much more of your inner world. This means that you can extend healing to areas of your psyche that have always been outside of your awareness.

How NLP and Mindfulness Can Work Together

NLP provides an excellent structure for mindful awareness.
When using NLP a state of mindful awareness is generated, which focusses the attention.

More specifically…

1. NLP teaches that we all process information in modalities. In other words our information is represented in visual, auditory and kinesthetic (see, hear, feel) terms. (You can read more about modalities in our article Primary Representational Systems)
Being aware of this allows you to focus in on a particular internal image, sound or feeling for keener awareness.

2. NLP language patterns, such as the NLP meta model, provide a deepening opportunity for mindfulness practitioners. For example, when you become mindful of your self-talk, you can use NLP inspired questions to deepen your self-knowledge and insight.

3. NLP Submodalities provide an amazing way to capture the unique details of your inner world. When you apply NLP submodality distinctions to your awareness, you will realize details of your experience that you have never considered before, which greatly expands your mindfulness potential.

These three points represent tremendous healing opportunity – and more potential to explore mindfulness than you’ve ever had – or could ever have – without NLP training tools at your disposal.