Sunday, January 4, 2009

My Inner Tussle, Re: NLP

For those of you following this blog (I don't actually think there is anyone following this blog yet, though I know there have been some visitors), you'll notice that I am constantly changing the way I do things. My intention in writing a blog is simply to explore myself, and also to explore the blogosphere. (I'm thinking about starting a blog in conjunction with our, meaning my husband and myself, professional website, but I want to have a better grip on blogging myself before I undertake it in any kind of "serious" way.)

So anyway, all the side bar stuff, and the images, and the anytime links, and the links of the day (which you can get a sense of by combing through the archives if you really feel like it) seemed to lack purpose, so I've gotten rid of it.

I still like the idea of only showing one daily post. This keeps things current and fresh.

And, in the spirit of that, I've decided that it would be more "real" to post whatever was "on my mind", embedding links when needed. So, that is what I'm doing.

Today, I read this post, which is about neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).

I have mixed feelings about NLP. On the one hand, we are all conditioned (on my best days, I am perhaps a notch above Pavlov's dog). So, doesn't it make sense to make our conditioning work for us rather than against us?

On the other hand, isn't this just a gigantic cop-out for avoiding becoming more conscious in the first place?

Really, I go back and forth about this. I know that my negative self-talk doesn't get me anywhere. And yes, a lot of this negative "sound-track" is probably playing subconsciously. But, isn't it possible to become aware of it? I'm not talking about the slow, laborious, and limited approach of psychotherapy, or "dredging up" the past. I mean, is it not possible to hear these negative tapes, etc., while they are playing? And, rather than reprogramming them, look into them? And in the meantime, becoming more & more conscious, until we are so aware of our programming that it no longer runs our lives?


I would really appreciate any and all feedback. What do you think about NLP vs. making efforts to attain more awareness, alertness, presence and a higher state of consciousness? Are NLP and these loftier aims mutually exclusive?

4 comments:

  1. I don't know that much about NLP. I do agree with your, "making efforts to attain more awareness, alertness, presence and a higher state of consciousness," statement. I think there are many paths to the top of the mountain. Finding ones that work for you are the key. I have always been very independent and eclectic in my personal voyage.

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  2. Dr. J,

    Firstly, I'm so excited that you commented on my blog! I enjoy your blog posts, and find many of them useful.

    Secondly, I can relate to your eclecticism. I have varied interests myself: music, visual art, poetry, fitness in general, running...blah di blah, so I try to cull wisdom wherever I can.

    As far as independence goes, I feel as if running and fitness has made me moreindependent/self-reliant--I used to be a lot more dependent--on my car, on my need for sleep or to eat. Of course, I still need to sleep and eat, but I don't feel like strangling someone if I miss a meal, and I wake up early every morning whether I go to bed late or not, and without an alarm, feeling pretty chipper. I (mostly) credit fitness for these changes, so for me, fitness has been a spiritual endeavor!

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  3. "Fitness has been a spiritual endeavor!"

    SWEET!!

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  4. I can't deny it. Finally establishing that mind-body connection (instead of the disconnected "living in my head" way that I was stuck in for most of my life) made me realize that I, personally, could not progress without some kind of balance.

    For some life long fitness fanatics, balance might look different, but for me, it was moving, breathing and tuning in to my body instead of thinking all the time.

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