Breaking Free From Negative Thoughts Using Neuro Linguistic Programming

If you've ever had a negative thought, you know how difficult it can be to get rid of. In fact, the more you try to think of something else, perhaps the more you think of this particular negative thought. For example, if I tell you not to think of a pink elephant, what do you think of? A pink elephant! However, neuro linguistic programming, or NLP, can help you break free from these thoughts.

How Negative Thinking Can Affect You
Negative thinking affects us not just emotionally, but physically. Indeed, negative thoughts have real ramifications beyond just the thought itself. How can you use neuro linguistic programming and hypnosis to break free of this?

Neuro linguistic programming is a means by which you can literally be taught to "retrain" the way you think. In other words, a therapist trained in NLP can help you rephrase and restate thoughts, and consider them in a different light, so that you literally begin to think in different ways that are more balanced and positive - and indeed, more realistic.

This is a very positive step to take because so often, negative thoughts are things that are "out of context" from what is really happening.

Negative Thinking in Every Day Situations
Let's say for example that you've been assigned a project at work, and you're confident you can do it. You complete the job and you've done very well. However, you notice one tiny error. Instantly, you begin to talk to yourself negatively, telling yourself that you handled the job poorly, even though the one tiny error is not significant and will not impact on the quality of the project overall. So while your boss is saying, "Great job!" you might be saying to yourself, "No, it’s not. I'm so stupid. I'm going to lose my job because of that mistake."

How realistic is that?
A qualified NLP Practitioner might challenge you with this: "So, your boss has told you're going to lose your job because you made one small mistake?" How will you react? You’ll think, “Of course not!” and realize that your boss is telling you that you've done a great job. Therefore, neuro linguistic programming literally teaches us how to retrain our thoughts in a more balanced and positive fashion, based upon an objective evaluation of the true circumstances.

Now, what does this mean in terms of how you can avoid following this pattern overall? Well, of course, you take a step back and look at the project with objective eyes. Objectively speaking, without that negative self-talk, you can see that truly, you did a great job and made one small mistake. And even though you clearly want to avoid making mistakes, they do happen.

So a realistic restatement of your initial reaction - that you handled the job poorly - might be to say, "I did a great job and made one small mistake. I will pay attention next time and try not to make the same mistake, but I can still be proud of what I did even so." You can also tell yourself that because your boss is happy with what you did, you should not only be proud of what you've done, but you can be secure that your job is safe. This is, in fact, what is realistic and present, and is much more accurate as self-talk than your previous statement.

Re-learning to Think
With the help of neuro linguistic programming, you can literally relearn how you think and turn negative self-talk into positive reinforcement.

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