NLP to deal with life’s disruptions, the unexpected, the unwanted. Like a pandemic, an unexpected loss or shift. During the pandemic, students had to deal with life’s disruption in remarkable ways globally. When my students introduced themselves, they would refer to life before and during the pandemic—and constantly referencing part of life coming to a complete stop.
Frankly, I disagreed with that concept internally for a small business owner whose business is about offering NLP training and life coaching certification training in Amsterdam, Bali, Los Angeles, and Miami. Groups could not gather, and borders were closed. In many ways, yes, my business came to a screeching halt where it comes to this. But my life sped up in self-actualization by putting the NLP training online for people to study NLP any time they want: In addition, I opened up a new NLP training location in Mexico. And later this summer, four products will be released on emotional intelligence (taped in St. Martin) and sleep, stress, worry, and anxiety (taped in Mexico.)
This raises the question for this article: “How do you use NLP to deal with life’s disruptions?”
How do you use NLP to deal with life’s disruptions?
Future Pacing
The easiest way to get out of the funk of life’s disruption is by stepping into your future self. And imagine what you will see, hear and feel. This technique is similar to the more esoteric “manifestation”, but based more on the neuro-sciences. By creating a construct in the mind, we light up the neuropathways to make the future as real as possible. And we become more likely to reach a goal or becoming something different. And if we strive to be the best version of ourselves after the disruption, it would help a great deal.
Purpose & Meaning
A person who did groundbreaking research in a specific type of future pacing is Viktor Frankl, who scientist and Holocaust survivor who wrote the most inspirational books ever written (in my opinion) “A Man’s Search for Meaning.” It turns out that people who were able to carry the toll of Auschwitz did something every specific in their minds. Not only did they future face, they imagined how this awful “life’s disruption” would have meaning after they would leave the camps. If it is suitable for a holocaust survivor, I am sure it is good enough for your life’s disruption.
How specifically are you going to give the life’s disruption meaning after the event? How specifically could it serve you to lead a life of purpose and meaning?
Openness & flexibility
Do you know someone who has a lot of flexibility, rolls with change and embraces new ideas? If you imagined seeing this person on a movie screen during one of their life’s disruptions, what specifically do you learn? How specifically would they handle your situation if they were you?
Navigating change
Change comes with particular emotions that come in a specific order:
Grief, sadness, anger, and discomfort to let go of the old.
Fear, worry, and anxiety as the old situation is gone, and the new has not materialized yet.
Go for it; motivation, the ability to take action to create a new situation.
The key is to remain in the positive emotions of motivation, joy, happiness as soon as possible. Not only is this good for our physical and mental health, it also increases our flexibility, creativity, and openness. Valuable strengths to navigate out of a challenging life’s disruption.
If you never attended an NLP training, you can imagine a time in your life where you felt the feeling of motivation, flexibility, and creativity. And step into that you in the past. Imagine what you were seeing, hearing, and feeling. By deliberately placing yourself in a place of leveraging a position of strength in the mind and that of positive emotions, it becomes so much easier to make change happen.
Leading a values-based life
Do you know your unconscious values? The very foundation you stand on? If yes, you probably took an NLP training. If not, that’s OK, send me an email I would be happy to recommend a student near you to coach you on the topic (at a charge, of course.) Knowing your values, the question you should ask yourself is: How specifically am I going to navigate this life’s disruption using my values and NLP.
Resources
Book
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy – Adam Grant
Video
