The Difference Between NS & NLP

The above title pretty much addresses what this section is about. It's a question that I am asked often by those who have heard about or been trained in NLP.

The question is: "What is the difference between Neuro Semantics and NLP?..." or a similar question asked of me "...Isn't NS & NLP the same thing?..."I'm going to outline some my response in brief.

This response is in no way a definitive and comprehensive reply, nor is my answer necessarily aligned with that of the International Society of Neuro Semantics (ISNS). This is specifically "my" reply to the question - "What's the difference between NS & NLP?"I'll assume that you are familiar with Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) or have been introduced to Neuro Semantics (NS).

If you have not been introduced to NS then email me and I'll send you the dates of our New Zealand, NS Trainings or contact details of NS Trainers who are delivering training in your part of the world.

The Differences.
Firstly, if the question is about differences then it wouldn't make sense I reply with the similarities between the 2 models. So I will focus on the differences, after all it is the differences that truly can make the difference!

1: NLP was founded in the mid 1970's by Richard Bandler & John Grinder of the USA. NS was founded in 1994 by Dr. Michael L. Hall and Bob Bodenhammer from the USA and has continued to grow from there.

2: NLP does not have the Meta-States model which is the 4th Meta domain.

3: NLP does not have or make reference to the key principle of the Meta-States model which is "Self-Reflexive Consciousness". This is a major difference that makes a substantial difference.

4: NLP has liner modelling processes. While having linear modelling capability NS also has systemic and recursive modelling process of one's subjective reality, which NLP does not.

5: NS has the following models: Meta-States, The 7 Matrices, Mindlines, The extended Meta-Model, Extended Meta-Programs, Self Actualising Psychology, Axis of Change, Behavioural Benchmarking, Meta-Coach Framework. NLP does not.

6: NS was originally formed from integrating the field of General Semantics and NLP which resulted in having neither of these 2 fields but a new gestalt now known as Neuro Semantics.

7: NS has taken from NLP what works and left behind what does not, and has done this with numerous other models like:

Cybernetics, Family therapy, Sports Coaching, Systems thinking, Cognitive behavioural psychology, Social Psychology, REMT and Transactional Therapy, Gestalt therapy, Linguistics, Social & Emotional Intelligence, Accelerated Learning and the Human Potential Movement etc...

From these and many others, NS has integrated and remodelled them to create new or updated models for achieving personal excellence that do not exist in NLP

8: NS has a single Global Community (ISNS) and NS Institutes on all Continents of the planet. NS is overseen by an NS Guardian Group which supports the NS mission & vision and its future direction globally. Whereas NLP has a number of splintered organisations globally and lacks a single unified voice for it's affiliates.

9: NS has patterns (NLP known as interventions) that can be mixed and matched in many ways to create an unlimited resource of strategies to generate personal change that do not exist in NLP.

10: Finally, for those with some knowledge of NLP, the Meta-Sates model is not "...simply a collapsing anchors technique..." Meta-states is more than collapsing a state with a state. There are 2 other parts that need to be understood. Coalescing of states and the emergent gestalt state needs to be understood as defining the Meta-States model from the NLP technique of collapsing anchors.

It's these and subtle, yet critical components that I've briefly outlined that contributes to making the difference that sets NS distinctly apart from the earlier field of NLP.

Within the NS Community there are those who have merged the 2 fields as 1 (NS-NLP). There are also those, like myself that consider NS as a distant relative of NLP (as NS is of many other modalities) but distinctly a field unto itself. (As I mentioned these are my own thoughts only)

My apologies to those of you who wanted a more specific & detailed writing on this topic.

You can download thousands of pages from the ISNS website : http://www.runyourownbrain.com/ or visit http://www.ignition.org.nz/ to read articles written by my friend and college Dr. Michael Hall. I'm sure, if you are wanting more background and detail, there is plenty there to flick through.

If you want to know more about NS and how it can enhance you business, career, sporting performance, coaching & training. Email me: col@ignition.org.nz - bye for now.