Beginners Mind - Part 3
Reflections at the end of the third session of the NLP Practitioner Certification Training
By Berry Moore
I see myself in the mirror every day. Small changes go unnoticed, and even the more dramatic changes creep up on me. One day I see a photograph of myself, taken a few years ago. Suddenly I notice there are new lines around my eyes, my hair has more grey, the way I hold my body is different. When did that happen, and how?
I have a group of friends I see once a month. I calibrate more immediate changes through their eyes, and this month they have given me some interesting feedback. They see more confidence, they see a more “integrated” person, the way I use my voice is different. One person even expressed interest in doing an NLP Practitioner course in the future - not so much because of what I said about it, but more because of the changes he observed in me.
Food for thought indeed. What, specifically, has changed?
Okay, so I’ve learnt a whole new language and I’ve got all this lovely jargon to play with. I enjoy tapping into people’s submodalities and learning through observation how they experience their world. I’m young enough in this game to verbalise some of my observations - I’m told this can be disconcerting and at times, a trifle threatening. Many people are not comfortable under close surveillance. Great feedback, and a valuable lesson. I need to be more sensitive. As a dedicated kinesthetic, I have to admit that I feel more solid in my identity now than I ever have done. I am more comfortable in my skin, and somehow more connected to the earth, to Spirit and to everyone around me. Responsibility has become a word to be celebrated, not feared. I own my life, and the experience to my great relief is one of lightness, not burden.
All this, after the third weekend of the NLP Practitioner Course? Well, yes. Some of the processes on that third weekend were simply awesome. There is a process of integration as I continue weaving NLP into my daily life, both at work and around family.
My work is changing. Long ago, my massage teacher told me massage was an art form, and I would develop my own art. After I studied Metaphysical Healing, I learned that each treatment was different and I learned to “listen” to the signals my own body gave me about the needs of each individual. Then I learned about journey therapy. Again, I found that the script was simply a basis - some clients needed a slightly different script. And now I have NLP, and it brings an almost daily reminder that by changing a client’s view of one small issue, their perspectives on many other issues are shifted. It’s a bit like giving my clients a mix-and-match wardrobe: using the same garments, you never have to wear the same ensemble twice - unless you want to, of course.
A chiropractor makes one small adjustment and suddenly the entire spine clicks back into alignment. Alignment is a good word to use in connection with NLP: it’s about aligning one’s life so that conflict between where you are and where you want to be, what you are doing and what you want to be doing, is minimised.
Already I see shifts happening in my own life that I hadn’t expected. My practice is expanding, my activities in areas in which I’m not entirely comfortable, such as journalism, are decreasing, and issues around providing a permanent home for my children are sorting themselves out. I have set my intention, I have options now, and I feel empowered. There are those who insist that all growth must be painful. I may have believed that, once. Now, I find myself smiling as I write.
Who would have thought that all this growth could be achieved with such love, light and laughter?
Berry Moore is a holistic massage therapist and metaphysical healer. She is also an AHT trained Master Practitioner of NLP.
Blog