Anyone that can get to Croydon

[Nigel H]

If Croydon is accessible to you - you could try this evening course - pretty cheap too for a few hours.

http://www.nlpacademy.co.uk/courses/view/self_hypnosis_for_change/

I can't vouch for them from personal experience, as I did not train with them myself, but got this as I am on their email mailing address list.

Hope it is close enough to give a go for some of you!

All the best

Nigel

[Vixxy]

Ive done NLP and it really is useful :)

[trooper]

I have done NLP too, I studied it, read lots of books, even saw a highly trained 'coach' for quite some time and fairly considerable cost. I would put a word of caution in.

Whilst I think most people involved in that scene are well intentioned, and can bring positive learning and practical tools into your life, there are some possible down falls too. Not necesarily, but in most cases the courses and coaching is often stupidly over priced, especially in relation to psychotherapist and other trained proffesionals who have had to study for much longer and go through more rigorous training and monitoring in order to practice . Whilst the seminars might be cheap of free, they are often used as a sales tool to get back end sales into courses or coaching. There is nothing wrong with this per-say, I wouldn't expect them to do it for free. And knowing NLP as I do, sales from a stage can be highly effective.

But as someone that has suffered from anxiety for most of my life, now in my thirties, NLP actually made me worse. It wasn't all bad, I picked up some great tools and its really helped me in my business life over coming limiting beliefs and dealing with communication and the like.

I am not suggesting that NLP has no merit or that it cannot help with the 'symptoms' of anxiety and depresion and possibly in some cases the coursation too.

There is a but, and its a fairly big but, anxiety disorders (I,e, you've had the taps on for a long time) is most likely fairly deep seated and complex. And in my experience NLP will often over simplfy this with things like limiting beliefs etc and try to move you forward and be positive perhaps before you're ready to. Or miss understand the complexity of the issue(s).

Rapid change normally doesn't stick and its very easy to fall straight back into old habits. I met a lot of peopel that got into NLP and most of them had short periods of extreme positivity and soon went back to old habits, myself included.

Looking at this chap he has obviously done it for a long time, whilst I haven't seen his trainers I'm sure he knows his stuff. I actually have a Master practioner certificate from a two week course, and that is a big annoyance for me, seeing NLP practioners advertising themselves as able to treat 'depression/anxiety' and charging upwards of £40 an hour from a two week course. I would not 'coach' or try to give anyone therapy.

My pyscho-therapist trained for 6 years to masters level and has contained to train ever since. He is regulated and has regular checks and a supervisor who monitors him. NLP is unregulated at the moment and again, whilst I think most peopel are well intentioned I have seen a lot of people offer services whom in my opinion are not fit too. I have been seeing my therapist for over a year and the changes have been gradual. The things we have discovered and the changes I have made were never touched on or even identified in any of the NLP work I did. It took time and building a strong relationship with him over 6 months for me to open up, something that no hypnosis or clever word patterns had ever been able to do.

And I spent thousands on NLP, which in hindsight were mostly wasted.

I don't want to be totally negative, I know people who have had very positive experience and I am sure the poster Nigel has too, so please don't feel personally criticised by this.

Its only £25, go along if you're in the area, have some fun, learn something new for sure.

Just be careful if there are courses on offer, if you're looking to reduce anxiety or depression, its my opinion you would be better of seeing a qualified therapist than signing up to an NLP training course from personal experience.

All the best,

Nick