The Intersection of Neuroscience and NLP with Coaching

I must admit I'm a learning junkie. I have taken numerous coaching courses over the past two decades. Not too long ago I began studying neuroscience and just last year I took a course that combined coaching and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). Leveraging neuroscience can help facilitate greater insight with your coaching clients and NLP can provide you with a whole new tool set to add to your coaching toolbox, maximizing the benefits your clients receive.

What is neuroscience?

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system, including the brain. A relatively newer science, neuroscience started in the 1960's. However, it's only within the last 10 years or so that the science community has uncovered the most fascinating research on how the brain works.

How does neuroscience intersect with coaching?

The International Coach Federation defines coaching as "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential." Brain-based coaching can be defined as applying a brain-based methodology to coaching to facilitate positive change with clients using the neuroscience of learning, motivation, and change.

Coaches can help clients form new neural pathways by asking clients to take a new perspective, envision a different future, look at issues rather than avoid them, and notice and inquire about their tone, posture, and affect, and provide accountability. Through neuroscience, coaches are able to help their clients develop new habits, skills, and behaviors to better achieve their goals and outcomes. Brain-based coaching facilitates subconscious transformation.

What is NLP?

NLP?was originally created in the 1970’s by?Richard Bandler?and?John Grinder, who studied Virginia Satir, a renowned family therapist and Milton Erickson, an accomplished hypnotherapist. Satir and Erickson were very successful in helping people change. Using their techniques, Bandler and Grinder created NLP. Different definitions of NLP have been bounced around throughout the years, including:

1) The study of thoughts.

2) The study of thoughts and how those thoughts are connected to get different results.

3) The operating system of the mind.

?What does the acronym NLP stand for?

• The “N” in NLP stands for Neuro which includes your brain, specifically your thinking process, and how you re-present the outside world to yourself via your five senses.
• The “L” in NLP stands for Linguistic which refers to your language, i.e., the words you use that determines how you think.
• The “P” in NLP stands for Programming which refers to your behavior, the way you organize your ideas and actions to produce your results.

NLP can help you decode what your clients say and help them to reprogram their mind to achieve specific and desired outcomes.?

While Neuro-Linguistic Programming has the word "neuro" in it, it's not based on neuroscience, but there is some overlap. Bandler and Grinder believe there is a connection between neurological processes and behavioral patterns that have been learned through experience. They believe that this connection could be organized into an easily applied structure to achieve specific goals in life.

How does NLP intersect with coaching?

NLP also uses several of the ICF coaching competencies including: ICF Coaching Competency #6 - Listen Actively, ICF Coaching Competency #7 - Evokes Awareness, and ICF Coaching Competency #8 - Facilitating Client Growth.

As a coach, you can leverage neuroscience and NLP to faciliate even greater transformation for your clients.

Joan Runnheim Olson is passionate about learning and understanding how the brain works and uses that knowledge to empower and inspire her?clients?and students to transform from stuck to unstoppable and live their best life ever.?Subscribe?to hear from her about new blog posts, specials, and events. Joan also offers a course titled,?"Introduction to Brain-Based Coaching: Leveraging Neuroscience for Greater Impact with Your Coaching Clients."?This course is designed for coaches who want to understand how the brain works to facilitate positive change with their clients and themselves through improved thinking.