Christianity and NLP

Part of a series of short articles focusing on NLP's relevance to each of the major world religions.

One of the questions I am asked most frequently is, "Is NLP appropriate for Christians?"
Often, the deeper concern is whether it is appropriate for Christians to take an active role in their
own personal development using the best and latest tools available, and whether this can be
done in a way which is humble before God and respects, honors and supports their Faith.

In answer to all of these questions, there is good news. Many Christians have made powerful use
of NLP's life affirming, respectful approach and found that it powerfully enhances their connection
and relationship with God. NLP is entirely appropriate for Christians.

Part of the reason is that NLP puts spirituality at the top of its "neurological levels" – an advanced
model of our internal levels which organize our thinking, feeling and acting, and which have
profound effects on our health and peace of mind:

 Spirituality
 Identity
 Beliefs & Values
 Capabilities
 Behaviors
 Environment

Time and again I've noted that NLP training, coaching and therapy clients who are Christians
flourish in the affirmation of their Faith and healthy self-concept through the application of NLP to
the achievement of their goals and the resolution of their problems.

Why? I believe it is because they begin with a solid spiritual foundation – their identities are
already held in the context of Faith in God and the meaning which Christianity brings to their lives.

The Bible encourages us to use the gifts God has given us to improve our hearts and minds so
that we can move closer to God and lead lives that are joyfully fulfilled. NLP gives us exceptional
tools to make those improvements.

The following quotes from The Bible (ESV – English Standard Version) illustrate the profound
relevance of NLP to a God centered life.

The Renewal of Your Mind

"Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing

you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect." – Romans 12:2
The renewal of your mind and the ability to make appropriate changes for the good are the
precise focus of NLP. As your mind is renewed and transformed, you will be better able to test
your own experience and discern your role in God's will.
Psychology has often filled this role for Christians during the last 50 years. But psychology is a
model of "disorders." By its design and practice, it pathologizes us. Its focus is properly the
treatment of mental disease.

Yet however many problems we may have – and God has a way of presenting us with many
challenges – most of us are not suffering from mental illness and do not need a psychiatrist or
any of the over-prescribed pills that are proffered as treatments for nearly anything that bothers
us.

NLP's model is exactly the opposite of psychology in nearly every way. It is one precisely of
transformation by the renewal of your mind. It is wholly positive in its approach, it is a model of
health and excellence, and it brings the most advanced tools to the process of transformation.

Taking an Active Approach

"Work out your own salvation, for it is God who works in you,
both to will and to work for his good pleasure." – Philip. 2:12-13
"In other words, we are co-laborers with God in working out our salvation. Though his part is
primary, we have an indispensable, distinct part also. We are stewards of our own salvation and
sanctification. ...There is an active role for us to play in our spiritual and emotional growth." –
Cloud & Townsend

It is appropriate to be an active participant in your own growth and development, not in a selfish
or narcissistic way, but with humility of purpose and with the understanding that it is God who
works in you.

NLP is a very active approach. In NLP training, coaching and therapy, you are not a passive
"patient" or silent listener to the analyses or diagnoses of others. It is you who are active in your
spiritual and emotional growth. The explorations you make are the ones you undertake, and your
relationship with God is strengthened as you actively make changes for the good.

Using the Brain God Gave You

"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let
us use them." – Romans 12:6
Your brain is one of the greatest gifts God has ever given any creature. He didn't give it to you
for nothing. He wants you to use it. Learn how it works, and work with it the way God designed it
to work. Nothing gives you fuller access to the full capabilities of your mind-body and emotions
than NLP. NLP encourages you to make the most of all your gifts as God intended.

First Clean the Inside

"First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside
also may be clean." – Jesus, Matthew 23:26
This is NLP's approach – a gentle and powerful way of cleansing the inside of your cup from
confusion, conflicts and turmoil in accordance with Jesus' instructions to the Pharisees.

Jesus' point was that people so often, when they seek change, healing, or the improvement of
their condition, look to the outside world for solutions.

We see it all the time. People feel bad so they buy stuff. They purchase distractions, status
symbols, image supplies, toys, and "magical" solutions. They will spend $30,000 on a new car,
but not one penny on improving themselves, their relationships, or their inner life
experience. They put anything and everything before working on what is inside.

And when they do look inward, what they find is like a dirty cup. People wouldn't dream of serving
dinner to guests on a dirty plate. But when it comes to their own actions in the world, their
relationships and their behaviors, that is what they do, in effect, because they haven't first taken
care of their internal selves.

People are always pleasantly surprised when they decide to work on cleaning their internal cup
with NLP. Why? Because they find that the inside of the cup is much easier to clean than they
imagined. They find that they don't have to drag themselves through the muck in order to get
clean. They can clean things up and experience all the benefits, inside and out, quickly and with
relative ease.

Examine Yourself

"Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread

and drink of the cup." – 1 Cor. 11:28
NLP is a positive method of self-examination. It provides a comprehensive approach, from the
inside to the outside. The benefits of examining yourself in a positive and effective way, in the
context of your Faith in God, include a fuller integration of your Faith into every aspect of your
life experience.

Replacing the Salt

"Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its
saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for
the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let
him hear." – Jesus, Luke 14:34-35
Old and limiting patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving are like salt that has lost its taste. They
are no longer useful.

Meanings we derived from experiences when we were younger may no longer serve us well in
the present and future. We are more resourceful and experienced now, having grown and
learned since our younger days. Yet those old patterns – the tasteless salt – will stay with us until
we replace them with something better.

NLP provides us with extraordinary tools for replacing them with healthier patterns that
empower us and enable us to move forward to a brighter future.

Integration

"Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into

him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body,
joined and held together by every joint with which it is
equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body
grow so that it builds itself up in love." – Ephes. 4:15-16
NLP addresses every part of us, body, mind and emotions, and gives us the means to integrate
them so that each works properly, as part of our whole self, allowing us to grow in love.

This type of integration is unique to NLP because NLP addresses it directly, instead of leaving it
to chance. Integration is always an important part of every NLP exploration, discovery and
change.

Excellence

"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything
worthy of praise, think about these things." – Philip. 4:8
Our life's energy flows where our attention goes. NLP focuses on excellence – excellence of
thought, excellence of intent, excellence of feeling, behavior and performance. By turning our
attention in powerfully consistent ways to the best within us and in the world around us, our lives
are immeasurably enriched and transformed.

I hope you have found these few quotes and comments helpful in thinking about NLP in the
Christian context.

Please feel welcomed to call me and discuss how NLP training, coaching and therapy can help
you.