As its name suggests, this is psychological tool used by a range of therapists including psychotherapists and hypnotherapists: it is a way of reprogramming the way the subconscious mind thinks and reacts, by speaking to that part of our mind over which we have no conscious control, replacing negative or outdated thoughts and behaviours with very positive thoughts and behaviours. NLP can help to 'rehearse' experience so that you can devise strategies for dealing with situations effectively. In other words, it is a very useful technique to help you to master your own mind and your own responses.

You do not have to be hypnotised to benefit from NLP, but it is far more powerful if the conscious mind is relaxed and the therapist can speak directly to the subconscious mind.

NLP can include TAPPING techniques that use the accupressure points of the body, the energy systems in our body discovered by the Chinese, together with a modern understanding of how the mind works. Tapping is also known as part of the EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique and it is very useful to change the emotional responses to stimuli that cause us physical stress and, ultimately, physical illness. It is very useful for the treatment of phobias, for example, where we need to change a habitual emotional / mental response to a particular stimulus, such as a spider or being in an aeroplane. Together with hypnotherapy, tapping can cure a range of emotional / physical issues.