Chapter 2: Some Basic Assumptions of NLP 29
capabilities and skills, or move to a more conducive environment, can
often change their behaviour dramatically and propel them to new levels of
excellence.Bob, a very sweet, kind, young man, was diagnosed as being dyslexic. Bob
adores animals and is extremely good with any that have been injured or hurt.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances, Bob was branded as a trouble-maker and
had been in trouble with the police over drugs. People in Bob’s neighbour-
hood saw him as a ‘bad’ person. When Bob was helped to change his beliefs
about his capabilities, however, he became a very valuable contributor to
society by working for an animal charity.People behave very differently in different areas of their lives. You can read
about logical levels in Chapter 11, where you discover that people have sev-
eral levels at which they function:✓ Identity
✓ Values and beliefs
✓ Capabilities and skills
✓ Behaviour
✓ Environment
As Bob (from the earlier anecdote) increased his capabilities, his beliefs about
himself began to change. This change allowed him to move into an environ-
ment where he felt valuable. The result was that Bob experienced an identity
shift from ‘I’m a failure’ to ‘I can actually make a contribution’. Bob’s change of
identity affected his behaviour, and feedback from the animals and the people
with whom Bob worked made him feel valuable, which reinforced his identity.
So although Bob’s behaviour had been bad, it didn’t make him a bad person;
he’s much more than his bad behaviour, and is in fact loving and kind.The mind and body are interlinked and affect each other
Holistic medicine works on the premise that the mind affects the body and
the body affects the mind. In order to maintain a healthy human being, a
medical practitioner needs to do more than just suppress the symptoms.
They have to examine the mind and body and treat both together.Recent research on emotion at the cellular level in the body shows just how
integrated the mind–body connection is. Neurotransmitters are chemicals
that transmit impulses along your nerves. They are the means by which