[The Power of Optimism, Photo Credit to Unsplash] 

During my weekend Korean Literature class, I was assigned to read a book regarding NLP. 

For the vast majority, these three alphabets, “N,” “L,” and “P,” laid out in such order, do not hold any meaning. 

At the least, for coders, NLP stands for Natural Language Processing; at the start, I also anticipated a book full of computer programming languages. 

However, the NLP I was given the opportunity to delve into was regarding NLP therapy for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. 

As observed in the root word “neuro,” this form of NLP is primarily based on psychological theories and evidence. 

NLP studies how individuals think, feel, and express themselves to the broader population. 

Richard Bandler and John Grinder first introduced the NLP theory  as a psychological therapy for those suffering from mental disabilities or disorders to relieve them from their mental pain. 

However, nowadays, NLP is being used to lead individuals into a better sense of themselves and toward a path of success rather than a way of mental therapy. 

When it hits July 1st, there are two possible claims “It’s only six months into the year” or “It’s already six months into the year.” 

Suppose you think of the prior because you are having a “bad year” by using one of the NLP techniques. 

In that case, you can easily switch this negative viewpoint into an optimistic viewpoint. 

Even when it is of the same situation, especially when there are primarily two ways to view it, NLP regards the “better” of the two as the one that would motivate an individual, which is one of NLP’s principal purposes. 

Essentially, the five major techniques in the NLP theory are highly intriguing and probably original for many people. 

Some may have heard of these techniques or unconsciously been utilizing them, but NLP gives names for these means.

The first technique is the “NLP swish.” 

The word swish roots from the sound effect of a scene quickly changing to another, and therefore, may be interpreted as an individual thinking of something and rapidly switching their  brain to think of another “thing.” 

More specifically, in order to perform the “NLP swish” method, vividly draw an image of a negative happening that is not wanted. 

Afterward, picture an unclear but positive future that is wanted.

As you use the NLP swish, you would now quickly swap, or “swish,” these two images, making the positive future clearer and brighter while making the negative future dull and unclear. 

By performing this exercise regularly, your brain works to “amplify positives and weaken negatives (Robbins, n.d.).”

There is also an effective NLP technique called mirroring. 

This technique is not just used in NLP therapy but also commonly in other psychological tricks and therefore is already well-known to a wide population. 

As the quote “action speaks louder than words” says, when communicating, people interpret others’ body language to determine what they are saying, much more than words. 

Mirroring, as the word suggests, is simply a technique for mimicking the opposing person’s body language and gestures in a conversation. 

For instance, do the same if your friend places her arms over her legs.

By mirroring other people’s gestures when talking with them, there are more possibilities of gaining trust and a sense of likability from other people. 

The NLP techniques have also greatly affected me and enabled my personal development, both socially and mentally. 

Just two weeks after I learned about these NLP techniques, I rode on a plane to fly to Connecticut from South Korea for a boarding summer camp. 

Here, I could apply techniques I had learned from class to quickly build social connections and continue to develop mentally towards a positive road even when I was living alone away from home. 

NLP especially aided me in treating homesickness, guiding me towards a more positive view of living in a dorm in a country where I know almost nobody, just like the analogy of July 1st. 

To add on, when trying to befriend my peers or my roommate, I was able to put into use NLP techniques, specifically mirroring. 

Even simply mimicking my friends’ gestures made them appear delighted to open up quickly and spend time with me.

Nevertheless,  NLP is becoming less interesting for psychologists and society because of its “inaccuracies.” 

Studies report that Neuro-Linguistic Programming is not backed up with sufficient scientific evidence and is no longer widely used for therapies. 

Regardless, certain techniques of NLP therapy have proven scientific data, like mirroring, which still is a certified psychological trick that many professionals use. 

Many celebrities or well-known exhibit NLP techniques to grasp others’ attention and build deeper relationships. 

NLP also proved to work for me and helped me to grow as an individual.