12 presupposition to change ourselves

The cornerstones of NLP are contained in its principles. In NLP, principles are presupposition. Presuppositions are the structural elements placed at the foundation of reasoning or an argument in which knowledge (presupposition)  is required to act. For example, before putting the pasta in the pot, the water must boil (presupposition). They are not true, they are not universal, and we do not need to believe in them. They are essential to address the difficulties that arise from a different perspective. Let's try to understand what they are, what they say, how they can be used and how many there are.

1) People respond to their experience, not reality itself.

People have an internal map of reality; they don't know what truth is. The external representation of the world is created by ourselves. The education we received as children, the friends with whom we shared our lives, senses, beliefs, and opinions guide our minds in our reality. We can therefore state that:

"The map is not the territory."

The metaphor of the ship facing the sea will help us understand. If the navigation map is correct, there are no problems, but if the map is incorrect, issues begin to arise; you can take the wrong route, hit the rocks or get lost in the worst case. NLP helps build a map to act in the real world with precision and clarity.

2) Having half a choice is better than not having a choice.

In any situation, it is always better to have more strategies of action and more ways to pursue to achieve a goal. A limited number of options leads to a restricted field of action and a reduced possibility of success.

3) People always make the best choice available to them

The people map guides choices and actions. In this internal representation, people always act in the best possible way. For example, some people make decisions that lead to a happy life; others make destructive decisions that lead, often to mental illness. Some of these people carry out actual self-sabotage actions. The action taken seems to be the best choice or the only possible choice. Creating multiple options or a better map will change the result.

4) People work perfectly.

There are no broken people; some have suffered trauma. They all execute their maps in the best ways they know, yet some maps are not functional or ineffective. The first phase involves understanding which schemes we use and then modifying the methods according to the result we want to obtain.

5) Every action has a purpose.

Every action always has an intention. Nothing happens by chance; our unconscious may direct some behaviours, and we are unaware that behaviour has a hidden goal, not present to our conscience but still an intention.

6) Each behaviour has a positive intention.

All our actions have a purpose. With the resources we have, we always make the best possible decisions. Behind every decision, there is always an intention. Although the behaviour can be, in some cases, even evil, the purpose always wants to provide us with an improvement. It is the limited options that lead a person to make bad choices. If a person has a better alternative to follow, he will take that path.

7) The value of what you say is in the answer you get.

When we look for a specific result and communicate in a certain way, our communication has not worked if this does not happen. It is necessary to take responsibility for the communication and change it according to the result.

8) We have all the necessary resources, or we can create them.

All people have all the resources necessary to get what they want; only the correct application of organizational skills is missing to achieve the desired result.

9) Mind and body are not distinct.

Thinking of these two parts as separate is an obsolete and incorrect concept. Depending on the other, they form the person in her unity and exist. Thought affects the body, and the body impacts beliefs. Rearranging our emotions and thoughts changes our body and vice versa.

10) Our senses serve to process information.

Developing the senses improves the ability to collect information, act with greater precision and think more clearly and efficiently.

11) Modeling excellent people brings excellent results.

Many people reach great results; we can model these people's behaviour, voice, thoughts, and emotional state. Acting "as if", a potent psychosynthesis psychotherapy practice, we are the person we want to be will transform us.

12) If we want to understand how to modify your behaviour, we need to take action.

Direct experimentation is the only way to learn. We only integrate something when we perform actions of our intention.