¶ Unlocking Potential With NLP Integration
I just became fascinated with the subconscious mind and we talk at a high level about things . Like you know , become that next level version of yourself , right , shift your identity , all of these super high level concepts that we throw around and I just got really frustrated one day . I was like what does that mean ?
Like I get it , but like how do you actually do that ?
hi , I'm glennis woods mullins and I love to help women to vibe , to be more vibrant , intuitive , beautiful and empowered in midlife . So come on , let's vibe . I'm really excited about something that a lot of people have been talking about for a while and I kind of want to bring it more mainstream because it's so helpful .
It's called NLP and I believe that's Neuro Linguistics Programming , I believe . Is that right , allie ? Yes , that's right . And today we have with us Allie Cass . She is an NLP practitioner , but she's also a fitness expert , and her bio is there on the show page . But I don't want to waste one second . I want to get right into it and find out .
Allie , first of all , welcome to the Vibe Living Podcast . Thank you so much for having me . Well , thank you for being here and tell us how did you get into NLP and , since you're into fitness , what was the correlation ? And explain to all of our listeners who may not know what is NLP .
Yeah , so first and foremost , nlp , like you mentioned , it stands for neuro-linguistic programming , so basically , at a very high level it's kind of the science of communication . Now people are like , okay , communication , like cool , how does that help me , right ? How does that help my fitness , my health , my mindset , whatever that looks like .
And so it's not just communication with other people , it's communication with yourself , and the communication that happens at a subconscious level , internally within the brain . And so you know , a lot of times you'll you'll hear of NLP in the context of sales , or realtors oftentimes will gravitate toward NLP or people who are customer or client facing .
But it's a really , really , really helpful tool that can be used to essentially go internally and start to understand your thought patterns , your limiting beliefs and essentially give you the tools and the techniques to start deconstructing those things so that you can create more powerful narratives , more powerful behaviors , more powerful habits , all of those things to
essentially help you cultivate whatever it is that you want in life .
For me and for most of my clients , that centers around things that are in the health and fitness space , but NLP is amazing and it can be applied to any area of life , whether that's career or spirituality , relationships , you know , relationships , romantic relationships , relationships with family , whatever it is .
So I'm a super passionate about it and , like Linus said , um , I am in health and fitness .
I have been in that industry for almost eight years now , and one of the things that really kind of inspired me to gravitate toward NLP as part of the journey , from a health and fitness lens , is that I was getting a lot of clients and seeing a lot of women and also experiencing this myself , where , you know , we have the workouts , we have the nutrition , we
have the supplementation , we have the lifestyle modifications Amazing , you know , we get really far with those things . But I was starting to notice that my clients were kind of standing in their own way , so to speak , so their mindset wasn't one that was empowering them to , you know , take action or to move forward toward the things that they said they want .
So I was starting to see a disconnect between what people were telling me they wanted to achieve versus what was actually happening , you know , in implementation and with the actions and the habits and the things that were actually happening . And so I started to kind of dig into , like why this is ? Where is that disconnect ?
Where is that happening at a subconscious level and I'm so fascinated by you , know the way things work and you know how to get someone from point A to point B , so
¶ The Power of NLP for Change
I started . I think a friend of mine introduced me to NLP just at a more conceptual level , probably five or six years ago , so I've been familiar with it for some time .
I didn't have a ton of formal education in it up until the last year or so , but essentially I just became fascinated with the subconscious mind and we talk at a high level about things like become that next level version of yourself , shift your identity all of these super high level concepts that we throw around and I just got really frustrated one day .
I was like what does that mean ? Like I get it , but like how do you actually do that ? And so that's really what propelled me into getting into that space and then incorporating those philosophies and those practices in my coaching as well .
Yeah , it's interesting because you're absolutely right . It's like , okay , yeah , that really sounds good , but how do I do it ? So share with us . What are the first steps for someone who's learning about NLP ? What are the first kinds of things they get exposed to ?
I would say you know . Again , it kind of depends on how somebody is learning about NLP , right , like if you're doing , you know , searching online , and you're just kind of like dabbling into what is this concept . Basically you'll find a lot of things , a lot of techniques , like anchoring is a big one , for instance .
So for those of you who are not familiar with NLP and maybe don't know what it is , if you know who Tony Robbins is , he was one of the big players early on in NLP . He kind of took the practice and took the techniques and made his own thing with it .
But if you've ever listened to any of his podcasts or done any of his courses or attended one of his live workshops , a lot of what he does is rooted in NLP . So it's essentially again creating change at a subconscious level , and so for a lot of people that might be their kind of entryway into what NLP is .
When I'm working with clients in the context of NLP really when I'm working with clients in the context of anything one of the first things that we start doing is just practicing awareness around our own thoughts , our own language patterns , our own beliefs , and we start to again cultivate that self-awareness and that lens , so that way we know what's present .
It's really hard to know where or how to get to your destination if you don't know where you are in the present moment .
Oh , absolutely . That's interesting too , because we have a tendency not to be self-aware . We have a tendency to think about the next step , after this step , after that step , or thinking about I should have done this , I should have done that , instead of staying present . Right , what is the benefit of staying present ?
Oh my gosh , so many things . Again , just having that self awareness lens makes it a lot easier to understand . You know , okay , where where am I at now ? Where do I want to be ? And now , what is that gap between point A and point B ? Right , Again , it's really hard to know where your gaps are , what you need to work on , what's holding you back .
Perhaps , if we don't know where we're at now , we might have an idea of where we want to go . But , like you said , we oftentimes kind of just skim over that awareness and it can be uncomfortable , it can be mildly painful to start to really become aware , because then we have to hold the mirror up to ourself and start examining .
You know , where are we missing the boat or where are we missing the mark , and what do we need to do for ourselves whether it's , you know , internal , external or both to essentially kind of create new patterns and to move us from this point to this point .
You know that's . You said something that's very important in creating new patterns and for the women that mostly women and some men , but mostly women in between the ages of 45 on up , the idea of creating new patterns might seem like boy . That's a good idea , but it can also seem overwhelming too , because as we get older , you know theoretically , right .
Theoretically not theoretically , it's true . We get set in our ways and even though we may know intrinsically there is a need to change , it's difficult to do so . So how does NLP help to facilitate that change ?
Absolutely . I love that you asked that . So NLP , many of the techniques , like I mentioned , they work at a subconscious level . So you know , oftentimes you'll hear people say it took me 10 years to get to this point of making a decision . So you know , oftentimes you'll hear people say it took me 10 years to get to this point of making a decision .
No , like , you made that decision in a moment . It might've taken 10 years of buildup to get you to that point , but the idea is that change can be created in an instant . Now , after we're able to create that change or we have that shift , there's the reinforcement process afterward , right .
So there's that continual , you know , habits and actions that play into what it is that we just shifted so that you can start to see those long-term results manifest . But change essentially takes place so quickly .
So many of the NLP techniques that we use whether it's through language patterns or whether it's through actually going through different exercises that are affecting the subconscious we go through and we create that change literally right then , and then we're able to come up with an action plan for afterward to how do we now step forward and continue to reinforce the
change that was created . So when you think about . I'm just going to bring up a really quick example . Let's say something traumatic that may have happened to you , maybe a car wreck . Let's say , right , Like it only takes one second of impact being hit by a car , you know , while you're in your car , to create potentially fear or to create a response .
I know , for me , I was in a car wreck once and for like months afterward , every time I approached an intersection because someone ran a red light and hit me , I , like I would feel a visceral reaction , right , that change , that imprint , happened in a split second for me , right ?
And so the idea is that if these things can happen to us in a split second , we can reverse them in just as quick of time when we have the right tools , we have the right techniques and when somebody is willing to actually let go of whatever it is that they're holding onto . So that's a big prerequisite .
You know , a lot of people say they want change , but there is something called secondary gain , which is when you're gaining something by not , you know , letting go of whatever it is that's keeping you stuck . And so you know , again , we , we can create that change through a variety of techniques , depending on what it is .
And then the process afterwards serves to help reinforce the behaviors , the actions , the habits , to make sure that we don't , you know , start deviating back down that path .
So let's , let's give you an example of what you would do . Let's say I'm , I'm , I'm , I'm , mary Jo and I have been wanting to lose these infamous 10 pounds like forever . And I try not to overeat , but I do . I try not to eat at night , but I do .
I try not to eat salty , fatty , sweet things , but I do and , as a result , I'm not able to lose those 10 pounds . Help me , what do I do ? What's my secondary pleasure ? That I'm getting out of this because I'm miserable . What do you ?
say to someone like that yeah
¶ Transforming Behaviors Through NLP Techniques
, absolutely so . There's not always a secondary gain , but you know , sometimes there is . Sometimes the secondary gain could be I get comfort . Even though I don't like that I'm doing these behaviors , they bring me comfort when I'm stressed , sad , upset .
So a secondary gain is kind of like a dichotomy ?
Exactly , yes , it could be .
There was an example that was given when I was going through my training over a year ago , and it was a gentleman who was a combat vet and he had severe migraines and they basically were like we can help you get rid of these migraines , and he wanted to , but then he was hesitant because he was getting a disability check based on that , that was helping to
support his family . So that's a really powerful right , like I really want to get rid of this very painful condition that I'm experiencing . However , I'm also getting compensated for it , so that's a really powerful secondary gain . So back to Mary Jo , though . Yeah , so with somebody like that , again there's a couple of different things that we can do .
So there is a technique called mapping across . So when you , okay , I'm going to have you close your eyes really fast , okay . So I want you to think of a purple elephant , okay , and once you have that image in your mind , can you just describe what this purple elephant looks like ? Okay ?
Well , he's got smooth skin . He actually isn't a real elephant . He's like a purple toy elephant and he's cute . He's got big eyes with long eyelashes . He's sitting in a chair with his legs crossed with a cigar in his trunk .
That's beautiful , I love it . Okay , you can open your eyes . Your purple elephant is way cooler than my purple elephant , I will tell you . So the whole idea is , though , is I can say you know , imagine a purple elephant and you went into this . Your purple elephant had a cigar . It was a he . You mentioned that from the start .
You gave me all these characteristics that , when I think of a purple elephant , aren't necessarily the same things I'm thinking about , so the reason we did that is that is what's called an internal representation , and we all have an internal representation about everything . You know what I mean .
Like I can ask you to think of something or to visualize something , and we might get the same instruction , but our internal representation is going to look different . So one of the techniques that we have is called mapping across , and that is where we take an internal representation .
In this specific context , we could do it to help somebody basically not like a food that they currently like , and I wouldn't do this for something that you know . If somebody's like I , just I love that's my favorite food , but if you're like binge eating cookies at nighttime , and you know you're like I love the , I love Oreos , let's say I love Oreos .
You can essentially use this technique and what we do is we take the characteristics of an internal representation for something that you absolutely are disgusted by , like , let's say , let's say you had a really bad experience with whiskey one time and it just the thought of it gives you this little visceral reaction . I'm going to throw up just thinking about it .
We would take that internal representation and we have what's called sub modality . So that's going to be things like is it black and white , is it color , is it bright , is it dull ?
You know essentially all of these characteristics of that visual that you have in your head , and we do a technique to take the characteristics of that thing that you don't like and we apply them to the thing that you do like . And I have seen this work 10 out of 10 times where somebody is .
The degree to which it works varies , but to the point where I've had clients who were like I literally can't look at that thing anymore that I used to really like , or other clients who are like I'm not bothered by it , but I'm just , I'm fine without it , I'm not gravitating toward it .
So it's a very interesting thing because now the subconscious mind is associating that thing that you liked with that thing that you absolutely are disgusted by .
Wow . So now I can understand how this is kind of married to what it is that you do now in terms of being a personal trainer and helping people with nutrition , health and fitness . I can imagine that can be very helpful in terms of people who do want to lose those 10 pounds or whatever . Now you mentioned that there were several methods . That's one of them .
Do any of them involve hypnosis or what are some of the other kinds of things that they do ?
Yes , so I am also certified in hypnosis and that is something that's often used in conjunction with NLP , so that is definitely something that can be used as well . There's another technique that I really love and it's called the swish technique , and basically what it does is it is more for a creating a different behavior or a different outcome .
So if you were to say , okay , I , as soon as I open the door when I get home from work , I'm , you know , I'm stressed out from my day , I'm exhausted , and you know , as soon as I , as soon as I the door , I immediately want to pour a glass of wine , let's say so .
If the pouring a glass of wine is the behavior that we want to no longer do , or at least no longer do just out of kind of automatic habit , what we do is we go in and we really analyze the entire situation and we figure out what's called the trigger point .
So there's that again , that one point in time where I'm doing something and then all of a sudden , I'm like , nope , I need that glass of wine or nope , I need that cookie . And it's that specific point in time where we say we're on the path and then we deviate . Right . So what is that point in time ?
And then we go through a technique where essentially , again , we're pulling up an internal representation of what does it look like when you are pouring that glass of wine , and then what is the behavior that we want to take instead ? So , maybe that's , I want to sit down and take some deep breaths .
So then we get an internal representation of that and we go through a technique where we basically are visualizing one and then swapping them out , to the point where , once I have a client recall that old behavior , they can barely like they can't recall the internal representation anymore . When I say , what does it look like for you to pour that glass of wine ?
They're like it's gray , it's fuzzy , I don't really see it anymore . And so the idea with that isn't that you're never going to pour a glass of wine again . It's that that's the automatic behavior pattern , that as soon as you walk in your house and you're stressed out now , you immediately go to the kitchen and pour a glass of wine .
It's to create like a micro shift in the behavior so that someone's more easily able to kind of take a step back and say wait a second , what is it that I really need to be doing right now . And then again , that's where the action and the like changing of the habit starts to come in from a reinforcement perspective after the fact .
So it's really to to kind of cut that cord of you know , when this happens , I automatically do this and a lot of people go through life with these behaviors and they're they don't really realize it until you know their health is suffering or somebody that they're working with brings it up . You know , why do you do this ?
Well , I don't know , I'm just stressed out and I want wine , you know . So it's kind of bringing that awareness up and then cutting that cord so we can make a different decision .
So , from a behavioral standpoint , nlp can help you cancel those behaviors that you've always wanted to stop , like nail biting or something like that .
And I can imagine it could really improve other components of your life your relationships , perhaps definitely your health when it comes to overeating and things like that , the idea of wanting to move more in terms of exercise and things like that .
So NLP seems to be a really good complement to anyone who is in the process of enhancing their overall wellness 100% and , like you said , it applies to all areas of life .
I've had clients who want to work on relationships . I've had clients who just want to work on more of a personal development and relationship with self , and most of my clients were centering around health and fitness . But again , it's the same thing . These principles can be applied to every area of life .
Oh , I love that . Now this is a podcast and all of my clients are virtual . Do you help people virtually as ?
well , I do Yep . About 70 to 80% of my clientele is virtual as well .
Okay , fantastic . Now I know we're going to have all your information in the show page so that people you can go and take a look at her social media . Go ahead and also take a look at her website to find out more about what it is she does . I highly suggest that you reach out to her because NLP can change your life . I've gone through NLP sessions .
I took classes , but I didn't go all the way through for the certification because I ran out of time for myself . I know a little bit about it , but I do know that it can change your life in terms of how you live your life .
And for those of you who are looking at holistic practices to do , rather than you know my favorite phrase dropping a pharmaceutical or cutting something off , nlp could be the way to go , especially if you're working with someone who also has a grounded background , like Allie does , in nutrition and fitness and overall body wellness .
It's a perfect complement in terms of mind , body , spirit , approach Right , allie does . And nutrition and fitness and overall body wellness . It's a perfect compliment in terms of mind , body , spirit , approach right , allie .
Yes , absolutely , and that's exactly why I'm so passionate about it is it really helps round off those other areas .
Absolutely , and I think it makes you more successful in your wellness goals because really , as I say all the time , for those of you who are concerned to have health issues and of course , at this stage of the game is always about the weight , the weight , the weight .
It's got to be a holistic approach , a mind , body , spirit approach , because all of those things work in conjunction to support you and whatever goals you have around your overall wellness or any other goals . Actually , it's important that you realize that you're a full , total circle human being .
It's not just a little bit of this and a little bit of that and that'll do it . If you want lasting change , you wanna take a look at the idea of working with an NLP practitioner . Ali , thank you so much for being on the Bible Living Podcast . It's been great having you here today . Absolutely thank you for having me .
Well , thank you and remember everybody . Take a look at the show page , get all of Allie's information , reach out to her and find out if NLP is something that can help . I know that it can . I've done the sessions before .
It can make a major difference in your life , as I hope this podcast in general does , because I really am passionate about the idea of you finding out things that are going to help you to vibe be more vibrant , intuitive , beautiful and empowered in midlife .
¶ Podcast Promotion and Interaction
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Thanks for listening to the Vibe Living Podcast and don't forget to subscribe , like and comment and share this podcast . Have a fantastic day and don't forget to vibe . Bye-bye everybody .