NLP and Philosophy

When I was around age eight I started to get curious about the books in my parent’s library. I remember a book called Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. To a young mind it was like stretching the mind.I could not grasp the ideas, but they sure sounded nice.Later I read books on “finding happiness within.” They were nice too, but that was about it, not much substance. I felt connected to these works that spoke of loving the self and of letting go of the ego.Yet none of these books offered a solution. I took classes to receive a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Well surely I would have found these answers there. A degree says I know something. Right? The closest I got in my studies was through Jungian psychology. Dr. Robert Koettel at UNLV taught us about archetypes working in our lives and through our dreams.The work was wonderful, and I delight in my memories of the time spent in earning my degree. Yet, I still had my mommy and daddy issues. I still was looking for that “happiness within.”A friend suggested I look in the mirror and tell myself how much I love myself. That did not last long, and it felt pretty silly after I started making faces at myself.So what is the answer to the seeking of self love, of allowing the ego to have less of a stronghold?Lynn Grabhorn’s “Excuse Me Your Life is Waiting” was a help in the right direction. Her questions helped me take a step back. I knew there was something there, but it still did not “take.”I ended up working with a woman who practiced her system of “Four Elements,” where she taught me to follow my feelings through my body.This was a step in the right direction. I could now see that my feelings start with me, I make them.It was during my NLP Master Practitioner course, when I had a Personal Breakthrough Session with one of the other students that my past emotional charges were cleared up. The past stuff was gone, the lens was much more clear to see what appeared to be going on in my world.Getting further into the techniques that help change perception and behavior at an unconscious level helped me see that the ego could be put aside.Learning techniques from Richard Bandler’s books and from Ed Percival’s audios showed me how to actually find happiness within.It’s no secret. What the sages of ancient times have been hinting about is right here within your grasp.Here it is: Think about something that makes you happy. Amplify that. Repeat. Do that more often. That’s your self-love. Being nice to yourself inside.Peeling away what is not you and responding in the now moment, that’s putting the ego aside. These things are no longer the domain of enlightened sages from India, or wherever in the world you find yours. It is available to you, right now. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, we have come full circle.Now, what’s next?