NLP can be useful when dealing with mental handicaps.
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a very useful tool for instilling positive behavioral changes. Becoming a master NLP practitioner is both a science and an art, and using NLP on a person with a mental disability is very challenging. NLP uses different areas of the brain to create change in a person, and if those areas of the mind are not functioning correctly, it can be extremely difficult to use NLP. Fortunately, the foundation of NLP is flexible, and if one approach does not work, another can be adopted. Mental retardation simply means having a below-average level of intelligence.
Instructions
1. Find out how severe the mental retardation is. Determine what aspects of the person are impaired due to mental retardation and whether the person has other disabilities. Determining the level of a person's functioning is extremely important. One of the first things taught in NLP courses is to observe and be aware of behavior. This is especially true when dealing with mental retardation, as there are other behaviors beyond "normal" functioning to watch out for.
2. Set the intention. Intention for communication in NLP is paramount as most NLP courses teach. This is no different when dealing with mental retardation. A desired behavioral change must be set for the communication. For example, if the NLP practitioner is working to correct a self esteem issue with a person with mental retardation they should set this intention for their communication.
3. Use established NLP techniques in the frame the patient sees the world. The only limit a NLP practitioner has when working with a person with mental disability is the frame in which the patient sees the world. Normally in NLP this can easily be corrected through the re-framing process, however due to the lowered intelligence caused by mental retardation the person may simply not be able to re-frame. As a different frame requires a higher level of intelligence. The NLP practitioner must join the frame of the patient and test the waters to see what their limits are. This is where the observation in step 1 comes in handy.
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