Morpheus Coaching

This posting relates to the use of Neurological Levels in coaching.

I have worked lots with people who have been, in one context or another, aiming at a significant behaviour change. Most managed to modify or change their behaviour in the short-term (about a month), some managed to change for a longer period and a smaller minority managed to hold the gains and internalise the new behaviour; it becoming part of them.

When I analysed a number of these recently, it became clear that the short-term successes related to those for whom changing behaviour had meant adopting an alternative behaviour or set of behaviours; the rationale being that it was better to act like this than as previously (a strong influencer at the time of coaching).

For those who held on for longer there were observable changes in their capabilities around the coaching topic, and for two I recalled, it was the change of environment the behaviour change influenced that seemed to be the change-driver.

But for those who have changed themselves, along with the behavioural change, the coaching was concerned with exploring beliefs and values and identity. Way back I ‘blogged’ about one of my coachees who made some fantastic progress re-inventing herself. She continues to this day, regulating her weight, maintaining her esteem, enjoying feeling the way she does – this based, not on weight-loss skills, but a renewed belief in herself, and a realisation that she had been a bully in the recent past – to herself.

I looked at Wikipedia’s entry for Neurological Levels and went ‘hmmmm’ to the reports of criticism to Dilt’s work. They may have a point that the levels are a sub-set of ‘anchoring’ – hey, I wouldn’t argue or object if this be true; it doesn’t negate anything, but I do think they are logical, a point John Grinder is implied in the entry as disputing.

I believe in using ‘whatever works’ – what label it has and from what camp/school/faction or club it comes from – is, to be honest, outside, way outside of my levels of interest, logical or not!!!!!

Here are some links to other people’s work on Neurological Levels: http://www.renewal.ca/nlp9.htm

http://www.integratedsociopsychology.net/Models/Neurological_Levels.html