What are Resource States in NLP, and How do we Find Them?

In Neuro-Linguistic Programming we classify states mainly into 3 categories: 1. Present/Problem States 2. Desired/Outcome States and 3. Resource States...

In this article/video I am going to be answering the question, "What are resource states in NLP, and how do we find them!“

One of the presuppositions of NLP is that everybody has all of the resources they need to be successful already within them - they just need to be able to find them, access them, amplify them, and apply them in the appropriate contexts. (For more on that click here:    • NLP Presupposition:  People have all the r...  )

But what are those resources? And how do we find them?

Resources states are the states that allow us to close the gap between the present state and desired state. Pretty much any resourceful experience can act as a resource state.

How about a specific example...

Let's say we have someone who gets frustrated when they get cut off in traffic. That is their present/problem state.

We can begin to explore this person's personal history, that is loaded with resourceful experiences, and look for resources that we can apply in this particular present state.

Just quickly off of the top of my head 3 potential internal resources this person might benefit from in this context:

Acceptance
Compassion
Understanding

And there are many times in this persons past where they have experienced these resources.

So our job as a Neuro-Linguistic programmer is to tease out those resource states from their mind-body system so that we can apply them in this particular context.

This will create a 'bridge' to more of their resources so that they don't respond the way that they did previously.

One of the ways that I go about picking what resource to use it to find an experience, in that same context, where they responded resourcefully.

For example, "Was there ever a time when you got cut off in traffic and you weren't frustrated?" This is where it can be important to know what the person's outcome state is.

For example if they want to stay calm I might ask, "Was there ever a time when you got cut off in traffic, and you remained calm?"

If their answer is “yes”, we have discovered a potential resource state! You can even calibrate to their non-verbal behaviors because their state will change as they answer that question.

They will demonstrated to you, with their physiology, that particular resource state!

(How to take that resource and to apply it is a more advanced set of skills for another time and place beyond this article/video.)

If their answer is "no", they have never been cut off in traffic and remained calm, we can start to tease out resources from them some other contexts.

For example, "When is a time in your life when you can really just easily remain calm?"

And as they sort through their memory banks, and as the memories come up they are going to influence their state, and they will be demonstrating to you multiple resource states.

Maybe it would laying on the beach, or just when they wake up in the morning, or when they drink their morning tea. The potentials are enormous.

So the resource state is going to be determined by the presenting problem state, and the desired state. What experiences has this person had that will bridge the gap between the problem and the outcome?

When we can find those experiences and we can bridge them into the problem state, we will respond much more resourcefully — and all of the resources were already within us all along!

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For my free Secrets of a Perception Wizard e-course: http://perceptionacademy.com/free-nlp...