NLP started in the mid-late 1970's at Kresge College in the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). The university is close to San Francisco.

There was an explosion of exploration into human psychology at the end of the 1960's/beginning of the 1970's, particularly in California. The free-love movement was coming to an end, America was shaken by the Charles Manson crimes and the country was struggling to exit the Vietnam War.

Frank Pucelik, a medic in the US army, returned from Vietnam. Once back in California, Pucelik was exploring various therapy practices to deal with his own trauma from the war. Through a series of events, Pucelik found himself working with a young student of psychology, Richard Bandler, in a Gestalt clinic.

Bandler was a student of psychology at UCSC, and together they modelled the therapeutic processes of Fritz Perls. Perls was the founder of Gestalt Therapy.

Around this time, Carl Rogers had developed humanistic psychology, Timothey Gallwey was writing his book exploring the power of the unconscious mind in performance in 'The Inner Game of Tennis', and Bandler and Grinder began collaborating on the exploration of human excellence at UCSC.

Bandler and Grinder's explorations pulled together various elements from different philosophies and approaches to the power of human change. They experimented with theories of unconscious change. Gradually these explorations and experimentation morphed into something more structured and would eventually become what we now call Neuro Linguistic Programming.

The official co-creators of NLP are Richard Bandler, a student of philosophy at UCSC, and John Grinder, an Associate Professor of Lingusitics. Initially, Bandler and Grinder also worked with Frank Pucelik, a Vietnam veteran and student at UCSC.

The founding question of NLP: what is the difference, that makes the difference, between people who excel in what they do, and other people who are merely average at the same thing? 

NLP can help us be more effective in every area of our lives. Some of the ways NLP can be of benefit include helping us to: 

• Understand the power of language and what it reveals about us and others
• Significantly raise our awareness of self and others
• Build strong and trusting relationships
• Understand and appreciate the perspectives of others more easily
• Reframe the meaning of situations
• Resolve conflicts
• Negotiate more effectively
• Overcome limiting beliefs
• Create empowering beliefs
• Develop behavioural flexibility
• Respond to situations, rather than react
• Read body language and non-verbal communication
• Create powerful strategies
• Set well-formed goals
• Ethically influence
• Be in charge of our own minds

and more.

NLP learning is divided into the following levels:

NLP DIPLOMA: An introduction to the foundations and concepts. Core skills and frameworks.

NLP PRACTITIONER: Most NLP is learned at the level of Practitioner. Core skills and powerful techniques for positive change.

NLP MASTER PRACTITIONER: As well as adding more advanced NLP tools into the NLP toolkit, Master Practitioner training also deepens our knowledge of the NLP Practitioner skills and tools and moves us towards what could be described as 'mastery', that is to say, a level of ease, skill and understanding with the NLP toolkit. At the very least, Master Practitioner training deepens our knowledge of NLP skills and tools.

NLP TRAINER: NLP trainers take their knowledge and understanding to deep levels. NLP Trainers can train and certify people in NLP up to Master Practitioner level. NLP trainers form an important function in the continuing development of NLP.

NLP MASTER TRAINER: This is the highest level in the field. Only an NLP Master Trainer can certify new NLP Trainers. At this level, NLP Master Trainers need to know their NLP content at a very deep level and be able to use the tools, skills and principles of NLP at the highest level. NLP Master Trainers play an important role in developing the field of NLP further.