The resources individuals need in order to effect a change are already within them

This is one of the many NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) presuppositions and one of the original 8 of Richard Bandler.

What does NLP mean with the presupposition?

Quite like it says actually. This presupposition tells us that we already have what it takes to change. We might not know how to use these resources or where to find them, but they are already within you. You have experiences, feelings and attitudes now and in the past, that you can use to change what you want to change.

This presupposition says that you have experiences where you felt strong, proud, assertive, caring, loved, inspired and so on. We can tap into those past experiences and use them as a resource for the change we want to establish.

In a way this presupposition says: ‘Yes you can…because you already have before!‘

This presupposition does not say that you have everything available. It’s quite possible that you don’t have any experience with a certain resource, but that a combination of other resources works for you as well. There is no generic answer to what resource is the best, that can only be determined by the individuals themselves.

Why is it necessary for NLP to believe this?

Past experiences are often used to replace current beliefs with new beliefs, in order to change the expected behavior to the desired behavior. All from the perspective of the individual. In NLP we believe that people can always find a combination of resources that will have the effect of changing their behavior to their desired behavior.

For some people it may be only one resource, but for others it might take as much as ten resources. I guess that the more resources you need, the harder the change is going to be for the individual. But given enough determination and enough repetition of replacing beliefs they will succeed.

Can I find proof or personal experiences that support the presupposition?

I have used this in the past. One of my powerful experiences is when I had the practical exam for my driving license for my motorcycle. I was so confident that I would pass the exam, that I wasn’t nervous at all. Everything about me radiated the confidence, because afterwards I heard that the man who took the exam said to my instructor after just 500 meter: ‘Okay, looks very good, he will pass.’ How cool is that!

I can recall this feeling very easy and have already many times. Whenever a situation comes up that might make me nervous (my stomach will tell me), simply visualizing riding a motorcycle, makes me confident and at ease instantly.

Can I find proof or personal experiences that undermine the presupposition?

The opposite of this presupposition is also true. We also have all the resources available to prevent a change from taking place (this is behavior as well). If the change is not something that the individual wants, they will tap into resources to prevent it from happening.

A key aspect of focus in my opinion is to (let the individual) make sure that the change is really a desired change. It needs to be authentic, and the expected benefits must be greater than the benefits of the current behavior (which always exist).

In conclusion, how do I feel about this presupposition?

I love it! This (again?) gives you control over what you can achieve. If the resources are already within you, you just have to find them, use them to your advantage and get what you want. And if you already have done it once, you can use that to do it again, and again, and again.

Time for you to talk

What do you think of this presupposition? Does it make sense to you? Do you have experiences or examples that might undermine this presupposition?