How David Murphy is Making a Difference with NLP in Education

David Murphy has been nominated for NLP in Education Award for his work using NLP in schools in Mexico to support the eradication and management of bullying. He has now been selected as a finalist by the independent judging panel.

With his team Transformative Coaching, he created a system called ‘Bullying Tickles Me’ which dismantles and eradicates the toxic impact of bullying in schools through playfully implementing the tools and patterns of NLP and Neuro-Semantics. It works on the premise that solutions come from inside the children, not outside. Instead of keeping them dependent for support from teachers and adult authorities, this system is built to empower true resilience.

The assumptions behind the system are that bullying arises from toxic meanings and beliefs expressed in systems of domination and submission. A principle fuel for bullying is believing that others ‘make me…happy, unhappy, angry, lonely etc.’

Their analysis shows that children who harm or degrade companions need to be perceived as powerful by others, and conversely the victim feels powerless and vulnerable. In both cases, person power is lacking. The programme installs personal power in thinking, feeling, speaking, doing and deciding, providing participants with beliefs and meanings that generate self-confidence. They become capable of owning and deciding their internal and external responses to the words and actions of others. They encounter new understandings of their personal worth and their self-esteem remains solid, robust and unconditional supporting them to empathetically relate to others. The basic methods of NLP are used throughout the entire process: induction of states, anchoring tests etc.

Observing the high incidence of bullying in Mexico, and the excellence of the tools offered in NLP and Neuro-semantics for addressing the problem, Transformative created the materials and published ‘bullying tickles me’ in June 2017.

The association of private schools in Queretaro was immediately interested and 13 schools with an average of 1,200 students each, participated in the workshops. One of the schools then decided to implement the programme at all levels.

In November 2017, ‘Transformative’ were invited to present the programme to 2000 educational institution of the national federation of private schools at their submit meeting in Queretaro.

Transformative are now in the process of preparing online videos and materials to increase the reach of bullying tickles me, to support as many educational outlets as possible, around the world.

Although a relatively new programme, it has already been highly accepted and evaluations of participants in all workshops to date have shown transformed behaviours, both individually and collectively.

The NLP Awards shortlists have been put together from nominations by an independent judging panel. The NLP Awards will be presented at a Gala Dinner on Saturday 19th May at the NLP International Conference. More details of the categories and shortlisted nominees can be found here.