NLP is a way of changing someone’s thoughts and behaviors to help achieve desired outcomes.
The popularity of neuro-linguistic programming or NLP has become widespread since it started in the 1970s. Its uses include treatment of phobias and anxiety disorders and improvement of workplace performance or personal happiness. But, what is NLP actually stand for?
This article will explore the theory behind NLP and what evidence there is supporting its practice.
What is NLP?
NLP uses perceptual, behavioral, and communication techniques to make it easier for people to change their thoughts and actions. It relies on language processing but it’s different from natural language processing, which shares the same acronym.
NLP was developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, who believed it was possible to identify the patterns of thoughts and behaviors of successful individuals and to teach them to others.
Despite a lack of empirical evidence to support it, Bandler and Grinder published two books, The Structure of Magic I and II, and NLP took off. Its popularity was partly due to its versatility in addressing the many diverse issues that people face.
How does it work?
The varying interpretations of NLP make it hard to define. The idea is that people operate by internal “maps” of the world that they learn through sensory experiences.
NLP tries to detect and modify unconscious biases or limitations of an individual’s map of the world. It is not hypnotherapy. Instead, it operates through the conscious use of language to bring about changes in someone’s thoughts and behavior.
For example, a central feature of NLP is the idea that a person is biased towards one sensory system, known as the preferred representational system or PRS.
Therapists can detect this preference through language. Phrases such as “I see your point” may signal a visual PRS. Or “I hear your point” may signal an auditory PRS.
An NLP practitioner will identify a person’s PRS and base their therapeutic framework around it. The framework could involve rapport-building, information-gathering, and goal-setting with them.
Techniques
NLP is a broad field of practice. As such, NLP practitioners use many different techniques that include the following:
- Anchoring: Turning sensory experiences into triggers for certain emotional states.
- Rapport: The practitioner tunes in to the person by matching their physical behaviors to improve communication and response through empathy.
- Swish pattern: Changing patterns of behavior or thought to come to a desired instead of an undesired outcome.
- Visual/kinesthetic dissociation (VKD): Trying to remove negative thoughts and feelings associated with a past event.
Examples
NLP is a method of personal development through promoting skills, such as self-reflection, confidence, and communication.
Practitioners have applied NLP commercially to achieve work-orientated goals, such as improved productivity or job progression.
Does NLP work?
Determining the effectiveness of NLP is challenging for several reasons.
NLP has not been subject to the same standard of scientific rigor as more established therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT.
The lack of formal regulation and NLP’s commercial value means that claims of its effectiveness can be anecdotal or supplied by an NLP provider. NLP providers will have a financial interest in the success of NLP, so their evidence is difficult to use.
In 2014, a report by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health found no clinical evidence for the effectiveness of NLP in the treatment of PTSD, GAD, or depression.
However, a further research review published in 2015 did find NLP therapy to have a positive impact on individuals with social or psychological problems, although the authors said more investigation was needed.
The theoretical basis for NLP has also attracted criticism for lacking evidence-based support.
A paper published in 2009 concluded that after three decades, the theories behind NLP were still not credible, and evidence for its effectiveness was only anecdotal.
A 2010 review paper sought to assess the research findings relating to the theories behind NLP. Of the 33 studies, only 18 percent support NLP’s underlying theories.
So, despite more than 4 decades of its existence, neither the effectiveness of NLP or the validity of the theories have been clearly demonstrated by solid research.
Also, it is worth noting, that research has mainly been conducted in therapeutic settings, with few studies into the effectiveness of NLP in commercial environments.
Take home
NLP has become very popular over the years. This popularity may have been driven by the fact that practitioners can use it in many different fields and contexts.
However, the broad ideas that NLP is built upon, and the lack of a formal body to monitor its use, mean that the methods and quality of practice can vary considerably. In any case, clear and impartial evidence to support its effectiveness has yet to emerge.
For these reasons, it is possible that good marketing has also contributed to the widespread popularity of NLP, particularly in the commercial sector.
CLICK HERE For More Course Inclusions and Our June Main Event
