Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 03:50, 22 September 2005

You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|July 2005|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a method proposed for programming the mind. Currently the most widely used definition of NLP is "the study of the structure of subjective experience". How do we do what we do? How do we think? How do we learn? And how do we connect with each other and our world on a physical and spiritual level? (O'Connor & McDermott, 1996) (Dilts et al 1980)(Milliner 1988). NLP teachings state that the mind can be programmed, and that we all tend to be mis-programmed by negative input in some way. The methods of neurolinguistic programing involve reprogramming, and processes such as removing traumas (Andreas & Faulkner, 1994) treating engrams (Drenth 2003)(Bandler & Grinder, 1975) by reframing, and belief change methods (O'Connor and McDermot 1996). Originally developed for psychotherapy, NLP has expanded to include applications to a variety of contexts including business, sports performance, and the development of psychic abilities, and covert seduction techniques.

It was originally co-created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder and been further developed by a number of people since the 1970s, and is claimed to borrow from a great many sources and inspirations. NLP is also promoted by Grinder as an "operational epistemology" or a meta-discipline( Grinder & Bostic, 2001).

Goals

NLP advocates claim that NLP aims to discover how experts or superior performers excel in a given task. They do this initially through a kind of modeling through observation and imitation. It is claimed that when the skills can be replicated by the modeler explicitly coding what works, or "the difference that makes the difference", so that the difference can be taught to others (Bandler & Grinder, 1975). This process has been described by co-creator John Grinder as "an accelerated learning approach for modeling human excellence." Therefore, NLP modeling is considered by some practitioners to be at the heart of NLP.

One simple example may be the application of NLP to improve people's spelling strategies. In this NLP model, excellent spellers use multiple representational systems to codify and recall words. One NLP game designed to learn this strategy, requiring two people, involves holding up coloured flash cards with words to be remembered. The cards are held above line of sight to promote visualisation. The eyes are then closed while internally visualising the letters of the words. When the internal visualisation of the word matches the external flash cards the strategy is tested by reading aloud the letters forwards and backwards. If there are any errors in the reading of letters, the entire process is repeated from the start with the same word. This game is designed to develop the key skills found in excellent spellers, and requires practise and repetition to integrate into daily life.

Historical background of neuro-linguistic programming

One of the earliest influences on NLP were General Semantics (Alfred Korzybski) as a new perspective for looking at the world which included a kind of mental hygiene. This was a departure from the Aristotelian concepts of modern science and objective reality, and it influenced notions of programming the mind that NLP includes.

General semantics influenced several schools of thought, leading to a viable human potential industry and associations with emerging New Age thinking. By the late 1960s, self-help organizations such as EST, dianetics, and scientology had become popular and financially successful, receiving attention and promotion from human potential thinkers such as Fritz Perls who, during this period, operated a dianetics business. The Esalen human potential seminars in California began to attract people, such as the aforementioned Fritz Perls, as well as Gregory Bateson, Virginia Satir, and Milton Erickson.

The first 3 people Grinder and Bandler modeled were

• Fritz Perls (Gestalt Therapy)
• Virginia Satir (Family therapy)
• Milton Erickson (Ericksonian Hypnosis)

(source Andreas & Faulkner, 1994)

All 3 were considered by Grinder and Bandler to be highly competent in their fields, and the patterns they detected in their therapy became the basis of NLP, along with influences from Korzybski and Bateson (who coined the NLP expressions "The map is not the territory", and "the difference that makes the difference", respectively).

The practice of neuro-linguistic programming attracted mostly therapists at first. The promise of effective communication patterns and the ability to influence people attracted business people, sales people, artists, and "new-agers" (Hall 1994). As time went by, Leslie Cameron-Bandler, Judith DeLozier, Robert Dilts, and David Gordon made contributions and the seminars of Bandler and Grinder were transcribed into a book, Frogs into Princes (ISBN 0911226192). This became a popular NLP book and the popularity for the seminars increased, which in turn became successful human potential attractions (Dilts, 1991).

NLP's core methods and hypotheses were tested over the period from the early 1980's to the present and were found to be scientifically unsupported. Presently, the field of NLP is classed as a pseudoscientific self help development in the same mould as that of Dianetics and EST (Lilienfeld 2003).

Following the influence of the Esalen Institute, NLP is often promoted in combination with New Age notions, biofeedback, neurofeedback, intuition development, remote viewing, and psychic development. It claims to be nonjudgmental to all creeds and points of view (Andreas & Faulkner, 1994).

Proposed sensory predicates

John Grinder and Richard Bandler hypothesize that people use sensory predicates depending on what sensory system they are primarily accessing. For example, "I have a good grasp on it" is supposed to contain a kinesthetic predicate, in this case "grasp". A similar sentence with visual predicates is claimed to be, "I can see it clearly", or with auditory predicates, "That sounds right to me." Words such as "think" and "process", are called unspecified predicates.

Eye-accessing cues

Bandler & Grinder claim that certain movements correlate with spoken sensory predicates, and they have designed exercises to develop the calibration skills necessary to detect the sequences of representations (or internal thinking strategies) and respond accordingly, illustrated in the following example taken from p. 24 of Frogs into Princes:

They sought to prove this by asking a visual eidetic queston such as, "What colour are your mother's eyes?" would presuppose visual processing.

According to this core NLP model, upward eye movements indicate visual processing, eye movements down indicate somatic or kinesthetic processing, and eye movements to the sides indicate auditory processing. Also, eye movements to the left, or right indicate if a representation was recalled or constructed. Some NLP advocates connect this with brain hemispheric science of left and right brain dominance for certain skills, such as logic and mathematics for the left hemisphere, and creativity and imagination for the right hemisphere.

Meta-model and Milton Model

Put simply, the meta-model is a set of language patterns (from Virginia Satir, Fritz Perls and Transformational syntax) designed to challenge limits to a person's map of the world (Grinder & Bostic, 2001). Effectively the meta-model can be reduced to asking "What specifically", or "How specifically?" to challenge unspecified nouns or verbs. Other challenges are directed at distortions, generalizations or deletions in the speaker's language (Bandler & Grinder, 1975a Ch3). The reverse set of the meta-model is the Milton-model; a collection of artfully vague language patterns elicited from the work of Milton Erickson (Bandler & Grinder, 1975b). Together these models form the basis for the all other NLP models.

The following examples are mainly claimed to be from the therapeutic context, however, it is also claimed that these same patterns can be applied to any context.

Distortion: Semantic Well-formedness

Example 1: Presuppositions

• Speaker: I'm afraid my son is turning out to be as lazy as my husband
• Challenge: What lead you to believe your husband is lazy

Example 2: Cause and Effect (x means y, or x makes me y)

• Example Speaker: That news makes me angry
• Challenge: How, specifically, does the news make you angry?

Generalizations

Example: Lack of Referential Index (never, nobody, everybody, all, ...)

• Speaker: Nobody pays attention to anything I say.
• Challenge: Do you mean to tell me that no-one has ever payed attention to what you have to say ever?

Deletion

Example: Comparatives and Superlatives (best, worst, ...)

• Speaker: That was the best plan
• Challenged: Compared to what?

(src: Bandler & Grinder, 1975a Ch3 & Ch4)

NLP principles

In contrast to its numerous mini-models and techniques, NLP lacks a central theory for explanation, but there are a number of principles that have generally guided the development of NLP, many of them borrowed from other sources such as Ericksonian hypnosis and general semantics. Practitioners often explicitly formulate these principles as "presuppositions."

The following examples are mainly from the therapeutic context, however, these same patterns can be attempted in any context but care must be taken not to apply them out of context.

Practicality

NLP is not so much about discovering what is true as it is about discovering what is useful, what works in any given situation. But beyond mere utility, NLP aims for efficiency and elegance. Example: It's not uncommon for the turnaround on a phobia such as heights or spiders to be under 10 minutes. The work can be tested objectively afterwards for delivery of the client's desired result by asking the client to actually visit a tall building or find a spider, and report back on their experience. According to Bandler, when the technique ceases working, one can always go back for more treatment.

Experimentation, observation and feedback

Utility is measured strictly by subjective experimentation and observation. Observation skills are the first skills taught in basic NLP training. Practitioners and students of NLP are admonished not to take any model for granted, but rather are challenged to try them out in the real world and subjectively observe what happens.

A principle borrowed from cybernetics is that of a feedback loop. The NLP practitioner, when consciously engaged in some activity, especially one which involves one or more other people, is continually gathering information and using it as feedback to adjust his own behavior. One aspect of this is captured in the aphorism "The meaning of your communication is the response that you get." Also NLP practitioners are very keen to stress that some of the most important information is gathered from physiological cues and signals (gestures, posture, eye movement, breathing patterns, facial expressions including mintute facial color and facial micro muscle changes to calibrate a clients emotional, physiological and mental state, etc), the vast majority of which are given unconsciously by the client, and that these signals must be calibrated by the practitioner. These cues are said to give specific information to a practitioner to aid in creating change and adding resources to the clients subjective experience. This is done by eliciting desired states from the client by the practitioner with his/her communication. Examples of change are behavioural, Belief and values thus shifting the clients order of thinking, feeling (kinesthetic), seeing (visual), hearing (audio), smells (gustatory) and tastes (olfactory).

Another example of feedback in NLP is the presuposition: "There is no failure only feedback". This implies how a practitioner would relate to a client. This too gives valuable information as to how a person is thinking about their subjective experience.

Client centered

According to the NLP presupposition that closely relates to human potential improvement, the client has the resources they need. The NLP practitioner leaves it up to the person to subjectively indicate what works and what does not. If they are observed subjectively and carefully, they will actually show it quite clearly in their words and body language, what the problem is, how they experience it, and which ways it will or will not work, or will be blocked. So the NLP practitioner will attempt to use their skills to help the client explore their 'map' (perceptions and preconceptions) of reality. The rest of NLP is then, in effect, an attempt to help the practitioner understand, work and communicate within another person's world view.

Structure

A key element is that NLP is very much based upon structure and sequence. As a structural discipline, NLP seeks to be strictly non-judgmental in its outlook, and accepts views and beliefs of all for interpretation and use in human improvement. This allows NLP to be used within the whole global range of philosophical and spiritual perspectives. Individual tools within NLP can be treated as building blocks, put together to most effectively communicate with each individual human being. It is syntax based, in that the order and structure of what is done is felt to have a significant impact on how effective it is.

• NLP assumes that human experience, behavior and skill themselves turn out to be systematically structured. As structures, they can be sequenced (note: patterns can play out over a tiny fraction of a second) and worked with. There are ways in which pathological or sub-optimal aspects of these structures can be reworked by adapting from other existing skills or by developing and practicing new ones. Or indeed the entire pattern may be best changed for a better alternative.

Examples:

1. The spelling example above is a case where one structure (phonetic spelling) is less effective than another (visual spelling).
2. For many simple phobias, the key problem is in fact a very powerful "once-off" learning experience which formed a structural link of the form "See X --> Feel Y". In the absence of any underlying issue, where the sole problem is the discomfort and inconvenience of a phobia, there are tools which effectively help a client reduce/remove this dysfunctional link.

(In the latter case, good NLP practice would explore carefully for connected issues and potential side effects (ecology), equally it might act pragmatically once enough information is obtained, and trust the client to say if any further work is needed thereafter)

Multiple perceptual positions (typically triple description)

The idea of multiple perceptual positions in NLP was originally inspired by Gregory Bateson's double description who purported that double (or triple) descriptions are better than one. By deliberately training oneself in moving between perceptual positions one can develop new choice of responses. (Bostic & Grinder, 2002 p.247)

One basic example in NLP training involves considering an experience (typically a relationship) from the perspective of self, other and a detached third person in that situation. It could be something that has occurred already or something that will occur in the future. This type of exercise is useful in gathering information and often new choice in the world become available without a deliberate intervention.

Adaptation and Innovation

While students are taught set patterns and models during NLP trainings with very specialized terminology, once they have mastered the basic techniques, students are encouraged to try to use these to innovating new ways of communicating. The principle here, again borrowed from cybernetics, is that the more flexible and adaptable a person is and the more options they have in their behavior, the more successful they are likely to be in their endeavors. Along these lines are statements such as "If what you are doing isn't working, try something -- anything -- else."; the view that there is no failure, only feedback; and the attitude that any skill, belief or behavior of one person can in principle be modeled and learned by another, who can use it to improve their own skill.?

Mind, body and spirit

Similar to the followers of Scientology, Dianetics and other New Age disciples some NLP practitioners consider the mind, spirit and physical body as a system; that is, each influences the other (Lilienfeld et al 1993). As with the afforementioned organizations, NLP spirituality is said to be fully accepting of any religion whether it be Christian, Buddhist, Occultist, Taoist, Rosicrucian, or any other (O'Connor and McDermot 1996). There are several important implications:

• As with occult and eastern philosophies, there needs to be a balance between the concious and unconcious mind (O'Connor and McDermot 1996)
• It is assumed that the expressions of the body can hold emotion, states and patterns in place. It is also assumed that some memories are locked in place physiologically which facilitates time line therapy and past life therapy.
• Therefore some changes can be easier to make by working at a physical (body) level (letting the body inform the mind), as well as by dialog (mind informing emotions).
• Humans communicate by taking in information through the senses, but it is also hypothesised that they also give out communication as a kind of energy, and this can be considered the spiritual side of communication (Dilts 1992). This kind of energy is considered in various ways. It can be considered metaphorically in terms of the communication sender and recipient's mutual intention to spend energy on sending/receiving, and it can be considered in the sense of a "thought field" similar to that proposed in energy psychology (Gallo 2002). There are no physical correlates between these kind of energies and energy explained throught physics (Sala et al 1999). The connectivity between living beings makes communication more real, and this allows NLP to be used to enhance human potential far beyond the psychological level (Dilts and McDonald 1997).

Other NLP practitioners, at the same time, reject the relevance of "Spirit" within the domain of NLP and consider that consious mind, the unconscious and physical body are the key elements of the interconnected system known as a human being.

Subjectivity of experience

In NLP, it is claimed that a subject is a being which has subjective experiences or a relationship with another entity (or "object"). A subject is an observer and an object is a thing observed.

The following are examples of subjective experiences (all examples of qualia):

• What the color red looks like to me;
• What a musical tone sounds like to me;
• What pleasure and pain feel like to me.

And their corresponding objective analogues:

• The red surface;
• The musical instrument producing oscillations in air;
• The things that induce pleasure or pain.

src:Subject (philosophy)

The object is the thing perceived; the subject is the one who perceives.

According to NLP “epistemology”, Alford Korzybski and Gregory Bateson there is no such thing as "objective experience". Rather we operate from "maps of the world", and these maps differ between individuals. The maps may also differ for an individual depending on context or time frame.

As a result, NLP training encourages students to limit assumptions (or pre-filters) about what the another person is experiencing. A crude example may be, if a speaker says, "I am depressed." An NLP practitioner may ask, "How are you depressing yourself?" This type of question will give the NLP practitioner information about how they are organising their representations. Those familiar with NLP will recognise "depression" as a nominialisation, or a process (verb) that is named as a thing or object (abstract noun).

Other principles, borrowed from sources such as General Semantics, affirm the subjective nature of our experience, which, it is assumed, never fully captures the objective world, and that this experience differs from one individual to the next, sometimes radically, and can even differ for the same individual when compared across different contexts. As a result, one needs to be aware of these differences when interacting with others, to make few assumptions about what the other person is experiencing, and to gather information as needed to verify one's understanding of the other's experience.

Empiricism and Idealism

"The two classic epistemological polar positions in the 18th century can be usefully presented by Hume, in the British empiricist tradition and Kant in the German idealist tradition." (Grinder & Delozier, 1987)

According to John Grinder, the NLP epistemology attempts to bridge the gap between the extremes of empiricism and idealism without appealing to mysticism. This view tends to agree with one thing Einstein said, "I see on the side of totality of sense-experience, and, on the other, the totality of the concepts and propositions." (Albert Einstein, Autobiographical notes p. 13). The various NLP patterns are exploration in mapping our sensory impressions to concepts, knowing that there is a difference between in logical level and logical type between reality and representation of reality, or to quote Alfred Korzybski, "the map is not the territory." In NLP training sensory acuity and calibration exercises are used to enhance the five channels of our sensory system in an attempt to bring our internal representations (our maps), closer to reality (the territory). Typically, students observe demonstrations of the various NLP patterns, followed by exercises designed for experiential learning. (Grinder & Delozier, 1987)

Ecology

Ecology in NLP is about respecting the integrity of the system as a whole when assessing a change to that system; the 'system' in this case is a person's model of the world and the consequences of that model in the person's environment. Practically, this consideration entails asking questions like "What are the intended effects of this change? What other effects might this change have, and are those effects desirable? Is this change still a good idea?"

Differences in schools of NLP:

Originally, NLP did not explicitly teach ecology. A change could be made without considering the consequences of the change on the person, nor the impact on others. Although ecology is now commonly taught, some schools place far more importance on this than others.

Learning NLP

NLP teaches that learning is best facilitated by a triple description of the pattern, and experiential learning. A triple description often includes metaphor, demonstration (and modeling), and an explicit summary of the steps. The intent is to teach an effective pattern, not why it works.

Differences in schools of NLP:

NLP is taught in widely different ways. Some schools simply provide the steps of a pattern, others provide a full experiential learning (including demonstrations and practical experience). The length and quality of courses varies.

NLP and therapy

The first subjects of study were experts in the fields of family therapy, hypnosis, gestalt therapy and provocative therapy. As a result, a significant number of those who take NLP training do so because they are practitioners of psychotherapy, whether as psychologists, psychiatrists, MFCCs (i.e. Marriage, Family, and Child Counselors), social workers, pastors, or lay counselors.

There are various patterns (eg. phobia reduction process) for specific interventions and some patterns (eg. well-formed outcomes, and perceptual positions) that can be used in many different situations to achieve desired change.

In terms of self-help, most of the basic NLP-derived techniques can be applied to self. More complex change work requires the assistance of properly trained NLP practitioner.

A therapy field called Neuro Linguistic Psychotherapy (NLPt) is being developed primarily in Europe since 1986 by the European Association for Neuro-Linguistic Psychotherapy.

Mechanistic toolbox or humanistic?

NLP has spawned a 'toolbox' of techniques and methods, a collection of observations and patterns to be aware of in human interaction. It is important to bear in mind that the tools and their use create issues to consider. NLP, by origin, is pragmatic and looks for "what works" but in addition it has a profound respect for the individual, their life and their wellbeing.

NLP tools, when taught as a set of techniques directed toward specific goals, and especially when divorced from their full background, become mechanistic ("this is how to do that") or manipulative ("this is how to make someone do something"). In full context, a broad approach should be used based upon clients' wishes with the principle of ecology playing an important role. The integrity and health of any system must be maintained and considered when making changes. The 'system' in this case is clients' model of the world and therefore health. It is essential to ensure that any changes do not have a negative effect on clients' long term wellbeing.

When taught as a "quick fix" or directed toward a goal such as sales or seduction, checks and balances integral to the core of NLP are often omitted. This disregards the health and integrity of the system and is therefore to the detriment of clients. Virginia Satir often stated this kind of humanism as being the spirit and soul of communication and therapy (Brothers, 1992)

Criticisms of NLP

Critics say NLP is simply a half-baked conflation of pop psychology and pseudo-science that uses jargon to disguise the fact that it is based on a bunch of banal, if not incorrect, presuppositions (Sanghera 2005). The criticisms range from the fact that it is ineffective, ethically questionable, pseudoscientific, full of unwarranted claims that lead to the sale of further dubious products, inconsistent, unscientific, and cult-like.

NLP and Psychology

The field of NLP began outside the academic mainstream. The NLP hypotheses, conjectures and epistemology differ greatly from science and remain largely divorced form mainstream academic psychology in both theory and practice. Scientists are unconvinced by NLP's focus on "what works" in preference to "why it works", and psychologists consider NLP a "pseudo-science" as they do not consider it backed up sufficiently by peer-reviewed empirical research.

Ethical standards bodies for psychology and psychotherapy require that the client should have an explanation for why something works for it to be acceptable as a treatment. However, NLP does not explain how people come to think or behave, and psychologists criticise NLP for its lack of a unified personality theory.

Many NLP promoters and advertisers continue to call the originators "scientists" and to use such terms as "Science" (Grinder 2003), "technology", and "hi-tech psychology" in order to sell NLP (Thaler Singer & Lalich, 1996). This is criticised, which has led to NLP co-creator John Grinder to promoting NLP more as an epistemology.

The Ineffectiveness of NLP

NLP has been empirically tested over many years, and although it has been found to be largely ineffective, the general behaviour of NLP advocates is one of wishful thinking and passing the buck that is often characteristic of quick fix schemes (Thaler Singer & Lalich, 1996). The US National Committee was asked in 1984 to judge the various techniques, and they used 14 different judges in order to do so. The 1988 report said "Individually, and as a group, these studies fail to provide an empirical base of support for NLP assumptions...or NLP effectiveness. The committee cannot recommend the employment of such an unvalidated technique" (Druckman & Swets, 1988).

Since then other objecive and empirical studies have consistently shown NLP to be ineffective and reviews and meta-analyses have given NLP a conclusively negative assessment (Bleimeister, 1988) (Morgan, 1993) (Platt, 2001) (Bertelsen, 1987).

NLP as a Pseudoscience

NLP has been classed as a pseudoscientific self help development in the same mould as EST and Dianetics (Lilienfeld et al 2003) (Williams et al 2000). This is mostly due to the fact that the reviews of research on NLP have not supported either the assumptions of NLP or the efficacy (Thaler Singer & Lalich, 1996), but similar to proponents of other pseudoscientific subjects such as Dianetics and EST, the NLP community continues to claim their assumptions and methods.

Pseudoscience is also prone to certain fallacies and characteristics. These can be; Overgeneral predictions, pseudoscientific experimentation, dogmatic adherence or recycling of de-validated claims (Winn and Wiggins 2001).

Further characteristics of pseudoscience have been identified in NLP promotion. These are (Lilienfeld et al 2003):

• The absence of connectivity
• The use of obscurantist language
• Overreliance on testimonial and anecdotal evidence
• Absence of boundary conditions
• The mantra of holism
• An overuse of ad hoc hypotheses designed to immunize claims from falsification
• Evasion of peer review
• Reversed burden of proof
• Emphasis on confirmation rather refutation

The term "pseudoscience" often has negative connotations, implying generally that things so labeled are false and deceptive (though a strict interpretation of the term would not necessarily have it mean either). However, NLP is often criticised for being a pseudoscience (Lilienfeld et al 2003).

Commercialism

Some have criticized the manner in which NLP has been promoted. NLP trainers are often said to make unwarranted claims for the field in general or for the specific techniques that they teach. This is possibly due to the field being largely unregulated and because there are several conflicting associations or guilds, and as such it is argued that it is unlikely that members of the field will be able to hold each other to any respectable standards when practitioners behave incompetently or unethically.

NLP and dubious new age remedies

Some critics regard NLP as being similar to New Age Movements; NLP has consistently been unequivocally promoted as a technology that promises solutions for everyone, far beyond the specific application of psychotherapy. As such, NLP is promoted by some for dubious treatments such as hypnotic breast enhancement, penis enlargement, remote viewing, covert seduction, remote seduction, speed learning, speed reading, and the sale of expensive brain entrainment equipment. In close association with its New Age spiritual principles, it is often sold in combination with shamanic methods of magic or Huna witchcraft by original NLP developers such as Richard Bandler. Even John Grinder, the co-originator of NLP instills shamanic metaphors from Carlos Castenada into his NLP seminars.

Unethical Use of NLP

Some believe that NLP as a technology for change is ethically neutral, and others complain that the ethics of NLP has been compromised, because the techniques of NLP are at times (and have in the past been) used to sell dubious commercial courses on sales and marketing, and activities such as seduction. One well known example of this ethical neutrality is, if an estranged boyfriend brings a knife to an ex girlfriend's house, a legal perspective may see it as intention to harm. Whereas an NLP view may "spin" the situation as an attempt to re-ignite an old flame.

Some think that the ethical problems arise from the promotion of products that are untestable for efficacy, and from the ethical problem that some practitioners convince the customer to deliberately use deceptive tactics on other individuals for persuasion or coercion. For example, according to NLP presuppositions "There is no such thing as failure. There is only feedback." But this can even be construed to explain why NLP doesn’t work for all individuals and has been argued as being used unethically. It has also been used to explain why people took the failure of NLP as feedback and concocted new “brands” of NLP under a different name.

Some trainers are secretive about their techniques, referring to them as "secrets" and only make them available through expensive training courses or products, making it hard to for customers to assess the validity of the techniques. Even scientists who found that NLP modalities did not work during research, have been accused of not being properly trained in NLP and have been invited to enroll in these courses to “correct their erroneous application” of NLP.

NLP and Cult Activities

NLP has been associated with modern day cults (Tippet, 1994) (Langone, 1993), it is seen as an intrinsic part of modern ritual mind control tactics (Crabtree, 2002) and NLP has even been monitored by the Cult Awareness Network (Shupe & Darnell, 2000) and appears on some lists of cults (Howell, 2001). According to this view, certain cults use the techniques within NLP, in combination with the occult and pseudoscience to claim modern day miracles and induce dependence and compliance on the part of the cult’s victims. The NLP terms applied within cults are not so much persuasive on their own, but they support the beliefs promoted by the cult, and set up ambiguities necessary to excuse the cult organizers for their actions, further incriminating (and committing) the participants within the cult. NLP hypnotic techniques are used by both mild cults and very aggressive cults to induce dependence on the cult, and to further provide conditioning to induce compliance within the cult (Langone, 1993). Well trained psychologists even have to resort to using the mind control aspects of NLP to help the victim recover from the NLP using cult. NLP has even been promoted by the originator, Bandler, in his shamanism teachings, and he often used anecdotes about the occult in his workshops and large group awareness training LGAT seminars (Hall & Belnap, 1999).

Dubious Courses and Accreditation

The sale of private courses is unlikely to change until the subject is taught more widely in more publicly accessible venues, and until the innovators decide inventing gratuitous terminology is superfluous. There are only a few training establishments offering properly accredited courses in NLP, but a large percentage of these claim falsely to be registered as universities in their own right.

Issues with Buzzwords and Trademarks

Often existing patterns and processes are modified then rebranded for marketing purposes which does not assist NLP in becoming recognised as an academic discipline. Motivational speaker Anthony Robbins, for example, uses NLP technology under the banner 'neuroassociative conditioning' and promotes using gimmicks such as firewalking. Some terms or buzzwords, are invented such as anchoring (similar to conditioning), and eye accessing cues, which have been found to be ineffective. Other terms are used out of context from their originally intended areas such as applied psychology and linguistics.

The widespread trademarking of buzzwords is partly due to the failed attempt of Richard Bandler in the 1980s and early 1990s to acquire legal rights to the term 'NLP' or 'Neuro-linguistic Programming' through the courts. In 2000, Bandler and Grinder settled their court claims with each other. Additionally 'NLP' and 'Neuro-Linguistic Programming' were deemed to be a generic terms clearing the trademark issues. (Grinder & Bostic, Whispering 2001) so Bandler was unable to trademark it as a product.

NLP is not a science

Some attempt has been made to write books promoting NLP interests, but no reliable research has been conducted from this effort. Grinder often claims that NLP is both an art and a science. However, NLP’s lack of methodology and current (lack of) scientific research effort and results suggests that this attempt at association with science is highly dubious. To date, NLP advocates and other such interested parties have been unconvincing in their efforts to associate NLP with neuroscience (Carroll, 2005). There is no neuro-scientific basis for any of NLP’s claims (Morgan 1993). The art world may also find fault in NLP’s attempt to associate itself with artistic endevour.

The claim that NLP is empirical is highly questionable. The results of models and techniques of NLP are observable. NLP "models" have been tested with, at best, mixed results (eg. peer-review studies on the effectiveness of NLP modality matching techniques in psychotherapy). For example the conjecture that a person has a primary representational system (PRS) which is observed in the choice of words has been found to be false according to rigorous research reviews (Morgan, 1993) (Platt, 2001). The assertion that a person has a PRS which can be determined by the direction of eye movements found even less support (Morgan, 1993). The assertion that matching PRS will increase rapport with the client has also been found to be false. A good deal of solid research has even found that therapists who match their clients' language were rated by the client and external observers as being untrustworthy and ineffective, indicating that these NLP models may be largely impractical (Morgan, 1993).

NLP advocates attempt to associate NLP with great minds such as Einstein (Grinder & Delozier, 1987). However, in distinct contrast with Einsteinian thought, NLP prefers to ignore Hume's dictum: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". NLP promoters have consistently failed to provide even normal scientific evidence. Grinder also claims that NLP epistemology does not encourage mysticism (Grinder & Delozier, 1987). However, NLP promoters such as Bandler and Grinder have, and are increasingly encouraging a strong association with mysticism, mostly due to it's New Age spiritual appeal (Andreas & Faulkner, 1994), and financial draw, and the consistent promotion of the occult by both Bandler and Grinder and many other NLP developers.

NLP models contrast sharply with accepted psychological models of behavior, motivation or personality. Psychological modeling makes considerable effort to empirically and statistically measure the existence and strength of the parts of the model for distinguishable constructs or factors, and takes great care to measure the distinct association between each proposed construct (Michie et al, 2005). NLP the promoters make no attempt at all to do this. In this sense, NLP models cannot be verified, and the techniques developed from them may have nothing to do with the models or their sources (Carroll, 2005).

Also, the modeling of deceased experts has been criticized even within the field of NLP. Robert Dilts published models of Albert Einstein's and Nikola Tesla’s internal strategies. With limited, or no high quality video available, it is almost impossible to test, within the NLP modeling framework. Identifying which models were the expert's models is one problem, and then generalizing the chosen model to the wider public makes it a highly dubious promise.

In sum, NLP promotes methods which are largely verifiable and have so far been found to be largely false, inaccurate or ineffective (Bleimeister, 1988) (Morgan, 1993) (Platt, 2001). From these models it develops techniques which may have nothing to do with either the models or the sources of the "models". NLP makes claims about thinking and perception which do not seem to be supported by neuroscience (Carroll, 2005) (Platt, 2001) (Druckman & Swets, 1988) (Bertelsen, 1987). NLP has been marketed to the general public using a broad brush approach to solutions, and adopts conveniently broad and simple terms, popular psychology, and pseudoscience and myths about the brain to promote its claims. As such it has been widely extended to market an extremely diverse range of products from psychotherapy to breast enlargement and psychic seduction techniques, as it is likely to be used for the sale of other such products in the future.

The ever changing and uncertain nature of NLP’s concepts and theory (Platt, 2001), and the negative results of rigorous research, have led to distrust by conventional fields and the close association with dubious products (Morgan, 1993). Nevertheless, the use of pseudoscience and anecdotal promotion allows it to operate on a commercial scale with a disregard for objective proof of its efficacy (Bradley & Biedermann, 1985), and the “flavour of the month” trends and fads occurring within the NLP concern suggest that NLP will continue to be directed at customers or anyone willing to believe the buzzwords and claims (von Bergen et al, 1997).

References

See Neuro-linguistic programming: Bibliography for a fuller list of Books and articles not directly referenced on this page.

• . ISBN 0688146198. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• . ISBN 08314-0044-7. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• . ISBN 091699001X. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• . ISBN 0911226192. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• Template:Journal reference

• Template:Journal reference

• Carroll, Robert Todd (2005). The Skeptic's Dictionary: neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Retrieved August 29, 2005.

• . ISBN 0-9717223-0-7. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• Template:Journal reference

• Brothers B.J. (1992) Spirituality and couples : heart and soul in the therapy process New York : Haworth Press.

• Crabtree, Vexen (2002). Ritual Mind Control Tactics. Retrieved August 28, 2005.
  See about Vexen Crabtree Retrieved 28 Aug 2005

• . ISBN 0-9701540-0-3. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) Two volumes, 1600 pages of "history, biography & related knowledge the steps to techniques and procedures".

• {{cite book}}: Empty citation (help)

• {{cite book}}: Empty citation (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)

• . ISBN 0916990265. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• . ISBN -. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• Drenth, J.D. (2003) Growing anti-intellectualism in Europe; a menace to science. Studia Psychologica, 2003, 45, 5-13

• . ISBN 0309037921. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  See On-line edition pages 138-149. Retrieved 25 Aug 2005

• Gallo, F, (2001) Energy Psychology in Psychotherapy. Norton and Company publishers.

• . ISBN 1555520227. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• . -. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  See

• . ISBN 1555520227. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• . ISBN 0831400498. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• . ISBN 1899836225. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• {{cite book}}: Empty citation (help)

• . ISBN 0709947798. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• Howell, Tom (2001). Cults and Small Religions. Retrieved August 29, 2005.

• . ISBN 0393313212. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• Scott O. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, and Jeffrey M. Lohr (Eds.)(2003) Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology. Guilford Press, New York. ISBN: 1-57230-282-1,.

• Template:Journal reference

• {{cite book}}: Empty citation (help)

• Template:Journal reference
  See Dylan Morgan bio Retrieved 25 Aug 2005 and Scientific Assessment of NLP Retrieved 24 Aug 2005.

• . ISBN 0722531958. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• . ISBN Aquarian Press1855383446. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• Template:Journal reference
  See NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming or No Longer Plausible? Retrieved 24 Aug 2005.

• Sala, S.D, editor (1999) Mind Myths. Exploring Popular Assumptions About the Mind and Brain. Wiley.

• Sanghera,S (2005) Financial Times. London (UK): Aug 26, 2005. pg. 9

• {{cite conference}}: Empty citation (help)

• . ISBN 0787967416. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  See Margaret Singer and Excerpts from 'Cults in Our Midst' Retrieved 25 Aug 2005

• . 0787902780. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)

• Tippet, Gary (3 Apr 1994). "Inside the cults of mind control". {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |org= ignored (help) Retrieved 28 Aug 2005

• Template:Journal reference

• Williams,W F. general editor.(2000) Encyclopedia of pseudoscience /

Publisher Facts On File New York.

• Winn, C.M , and Wiggins,A.W (2001) QUANTUM LEAPS..in the wrong direction: Where real science ends and pseudoscience begins. Joseph Henry Press.

See also

• List of NLP topics
• NLP map
• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitive Linguistics
• Communication
• General Semantics
• Hypnosis
• Humanistic psychology
• Large Group Awareness Training
• Linguistics
• Logical Positivism
• Personal development
• Persuasion
• Transformational-Generative Grammar
• Syntax

Developers

• Richard Bandler*
• John Grinder*
• Robert Dilts
• Leslie Cameron-Bandler
• Judith DeLozier
• Stephen Gilligan
• David A. Gordon
• Carmen Bostic St Clair

(*)Grinder & Bandler are considered the co-creators/co-originators of NLP.

People that NLP claims to have developed and borrowed from

• Noam Chomsky
• Gregory Bateson
• Milton H. Erickson
• Alan Turing
• George A. Miller
• Bertrand Russell
• George Lakoff
• William Ross Ashby
• Ronald Langacker
• Jay Haley
• Frank Farrelly
• Moshe Feldenkrais

External links

• Official Website of John Grinder; co-creator of NLP
• Official Website of Richard Bandler; co-creator of NLP
• Official Website of Robert Dilts
• Neuro-Linguistic Programming Research Database
• Reviews of NLP training and trainers
• Lee Lady's comments about history and development of NLP
• Criticism from Skeptic's Dictionary

• Parapsychology
• NLP
• Human communication
• Pseudoscience