What is NLP and what is

it used for?
 What is NLP?

 How does it work?

 Techniques

 Examples

 Does NLP work?

 Take home
Neuro-linguistic programming is a way of
changing someone’s thoughts and behaviors to
help achieve desired outcomes for them.

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.

This article will explore the theory behind NLP and what evidence there is
supporting its practice.

What is NLP?
Share on Pin terest NLP can be used for personal development, phobias, and anxiety.

NLP uses perceptual, behavioral, and communication techniques to make it

easier for people to change their thoughts and actions.

NLP relies on language processing but should not be confused with 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. It is founded on
the idea 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.

NLP 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:
 One of the techniques of NLP is to attempt to remove negative thoughts
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and feelings linked to a past event.

 Anchoring: Turning sensory experiences into triggers for certain

emotional states.
 Rapport: The practitioner tunes into 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 used as 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.

More widely, it has been applied as a therapy for psychological disorders,

including phobias, depression, generalized anxiety disorders or GAD,
and post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

Does NLP work?

So far, there has not been any rigorous research to prove the
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effectiveness of NLP.

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 mean 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.

Furthermore, scientific research on NLP has produced mixed results.

Some studies have found benefits associated with NLP. For example, a
studyTrusted Source published in the journal Counselling and
Psychotherapy Research found psychotherapy patients had improved
psychological symptoms and life quality after having NLP compared to a
control group.

However, a reviewTrusted Source published in The British Journal of

General Practice of 10 available studies on NLP was less favorable.

It concluded there was little evidence for the effectiveness of NLP in

treating health-related conditions, including anxiety disorders, weight
management, and substance misuse. This was due to the limited amount
and quality of the research studies that were available, rather than
evidence that showed NLP did not work.

In 2014, a reportTrusted Source 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 included studies, only 18 percent were
found to 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.

Studying how well NLP works has several practical issues as well, adding
to the lack of clarity surrounding the subject. For example, it is difficult to
directly compare studies given the range of different methods, techniques,
and outcomes