28 Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) part2
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This article is from the Self Improvement FAQ, by Loren Larsen llarsen@cs.clemson.edu with numerous contributions by others.
28 Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) part2
NLP has several techniques for diagnosing and intervening in certain
situations. They have a phobia cure, a way to de-traumatize past
traumas, ways to identify and integrate conflicting belief systems
that keep you from doing the things you want, etc.
I first read about NLP in 1978, and thought it sounded great, but
couldn't possibly work. The founders made lots of claims about
one-session cures, which seemed implausible. [Fourteen years later, I
still think they overexaggerate at times, but I *have* seen two or
three session results that rival traditional therapists' results
over months.]
In 1984 I took an introductory workshop and discovered, much to my
surprise, that it worked well. After messing someone up to the point
where he almost needed hospitalization, I decided to be trained in it
fully, so as not to repeat the mistake.
I find it works scarily well. So well that even someone with poor
training in it can do a lot of damage. There was no quality control
in the field, and a lot of people go around teaching NLP who know
very little about it. Performing NLP techniques is a skill.
Probably only one in ten NLP Practitioners are in the top 10% of NLP
skill level, and maybe even fewer than that(*).
ONE WAY an NLP therapist might approach a client session is by
understanding the cognitive structure of how a client creates a
problem. They then help figure out the cognitive structure of an
area of life where the client deals satisfactorily. Then they would
teach the client to use the good strategy in the problem situation.
For example: a friend of mine was obsessed with her ex-boyfriend.
She was in such fear of him that she would fly into hysterics at the
thought of him. Cognitively, she made a big, bright movie of him
physically harassing her, with a soundtrack of him whining and
lecturing her. The soundtrack seemed to come from around her left
ear, and was in the boyfriend's voice.
She had another ex-boyfriend who she was fine about. Cognitively,
his picture was small, framed, and in the distance. The soundtrack
was her voice talking about how nice he had been, and how the
relationship was firmly in the past.
The work I did with her involved representing the problem boyfriend
with a small, framed picture. We removed the soundtrack of his
voice, and added her narration, instead. The result: she stopped
obsessing about her ex, and went on with her life, able to deal with
him.
Some people have run into NLP-trained people who annoyingly mimic
body posture to distraction, in an attempt to gain "rapport." They
were poorly trained. Go out in public; watch couples; watch good
friends. They walk in synchronization. They move in
synchronization. They NATURALLY mirror each other's movements. NLP
just noticed this, and says "if you don't have rapport, here's one
thing to pay attention to."
A common question is "Does knowing what's being done make it less
effective?" I've found that knowing what someone is doing lets me
barricade against certain things, but there are definite cases where
knowledge is not sufficient to keep it from working. I was once in a
group dynamics experiment where an outsider watched our group and
pointed out to us how we kept getting stuck, because of certain
behavioral loops we were in. EVEN WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE, we were
unable to break the loops without incredible effort. And then our
efforts to break the loops fell into the same loops. Certain aspects
of NLP are like this: if someone is matching your representational
systems and doing it well, even if you are aware of it, they'll
still communicate better to you, as long as they're not incongruent
about it.
Alas, there are few good NLP books out there. In part, that's
because NLP is about communication on all levels, and is much easier
to demonstrate than to write about. In part, that's because the
people who have done the most creation of the models are out there
creating new models and pushing the technology further. Writing
books isn't high on their list of priorities. If you'd like to read
about NLP, I recommend:
Using Your Brain--for a CHANGE, by Richard Bandler
Frogs into Princes, by Richard Bandler and John Grinder
Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson,
Vol I, by Bandler and Grinder
TRANCE-formations, by Grinder and Bandler
An Introduction to Neuro-Linguistic Programming,
by Joseph O'Connor
I hope this was useful. It was written off-the-cuff after a day in
the sun :-) Please feel free to send followup questions.
- Stever
Footnote:
(*) This is humor. \By definition/, only 1 in 10 are in the top 10%.
Q. Where can I get more information on NLP?
A. There are a number of ways to learn about NLP. There are many
books written about NLP. Here is a short list of some of the
best known books:
Heart of the Mind - Connirae and Steve Andreas
Frogs into Princes - Richard Bandler
Trance-formations - John Grinder
Use Your Brain for a Change - Richard Bandler
Neurolinguistic Programming vol. 1 - Dilts
Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson - Grinder and Bandler
Structure of Magic vol.1 - Grinder and Bandler
Structure of Magic vol.2 - Grinder, Bandler, DeLozier
Turtles All the Way Down - John Grinder
Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality - Tad James
Read the alt.psychology.nlp newsgroup.
Appendix A has a number of phone numbers you can call for more
information. The major provider of NLP seminars and books in
the U.S. seems to be NLP Comprehensive run by Steve and Connirae
Andreas. Another excellent source is Advanced Neuro Dynamics (AND)
run by Tad James. They offer trainings in NLP, Hypnosis, Time Line
Therapy, and Huna; their World Wide Web site has some very good
introductory material on NLP. IDHEA Seminars is run by Rex and
Carolyn Sikes. They perform NLP trainings. Rex is also one of
the first people certified as a DHE trainer and Rex and Carolyn
are the creators of the "Attitude Activator" tape. The NLP and DHE
page run by Stever Robbins also has some excellent information.
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