It’s really hard to believe there’s a single person above 25 that hasn’t heard about NLP. It’s one of those buzz words that keeps returning on and on. If you’re not sure what’s it all about – here we’ll try to help you out, answering some of the most frequently asked questions.
1. What is NLP?
NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and is described as an approach to communication, personal development and psychotherapy created in the 1970s. The name refers to a connection between the neurological processes (“neuro”), language (“linguistic”) and behavioral patterns learned through experience (“programming”).
2. Who’s behind the idea?
The founders of NLP are Richard Bandler and John Grinder, who presented the idea in two books, The Structure of Magic I: A Book About Language and Therapy and The Structure of Magic II: A Book About Communication and Change, published in 1975.
3. What can NLP do for you?
NLP is said to be able to address problems such as phobias, depression, habit disorder, psychosomatic illnesses, learning disorders; and has been in that sense adopted by therapists. Furthermore, it’s also used in management workshops and seminars touted to business and government.
4. How does it work?
In a nutshell, the classic interaction in NLP consists of several major stages, including establishing rapport, gathering information about a problem and desired goals, using specific tools and techniques to make interventions, and integrating proposed changes. The entire process is guided by the non-verbal responses of the client.
5. Doesn’t it sound little too good to be true?
Some people think so. Not only some reviews of empirical research indicate that NLP contains numerous factual errors, but critics also point out that it exhibits pseudoscientific characteristics, concepts and terminology. As a matter of fact, NLP is used as an example of pseudoscience for facilitating the teaching of scientific literacy at the professional and university level.
6. Can it harm anyone?
No one said that. You can still learn about NLP and hope to benefit from some of its promises. If you don’t believe in its scientific basis, you can still use some of the NLP techniques to enhance your communication.
Our basic overview stops here and you are free to explore more if you fancy so. This site is a great resource for everything NLP – do check it out.