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Date Posted: 09:49:25 09/01/04 Wed
In reply to:
Ex-NLP Person
's message, "The Truth About NLP" on 15:46:06 12/23/03 Tue
"After going through the seminar and walking over the hot coals, I thought that my life would be totally transformed…"
I think the problem here is one of expectation. I've never been to a Tony Robbins event, and I'm not sure how he markets them. If he claims they will totally transform a person's life, I would agree that such a promise could lead to disappointment in many cases. However, I personally would not expect my life to be totally transformed by any seminar, though I would leave the possibility open.
My own experience with NLP includes formal practitioner training to the 'master practitioner' and 'trainer' levels with Robert Dilts and Judith DeLozier, two of the original developers of NLP, along with Bandler and Grinder. From my experience, years of study, training and practice, I'd have to disagree with many of the assertions made by 'Doleto' who, BTW, has published the same article under the name of 'Archonis' at http://www.rosenoire.org/essays/nlp.php.
-- "NLP has no value as a form of therapy whatsoever"
That's a very broad statement, and one which is contrary to my own experience. Not only have I personally benefited greatly from NLP as a form of therapy, but I have both observed and guided many NLP sessions in which people have made great therapeutic progress. I would acknowledge that it does not help *everyone*, but that can be said of any form of therapy.
-- "NLP… is a 'Persuasion Psychology'"
Such a definitive statement is misleading -- in the same way that saying "computer science is a way to play tic-tac-toe with a mainframe" is misleading. A computer can certainly be used to play tic-tac-toe, and NLP can certainly be used to persuade. But both statements, by their definitive nature, imply that a tiny subset of a vast number of other uses, many of which are non-trivial, represents the whole of the field – which is false.
-- " With NLP you can manipulate anyone into anything"
This is far from the truth. First, the desire of a particular person to manipulate someone else belongs to the person, not the methodology used. Respectable, well established NLP training institutions do not teach people to attempt to manipulate. In every training I've attended, the degree of interpersonal respect taught is profound and compassionate.
Second, the brain is not a passive instrument. While persuasion techniques, whether in advertising, personal communication or the board room, may be effective statistically, most of us are well protected from most of it. Contrary to some advertising myth, most of us do not run out and buy every product or service we see advertised. We evaluate, select, and act on a small percentage of the ads we see. On the other hand, some people are very susceptible to certain forms of manipulation, regardless of the source. There is a great deal of variance between people, and the use of NLP is no magic bullet to get anyone to do anything, despite some of the outlandish claims both pro and con.
-- "very powerful; yet temporary effects"
This appears to be true in Doleto's personal experience, but to generalize it to everyone, and even more to characterize it as a definitional limitation of the entire NLP field is misguided. Many people, including me, have experienced lasting, positive change with NLP.
-- "NLP was developed as a tool of PSYOPs, or psychological warfare, designed to gain influence over people, (even enemies) rapidly and effectively."
Here we depart from simple misinformation and enter a world of paranoid ideation, fringe conspiracy theory, and popular mythology. The statement has the same "plausible undeniability" as many delusional beliefs. For example, no one can *prove* that malevolent beings from another dimension *did not* influence the writings of Shakespeare. So, to state such a thing is, to the delusional mind, unassailable. But any rational person would require a great deal of reasonable evidence – far beyond a mere assertion -- to draw such an unusual conclusion.
NLP was created and developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, neither of whom, to anyone's knowledge that I am aware of, ever had anything to do with secret military PSYOP experiments, or anything of the kind. Is it *possible*??? Sure, I guess. And it's also *possible* that aliens have invaded the Earth and we should all wear protective aluminum foil on our heads.
-- "….This is called 'eliciting a strategy.'" …etc…
The author's passing familiarity with a few NLP terms does not, in any way, indicate a full or accurate understanding of the terms themselves or their uses. "Eliciting a strategy" is much different from the process the author describes. It's certainly true that strategies, once elicited, can aid in persuasion. But again, that is a tiny use of a very large and, in most cases, helpful concept. People with problems often use strategies which are not serving them well, and can make significant progress by changing them in appropriate ways. Strategies in general, however, represent a very small part of the study of NLP, and in practice more advanced concepts developed over the last 20 years are more helpful.
The rest of the author's explanations of NLP "techniques" are, in my opinion, equally elementary and paranoid.
-- "From the standpoint of therapy in the long term it is useless, in that it deals only with 'mental process', and not with 'mental content'. Only by effecting the contents and the qualitative aspects of the psyche can any change be produced, and doing this is very difficult, if not impossible in many cases."
Here again we read blanket statements and conclusions drawn without caution. NLP does focus on process over content, but neither to the extreme nor to the exclusiveness described. It would be more accurate to describe NLP's approach as one which proposes that content is one of the results of process, rather than something entirely separate from it. The author's assertion about the "only" way change can be produced being purely content oriented, and that it must be "very difficult", represents to me a certain limiting belief, but one which the author is welcomed to. Change very often does take work, patience and perseverance, but to describe it as *always* being very difficult is not necessarily true. Sometimes it is difficult. Sometimes not. There are many factors involved.
-- "'Process therapy' deals only with externals
Not even close to being true.
-- "…and even if it produces profound states of trance or influence, it only brushes the surface and does not change what needs to be changed deep inside the psyche."
Again, this appears to be a description of the author's own, personal experience, which would be fine except for the generalization to an entire category of change work.
-- "NLP could not keep Bandler from having a substance abuse problem in the 1980's. NLP could not save Tony Robbins' marriage."
And psychoanalysis did not (as far as I know) help Freud quit smoking cigars. Does that discredit the whole of Freud's work? Separating the message from the messenger is a useful skill. If we required each of our teachers or leaders in any field to be a perfect human being in every way before we were willing to consider learning from them, there is little we would be willing to learn.
-- "If your goal is to ruthlessly manipulate people and deal with the bad karma and enemies, then NLP is worth every dime."
I can only say that it has never been my own intention to ruthlessly manipulate *anyone*. I can't speak for anyone else. I do know that I, as well as many people I have worked with, have gotten a great deal of value from NLP.
-- "If your goal is to heal yourself and change your life, then take a walk on the beach, or engage in some introspection on your own. With NLP, you will just be pissing away your money that could be better spent elsewhere."
So, at the end of this long, fragmented, misguided essay, this is the alternative to NLP proposed? I think my advice would be quite different. If your goal is to heal yourself and change your life, explore every avenue that interests you, whether that's NLP or something else, be willing to work at it, and consider the investment in your life necessary and ultimately worthwhile. No step is wasted. Have hope, explore with an open mind, and make use of both your head and your heart. There are many excellent avenues for healing and change out there, and many excellent helpers.
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