Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP): What Is It And How Does It Work?
It is easy for the concept of Neuro-Linguistic Programming generate confusion. What is it based on? When is it applied? Some key ideas to know what NLP is are explained below.
Steve Bavister and Amanda Vickers (2014) define Neurolinguistic Programming as a communication model that focuses on identifying and using thought models that influence a person’s behavior as a way to improve the quality and effectiveness of life.
One problem with NLP is the nature of its name, as when the term Neurolinguistic Programming is mentioned to people who have never heard of it, the reaction is usually a bit negative. On the other hand, the name could suggest that we are dealing with empirical techniques derived from neuroscience, but there is no evidence to confirm their effectiveness.
Stephen Briers (2012) says that NLP is not really a coherent treatment, but rather “a hodgepodge of different techniques with no very clear theoretical basis.” This author maintains that the maxim of Neurolinguistic Programming is narcissistic, egocentric and dissociated from notions of responsibility.
Furthermore, he states that “sometimes we have to accept and mourn the death of our dreams, not just occasionally dismiss them as inconsequential. NLP reframing puts us in the role of a widower, avoiding the pain of grief by taking a leap toward a relationship with a younger woman, not stopping to say a proper goodbye to his dead wife.”
What does the Neurolinguistic Programming model focus on?
The world is experienced through five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. A lot of information comes to us continuously; consciously and unconsciously we eliminate what we do not want to pay attention to They tell us that the remaining information is based on our past experiences, values and beliefs. What we end up with is incomplete and inaccurate, since part of the general information has been eliminated, and the rest has been generalized or distorted.
What is NLP based on?
The most important thing to have a vision of what Neurolinguistic Programming is is to know that it is based on four fundamental aspects, which are known as the “four pillars”, according to Steve Bavister and Amanda Vickers (2014).
1. Results
To achieve something, we talk about objectives, in NLP the term results is used. If there is a prior concentration on what you want to achieve, there will be a guide that will direct all the resources available to that person to achieve an objective.
2. Sensory acuity
Sensory acuity refers to the ability to observe or detect small details to be aware of what is happening around us. People vary greatly in their awareness of what they see, hear, or feel. There are people who are dedicated to observing their surroundings more, while others pay more attention to their own emotions and thoughts.
3. Flexibility in behavior
When you begin to know what your results are and use your sensory acuity to observe what is happening, the information you gain allows you to make adjustments to your behavior, if necessary. If the actions you take do not take you in the direction you want, it is obvious that you should try to take another path or try something different, but many people lack that flexibility in behavior and simply insist on doing the same thing over and over again.
4. Rapport
Rapport could be considered the component that unites people. Most of the time it happens naturally, automatically, instinctively. Some people we meet seem to share our perspective on life, while there are other people we don’t connect with. The ability to relate to other people must be improved to obtain more effective relationships.
The presuppositions of Neurolinguistic Programming
Salvador Carrión (2008) says that a presupposition is something we take for granted, without any proof. He tells us that Neurolinguistic Programming does not pretend that the presuppositions are true, although there is quite palpable evidence to support many of them. I have tried to look for the “evidence” that supports these presuppositions, but I have only found one explanation for each of them.
Life, mind and body are a single system
The mind and body are considered as a single system, each directly influencing the other. For example, what happens inside your body affects your thoughts and will affect the people around you.
You can’t stop communicating
The message we try to convey is not always the one that others receive. Therefore, NLP tells us that we must be aware of the reactions of others to see if our message has been successful. This can actually lead to serious difficulties when preparing a message, since focusing on reactions or being alert to possible consequences is not something that will provide quality to communication.
Beneath every behavior there is a positive intention
In an addiction or bad behavior there is always a positive intention, therefore by finding the root of that problem and externalizing the positive intention, you can go from smoking for 15 years to not having that need.
If what you’re doing isn’t working, do something else.
If you try one way to address a problem and don’t get the results you expected, try something different, and keep varying your behavior until you get the answer you were looking for.
If one person can do something, everyone can learn to do it.
There is in NLP, the process of modeling excellence. If you want to get an article published, for example, you could look at someone who is brilliant at writing and imitate the way they do it. In this way, you will be soaking up valuable knowledge.
Criticisms towards New Linguistic Programming
Roderique-Davies (2009) states that using the word “neuro” in NLP is “effectively fraudulent given that NLP does not offer any explanation at the neural level and it could be argued that its use fallaciously feeds into the notion of scientific credibility.”
On the other hand, Devilly (2005) maintains that the so-called “power therapies ” gain popularity, because they are promoted, like other pseudosciences, using a set of social influence tactics. These include making extraordinary claims such as, “a one-session cure for any traumatic memory.” These types of strategies are incredibly disproportionate and they play with the health of many people who place their trust in professionals with supposed preparation and ethics when carrying out their activity.
Finally, Borgo (2006) states that the few effective tools or more or less proven theories of Neurolinguistic Programming do not belong exclusively to it and what is new about it has not been empirically proven What’s more, what’s new about it either seems very simplistic or contradicts what science says.
To know more…
First of all, we suggest a practical expansion of the fundamental issues of NLP by reading this article:
“The 10 principles of NLP”
In this conference, Javier Gil from the University of Vigo explains in detail more concepts and techniques linked to NLP.
