Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

Overview

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) was created in the 1970s by Richard Bandler (mathematician and computer scientist) and John Grinder (linguist) at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Their approach involved modeling the most effective therapists of their era — Fritz Perls (Gestalt therapy), Virginia Satir (family therapy), and Milton Erickson (hypnosis) — to identify and reproduce the excellence patterns that made them successful.

The name "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" summarizes three dimensions: "Programming" refers to automatic behavioral sequences; "Neuro" to the nervous system and underlying neurological processes; "Linguistic" to language's role in structuring experience. NLP is now used in many fields: therapy, coaching, education, management, sales, and elite sports.

Core Principles

• The map is not the territory: our perception of reality is not reality itself, but a construction filtered by our senses, beliefs, and experiences
• Representational systems (VAKOG): each individual favors a sensory channel — Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Olfactory, Gustatory — for processing information
• Rapport: therapeutic relationship quality relies on verbal and nonverbal synchronization (mirroring) with the client
• Submodalities: fine characteristics of internal representations (size, brightness, distance of a mental image) influence emotional experience and can be modified
• Anchoring: stimulus-response association allowing triggering a desired emotional state at will
• Reframing: changing the context or meaning of an experience to modify the emotional experience
• Modeling: identifying and reproducing mental strategies of people who excel in a domain

Main Indications

• Phobias ("fast phobia cure" rapid deactivation protocol)
• Anxiety and stress management
• Lack of self-confidence
• Relational conflicts and communication
• Professional goals and motivation
• Grief and separation
• Unwanted habits and behaviors
• Sports mental preparation
• Performance improvement (learning, public speaking)

Session Structure

1. Goal exploration (15 min): the practitioner uses the "meta-model" (precise questions to clarify vague language) and the "SCORE model" (Symptom, Cause, Objective, Resource, Effect) to define the change objective
2. Resource identification (10 min): identifying internal resources (past success experiences, qualities, abilities) and necessary external resources
3. Protocol selection and application (20-30 min): depending on the issue, the practitioner uses one or more NLP protocols — fast phobia cure (visual-kinesthetic double dissociation), change personal history (timeline), resource anchoring, 6-step reframe, swish pattern (replacing negative image with positive), perceptual positions (stepping into another's perspective)
4. Testing and calibration (5 min): verifying the change is effective by asking the client to reconnect with the problematic situation to observe experiential differences
5. Future pacing (5 min): the client projects into future situations where they will mobilize their new resources

Variations and Evolutions

NLP has evolved considerably since its origins. Robert Dilts' "New NLP" integrates logical levels (environment, behavior, capabilities, beliefs, identity, spirituality). Bandler's "Design Human Engineering" pushes submodality modeling to the extreme. Systemic NLP addresses family and organizational dynamics. In therapy, NLP is often combined with Ericksonian hypnosis (from which it historically derives), brief therapy, or coaching. Olivier Lockert's humanistic NLP combines NLP and humanistic hypnosis.

Contraindications

• Severe unstabilized psychiatric disorders (NLP alone is insufficient and may be destabilizing)
• Severe narcissistic personality disorder (risk of technique manipulation for control purposes)
• Undiagnosed complex trauma (rapid protocols may retraumatize)
• Insufficiently trained practitioner (NLP is a powerful tool requiring serious training and solid ethics)