Hypnosis & NLP: There is a Difference

The Australian Academy of Hypnosis does not significantly agree with the tenets of NLP and/or its many claims. Every scientific study and clinical trial conducted thus far has failed to find any evidence as to NLPs effectiveness or even it's existence. Although many training institutions regularly pass NLP off as hypnosis, NLP is not hypnosis. So if you are looking for a hypnotherapist, or if you want to learn true fundamental hypnosis, don't confuse it with NLP. The two are not the same. NLP has been described as "The art and science of personal excellence". More precisely, it is a way of understanding people's behaviour patterns, and then influencing their behaviour. As a way of gaining power over others NLP is popular with salespeople. As a way of gaining sensitivity to others, it is useful for social workers and therapists and businessmen, especially for conflict resolution. NLP is a way of excellence, then, only if excellence is defined in terms of effectiveness. Milton Erickson used precise observation of his patients to gain rapport with them and then to effect their present and their future. Richard Bandler and John Grinder and the Linguist Gregory Bateson took the essential structures of Erickson's work (and that of Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir) and developed it into NLP, although for one reason or another Bateson is not often mentioned or given any credit for his association and significant input. The central concepts of NLP are: First, there is no such thing as a failure, only feedback. Every response is only information that can be used to tell you whether you are being effective. Second, people already have all the resources they need. All they have to do is to access these resources at the appropriate times. There are no problems only results. Third, anything can be accomplished if the task is broken down into small enough pieces. Don't ask "why?" ask "How?" Fourth, the individual in any group with the most flexibility will also control that group. Look at what you can do rather than the limitations of the situation you're in. Remain curious. If NLP works, as its purveyors and disciples attest to, then it probably does so simply because it trains people in the skills of observation and sensitivity. It's like the central controversy over astrology: is it an art; is it a science or an intuitive divinatory practice? An astrological chart should trigger intuitions rather than be taken as a rigid system. NLP can develop interpersonal skills without being a science. Hypnosis has much scientific and medical credibility but presently NLP has very little. Having said that it should be considered that there is a resounding difference between scientific and experiential evidence, and NLP has experientially proven effective to help people make changes and break patterns. However NLP is not hypnosis, they are two distinctly different modalities of practice. The origins of NLP NLP began in the early 1970's from the collaboration of John Grinder, who was then an Assistant Professor of linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Richard Bandler, who was a student of psychology at the university. Together they studied three renowned therapists: Fritz Perls, the originator of Gestalt therapy; Virginia Satir, innovative family therapist; and Milton Erickson, the medical demi-god of therapeutic hypnosis. Initially they didn't concern themselves with theories; they produced models of successful therapy that worked in practice, and could be taught. They set down their original findings in four books, published between 1975 and 1977. At that time Bandler and Grinder were in close contact with Gregory Bateson, the British anthropologist, and writer on communication and systems theory. Bateson provided a profound and significant contribution to NLP, and only now is it becoming clear on exactly how influential he was. By Dylan Morgan A Scientific Assessment of NLP A few years ago Dr. Heap, Principle Clinical Psychologist for the Sheffield Health Authority and a lecturer at Sheffield University, did a very careful and thorough study of all the research that has been done into certain claims of NLP, citing 70 papers in all. Specifically he was looking into the idea of the Primary Representational System (PRS), which is supposed by NLP to be a very important concept. It is claimed that people tend to think in a specific mode: visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, olfactory or gustatory, of which the first three are the most common. NLP claims that it is possible to determine the PRS of a person by noticing certain words that she or he uses which will reveal the mode. It is also claimed that the direction of eye movements is an indicator of the PRS. The reason why it is said to be important for the therapist to determine the PRS of a client is that it is supposed to greatly enhance rapport if one then matches the clients PRS. According to traditional scientific research the reason our eyes move up and down or left and right is to spark the brain up to keep it aleet and active and able to process information. These three assertions are capable of being put to controlled tests to determine how far they are true. Dr. Heap, who is also Secretary of the British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis, ploughed through the literature to summarise the results of many workers and found the following. "Although the results have been mixed, the hypothesis that a person has a PRS which is observed in the choice of words has been found not to hold by the great majority of researchers. The hypothesis that a person has a PRS which can be determined by the direction of eye movements found even less support. The third hypothesis which was looked at is the practical one of whether or not we can improve our relationship with a client by matching the presumed PRS? Again the answer is a resounding NO." There is no evidence that focusing on the presumed PRS modality adds anything to the widely recognised finding that matching general characteristics of verbal and non verbal communication may facilitate rapport. It is interesting that one researcher, Cody, found that therapists matching their clients' language were rated as less trustworthy and less effective. Dr Heap Comes To the Following Conclusions:"The present author is satisfied that the assertions of NLP writers concerning the representational systems have been objectively and fairly investigated and found to be lacking. These assertions are stated in unequivocal terms by the originators of NLP and it is clear from their writings that phenomena such as representational systems, predicate preferences and eye movement patterns are claimed to be potent psychological processes, easily and convincingly demonstrable on training courses by tutors and trainees, following simple instructions, and, indeed, in interactions of everyday life. Therefore, in view of the absence of any objective evidence provided by the original proponents of the PRS hypothesis, and the failure of subsequent empirical investigations to adequately support it, it may well be appropriate now to conclude that there is not, and never has been, any substance to the conjecture that people represent their world internally in a preferred mode which may be inferred from their choice of predicates and from their eye movements." "These conclusions, and the failure of investigators to convincingly demonstrate the alleged benefits of predicate matching, seriously question the role of such a procedure in counselling." And he ends: "This verdict on NLP is … an interim one. Einsprech and Forman are probably correct in insisting that the effectiveness of NLP therapy undertaken in authentic clinical contexts of trained practitioners has not yet been properly investigated. If it turns out to be the case that these therapeutic procedures are indeed as rapid and as powerful as is claimed, no one will rejoice more than the present author. If however these claims fare no better than the ones already investigated then the final verdict on NLP will be a harsh one indeed." This article first appeared in: The Journal of the National Council for Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy Register. Spring 1993. The full work can be found in the volume, Hypnosis: current clinical experimental and forensic practices. Edited by Michael Heap and published by Croon Helm. It contains many other articles of great interest by reputable researchers. More Scientific Studies Regarding the Non Efficacy of NLP NLP