Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay-qu
Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Who here has heard of it, practices it or thinks its utter rubbish?
|
To my knowledge, it’s a term with multiple commonly understood meanings, where the most commonly understood meaning varies dramatically among collections of people with common interests.
I first heard the term from a small community of social work and psyche students and young professionals (one of whom I married
) who were interested in the practice of
Gestalt Therapy, a somewhat respected by still “fringy” psychotherapeutic approach popularized by
Fritz Perls in the 1960s and 70s. Theses folk tended to consider NLP suspect, excessive, and likely ineffective compared to the “talk therapy” and “creative visualization” approaches preferred by them and Perls. They considered hypnotherapy to be an integral feature of NLP. None were accomplished hypnotherapists, and were skeptical of the benefits of hypnotherapy.
I next encountered the term in a work of fiction, Neal Stephenson’s 1992 “
Snow Crash”. In this novel, NLP, more commonly termed “neuro-linguistic hacking” is a very technical, scientific discipline, touching on the origins of human language, with the potential to cause sudden, profound, permanent qualitative change in human behavior. It requires special computer programs that the subject either watches the graphical output of, or electrodes implanted in the brain.
It appears now that some performers, such as Derren Brown, are using the term in a dramatic way in their performances, redefining it as a form of “magic”. This use, like Stephenson’s, I regard as effectively fictional.
Both Perls and other therapists of his and related schools were and to a lesser extent still are popular. “Snow Crash” was and remains popular. Stage magicians, and to some extent the terms they use, have been popular for centuries. So, when I hear the term NLP, I’m unsure to which of these related but very different uses it’s being put.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay-qu
Well it cant be rubbish on a basic level, I have experienced it first hand - but with guys like derren brown, who do crazy things such as paying for items with paper, reading minds or talking people to sleep - you can see why there would be skeptics it can work on this level. |
Jay’s correct – a variety of techniques (what a non-supernaturalist like I would term “stage magic”) can be used to reliably and reproducibly produce amazing effects.
It’s critical, though, to note that these techniques are not, according to people who have mastered them, many of the things that performers such as Brown hint that they are in their entertainment performances. A skilled stage magician can’t “read minds”, that is, sense the neurological goings-on in a persons brain, but rather exploits nkown weaknesses in normal human perception to lead people to believe they can. There’s no scientific evidence that a skilled hypnotist can “reprogram” a persons nervous system in a fashion more dramatic than the learned responses that can be caused by a child or persistent pet “training” someone to give them attention, food, etc. The list goes on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay-qu
I am going to start learning the basics (probably over summer when exams are over). I have some CD's and I have done some reading over at nlpweekly.com but has anyone else come across a good source for learners?
|
I’d council caution in learning techniques like hypnosis, as in my experience many individuals and organizations claiming to teach it use some vague and questionable approaches akin to “cult indoctrination”. At a minimum, I’d recommend studying actual hypnotic technique only from an accredited professional – an licensed counselor, psychologist, or MD psychiatrists, either practicing or academic.
----------------
Moderator: Computers and Technology; Medical Science; Science Projects and Homework; Philosophy of Science; Physics and Mathematics; Environmental Studies
