Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), a pseudoscience that promises to cure everything

It is difficult to define exactly what NLP is, its followers do not agree and it does not have an agreed upon definition. as a “set of techniques” whose objective is “to identify and describe the functioning model of any special human ability, so that it can be communicated, understood and used by anyone who wishes to do so.”

It mixes concepts of communication, personal development and psychotherapy. Its creators affirm that there is a clear connection between neurological processes (neuro), language (linguistics) and learned behavioral patterns (programming), and that through their techniques they can change them to achieve the objectives you seek. They argue that thanks to NLP anyone can learn anything, including all kinds of exceptional skills. Its range of action covers everything: learning disorders, business leadership, seduction skills and even the treatment of disorders such as depression, personality disorders, drug addiction or any type of phobia, tics, psychosomatic diseases, allergies or myopia. According to its defenders, most of these problems can be solved with one or two NLP sessions.

affirms that all brains are the same and what differentiates them from each other is the “software” or “programming” that they have learned. This programming is due to our language that defines how we relate to ourselves, others and the world. In this way, if we change the programming (language) we change our reality and achieve our objectives. This would be achieved by “retrieving information that remains hidden from the person since it is not verbalized in communication” through standardized questions and answers included in their so-called ““. In turn, this pseudomodel is directly or indirectly linked to coaching, positive psychology, regressive hypnosis, psychoanalysis and bioneuroemotion.

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What is not NLP?

NLP is not a science. , in a simplistic way, something that is not science but that wants to be passed off as it. The use of the prefix neuro- seeks to be directly associated with neurosciences. These are a set of scientific disciplines that study the structure, function, development, biochemistry, pharmacology and pathology of the nervous system and how its different elements interact, giving rise to the biological bases of behavior. In fact, neuroscience has shown that the foundations defended by NLP are false, they are based on mistaken beliefs and obsolete models of brain functioning.

This pseudomodel is directly or indirectly linked to coaching, positive psychology, regressive hypnosis, psychoanalysis or bioneuroemotion.

It has no proven foundations and some are outright false. For example, NLP followers defend that if someone looks up and to the right while speaking to us it means that he is lying or if he looks up to the left he is remembering real events that happened. According to this hypothesis, he is telling the truth. There are studies that deny the hypothesis that it relates as well as that eye movements have a direct relationship with the . On the other hand, they defend that each person has a different “internal representation” or conception of reality that depends on the sensory modality (visual, auditory, olfactory, kinesthetic) that they preferably use to interpret and/or relate to the environment and that this It is revealed by the language. If we change language or behavior in relation to this preference we enhance all the person’s abilities. There is no scientific study to support this statement, no matter how attractive it may be.

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NLP does not study or analyze the behavior, emotions or thoughts of others (at least effectively). What it does is relate manifest or observable behaviors (crossing the legs or arms, looking to the left, touching the nose) with internal states (emotional states such as anxiety, lying, being defensive) in an arbitrary or sometimes guided way. it seems like. Never by any rigorous study. Those in charge of studying behavior are psychologists, not followers of NLP. If you are not a psychologist, you are incurring a serious case of intrusion. you are violating at least articles 14 and 18 of the .

NLP is a pseudoscience that has been widely refuted but unfortunately continues to have a certain appeal among health professionals and the business sector.

NLP is not an effective method for any problem. Both its foundations and its methods are. Its foundations (such as sensory representation systems) and research claims to be based on . This is because the neurological and perceptual conceptions that .

Conclusion

NLP is a pseudoscience that has been widely refuted but unfortunately continues to have a certain appeal among health professionals and the business sector. Its success is due to confusion and superficiality. To the confusion generated by the use of apparently scientific terms (neuro, programming, mirroring, rapport) that gives it a “scientific” appearance if it is not delved into. It is superficial because all its foundations may appear credible or intuitively correct, however, the vast majority of them have either not been proven or have been refuted. It would be great if we could like people better simply by imitating their non-verbal behavior or knowing that what they tell us is true or false depending on where they look, but this is not that simple. simplifying human behavior in such crude and simplistic terms. If you really want to make a change in your behavior, emotions or thoughts, don’t waste your time and money on this.

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