Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

[bindeweede]

Short article comes to a not-unexpected conclusion.

Last year, Sanghera, in the FT, described NLP as ‘pop-psychology’, ‘pseudoscience’ and ‘banal’. It has been called training’s ‘astrology’. ‘Psychobabble’ is another commonly used term.

http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com...raudulent+cult

[Amaris]

This along with Emotional Freedom Techniques Such drivel.

http://www.skepdic.com/eft.html

[tolman]

Programme currently on BBC Radio 4.
Will be available on listen again for the next week.

[Dubious Dick]

Just listened and it was interesting how one o the founders is totally anti statistical/scientific examination of the whole malarkey. Some study to be done soon but he is against.

Sounded very evangelical about the libertarian aspect of what he does.

Like program suggested it seems like at least some of what they waffle about is just like CBT.

Surely brain scanning techniques are up to the job of telling us if NLP does indeed open new neural pathways/connections/ And benefits can be tested on an academic basis?

Is NLP simply a dressed up rewriting of the pma school (positive mental attitude)?

Language clearly can have very profound effects. In fact, I thought that Derren Brown said he uses NLP tytpe techniques e.g. the "Give me your wallet" item, so presumably there may be benefits available but while the NLP community apparently resists engaging with the scientific community then how are we ever to know how and what really does help. Often the risk with these things is that they become cultish/quasi-religious when they have no evidence basis. I recall the old eighties fad for est as a quick fix, and see similarities in the way these wonder solutions appear and then either disappear or are left as a rump of fanatics unless properly proven.

[tolman]

The idea of a school trial is interesting, but would have to be done properly in order to give sensible results.

For a start, as well as a control group where no changes are attempted, what would be really interesting would be a group which had a 'condensed' version - picking out the stuff from NLP training courses that look pretty much like common sense, and seeing how well that works in comparison to the whole deal.

For example, the idea of telling someone "Your work was good, and next time..." rather than "Your work was good, but next time..."seems sensible enough, and (but?) doesn't require buy-in to NLP philosophy in order to use, and may well be something that many teachers are already doing.