Is NLP dangerous?

Opponents of NLP view the success of the application critically. They claim NLP is dangerous because practitioners arbitrarily rely on NLP methods without professional training, or use the methods for manipulation purposes.

But what is really behind the criticism of Neuro-Linguistic Programming? Is NLP dangerous?

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In a professional NLP Training there is extensive information about potentially dangerous treatment methods, including:

• Trance inductions,
• Confrontational therapeutic measures,
• Trauma treatments.

NLP beginners (including NLP Practitioner) should refrain from the mentioned invasive formats.

The danger posed by NLP therefore comes less from NLP methods, but from non-professionals: For example, someone who has acquired rudimentary knowledge about hypnosis and puts a suggestible victim into a trance can also cause devastating long-term psychological damage.

Serious NLP trainers and coaches will, however, know how far their competencies extend and where their limits lie. Given the legal constraints, many interventions cannot be performed unless the practitioner can also present a qualification as a healer or psychotherapist (this issue only affects a small part of the NLP formats. Most are more focused on self-optimization, communication, and motivation).

On the other hand, NLP can only be partially held responsible for exaggerated self-esteem or even feelings of omnipotence as a result. Because while it undoubtedly helps to develop an eye for opportunities and encourages one to seize them, it does not go so far as to promote the development of completely unrealistic ideas. Anyone who is led by NLP to lose all contact with reality was likely already predisposed to it from the start.

How serious is NLP?

In recent years, critics have accused NLP of being unprofessional. As in other professions, there are competent and less competent professionals in NLP. Similarly, there are good and bad carpenters, but no one would condemn carpentry as a whole. Only in NLP and communication is this done. A major reason for this is that, following the American model, only tools are taught while the ethical framework recedes into the background. Just like in sports or when learning a musical instrument, communication skills also need time to be integrated into one's personality and to be used mindfully and respectfully in dealing with others. Claims of miracles, such as curing phobias in less than an hour or helping smokers quit within seconds, should be critically questioned in any case.

If the tools of NLP are consistently integrated into everyday life, they can indeed achieve the desired successes and, for example, lead to the desired financial success in the medium to long term. Due to increasing competition in the field of coaching and personal development programs, serious providers and effective methods are increasingly establishing themselves.

Is NLP manipulation?

In response to the accusation of manipulation that some make against NLP, one can initially ask what is inherently dangerous about helping someone quickly find a good state from a bad one. The communication of many people often leads (unconsciously) to the other person feeling uncomfortable or misunderstood. Especially people whose profession focuses heavily on others, such as teachers, nurses, or leaders, benefit from the ability to guide others to their resources and create a pleasant atmosphere for both sides. A detailed presentation of where the opinion that NLP is manipulation comes from can be found here:

More on this can be found here: NLP and manipulation

What does NLP do?

NLP provides a variety of action instructions in the form of communication strategies, suggestion and motivation techniques, for working with people in change situations. The methods help improve interpersonal communication and facilitate a solution-oriented approach to difficulties and conflicts. According to NLP, our body, our emotional life, and our thoughts influence each other – they form a system. By changing body posture, emotional states and thoughts can be changed accordingly. Conversely, a change in our thoughts automatically leads to a changed body posture and likewise to changed emotional states. This knowledge can be purposefully used to steer one's life in the desired direction.

An example of an NLP method is the Reframing, which allows the representation of a situation against the background of a new or changed frame. Through reframing, the meaning or evaluation that a person gives to a situation changes. When the situation is perceived against a new background, a new frame can be particularly helpful in deriving alternative, positive aspects from negative or burdensome events. In this case, the cognitive re-evaluation affects the emotional experience and simultaneously leads to changed actions.

Is NLP scientific?

NLP can achieve significant successes; it is no coincidence that numerous speakers, stars, and celebrities swear by this technique. Nevertheless, NLP is often rejected in Germany as unscientific (by the way, NLP is scientifically recognized in our Austrian neighbor). In contrast, there are numerous scientific studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of NLP practices. NLP is the result of systematic and detailed behavioral analyses that focused on what makes successful individuals excellent compared to all others. This resulted in a collection of scientific insights into human communication and behaviors. Scientific evidence of effectiveness is now available for numerous NLP methods, e.g. Rapport (the mutual empathetic attention in dialogue), Anchoring and Submodalities. More on the question of whether NLP is scientific can be found here: Is NLP unscientific?