What Is NLP Therapy? How Does NLP Therapy Work?

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

Developed in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, NLP explores relationships between the way we think, the language we use and the patterns of behaviour we develop through our experiences.

The three parts of the name help explain the basic idea:

Many of these patterns happen automatically.

For example, you might repeatedly tell yourself:

“I can’t cope with this.”
“I’m going to get it wrong.”
“Everyone else is more confident than me.”
“Something bad is going to happen.”

When thoughts like these become familiar, we may stop questioning them and begin treating them as facts.

NLP techniques can be used therapeutically to help you become more aware of these patterns and explore different ways of thinking, communicating and responding.

You can learn more about how I incorporate these techniques on my NLP Therapy page.

If you are wondering how NLP therapy works, a useful starting point is to think about patterns.

Human beings are very good at developing patterns in how we think, communicate, respond emotionally and behave. Some of those patterns are helpful. Others may have developed during a particular period of our lives but no longer serve us in the same way.

Imagine, for example, someone who had an embarrassing experience speaking in front of their class at school.

Years later, they may feel extremely anxious when asked to give a presentation at work. Their circumstances have completely changed, but their emotional response may still be influenced by that earlier experience.

Similarly, someone who has experienced repeated criticism may begin interpreting relatively neutral comments as criticism or rejection.

In therapy, we can become curious about these responses rather than simply accepting them.

We might explore questions such as:

• What happened?
• What did you think?
• What did you tell yourself?
• What meaning did you give the experience?
• What happened to your body?
• What did you do next?

NLP provides techniques that can help us explore these patterns and consider whether there are other ways of responding.

For me, this isn’t about pretending difficult experiences haven’t happened or simply telling yourself to “think positively”.

It’s about developing awareness and creating more choice in how you respond.

There are many NLP techniques, and practitioners may use them in different ways. Some of the techniques I may draw upon in counselling include the following.

People often search for NLP therapy benefits because they are looking for practical ways to understand themselves and make changes in their lives.

Within integrative counselling, NLP techniques may be useful when exploring areas such as:

It is important, however, to distinguish between an individual’s experience of finding a technique helpful and claiming that NLP is a scientifically established treatment for a particular mental health condition.

Research into NLP remains limited, and the quality of the available evidence varies. I therefore prefer to be transparent rather than presenting NLP as a treatment that is guaranteed to work.

As an integrative counsellor, I can use appropriate NLP techniques alongside other therapeutic approaches rather than assuming one method will suit everyone.

If anxiety is one of the main reasons you are considering counselling, you can also learn more about my approach to anxiety and stress counselling.

There isn’t one standard NLP therapy session, because counselling should respond to the individual.

When you first come to counselling, I want to understand you before deciding which therapeutic techniques might be useful.

We may talk about what has brought you to therapy, what you’re currently struggling with and what you would like to change.

We might then begin identifying patterns in your:

• • thoughts
  • feelings
  • language
  • behaviour
  • relationships
  • responses to particular situations

For example, you might tell me:

“Whenever I have to speak in a meeting, I panic.”

Rather than stopping at the word “panic”, we can explore what actually happens.

What do you imagine will happen? What do you say to yourself? What sensations do you notice? What are you afraid other people will think? What do you normally do when those feelings appear?

Understanding the pattern gives us somewhere to begin.

Depending on what emerges, I may incorporate techniques such as reframing, visualisation, examining limiting beliefs, goal setting or changing aspects of your internal dialogue.

Most importantly, therapy is collaborative.

I am not there to tell you what you should think. We work together to understand your experience and find approaches that feel appropriate for you.

NLP and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can sometimes appear similar because both may involve examining patterns of thinking and behaviour.

However, they are not the same therapy.

CBT is a structured psychological therapy based on the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It has been extensively researched and has a substantial evidence base for a number of mental health difficulties.

NLP developed from observations about communication, language, subjective experience and behaviour. It includes techniques such as reframing, anchoring, visualisation and working with internal representations.

One important difference is the evidence base.

CBT has considerably stronger clinical research supporting its effectiveness for specific mental health conditions. Research into NLP is much more limited.

That does not mean that an individual cannot find an NLP technique useful. It means we should be careful about the claims we make about it.

As an integrative counsellor, I do not believe therapy always needs to be an either/or decision. Where appropriate, I can draw upon my training in different therapeutic approaches according to the client’s needs.

Yes. Elements of NLP can be incorporated into integrative counselling alongside CBT techniques when appropriate for the individual.

For example, CBT might help someone identify and examine an unhelpful thought, while an NLP technique could provide another way of exploring the language, imagery or meaning surrounding it.

My approach is not to fit a person into therapy.

It is to consider which therapeutic tools may be most useful for the person sitting in front of me.