Recently, a church member raised concerns about a seminar speaker’s qualifications which, among other certs, included something related to NLP (or Neuro-Linguistic Programming). The ‘warning’ given was that NLP is dangerous and was even a (potential?) form of heresy.
The church member shared a few screenshots about NLP being pseudo-science and at least one link (https://www.gotquestions.org/neuro-linguistic-programming-NLP.html).
I confess I was surprised at the red flags raised over NLP. In my training career I know at least three NLP practitioners, I’ve also read Tony Robbins’ work (and he uses what he calls Neuro-Associative Programming which is just his patent-friendly version of NLP) and I’ve also used and shared NLP-ish methods with participants before.
Not once, over these many years, did it cross my mind that NLP was some theological heresy threatening to lure Christians away from the faith or implant in them dangerously demonic ideas.
Pseudoscience? Maaaaaaybe (but more on this below). But a danger to the Christian faith? Uhhh, I don’t think so.
(To be frank, I think the average “financial investment seminar” is more dangerous for Christians than NLP, but that’s another story haha)
Anyway, what follows is my reflection/review on some paragraphs in the Got Questions article, preceded by my TLDR of what I understand NLP to be.
Here goes:
“Neuro-linguistic programming is most often characterized as a form of psychotherapy that can be used to modify behavior patterns and treat problems such as phobias, depression, learning disorders, and the like.”
That’s the opening line of the article. Yes, agreed. NLP, to me, is a method involving the use of language + mental tactics (hence, “neuro-linguistic”) used for helping ppl achieve their goals, trigger some motivation, nurture positivity, plan their forward and so on.
But the very next line sounds pretty alien to me.
“It has also been classified as a quasi-religion belonging to the New Age or Human Potential Movements. However, neuro-linguistic programming can also be covert, and it is the hidden nature of this technique that leads to disquieting applications.”
Whilst I don’t deny some folks may classify it as a quasi-religion (just like some ppl may classify pork chops as a superfood, who knows), there are MANY ppl who don’t.
Eg, me.
The reason I don’t see NLP as quasi-religious is the same reason I don’t see doing mind-maps or using mental arithmetic or practicing mindfulness or watching Alien: Romulus as anything other than techniques to help individuals in some specific area of our life, body or mind.
The problem is the article then proceeds to list out some weird shit on NLP most of which I found, frankly, surprising.
“Specifically, neuro-linguistic programming is a form of vocal and gestural hypnotism that is used by some public speakers — politicians, for example. In such a context, neuro-linguistic programming is used to psychologically manipulate the listener without his or her knowledge. Neuro-linguistic programming leverages factors such as tone of voice, vocal modulation, pacing, leading, and anchoring to implant a suggestion directly into the subconscious, bypassing the critical thinking factors of the conscious mind. This type of hypnosis, covert or not, is incompatible with the Christian faith.”
That’s it.
That’s the #1 objection this article has with NLP i.e. that it’s trying to manipulate fragile minds via subtle suggestions qua hypnosis. What follows are then New Testament verses showing how NLP is incompatible with the Bible, faith and so on.
In 10+ years of training with NLP and speaking to NLP practitioners I have NEVER come across anything related to hypnotism. 99% of NLP sessions involve things like visualisation, state-changing, using mental models to remove fear, nurture motivation, improve learning, dieting(!), etc.
Without denying that some NLP practitioners may practice hypnotism, to highlight this component and suggest that practitioners are sinisterly manipulating people by “implanting suggestions directly into the subconscious” (as opposed to just helping ppl relax, which is what hypnotism is frequently credited with) smacks of fear-mongering via ignorance.
Finally, there is what I see as typical fundamentalist forms of thinking. The final line is:
“Believers are to rely upon God for all things, including behavior modification.”
C’mon. By such logic why use aspirin, why go hiking, why take a holiday, why learn Maths!) and so on. In none of these cases of self-improvement are people not ‘relying on God’.
Finally, is NLP pseudo-science? My 2 cents is why not try it and if it doesn’t work for you or if you think it’s just too damn weird then chuck it aside.
Then again, there are more than a dozen ‘tactics’ NLP practitioners recommend (eg, before you go for a job interview, if you’re feeling a bit down cepat find a quiet spot and jump as high as you can 3 times — that’ll improve your mental state for your job application talk), if one of them helps then thank God for it, use it, and move on.
So is NLP “compatible” with the Christian faith? That’s just a poorly framed question. And, besides, nobody cares.
