Is NLP Covert Hypnosis?

NLP has now been around for over three decades, and although it is now known to more people than ever before, it is still clouded in some mystery. This is not completely accidental, since Richard Bandler, one its cofounders and a genius in his own right, has sought to maintain much of that mystique through his own mastery of Ericksonian hypnosis and the delivery of NLP training programs that rely heavily on “unconscious learning”.

But is NLP covert hypnosis? It certainly is in the sense that NLP was largely derived by modeling the hypnotic work of Dr. Milton Erickson, and then recognizes and directly applies many of the language patterns that Erickson developed for the purpose of subliminally embedding positive suggestions into the minds of his patients.

Due largely to the creation and promotion of NLP, a vast number of books have now been written about Erickson and his particular approach to hypnotherapy which is properly called, ‘Naturalistic Hypnosis’. Naturalistic hypnosis operates on the principle that not only can any person be hypnotized, but in fact, all people go into and out of hypnotic trance states all the time.

In general, the Ericksonian hypnotist assumes this and instead of applying a rigid, authoritarian trance induction ritual, seeks instead to find out how the unique individual sitting in front of them goes most naturally into trance. He or she then utilizes that person’s own patterns, beliefs, motivations, etc., to not only create a focused, ‘non-resistant’ trance state, but also tap into their highly individualized resources for overcoming their particular challenge.

Contrast this with a more conventional approach, such as Rational Emotive Therapy (as practiced ala Dr. Phil) where the therapist completely discounts the role of the unconscious mind and its processes and instead talks at the client and strives to evoke change from the outside-in.

The truth is that the line between NLP and hypnosis—both the traditional and Ericksonian variety—is often rather blurred. For example, NLP picked up on a technique for building rapport that Erickson first identified, if not invented. I’m speaking of ‘matching and mirroring’ the physiology, language, values, etc., of a client in order to create a sense of unity and harmony between yourself and them.

To laymen, this is often merely thought of as a simple ‘trick’ or technique to ‘break the ice’ with a stranger and a way to speed up the process of communication so you can really get down to business. The deeper truth is that matching and mirroring itself is certainly one of the most, if not the most, powerful techniques for hypnotic trance induction. This is true due to the fact that communication via what is termed “paralanguage” (body language, shifts in vocal quality, etc.) is typically perceived at a completely subconscious level, and therefore cannot be consciously resisted.

The effect of matching and mirroring is to continuously send to the subconscious mind of another person the message, “You can lower your defenses because I am on your side.” The boundary between self and other begins to dissolve and so the subject or client becomes much more open to both verbal and non-verbal suggestion.

We hope this article has helped you answer the question: Is NLP covert hypnosis?

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