What is NLP therapy?
NLP stands for neuro linguistic programming. The name puts many people off, and the term has been stretched to cover everything from sales training to life coaching. In a therapy room it means something much more modest: a set of practical techniques for noticing how you represent an experience in your mind and changing that representation.
The idea underneath
NLP starts from a simple observation. Two people can go through a similar event and store it very differently. One remembers a bad meeting as a large, bright, close picture with a critical voice replaying; another remembers it as a small, distant snapshot with no sound. The way a memory or expectation is coded often shapes how strongly you react to it. NLP techniques work with that coding, the pictures, sounds, sensations and self talk, rather than only with the story itself.
Techniques you might come across
Only a handful of techniques are commonly used in therapy. Which, if any, are used depends on the person and the problem.
- Changing the qualities of an image: size, brightness, distance, colour
- Reframing: finding a different, equally true meaning for an event
- Anchoring: linking a calm or confident state to a simple cue
- Timeline work: viewing an event from a position after it has ended
- Language patterns: noticing absolutes such as always, never and should
How it differs from counselling and hypnotherapy
Counselling gives space to explore feelings and meaning over time, usually through conversation. Hypnotherapy uses a relaxed, focused state to work with patterns beneath conscious effort. NLP sits somewhere between: it is conversational and you remain fully alert, but it is more structured and exercise based than open talking. At AIP Therapy it is not usually a standalone treatment. James Harris uses NLP techniques where they fit, often alongside hypnotherapy or within a broader counselling approach, and you will always be told what an exercise involves before you try it.
What the evidence says
It is worth being straightforward here. The research base for NLP as a therapy is limited, and some of its original theoretical claims have not held up to study. That is part of why it is best used as a set of tools within a wider approach rather than sold as a complete method. Many people still find particular techniques, such as reframing or changing how a memory looks, helpful in practice. You can decide for yourself whether they suit you, and nothing is imposed.
What a session might look like
A typical session starts with talking about what is happening and what you would like to be different. If an NLP technique seems relevant, James explains it first, for example asking you to picture a situation and then notice what changes when the image is made smaller or pushed further away. You report what you notice, and the next step follows from that. There is no trance involved in NLP itself, and you are free to say an exercise is not working for you. Sessions last 60 minutes, in Derby or online.
When to see your GP instead
NLP is not a treatment for mental illness and should not replace medical care. If you have persistent low mood, thoughts of harming yourself, symptoms of psychosis, or an eating disorder, speak to your GP first. For urgent help call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option, call 999 in an emergency, or contact Samaritans free on 116 123.
Common questions
Is NLP a form of hypnosis?+
No. Some NLP ideas grew out of studying hypnotherapists, but NLP techniques are done with you fully alert.
Will NLP be used on me without me knowing?+
No. Every exercise is explained and agreed first, and you can decline anything.
Is an NLP practitioner a therapist?+
Not necessarily. NLP training is unregulated. Check that anyone you see also holds recognised therapy training and registration.
What registrations does James hold?+
James is a BACP registered member (MBACP), GHR registered and CNHC registered, with a BSc (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Want to talk it through first?
The first session is free, and you can ask exactly how, or whether, NLP would be part of your sessions.