I studied it pretty extensively a few years ago. There are some really good concepts throughout NLP like reframing, modeling, and anchoring (which all can be applied to marketing).
Richard Bandler was one of the pioneers of NLP. I'd recommend checking out his book "Frogs into Princes".
I recommend taking it with a grain of salt though. I think it can be unhealthy if you try to apply the concepts universally. I've seen some people go off the deep end with it.
Absolutely correct!!
Great Copywriters & Illusionists have been using NLP principles LONG before they ever put a name to it.
An example I give people is to start paying attention to the word "but" when either yourself or someone else is talking. Then notice how everything BEFORE the word "but" is just kinda filler or not important. Then notice everything said AFTER the word "but" and that will be the MEAT of the information.
That's one of the most basic examples but one that anyone can put into practice and get a feel for what can be found/done with NLP. (See what I did there?)
Anywho, it's really considered a "Dark Art" and Poo Poo'd in Scientific circles. Mostly due to people trying to use it in Clinical Practices to alter Phobias.
While I'm pretty sure it could be used for some psychological problems, it is better used to just "Guide One's Thinking." Your thinking or another's.
I have fun with my Fiancee' using NLP. She's a writer and quite brilliant, but I freak her out with the way I "phrase" things when I speak to her sometimes. She also doesn't trust my Subliminal Recordings. (I keep threatening to play the "Better House Keeping" one while she's sleeping. LOL)
NLP has been used by Mankind ever since we were able to communicate with each other. Just the title of Neural Linguistic Programming is new.
I "personally" think if they had just named it "Neural Linguistics" and left the PROGRAMING part out of it, there would not have been as much disdain or resistance concerning it.
I remember reading study's of the Subliminal Movie clips played in theaters back in the 1950's where they would cut in PICTURES of Popcorn & Soda right into the actual movie being shown and the way SALES would actually triple when they did it.
Same with Supermarkets masking subliminal messages of buying MEAT in the piped in store music.
These two things are almost ALWAYS tied into NLP and used to show the EVILS of it. Lulz
Yes, Motivational Speakers thought that NLP, especially the PROGRAMMING part was a good way to promote Affirmations that they taught. So, again another HIT against NLP over time.
I just IGNORE all that rhetoric and do what I know works to sell and help myself from time to time to FOCUS along lines of thinking.
I have a lot of NLP stuff that I've downloaded over the years, but I haven't really gone through any of it. I was taught about NLP while in sales back in the 1980's by a couple of OLD Insurance and Direct Mail Marketers.
My advice to anyone studying and practicing it is to keep what you're doing to yourself when dealing with either friends or clients. (Some family members as well. LOL) People who've heard of it but don't really understand it remind of when people use be afraid of
Witchcraft!!!!
ROFLMAO!!!!!
Oh, one other little quick basic tid bit for marketing or ourselves really.
They've found that it takes the brain 33% longer to process a negative word. So the brain will have a tendency to just IGNORE the negative word.
Example: You tell yourself, "I'm NOT going to have a cigarette." Then within seconds you want one twice as badly.
Or
Your up on the tee box and tell yourself, "I'm NOT going to hit it into that lake." Then you proceed to hit the ball right smack dab into the MIDDLE of the lake!!
IN each case your subconscious mind heard:
I'm going to have a cigarette.
and
I'm going to hit the ball into that lake.
So your subconscious put those phrases into action since they didn't process the negative.
I learned this back in the Marine Corp from a Pilot who was taking a psychology class.
The whole round he kept saying OUT LOUD before each tee shot, "I'm NOT going to hit it down the CENTER of the fairway." He did this the whole round and hit every single fairway. It was after the round that asked him about it and he explained the 33% longer to process a negative word thing.
