Abstract:

Introduction: NLP is well known and used internationally within coaching psychology and psychotherapy, however has often been criticized for lacking an empirical evidence base. This paper provides a brief explanation as to why this may be so, based upon the author’s Ph.D. dissertation.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to build upon the author’s Ph.D. dissertation and after examining the history and development of NLP, introduce a new experiential framework for consideration.

Methods: With the use of a single case study the author describes a new framework for working therapeutically which has emerged from his 25 years practice as a psychologist specializing in psychotherapy, exploring and using NLP as his main modality.

Results: It is suggested the development of such frameworks is a part of a wider phenomenon within the NLP community which is currently addressing the above criticism from academic psychologists. Results from therapeutic work within these frameworks, like the result from this single case study are anecdotally positive.

Conclusions: The paper concludes that such new frameworks to develop out of NLP make a useful first step in addressing the critique of academic psychologists. However, this momentum needs to be developed and built upon, in order to increase the standard of scholarship within the NLP community. Further, standardized patterns of intervention which can be tested within specific contexts using the randomized controlled study method, need to be increasingly developed so underlying theoretical perspectives can be effectively evaluated.