How is Neurolinguistic Programming Used to Treat Social Anxiety Disorder?
Updated March 07, 2014.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) was developed in the 1970s at the University of California, Santa Cruz, by John Grinder (a professor of linguistics) and Richard Bandler (a mathematician). Through their research, Grinder and Bandler sought to understand what made some therapists more effective than others. A set of principles and techniques used to create change during therapy were developed.
NLP is used in various settings, including psychotherapy, medicine, and personal development.
NLP is generally used as an alternative medicine practice. It has yet to be integrated as a mainstream therapeutic approach and has not been validated scientifically for the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, it may have value as a complementary treatment.
NLP is not itself a form of psychotherapy; it is a tool used to guide the therapeutic process.
Some NLP principles include:
In general, an NLP therapist will follow these steps with you:
Although NLP is not a form of psychotherapy, there are a number of techniques used by NLP practitioners.
Some examples of techniques include anchoring, reframing, dissociation, belief change and future pacing. Below are brief descriptions of each of these techniques.
How would these techniques be applied if you suffer with social anxiety disorder (SAD)? In the case of belief change, the therapist might ask you to compare your beliefs about two areas of your life. One area would be something that you have difficulty with (e.g., social situations) and another in which you have experienced success (perhaps academic or financial). Like most NLP techniques, the process would involve visualization; you would be asked to imagine the beliefs that hold you back shrinking into the distance until they are no longer important.
NLP theory and practice have yet to receive mainstream support in the academic community, and thus research on this approach is still in its infancy. To date, it's mostly used in the coaching/self-help world. Although NLP may be of some value as part of a treatment plan for SAD, well-established and empirically validated treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication are preferred.
Sources:
Karunaratne, M. Neuro-linguistic programming and application in treatment of phobias. Complementary therapies in clinical practice. 2010;16(4):203-207.
PPI Business NLP. NLP Techniques. Accessed March 6, 2011.
Steinbach, AM. Neurolinguistic programming: A systematic approach to change. Canadian Family Physician. 1984;30:147-150.
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) was developed in the 1970s at the University of California, Santa Cruz, by John Grinder (a professor of linguistics) and Richard Bandler (a mathematician). Through their research, Grinder and Bandler sought to understand what made some therapists more effective than others. A set of principles and techniques used to create change during therapy were developed.
NLP is used in various settings, including psychotherapy, medicine, and personal development.
NLP is generally used as an alternative medicine practice. It has yet to be integrated as a mainstream therapeutic approach and has not been validated scientifically for the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, it may have value as a complementary treatment.
NLP is not itself a form of psychotherapy; it is a tool used to guide the therapeutic process.
Some NLP principles include:
- All behavior is adaptive, meaning that there is a positive benefit for everything that you do
- You have the resources to achieve your goals; it is the job of your therapist to assist you
- How you react is more important than what happens to you
In general, an NLP therapist will follow these steps with you:
- Establish rapport with you by mirroring your verbal and non-verbal behavior
- Gather information about your problem and what you hope to achieve
- Consider any potential negative impact of achieving these goals on your personal life
- Ensure that new behavior patterns are integrated into your daily life
NLP Techniques
Although NLP is not a form of psychotherapy, there are a number of techniques used by NLP practitioners.
Some examples of techniques include anchoring, reframing, dissociation, belief change and future pacing. Below are brief descriptions of each of these techniques.
- Anchoring: Learning how to respond differently to a triggering situation (similar to classical conditioning).
- Reframing: Identifying adaptive behaviors that can replace maladaptive behaviors while still achieving the same goal.
- Dissociation: Disconnecting from a painful experience from your past.
- Belief Change: Changing beliefs that hold you back from success.
- Future Pacing: Integrating goals into your life so that you continue to achieve after therapy.
How would these techniques be applied if you suffer with social anxiety disorder (SAD)? In the case of belief change, the therapist might ask you to compare your beliefs about two areas of your life. One area would be something that you have difficulty with (e.g., social situations) and another in which you have experienced success (perhaps academic or financial). Like most NLP techniques, the process would involve visualization; you would be asked to imagine the beliefs that hold you back shrinking into the distance until they are no longer important.
NLP theory and practice have yet to receive mainstream support in the academic community, and thus research on this approach is still in its infancy. To date, it's mostly used in the coaching/self-help world. Although NLP may be of some value as part of a treatment plan for SAD, well-established and empirically validated treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication are preferred.
Sources:
Karunaratne, M. Neuro-linguistic programming and application in treatment of phobias. Complementary therapies in clinical practice. 2010;16(4):203-207.
PPI Business NLP. NLP Techniques. Accessed March 6, 2011.
Steinbach, AM. Neurolinguistic programming: A systematic approach to change. Canadian Family Physician. 1984;30:147-150.
