Book review: Neurolinguistic Psychotherapy, by Lisa Wake

Book review: Neurolinguistic Psychotherapy, by Lisa Wake

Copyright: 2008

Publisher: Routledge, London and New York; that's a book in herAdvanced theory in therapySeries, series editor Keith Tudor.

Neurolinguistic psychotherapyby Lisa Wake is a well-researched, extensively referenced and scientific examination of neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and the progressive model of neurolinguistic psychotherapy. I enthusiastically recommend this book to clinicians, researchers, NLP practitioners, and anyone interested in advancing the science and theory of NLP. Little has been written about the use of NLP in psychotherapy in recent years. This book does much to fill this gap in the NLP literature, and does so in a clear and compelling way.

Lisa Wake addresses numerous points that are crucial to establishing neurolinguistic programming as a recognized psychotherapeutic methodology. In recent years, few books have connected NLP to the theoretical roots from which it emerged and examined the implications of these connections for the use of NLP processes in clinical work. This book is unique in examining the usefulness of NLP in the broader context of what needs to happen for people to realize behavioral and emotional change in psychotherapy. Her perspective illuminates and highlights how neurolinguistic principles can inform understanding of the complexity of human subjective experience.

Wake criticizes those who have made excessive claims about NLP, as this has worked against the establishment of NLP as a scientifically validated method. Wake also raises concerns about claims that oversimplify the many factors that contribute to behavior change. Although NLP is a brief and effective therapy model, she expresses concern about those who apply techniques without considering contextual issues such as the clinical nature of the problems being treated and the characteristics of the therapeutic relationship.

The book discusses the emergence of neurolinguistic psychotherapy as a therapeutic modality. In Europe, compared to the United States, much more has been done to establish standards for certifying neurolinguistic skills as part of the psychotherapeutic repertoire. When discussing the development of standards, Wake notes that they "could be developed to ensure they are more flexible and have a greater emphasis on generic psychotherapy rather than procedural models generated from the methodology of NLP." European organizations have done this, including the European Association for Neurolinguistic Psychotherapy (EANLPt) and the Neurolinguistic Psychotherapy and Counseling Association (NLPtCA).

In my opinion, one of the main achievements of the book is to emphasize the importance of a broader spectrum beyond isolated NLP methods in order to appreciate and recognize the potential of NLP as a psychotherapeutic treatment modality. NLP was originally formulated in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, analyzing and modeling the work of Virginia Satir, family systems therapist; Fritz Perls, Gestalt therapy; and Milton Erickson, psychotherapist and hypnotherapist. Wake points out that much of her valuable work has not always been adequately integrated into NLP and is underrepresented in some presentations of NLP and neurolinguistic psychotherapy. She also cites the work of many others who have contributed to the rubric of neurolinguistic psychotherapy and NLP, exploring and elaborating additional points made by Erickson, Satir, and others. Additionally, Wake discusses neurolinguistic psychotherapy in the context of some of the recent findings in neuroscience regarding the way psychotherapy rewires pathways in the brain and contributes to emotional and behavioral changes.

Neurolinguistic Psychotherapy provides historical, theoretical and methodological information that helps the reader understand the place of neurolinguistic psychotherapy in the field of psychotherapy in general. Wake discusses the influences that have shaped the principles, skills, and assumptions of NLP. In addition, Wake reviews some of the basic premises of NLP and places them in the context of neurolinguistic psychotherapy. It looks at how neurolinguistic psychotherapists have adopted and adapted the basic principles of NLP to work effectively in therapeutic contexts. Wake places neurolinguistic psychotherapy in the context of other forms of psychotherapy. She discusses the influences and interrelationships between different schools of thought in relation to NLP; These include humanistic and existential psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, Gestalt psychotherapy, systems and family therapy, psychodynamic therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy. The many areas she considers form the theoretical basis for NLP practice and bring it up to date, taking into account new findings in neuroscience.

In several chapters, Wake discusses the neurolinguistic psychotherapy perspective on personality, language and cognition, and programming patterns in a highly integrative manner. She discusses numerous areas in which neurolinguistic interventions appear to be particularly effective, for example through the use of NLP language patterns. It takes into account findings from neuroscience regarding emotional dysfunction and cognition. She frequently cites Shore (2003), who discusses the neurological effects of psychotherapy and information about the developing brain and how these processes can be influenced through psychotherapy and with NLP techniques. She notes that there is evidence that neurological restructuring occurs through the process of psychotherapy. She notes that “there is enormous potential to combine research and theories in neuroscience with existing theories of psychotherapy,” including NLP. She also comments that “neurolinguistic psychotherapy offers a methodology that enables new neurological patterns by changing the different aspects of the internal process, internal states or external behavior.”

Wake also makes a critical distinction between NLP as “applied psychology” and the use of NLP as part of therapeutic skills in the broader context of psychotherapy. The integration of NLP technology with therapist skills such as theoretical foundation, psychological knowledge, rapport skills, process understanding and self-awareness essentially constitutes neurolinguistic psychotherapy. She points out that it is important to recognize that the therapist plays an active role in the brain development of the clients being treated, especially when affective states are present. She posits that by remaining within a programmatic working model (essentially an applied psychology way of working), neurolinguistic psychotherapists fail to appreciate elements of the therapeutic process that were valued by Erickson, Satir and Perls; on whose work NLP was built. Wake encourages neurolinguistic therapists to place the programmatically modeled aspects of NLP in the context of the broader therapeutic relationship, as this is often necessary to produce lasting cognitive, emotional, and behavioral change through psychotherapeutic processes.

Wake discusses the status of research validation of NLP and neurolinguistic psychotherapy. She reports that there are currently only a limited number of studies demonstrating the effectiveness of NLP in the context of psychotherapy. She discusses a few studies that have. Wake notes that neurolinguistic psychotherapy is "incredibly young" compared to other modalities of psychotherapy, having only begun to define and develop standards for the use of NLP technology specifically in the context of psychotherapy since the early 1990s. Due to its short history as a psychotherapeutic modality, it has difficulty demonstrating effectiveness in large enough numbers to be considered as a therapy of choice. She cites efforts being made to correct this situation, including the NLP Research and Recognition Project. Wake makes several recommendations about productive directions for research.

In conclusion, Wake's descriptions lead the reader to a better understanding of the richness of the neurolinguistic approach and what it has to offer as a psychotherapeutic tool.Neurolinguistic psychotherapyis a very important and useful book. It is an excellent text for NLP and/or Neurolinguistic Psychotherapy courses. This book captures the essence of what is necessary to bring neurolinguistic techniques into the realm of respected science and not just applied psychology. One position it effectively expresses is that viewing NLP primarily as an applied psychology has reduced its credibility and perceived usefulness as a psychotherapeutic intervention. This is changing as NLP is more systematically integrated into clinical practice, but further advances are needed. She rightly argues that NLP must be placed in the context of a broader view of human and brain functioning in order to achieve its deserved place as a respected therapeutic modality.

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