The Empowered Life® Blog

I am asked this question often, "is NLP manipulation?"

And the answer is no. NLP is not manipulation. 

However, NLP can be used in manipulation, but NLP itself is not manipulation. 

NLP is no more manipulation than a hammer is manipulation. Can a hammer be used as a weapon? Absolutely. Can a hammer be used to build things? Absolutely. The difference is in who is holding that hammer and their intention for using it. 

NLP is the same. It can be used in manipulation and it can be used to create deep and profound change in people allowing them to achieve excellence in all areas of their lives and it depends on who is using it and what is their intention. 

In our school of NLP, we believe in ecology which is the study of consequences on 4 levels: the individual, their inner circle, the larger community and the environment. This adds an element of responsibility and care when using NLP. 

In a win/win scenario there is no manipulation. How could there be when each...

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a ballerina.

The problem was that my parents didn’t have enough money at the time for me to take lessons. So I went to the library and took out every book I could find on ballet. I studied the history, the stories, the lives of famous ballet dancers... I even found books on the techniques and practiced daily.

But it wasn’t until I stepped foot into a real class that I actually learned ballet.

NLP is the same.

There are many books on NLP and some are even worth reading. However, until you step foot into an NLP class, you’ll never really know NLP.

A book can teach you theory, jargon, and concepts, but NLP is a “do with” process. You can only really learn NLP by doing it with other people. You need people to practice and experiment with in real time while you learn the concepts so that you get immediate feedback. You also need a trainer because you will  have questions about what you’re doing, how it...