How hypnosis works

NLP vs. Hypnotherapy: What’s the Difference?

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Are NLP and hypnotherapy the same thing? No. Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis, a state of focused attention and heightened response to suggestion, to work on a specific problem. Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a set of models and techniques about language and behavior that borrowed some of its methods from a hypnotherapist. They overlap in practice, but they rest on different foundations and on very different amounts of research.

Where did NLP come from?

From a 1975 book. According to the Wikipedia article on neuro-linguistic programming, NLP first appeared in Richard Bandler and John Grinder’s 1975 book The Structure of Magic I. Their central method, “modeling,” aimed to codify what effective therapists did so others could learn it. They derived many of its techniques from the work of three therapists in particular: Virginia Satir, Fritz Perls and the hypnotherapist Milton Erickson.

The Erickson connection is where NLP and hypnotherapy meet. Bandler and Grinder described a “Milton-Model” of Erickson’s hypnotic language as “artfully vague” and metaphoric, and NLP uses it to induce trance and deliver indirect suggestions. The Wikipedia article on hypnotherapy notes that André Weitzenhoffer, whom the Wikipedia article on hypnosis credits as co-developer of the Stanford hypnotic susceptibility scale, disputed whether NLP bears any real resemblance to Erickson’s work.

How do they differ in practice?

  • Center of gravity. Hypnotherapy is organized around the hypnotic state and suggestions given in it. NLP is organized around language patterns and techniques such as anchoring and modeling, with the Milton-Model as only one part of it.
  • Where you meet them. Hypnotherapy is used in psychotherapy and medical care, and by licensed professionals such as psychologists and physicians. The NLP article notes that NLP has been adopted by some hypnotherapists as well as by companies selling leadership training.
  • Claims. According to the NLP article, Bandler and Grinder said NLP could treat problems ranging from phobias and depression to allergies and the common cold, often in a single session.

What does the evidence say?

They are not on the same footing.

For hypnotherapy, the evidence differs by condition. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports evidence that gut-directed hypnotherapy can help relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, a growing body of evidence that hypnosis may help manage some painful conditions, and conflicting results for smoking cessation.

For NLP, a 2012 systematic review in the British Journal of General Practice screened 1,459 titles and found 10 experimental studies on health outcomes: five randomized controlled trials and five before-and-after studies, covering anxiety disorders, weight maintenance, morning sickness, substance misuse and claustrophobia during MRI scans. Its conclusion: there is little evidence that NLP interventions improve health-related outcomes, a finding that reflects the limited quantity and quality of NLP research rather than robust evidence of no effect.

In other words, the issue is not proof that NLP fails; it is that the research so far is too limited to show whether it works.

What if a practitioner offers both?

Some hypnotherapists include NLP techniques; the hypnotherapy article notes that solution-focused hypnotherapy sessions may include them. That is not a problem in itself. Ask:

  1. Which parts of the session are hypnosis, and which are NLP techniques?
  2. What evidence supports using this approach for my specific problem?
  3. What will you do if it is not working after a few sessions?

Choose by the problem, not the brand

Choose by the problem and the evidence, not the brand. For a problem where hypnotherapy has research behind it, such as irritable bowel syndrome, look for hypnotherapy from a qualified practitioner. Treat any promise that NLP, or anything else, will cure a phobia, depression or a physical illness in a single session as a reason to keep looking.

This article is general information, not medical or psychological advice; talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation.

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