RE: Flavors of NLP (was Re: Totally logical?)

Ramez Naam (ramezn@EXCHANGE.MICROSOFT.com)
Wed, 26 Nov 1997 00:45:24 -0800


>From: Michael M. Butler [SMTP:butler@comp*lib.org]
>Having studied with one of the founders of the thing called NLP, and
>having
>observed various practitioners at close hand, permit me to say that
>there
>are downsides present for some practitioners. And some of these
>practitioners are high-vis. :\

Michael, I'd love to hear some of your overall impressions of NLP,
particularly the evolutions of it over time and the manner by which
Grinder et al go about exploring/inventing new techniques.

>The last seminars I had with John Grinder and Judith Ann Delozier (as
>best
>I can recall, around 1990-1991) were very rewarding. At that time,
their
>area of concern and approach to models/metamodels was varieties of
>focused
>attention. I think you would have enjoyed it had you been present,
>Anders.

Very interesting stuff indeed, from what little I've read. I find it to
be quite congruent with, and complementary to, the studies of focused
attention one finds in the literature of meditation. Particularly the
concept found in Buddhist (vipasana) and Zen meditation of constant
mindfulness or bare and precise attention at all moments of
consciousness. It seems to me (without having gone through a
practitioner training myself) that the NLP focus on detailed observation
could serve to develop these faculties.

>On the third tentacle, there has been a tendency for extravagant claims
>to
>be made. I believe that some branch of the US military did some
>investigation into the utility of some published/promoted NLP
>techniques,
>but I doubt their applications and investigative methodology would
>satisfy
>you.

Hmmm, I'm interested in reading the results of even poor-methodology
studies in the area. Any references would be appreciated.

mez