Scientific Research
The number of scientific studies about NLP is constantly increasing. Please help to keep this page up to date.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is currently being studied in universities all around the world. Please send us links to new studies. This is an important measure to get NLP the recognition it deserves. The more as scientific community seems to be biased towards NLP. Thank you.
.General NLP research studies and Databases
- The largest database with over 370 academic papers - abstract on the articles are provided (Click 'Home' and you will be there)
- EANLPt link to all NLP/NLPt Research bits published in peer reviewed Journals since 1995
- Comprehensive list of various studies on the effectiveness of NLP based approaches (courtesy Phil Parker).
- The 'NLP Research Papers' section of the ANLP website lists an impressive number of papers.
- Is NLP based on science or is it pseudoscience? (courtesy Phil Parker) (download pdf)
- NLP-Wiki (English) with an impressive list of research papers
- Evidence-based Neuro Linguistic Psychotherapy: a Meta-Analysis by Zaharia C, et al. Psychiatr Danub. 2015.
- On the trail of "What is NLP?': The Evidence for NLP (ICPR Spring 2019); Lisa de Rijk, Lucas A.C. Derks, Bruce Grimley & Jaap Hollander; The British Psychologyical Society Shop
- The overall mission of the NLP Research and Recognition Project is to support, coordinate, and fund rigorous scientific research in the field of NLP and related intervention strategies.
- “Mirror Neurons”: The Neuropsychology of NLP Modelling. Validation of transfer of excellence techniques by modern neuro sciences.
- English (!) Wikipedia lists major studies of NLP and highlights the methodological problems when studying effectiveness. And after having read Wikipedia we recommend to read "Why hasn’t the NLP Wikipedia page been corrected? - The Truth About the NLP Wikipedia Page" too.
>> Since english Wikipedia is not willing to correct some of the obvious defects we strongly recommend to check out Wikipedia in other languages. Different authors have very different angles on NLP indeed! - Spanish Wikipedia / French Wikipedia / German Wikipedia
Translate via Google Translator or (better quality) DeepL - Assessing the effectiveness of NLP: Study Hollander / Malinowski (2016); Norris (1996)
- An outcome study documenting the effectiveness of NLP
- What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, (NLP)? - The development of a grounded theory of NLP within an Action Research Journey. Dr. Bruce Grimley
- The need for neuro-linguistic programming to develop greater construct validity (ICPR Spring 2019), Bruce Grimley; The British Psychologyical Society
- What cognitive psychotherapies - like CBT, NLP and Ericksonian hypnotherapy - reveal about the workings of the mind. A theoretical analysis over 35 years of clinical experimentation. Dr. Lucas Derks
Coaching
- Usefulness of NLP when interviewing deaf individiduals
- A dissertation study concluding the effectiveness of interpersonal communication pacing (non-verbal matching)
- A study looking into the effects of matching predicates and client satisfaction
- A dissertation study examining the representational systems and perceived empathy
- Using Clean Language to explore the subjectivity of coachees' experience and outcomes.
- Disassociated state by 3rd-position selftalk to help control emotions
Education
- NLP - It's potential for learning and teaching in formal education
- Dissertation on reducing parental anger
EMDR / EMI / Wingwave
- How EMDR was created, John Grinder
- Some more on history of EMDR, EMI and Wingwave
- A comprehensive listing of research articles realting to EMDR and trauma therapy.
- Eye Movement Research: Core NLP Hypothesis Vindicated, Dr. Richard Bolstad, 2015.
- Eye Movements helps retrieve Memories, Research by Jordana S. Wynn, Jennifer D. Ryan, and Bradley R. Buchsbaum (2020) / PNAS doi:10.1073/pnas.1917586117.
- Eye Movements: Looking up improves performance in verbal tasks, Research by Christophe Carlei & Dirk Kerzel, University of Geneva, 2020
- The Eyes Don’t have it: Lie Detection and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Wiseman and Watt, 2012. --> Unfortunately, the hypothesis Wiseman and Watt chose to study is not the one that NLP discovered. Read: Core NLP Hypothesis Vindicated by Dr. Richard Bolstadt (2015) above.
- NLP Eye Accessing Cues - Maybe the most incorrectly cited element of NLP? Read what the founders of NLP Grinder/Bandler really claimed.
- How Do We Deal With Deception? Do we even know if we are being deceived? The medium.com publication, section Illumination, published this article on deception by Pascal Gambardella, PhD, ACMC. It includes many links to relevant scientific publications and a section that fact-checks Wiseman's comments about NLP.
- Check out nlp.de research database on 'eye movement' (some 300 studies on the subject).
Health
- NLP and pregnancy sickness - a successful single case study
- NLP in treatment of Paediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): randomised
controlled trial - NLP 'Lightning Process' Training Programme Reduces Chronic Fatigue in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors, Study by Oslo University Hospital et.al.
- The Lightning Process compared with UK specialist medical care for paediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The Research and Recognition Project (R&RP) conducts rigorous, controlled clinical studies to validate therapeutic techniques that support the widespread use of innovative and cost-effective clinical care for traumatic stress and a number of other psychiatric disorders. The Research and Recognition Project was founded in 2006, after a clinician and former lecturer at Cornell University, Dr. Frank Bourke, discovered the clinical efficacy of a protocol to treat post-traumatic stress.
This protocol is based on the principles of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). It is named Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM).
In the last two years, sufficient research has been done to prove the initial clinical results.
For more information please visit https://randrproject.org/index.html
Some research papers:
~Gray, R., & Bourke, F. (2015). Remediation of intrusive symptoms of PTSD in fewer than five sessions: A 30- person pre-pilot study of the RTM Protocol. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 1(2), 85-92. [url=https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.3119]https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.3119[/url]
~Gray, R., Budden-Potts, D., & Bourke, F. (2017). Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial of 74 male veterans. Psychotherapy Research, 1-19. [url=https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2017.1408973]https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2017.1408973[/url]
~ Tylee, D. S., Gray, R., Glatt, S. J., & Bourke, F. (2017). Evaluation of the reconsolidation of traumatic memories protocol for the treatment of PTSD: a randomized, wait-list-controlled trial. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 3(1), 21-33. [url=https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.4120]https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.4120[/url]
~Gray, R., Budden-Potts, D., Schwall, R., Bourke, F. (2020). An Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial of the Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories Protocol (RTM) in Military Women [Accepted Manuscript]. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. [url=https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000986]https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000986[/url]
More are on the way. (updated July 2021)
Therapy - Psychotherapy
- Pilot study using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) in post-combat PTSD (2014)
- Neuro-Linguistic Perspective of Long- and Short-Term Psychotherapy of Grief. Theoretical Background, Method and Case-Studies
- An investigation into how NLP can be a source of positive psychology interventions to increase self-esteem and subjective well-being in psychologically healthy populations
- A dissertation comparing counselors trained in NLP with counselors trained in traditional counseling
- A study on the treatment of phobia with NLP
- A brief treatment for fear of heights: a randomised controlled trial of NLP phobia work
- A study that shows NLP is more effective than drug therapy for smoking cessation.
- A dissertation concluding that matching primary representational system enhances trust in a therapeutic relationship