NLP and "quick fixes"

Yoga isn't about the physical. It's about personal change, in which the mind plays a vital role. So, as yoga practitioners, our interest ought to be focused on "mind training" rather than "body sculpting".

I recently had a conversation with a friend about Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). This is a Western approach which aims to change people's minds rather quickly.

One of the aspects that my friend was disagreeing with was Richard Bandler's (one of the founders of NLP) claim to be able to make "quick fixes". I reflected on this last night whilst cooking a lovely dal, and decided to drop my friend an email with some of my thoughts:

I must admit I've been reflecting on this idea of "quick fixes" since yesterday. Surely it's a message that sells, Bandler's bank account would agree to that.

But then also... perhaps it is true that under certain circumstances the brain is learning very quickly. An experience that lasts as little as a few seconds can "mark us for life". I vividly remember the moment I underwent a full anasthesia to have my tonsils removed. The smell of the gas; the increasingly blurry vision; the fading sounds. I was about 3 years old at the time.

'High speed learning' I imagine would be naturally linked to painful / traumatic experiences (with a view of avoiding history repeating itself?). But if we could somehow trigger the same mechanism to set positive (behavioural / thinking) patterns where somehow irrational ones have settled, perhaps that could fast-track our development tremendously.

I think this is what Bandler is after. This is controversial not least because many therapists need their clients as a source of income. One could argue whether the term "quick fix" is the right one (probably it isn't) but as a concept it sounds rather promising for a layman like me.

Just a few random ideas... I hope to be more knowledgeable in a few months time.

And here's my friend's response

I think you have a good point about the speed involved. Actually I don't have any problem with that - for certain problems, and as you point out, for certain traumas a quick "solution" might be effective by being more memorable.

I was thinking more about the use of the word "fix" than about "quick". Bandler seems to use that term all the time - to the point where I got the message that it was all about fixes - i.e., superficial - rather than ever going below the surface. Of course there are times when things just need to be "fixed", but a problem with NLP is that it seems that it seems to view all of life as quick fixes. Not to mention making a buck or two.

Being married to a therapist who doesn't want to make much money from clients, I agree that there is a danger in prolonging therapy for selfish reasons, but my own experience is that the better people are pretty careful here.

Luc