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Further into the “internut” with NLP?

Back in 2000 I first met John LaValle in Orlando when I attended the Persuasion Engineering seminar he was hosting with Richard Bandler. During this event John repeatedly referred to the internet as “the internut” which at the time I considered a little harsh seeing as many of us may think that the internet has endless potential which must surely be ideal for anyone interested in the world of NLP. In recent times a number of instances have led me to believe that “internut” may actually be a far more accurate description of this facility.

Here is a short light hearted article containing some of my experiences of interacting online as an individual and also from the perspective of being an NLP trainer and host for other international trainers. The real names of those involved in these stories have been changed, but if you are a regular online browser, some of these behaviours will be familiar to you…

Newsgroups – “Be afraid, be very afraid…”

If you ever want to see perfect examples of generalisation, deletion and distortions in communications, look no further than NLP newsgroups online. I guess it’s fair to say that this would apply to pretty much all newsgroups, but surely with that enhanced sensory acuity, NLP newsgroups would be a shining example for others, wouldn’t they? Well you may want to think again…Now I’m all in favour of enquiring minds and have on occasion asked what I would describe as “basic questions”, nothing wrong with that! However I have noticed a number of these prevailing trends on a variety of NLP and hypnosis newsgroups over the years.

On one such facility it’s clear that many posters had probably either never taken any NLP training, didn’t listen to what was presented or perhaps the training itself was not that great!

Tell tale signs of this are in some of the questions asked including....

“I have a patient , who has a phobia of turbulence , in an Aeroplane...she is ok with the flight...but just worries about hitting turbulence... Suggestions welcome please.... by the way...she finds it hard to relax...”

Some people may be understandably a little concerned that some hypnotherapists are using newsgroups for really basic advice in working with paid clients, rather than referring such individuals to others more qualified or dare I say taking appropriate training themselves!

Some newsgroups are however wonderful examples of demonstrating hypnosis in action, as a small group of posters regularly engage in posting literally hundreds of posts per month making exactly the same point over and over again like being trapped in nightmare TV soap. Many newsgroups start off with the best of intentions, but in most cases descend into personality battles which could be settled amicably by agreeing to disagree! Another common factor is that many people who subscribe to online newsgroups are there for the voyeuristic element and never present a personal view or contribute to the general discussion at all, so even though a group can boast a massive membership, in reality once a very few individuals regularly check in each month.

Many who host online forums discover that they constantly have to lower their own expectations as online interactions become more and more bizarre and off topic!

In recent times one major name in the world of NLP decided that enough was enough and departed to saner pastures! One of the major challenges with any public forums is that if they are not moderated, it can be like the wild west and not particularly productive or pleasant. If they on the other hand are moderated, then the unique filters of the moderator will tend to influence and bias the content to the detriment of the communications.

Generalisations, overgeneralisations and sheer lunacy

A cursory look at some web pages and profiles will reveal some amazing and at times hilarious information. Of course in any marketing an individual or company will seek to promote themselves in order to attract the required attention. Inevitably some just can’t resist going that little bit further…

One such example is...

"Justin Case (name changed) is a Winner, and a trainer of Winners. It is Justin's skills as a Coach and a Winner that sets him apart, from all the other Hypnotherapists and Sport's Coaches in the World. Justin believes, that he can help you to be a Winner too, by helping you to defeat your problem(s). Justin believes, as do many of his clients, that he is the best Hypnotist and Hypnotherapist in the World!"

Many versed in the skills of NLP will have already spotted that much of this wording would fall into one or more of the following categories listed in the heading. This is of course just one example of countless biographies that are littered throughout the internet, which in my opinion accounts for some of the reasons why some members of the public may form a somewhat tarnished view of NLP and hypnosis!

E-mail enquires about NLP

E-mail is in my opinion an extremely useful tool, especially in running an NLP training company. The potential downside is that some of the correspondence can be somewhat “odd…”

The following are real e-mails received in the last 12 months. The original names of the guilty parties have of course been changed! (but not the original spelling and grammar)

“Sir,I came to know that you are sendind free nlp cd's to practitioners. I am an NLP practitioner. So plese send the free cd's. thanking you” - Mick Carel (name changed)

“Hi I am Mark(name changed). You are online can you supply me information about Hypersuggestibility , Slavish obedience and about Trance Logic right now. Thanks in anticipation." - Mark Stafford

Where can I learn NLP for an evolved model & a concious understanding? I dont wanted to spend the whole training in deep trance & I dont really want to be learning logical level/swish patterns etc:) Do you conduct any trainings yourself in the local area? - Barry

Final Thoughts

Of course there are many excellent resources online for people interested in NLP and inevitably there will also be some useful internet interactions, possibly even in newsgroup forums! My point is that nowhere else will you find such great examples of deletion, distortion and generalisation, so in many cases my advice is to lower your expectations before going online.

Finally to conclude this article, I enclose possibly my favourite e-mail sent to me in recent times linking to a webpage stating simply this