Neuro-linguistic programming, developed in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder through the modelling of effective therapists including Milton Erickson and Fritz Perls, is built on the premise that the structure of internal experience, specifically the language, mental images, and sensory representations people use to process their experience, directly drives behaviour. Changing the structure of internal experience, even without directly addressing the behaviours themselves, can produce rapid changes in behaviour patterns.
Generalisation, Deletion, and Distortion
NLP identifies three fundamental processes by which people construct their internal model of the world: generalisation, where a single experience becomes a universal rule; deletion, where relevant information is filtered out of awareness; and distortion, where experience is altered to fit an existing belief. In the context of health behaviour, these processes produce patterns such as "I never stick to anything" (generalisation), "I can't do that" (deletion of evidence for capability), and "I ate one biscuit so the day is ruined" (distortion). Identifying and restructuring these patterns at their source rather than arguing against their conclusions changes the internal representation that generates the behaviour.
Submodalities and Motivation
NLP uses the concept of submodalities, the fine-grained qualities of mental images, sounds, and feelings, to understand and change the emotional charge of experiences. Activities people are strongly motivated toward tend to have different submodality structures in mental representation than activities they avoid. By altering the submodality structure of a disliked behaviour, its emotional quality can shift, reducing resistance without requiring direct argument or willpower.
Sources
- Bandler, R., & Grinder, J. (1975). The Structure of Magic. Science and Behavior Books.
- Heap, M. (2008). The validity of some early claims of neuro-linguistic programming. Skeptical Inquirer, 32(5).
- Craft, L.L., & Perna, F.M. (2004). The benefits of exercise for the clinically depressed. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 6(3), 104-111.