CBT vs NLP?

[egoless]

What's the main difference between CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy) and NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming)? And which one is more effective?

[Telepresent]

Well I'm going to post a useless reply because I know nothing about NLP. But I can describe CBT a little bit. The basic idea of CBT is recognising and challenging your thinking. The basis is that much/most of our thinking is automatic, and our emotions react to that automatic thought. Many/most of these thoughts are negative - Negative Automatic Thoughts  (NATs). 

CBT is a methodology for learning to recognise, challenge, and replace NATs with more realistic, helpful, and emotionally healthy thoughts. It trains you to recognise different kinds of NAT (there are a whole bunch, such as black-and-white thinking, or overgeneralisation, or mind-reading), to recognise how you emotionally react to that thought, and to challenge whether that thought/emotion is truthful. 

I've found it immensely helpful, if frustrating because a) I want to be 'better now' and it forces me to challenge the whole notion of 'better now' and not give up on myself; and b) because every time my girlfriend says "what kind of thinking is that?" it infuriates me because I'm no longer justified in wallowing in my emotion!

But yes, I find it to be a life-changer, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get to grips with their own thinking

[egoless]

@Telepresent But people say CBT acts only on surface level and works with your consciousness. But NLP programs your subconscious which is more powerful and effective long run...

[Telepresent]

@egoless I'm afraid I don't know anything about that. Except to say that as long as I am dealing with my conscious experience, I have the ability to consciously interact with what is happening

[Crystalous]

I am sure both of them can give you understanding of the self.

Edited March 19, 2018 by Crystalous

[kieranperez]

Best for what purpose? I've had several years of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and was in a hospitalization program at UCSF for it. Not sure what you're asking

[Erlend K]

The most important difference between CBT and NLP is that CBT actually works in the real world. NLP has been thouroughy tested in controlled trials and found to not be supperior to placibo threatment. This is the reason why modern therapists still use CBT, but has completely ditched NLP. 

[SgtPepper]

Honestly, when reading it, it sounds quite the same, but scientifically NLP has been discredited according to wiki. All therapy is neuro programming with language to me. 

You may interested in mindful therapies:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness-based_cognitive_therapy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy

 

[Haumea]

I can tell you what the limitations of both are.

A core component of CBT is addressing beliefs.

The trouble is, the therapist's level of consciousness is the limiting factor in addressing beliefs.

They got egos and hence many limiting beliefs themselves.

(And if you're doing the workbook yourself, you cannot possibly know what is and isn't a "belief."  Even if you think you've identified a belief, you probably don't understand WHY it is false or can let it go.  There is still an emotional fixation on it.)

NLP aims to reprogam the unconscious through language.

Again, as long as there's an I-thought, there will be something to attach to mental constructs and create neuroses.

It's like playing whack-a-mole with neurotic constructs.

If you get fully enlightened, you don't need either.  The ego-shadow dynamic (i.e. attachment to certain material arising and disavowal/repression/projection of other will reduce and then cease.)

 

[egoless]

@Haumea Don’t you think some Enlightened people would benefit from NLP too? I think NLP is much more powerful and spiritualy advanced than CBT. CBT is only surface...