Details of included studies
| Author, country and health issue | Study design and setting | Population and participants | NLP Intervention details | Assessed outcomes and measures | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomised Controlled Trials | |||||
| Krugman et al 19 US Speech anxiety | Design: RCT Setting: University Assessmen: Baseline and immediately post-treatment Groups: arm 1) NLP single session; arm 2) self-controlled desensitisation; arm 3) waiting list control | Participants: university undergraduate students Recruitment: response to advertisement for a programme to alleviate anxiety in public speaking situations. Study baseline, n = 55, 28 male/27 female. Numbers randomised, analysed and completed not reported Single session | NLP interventionist training: three graduate clinical/counselling psychologists with additional 4 months of NLP training. Training fidelity checks employed NLP intervention: phobia intervention from ‘Frogs into Princes’:2 Kinaesthetic Anchoring techniques, visualisation | Public speech anxiety. Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker Scale. Paul’s Modified Behaviour Checklist. Observed global rating of speech anxiety | Between group differences; no statistical difference between groups (results data not reported). Within group differences (pre-post tests): t values (pre-post tests): t values attained statistical significance (P<0.05) showing reduction in all measures of speech anxiety (including fear expectancy and fear survey) in all three arms. |
| de Miranda et al 20 Brazil Maternal emotional disturbance and child emotional development | Design: RCT. Setting: day care centre. Assessment: baseline and 9 months post-intervention. Groups: arm 1) NLP; arm 2) control, no further description | Participants: mother and infant pairs. Mothers’ age unreported, child age 18–36 months, sex unreported. Recruitment: not described. Randomised n = 45 (23 NLP/22 control). Completed n = 37. Analysed: children n = 27, mothers n = 37 (10 NLP/27 control) | NLP interventionist training: not described. NLP intervention: arm 1) not described beyond ‘NLP’, 15 sessions over 1 year | Child development (Bayley scale). Home environment variation (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment [HOME] questionnaire). Maternal Mental Health (Self Report Questionnaire) | Between Groups: Non-significant trend towards improvement in the HOME environment (P = 0.09). Variations in child mental development (OR 1.21, 95% CI = 0.0 to 23.08, P = 0.669). Maternal mental health: P = 0.26. |
| Stipancic et al21 Croatia Psychological difficulties | Design: RCT waiting list controlled trial alternately allocated. Setting: private psychotherapy practice. Assessments: arm 1) baseline, post-treatment and 5 months post-treatment. Arm 2) baseline, 3 months. Groups: arm 1) NLP psychotherapy, arm 2) Wait list control | Participants: self-referred for psychological difficulties to ‘reduced rate’ psychotherapy: 79% female <21 years = 9%; 21–40 years = 59% >40 years = 31%. Married 24%; employed 56%; college educated or higher 100%. Recruitment: multiple methods. Alternately allocated n = 106 (54 int/52 wait list) Number completed not reported. Analysed n = 54 in int group. Control group analyses not reported. | NLP interventionist training: Seven psychotherapists trained to NLP master practitioner level. NLP intervention: individual neurolinguistic psychotherapy (NLPt). Weekly x 60 min sessions. Mean n = 20 (range 5–65). | Baseline/screening structured clinical interviews for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. Croatian scale of Quality of Life | Between groups: ANOVA test found NLP arm resulted in QOL improvement and decreased clinical symptoms (F = 8.114, P = 0.000). Within group findings at 5 months found improvement in intervention compared to baseline (F=3.672, P = 0.019. A small significant interaction was found between number of sessions and size of improvement. |
| Sorensen et al 22 Denmark Weight maintenance | Design: RCT. Setting: weight loss clinic. Assessment: baseline pre randomisation, post intervention and at 2 and 3 years. Groups: arm 1) NLP therapy, arm 2) a course in gourmet cookery | Participants: overweright or obese adults aged 25–55 years. Recruitment: At weight loss clinic following >8% weight loss during 12-week programme. Number in study: randomised n = 48 (23 to NLP, 25 cookery); completed n = 41 (17 NLP, 24 cookery); analysed at 3 years n = 34 (16 NLP, 18 cookery) | NLP interventionist training: experienced NLP practitioner (certified by Danish NLP institute). NLP intervention: NLP course arm 1) 10 sessions over 5 months, arm 2) 10 sessions over 5 months | Fasting weight in light clothes to nearest 0.1kg on digital scales | Between groups: during the 5 months of treatment, there was no significant difference observed between groups for additional weight lost: NLP: –1.8kg versus cookery course: –0.2kg (ANCOVA, NS). After 3 years 57% in the NLP group and 50% in the cookery group had maintained a part of their initial weight loss. There was no significant difference observed between groups (ANCOVA) |
| Simpson and Dryden23 UK Panic Disorder | Design: equivalence randomised trial. Setting not reported. Assessments: screening, baseline post randomisation, immediately at intervention completion and 4 weeks post completion. Groups: Arm 1) REBT, arm 2) VKD (NLP arm) | Participants: adults meeting DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder age range 23–65 years. Recruited via media advert. Randomised n = 22, completed n = 18, (12 females/6 males) nine in each arm. Mean duration = 9.52 years. Follow-up numbers | NLP interventionist: trained hypnotherapist (registered with UK Council for Psychotherapists as a hypno-psychotherapist) NLP Intervention: VKD also known as Fast Phobia technique. Four sessions at weekly intervals | Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ) Panic Attack Symptoms Questionnaire (PASQ) Global Panic Rating (GPR) | Between groups: 4 week follow-up — no between group differences: HADS depression: F = 0.106, P = 0.749 HADS anxiety: F = 0.003, P = 0.96; ACQ: F = 0.374, P = 0.549; PASQ: F = 0.659, P = 0.429; GPR: F = 3.586, P = 0.076. There was a greater change in the pre-post scores for the VKD arm as follows pre-post intervention: GPR 18.78 reduced to 4.78; PASQ 74.78 reduced to 30.67; ACQ 2.37 reduced to 1.48; HADS anxiety 15.56 reduced to 7.11; HADS depression 9.67 reduced to 4.89 |
| Pre-Post Study Design (uncontrolled) | |||||
| Einspruch and Forman24 US Phobia | Design: pre-post design. Setting: phobia and anxiety outpatient clinic. Assessment: baseline and 8 weeks | Participants: people with simple or multiple phobias. Mean age 44 years. Male 29%. Mostly college educated. Recruitment: not reported. Baseline and number completed not reported. Analysed n = 48: group, n = 31, individual n = 17. NB: Reports only those who completed both baseline and follow-up assessments | NLP Interventionist training: not reported. NLP intervention: group or individual intervention according to assessed need. Individual: mean 2.8 sessions per person. Duration not stated. Group: weekly 2-hour sessions for 8 weeks plus three one-to-one sessions | Mark’s Phobia questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory | 16/17 individual participants and 27/29 group participants reported reduced phobia severity at follow-up (both P =<0.01). Group participants reported statistically significant improvements in depression scores (M=3.26; t = 5.18, P = <0.001), 27/29 reported reduced severity. |
| Timpany25 New Zealand Morning sickness in pregnancy | Design: pre-post. Setting: therapist office. Baseline and follow-up assessment. Follow-up time unreported | Participants: women with moderate to severe morning sickness. Recruitment: press advert. Baseline n = 12, completed n =12 analysed n =12. Single 2-hour session | NLP interventionist training: NLP trainer. NLP intervention: combination of NLP time line therapy, well-formed outcomes/goal setting and hypnotherapy | Percentage of time feeling nauseous. Number of vomiting episodes per day. Stress (unreported measure) | 50% of women felt a significant reduction in symptoms in the week after the session. Four women went from feeling nauseous 100% of the time to 20% of the time and two women from 100% to 40%. 5/8 women who had been vomiting noted improvement |
| Konefal and Duncan26 Denmark Social anxiety | Design: pre-post. Setting: residential training course. Assessment: baseline (T0), post intervention (T1) and 6 months (T2) | Participants: people with self-reported social anxiety. 15 male and 13 female), aged 20–60 years. Recruitment not reported. Baseline 28, completed = not reported, analysed n = 23 | NLP interventionist training: not stated NLP intervention: 15 skills and techniques detailed. Residential 21-day programme | Liebowitz Social Phobia Scale | Social anxiety fear T0 M = 20.3 (SE 1.8); T1 M =12.9 (SE2.0); not reported, analysed n = 23 T2 M = 12.4 (SE1.7). Fear avoidance T0 = 20.1 (SE1.7), T1 = 14.5 (SE2.2), T2 = 14.0 (SE2.2). These findings were statistically different from T0 to T1 (P<0.001), but not statistically significant from T1 to T2 |
| Gray27 US Substance misuse | Design: pre-post. Setting: community. Assessments: baseline and 16 weeks | Participants: substances mis-users. Recruitment: compulsory attendance. through criminal justice system. Baseline n = 127 of which 99 described as valid cases. Completed n = 80, analysed n = 99 | NLP interventionist training: not stated. NLP intervention: visualisation, anchoring, well-formed outcomes 2-hour weekly group session and two one-on-one sessions over 16 weeks | Urinalysis for illegal substances | Non-significant difference between completers and non-completers. Abstinence after programme: completers = 55%; non-completers: 16% |
| Bigley et al 28 UK Claustrophobic patients undergoing MRI | Design: pre-post. Setting: NHS radiography department. Assessment: on day of NLP session and follow up on day of MRI prior to scan. Time lag unreported | Participants: patients who had previously failed to undergo MRI. 24 males/26 females. Median age 52 years (range 17–75) Recruitment: NHS radiography department. Baseline n = 50, completed n = 50, analysed n = 50 | NLP interventionist training: MRI radiographer with NLP practitioner training. NLP intervention: ‘Clare’s fast phobia cure’: collapsing anchor, stacked anchor. Single session of 1 hour duration | Successfully completed MRI. Anxiety measured by adapted Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory | 38 patients (76%) successfully completed MRI. A further nine (18%) went into the scanner but image was of insufficient quality. Anxiety scores significantly reduced after NLP in all participants, but no statistical difference between those completing MRI or not (P = 0.172). Cost saving of £319 per MRI examination of MRI with NLP vs MRI under general anaesthetic |
NLP = neurolinguistic programming. OR = odds ratio. RCT = randomised controlled trial. REBT = rational emotive behaviour therapy. VKD = visual kinaesthetic dissociation.