NLP from the Perspective of Brain Research

NLP and Neurodidactics

How does communication influence the success of handovers? Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and insights from brain research, we demonstrate how clear language and targeted communication can positively influence neural patterns. The article provides practical techniques to resolve blockages, promote understanding, and reduce uncertainty – for smooth and effective processes.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) carries the reference to the neural foundations of thinking, feeling, and acting in its very name and effectively implements this claim through its transformational methods. Due to NLP's pragmatic orientation around the maxim "What works is right," it often lacks the theoretical and empirical foundations necessary to verify and communicate effectiveness. However, such a connection to scientific discourse is essential for the further development and positioning of NLP.

A logical starting point for integrating neuroscientific findings into NLP is neurodidactics, which deals with the application of learning physiology findings to brain-friendly teaching and learning (Hütter & Lang, 2024). Learning here is not limited to school contexts but includes lifelong learning in all areas – whether dealing with professional demands, mastering emotional challenges, or changing unwanted habits. Brain research provides valuable insights into how learning processes can be optimized.

Educational professor Renat Nummela-Caine, the pioneer of "Brain Based Learning", identified 12 neurodidactic principles designed to support brain-friendly learning in schools (Caine et al. 2005). Sandra Mareike Lang and I adapted these principles in our book “Neurodidactics for Trainers” to adult education and professional development (Hütter & Lang, 2024). It becomes clear that NLP methods can be optimally used to implement these principles.

On the following pages, I place common NLP concepts and methods in the context of neurodidactic principles, which underpin their effectiveness. By systematically connecting NLP with neurodidactic principles of impact, NLP methods can not only be applied more purposefully but also communicated more clearly in terms of their benefits. Additionally, new creative possibilities arise for further developing NLP formats based on neuroscientific findings.

Principle 1: Learning is a physiological process

This first principle points to the fundamental concept of neuroplasticity, which forms the basis of all learning processes. Long-term learning only occurs when neuronal structures in the brain organically transform. New synapses are formed, old connections are dissolved, and previously weak links can become strong neural “highways.” This happens when emotionally significant experiences lead to structural changes in the brain's connectome via gene expression and protein biosynthesis. For learning to be successful, time and growth-promoting conditions such as sleep, exercise, emotional involvement, and the activation of multiple sensory channels are essential.

This is precisely where NLP comes in. The internal and external use of all senses (VAKOG) is a central element in the application of NLP. Long before embodiment research provided broad empirical evidence of the physical nature of our psychological processes (Storch et al. 2022), NLP had already identified seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting as primary access points to subjective experience and emotional intensity. Thus, the more abstract categories such as emotions, values, and beliefs – also used by other coaching and therapy approaches – are always anchored in physiological experience in NLP. This amplifies the sensory and emotional intensity and, with it, the neuroplastic impact of communication and coaching.

In particular, the submodalities of the sensory channels, as they are called in NLP, are known in brain research for their role in constructing reality. For example, visual features such as brightness, contrast, proximity, and color serve as heuristics for the brain to assess the reality status of an imagined event (Roth, 2011). The basic principle: the more detailed the mental image, the more real and attractive it appears to us – and the more likely it is to trigger goal-oriented actions.

So when we teach NLP practitioners to train their imagination, we give them a powerful tool to take control of their physical brain and guide their neural networking in desirable directions.

Principle 2: The brain is social.

Learning is not just an individual process but deeply rooted in social interactions. Our prefrontal cortex, the center for higher cognitive functions such as thinking, planning, and goal-directed behavior, evolved primarily to handle the complexity of social relationships (Grossmann, 2013). Cooperation is our greatest survival advantage, and social bonds activate our attachment system, which is strengthened by the release of oxytocin. This hormone not only boosts motivation and reduces stress but also activates mirror neurons, allowing us to learn effortlessly by imitating role models (Hütter, 2018).

This is where NLP directly connects. One of its core elements is modeling – the conscious adoption of successful behavior patterns from role models. This technique leverages the natural function of the social brain to acquire knowledge through imitation. After all, learning by imitating socially close role models is one of the most powerful forms of learning. But NLP goes even further: through its special focus on rapport – the establishment of deep, empathic connection – it creates optimal conditions for intuitive learning from role models. Strong rapport boosts the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin. In turn, oxytocin enhances motivation by stimulating the dopamine system and supports relaxed learning by dampening the hormonal stress axis. Most importantly, oxytocin activates mirror neurons, which are the neural hardware of imitation learning and enable implicit model learning.

Through calibration – the precise perception of the partner's states and physiology – as well as through targeted mirroring, both in body language and through active listening strategies, NLP effectively places the relationship at the center. Recent studies show that mirroring behavior is associated with collaborative interaction and the building of shared goals (Reed, 2020).

Principle 3: The Search for Meaning is Innate

Our brain is designed to recognize meanings and generate a sense of purpose. The hippocampus, the organizer of our conscious memory, serves as a pattern recognition detector that matches new experiences with known patterns, while the prefrontal cortex integrates this information and assigns meaning. A clearly recognizable meaning increases motivation and well-being – as shown by Viktor Frankl (Logotherapy) and Aaron Antonovsky (Sense of Coherence concept in the salutogenesis approach) in their work (Frankl, 1984; Antonovsky, 1987).

NLP taps into this natural sense-making orientation of our thinking organ and offers concrete tools to support it. A central concept is that of "well-formed outcomes," which define a goal through positive phrasing, sensory perceptibility, personal influence, context, and a cost-benefit check (ecology check), enriching it with meaningful inner representations. This significantly increases the likelihood of goal achievement by raising the consistency of simultaneously activated neural excitations (cf. Grawe 2004), thereby bundling action energy.

Moreover, NLP uses framing techniques to embed learning content or projects into a larger context. According to Bernice McCarthy’s 4MAT model, framing includes four central components: Why, What, How, and What if. Content (What), method (How), and transfer (What if) are clearly subordinate to the primary goal of motivational benefit (Why). When we use the famous "Start with Why" (Sinek, 2009) in our speeches, seminars, instructions, change communication, or sales talks, we create a framework for our communication that directly connects with our counterpart's motivation system.

If, on the other hand, a personal construction of meaning causes problems – for example, because I label my high quality standards as pedantry – we have wonderful options with various reframing methods to offer ourselves and our clients more resourceful interpretations.

Principle 4: The Search for Meaning Works Through the Formation of Neural Patterns

Learning occurs by linking new information to existing neural patterns. The development of new patterns always requires connection to existing structures. In NLP, this principle is applied especially through the concept of "pacing and leading." Pacing – the art of connecting to the posture and behavior of the other person – forms the basis for communication to become neurologically connectable. Building upon that, leading opens new perspectives and behaviors. In this way, we can connect not only with currently active states of our clients or conversation partners but also work effectively with enduring and powerful neural schemas such as values and beliefs.

Principle 5: Emotions are Important for Pattern Formation

Our neural networks develop through synaptic plasticity. If you want to turn a neural path into a well-paved habit, you can't avoid some "neural road construction." This is sometimes exhausting and requires a lot of emotional energy. Neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which are released during strong emotions, trigger a biochemical signal cascade that leads to gene expression and protein synthesis – essentially the asphalt for that neural roadwork (cf. McReynolds & McIntyre 2012). In other words: emotions are the fertilizer sticks in the brain’s flowerpot!

NLP offers numerous techniques to activate and regulate emotions purposefully. One of them is anchoring, where emotional states are made retrievable through specific triggers. This method helps people shift into desirable states like confidence or motivation – for example, before important challenges such as job interviews or presentations.

Other valuable tools for emotional self-regulation include the methods of association ("in the middle of it") and dissociation ("just watching"). Through association, people can fully experience a situation with all senses, while dissociation helps to emotionally distance themselves. These techniques give people back control over their emotions and thus lay the foundation for the "P" in NLP – the "programming" of personal neural readiness and the creation of future possibilities in thought and behavior.

Principle 6: The Brain Processes Information in Parts and as a Whole at the Same Time

Learning occurs both inductively – mostly unconsciously deriving rules from experience (e.g., learning one’s native language) – and deductively, where principles are taught first and then applied in practice (e.g., grammar lessons in foreign language classes). Both approaches are essential for effective learning depending on the situation.

NLP practitioners learn to work specifically with different chunk levels – the abstraction levels at which information is processed: from detailed elements to broader concepts. This flexibility between levels of concreteness and abstraction provides experienced NLP users with security in both didactic modes. As a seminar leader, for example, you can explain a concept precisely and then let participants practice it (deductive). But you can just as well ask about current concerns, identify patterns in those concerns, and spontaneously offer one or more suitable interventions (inductive). This provides flexibility in action and a high degree of needs-oriented communication.

Principle 7: We Learn Through Focused Attention but Also Through Peripheral Perception

Our brain processes an estimated 11 million bits per second (Zimmermann, 1986), while our working memory can process 50 bits or fewer per second (Cowan, 2001). So we consciously perceive only a tiny fraction of what we actually process. Since our conscious cortex consumes a lot of energy, this limitation is a necessary energy-saving measure of human nature. Yet – and precisely because of this – unconscious processing significantly influences our learning. Our greatest learning leaps – from walking and language acquisition to socialization – do not occur through explicit rule learning but through intuitive skill acquisition from years of experience.

NLP deliberately uses this duality of focused and peripheral learning. Techniques like working with floor anchors allow decisions and options to be consciously reflected upon while simultaneously being intuitively felt. This creates space for intuitive insights and the emergence of somatic markers (Damasio, 1996), which make coherent decision-making easier.

Trance formats and creativity techniques like the Disney Method also deliberately switch between phases of conscious analysis ("realist, critic") and intuitive experience ("dreamer") to foster creative solutions and insights. NLP thus offers a good balance between cognitive reflection and intuitive experience.

Principle 8: We Can Learn Consciously and Unconsciously

The brain operates in different states. Two central modes include the activation of task-related networks (Task Positive Network), which enable conscious, goal-directed action, and the Default Mode Network, which supports creative processes in daydream-like states. Both modes are essential for effective learning and problem-solving (Raichle & Snyder, 2007).

This duality is well represented methodologically in NLP. The Meta Model of language is used to make unconscious content conscious. Through precise questions, deleted information, unconscious presuppositions, or unrecognized resources can be brought to awareness and processed. This activates the executive functions of the frontal brain and promotes pattern recognition and conscious transformational work.

At the same time, the Milton Model with its hypnotic language patterns provides a foundation for connecting with the unconscious. In trance states, such as those reached in hypnosis, the brain often experiences so-called hypofrontality, a slight underperfusion of the frontal lobe. This reduces cognitive alertness, including critical self-observation. We become more open to new experiences and can temporarily let go of our rational defense mechanisms. Simultaneously, sensory areas in the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic cortex are more strongly activated. As a result, vivid inner images, sounds, or feelings can be more easily accessed and used. This allows us to enhance our imagination—and with it, the neuroplastic impact of our inner images—significantly (Halsband, 2009).

Principle 9: There Are Different Types of Memory

In addition to declarative memory, which stores facts and events, there is procedural memory for processes and routines, as well as emotional memory, which stores feelings. These types of memory can function or fail independently of each other, as shown, for example, by cases where people can still learn new skills despite losing their declarative memory.

One genre that engages all types of memory is storytelling. Stories activate episodic memory, whose narrative structure can be particularly well processed by our pattern-recognizing hippocampus. At the same time, stories activate procedural and emotional memory through their action sequences and our identification with the joys and sorrows of the protagonists. Working with metaphors and stories—a key element of the “L” in NLP—makes it easier to access the brain’s fundamental information processing mechanisms.

Neuroscientific studies show that when processing abstract concepts such as "emotional pain" or "financial risks," the brain resorts to physical, concrete analogies to represent these concepts. We process them using anatomical structures involved in bodily perception, for example, centers for disgust and pain (Kuhen & Knutson, 2005; Macdonald & Leary, 2005).

When we begin with concrete experiences in coaching or seminars, we spare the brain the metabolically intensive task of translating abstractions back into physical terms—we start directly on the concrete level, where the brain processes information most easily through "embodied concepts" (Lakoff & Johnson 1999). From floor anchors to working with chairs and timelines, NLP offers many formats that activate this body memory and thus optimally utilize the brain’s modus operandi.

Principle 10: Learning is Development-Dependent

An individual’s cognitive and emotional maturity influences how learning processes can be designed. For example, the abstraction abilities of an eight-year-old are different from those of a twelve-year-old due to the differing maturation of the prefrontal cortex. However, studies show that the development of the prefrontal cortex also varies greatly among adults. A higher degree of gyrification (more folds and ridges in the brain) has been linked to greater mental flexibility and working memory capacity (Gautam et al., 2015). Similar findings exist for emotional maturity, such as increases in gray matter in cortical regions responsible for emotional self-regulation—observed, for instance, during mindfulness training (Kang et al., 2013).

Unlike in the early days of NLP, we now have a wealth of studies that convincingly demonstrate the developmental potential of our brain through various interventions, especially in adulthood. Therefore, even those who may sneer at the somewhat mechanical metaphor of "programming" (the "P" in NLP) from today’s perspective cannot ignore the fact of the brain’s unexpectedly far-reaching programmability through our own choices and experiences.

Principle 11: Complex Learning is Promoted by Challenge. Fear and Threat Inhibit Learning.

Stress biology shows that moderate, self-chosen challenges have neuroprotective effects and promote neuroplasticity (Kirby et al., 2013). In contrast, excessive levels of stress hormones like norepinephrine and cortisol, especially under chronic stress, lead to neurotoxic effects that reduce brain connectivity and can even cause the loss of gray matter (Kaufer & Freidman, 2014).

Particularly through the mentioned methods of association and dissociation, as well as anchoring or formats like the so-called “phobia technique” or “change history,” NLP practitioners are given effective tools for managing a wide range of stressors.

This enables a shift from passively endured, health-damaging "prey stress" to healthy, voluntarily chosen, and short-term stress (Sapolsky, 2021). With each actively managed stressor, self-efficacy expectations grow—as does the joy and competence to face life’s challenges with enthusiasm.

Principle 12: Every Brain is Unique

This final neurodidactic principle points to the individuality of each human brain. Due to genetic differences and varied life experiences, highly individualized synaptic connection patterns emerge. This diversity means that every person experiences and processes the world in a subjectively different way.

In NLP, appreciating and honoring this subjectivity is central. For example, the axiom “The map is not the territory” emphasizes that each person has their own internal map that shapes their perception of external reality. This respect for others’ world models also extends inward. NLP techniques such as Six-Step Reframing encourage respect for one’s own inner parts by acknowledging the positive intention behind every behavior. Instead of judging unwanted behaviors, NLP seeks alternative ways to fulfill the underlying positive intention.

In the feedback loop between inner and outer experience, such a cultivated friendly self-relationship can lay the foundation for harmonious coexistence. In times of global crises, political radicalization, and increasing conflict, it is more important than ever to build bridges between different world models and to listen appreciatively to those who think differently. Then, the hope for peace and a brilliant future for us and our children has a realistic chance. Let us use the potential of NLP to learn to live with ourselves and each other in love and joy!