Providing comfort through chicanery

December 23, 2009

Some nonsense yesterday and today on Twitter and elsewhere on Neuro-Linguistic Processing (NLP), including an absurd notion that the complex domain of Cynefin is about magic! NLP according to this one commentator is a form of magic and should be permitted, along with any other pseudo-science that happens to pop up with commercial potential. My best response paraphrased from the tweet, was to say that I would: “ accept Magic in the sense of 19C spiritualists”, given that “providing comfort through chicanery would be a good description of NLP”. This all came about as a result of my tweeting this reference to NLP as a cargo-cult psychology. I like the article and the imagery produced and it’s from a serious academic. In fact as anyone knows who looks into the area, all the serious commentary rejects NLP on the grounds that it is a pseudo-science. Its also worth reading this article by Beyerstein which bundles NLP with Re-birthing and Primal Scream Therapy. Patrick Lamb picked this up after I referenced it on the ActKM listserv which also experienced a NLP incident. His interesting post deserves thought and a response in the new year.

I rather like the bundling in the Beyerstein article, it gives me a really good Christmas Curse (forget all this new age fluffy bunny being nice to each other stuff).

May all those who take NLP seriously be traumatically re-born into a special circle of the Inferno (Circle 3a I think or maybe a special section of the eighth around Bolgia 8 although Ulysses deserves better company) where they can attempt to cure their neurosis by mirroring each others screaming.

On a more charitable day I might consider a switch from Inferno to Pergatorio (In which case it would be Terrace 5a I think). All hope abandon, ye who enter here

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