Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) - The Secrets of Mentalists.

NLP is made up of various personal development techniques intended to help its practitioners communicate better with those around them and improve their own abilities. It focuses on our reactions themselves rather than on the origin of our behaviors.

Developed in 1972 by John Grinder, a doctor of linguistics and specialist in cognitive psychology, and Richard Bandler, an American creator of the conceptual engineering of human genius and a mathematician, NLP was created from the work of psychotherapists such as Milton Erickson (1901–1980), the father of therapeutic hypnosis; Fritz Perls (1893–1970), a psychiatrist associated with Gestalt therapy; and Virginia Satir (1916–1988), an American author and pioneer of family therapy. However, it is anything but a science. The research, based on empirical observations, has never been validated by scientists.

Here is what it means:

Programming: from our earliest childhood, we record experiences from which we draw lessons that are personal to us. It is this influence of the unconscious that allows us to adapt to the situations of everyday life. These recordings condition the way we act and become automatic behaviors.

Neuro: our human behavior is based on our neurological activity. Our brain allows us to perceive, think, feel, and make choices.

Linguistic: our modes of expression and our personality are revealed through our words, gestures, and posture. This language—whether verbal or nonverbal—reflects the person we are, our character.

In mentalism, the techniques used belong more to the learning of “manipulation,” in order to bring the interlocutor onto the chosen ground. By observing them carefully, the mentalist can detect whether their behavior is open or resistant, and establish an argument that will lead toward the initial objective.

Moreover, behavioral analysis is not uniform; one must adapt each time. Having a certain feeling, or having seen a certain gesture, does not necessarily mean that one has understood the person. It should also be noted that, since the audience is never the same, theories of influence over others do not necessarily have the same effect on everyone. You must know how to adapt your speech and not rely on fixed formulas.

Mentalists who practice NLP do not use, or use very little, body-language decoding and intuition to present their experiments. As a general rule, just like magicians, they use forces and various manipulation codes. The repertoire technique is the most commonly used: always carrying a small notebook and a pen in order to gather as many details as possible. Then, during a future encounter, your interlocutor will be impressed to discover that you have “guessed” certain traits of their personality.