WHY NEURO-SCIENCE IS IRRELEVANT TO NLP

For many years, some before I learned NLP and for many of the years since, I have read a book or two every year on neurology, brain anatomy, and/or the neuro- sciences. It’s all very interesting stuff! I integrated much of it in the work on Executive Thinking and Brain Camp. But, in terms of understanding NLP, training NLP, or coaching or consulting with NLP as a communication model— it is not necessary and you do not need it.

Why? First and foremost because NLP and Neuro-Semantics is about human functioning, human psychology, and human communication, to wit, the human “software” of our programs. The neuro-sciences are about the “hardware” of the brain and nervous systems. And while these are complementary systems, they are also very different fields. One is about the brain, the other is about the mind. One deals with the hard facts of brain anatomy, the other with subjective experience. As such, they require different understandings, different models, and different competencies.