- How to use NLP to start your own cult.
- Is NLP a cult?
- Is NLP manipulative?
- Is there a cult created using NLP?
- What NLP techniques can be cult-like?
How do cults use NLP? Why do so many cults appear to use NLP language and techniques? Is NLP a cult? Are cult leaders trained in NLP? Is NLP mind control?
Yes, I admit it—I eat up documentaries about cults, questionable yoga gurus, and zealous religious attachment like cake. My fascination with cults actually predates my learning of NLP.
In the 1980s and early ’90s, well before I became an NLP trainer, I had my first encounter with cults. In high school and college, cults were literally roaming the streets of Amsterdam, trying to get you to join their cause. You’d trip over cult followers in the Kalverstraat, the busiest shopping street in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. The Hare Krishna followers in orange robes repeated the same mantra endlessly, and Scientology members, though less obvious, approached people for “personality tests” from their street headquarters. Then there was the Bhagwan group, which introduced XTC to Amsterdam, after which the city became one of the largest producers of it worldwide.
At school, all 14- and 15-year-olds had to attend “cult class,” where we learned about fake gurus, recruitment tactics, and our own susceptibility. This was meant to arm us against cults and ensure we’d never get involved. Ironically, it prompted me to take a train to Amsterdam to complete the Scientology personality assessment. I think the class worked, though, because it was glaringly obvious to me why the test was manipulative and lacked scientific merit—it was just a ploy to get you on board. Clearly, Tom Cruise didn’t want me.
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At the time, I couldn’t fathom why anyone would join a cult. Now, in 2024, I understand how easy it is to draw someone into one. I’ve seen cult-like behavior in personal development seminars, including some NLP trainings, and I’ve seen how easily people seeking belonging and personal or spiritual growth can be lured in. Even today, many practitioners of Bikram or Kundalini yoga have never researched the origins of these practices. And the number of Osho (Bhagwan) quotes I see on social media is downright surprising.
What is a Cult?
A cult is a group of people devoted to a particular person, belief, or idea. Such groups often have a leader (or a group of leaders) and frequently operate outside mainstream society or religion. The line between a cult and a religion can be very fine, and similarly, so is the line between a cult and certain personal development or wellness groups. Cults typically operate with a charismatic leader and often use methods of control, isolation, and, yes, mind-altering practices, which is why NLP sometimes gets associated with them.
What is NLP?
NLP was initially created by studying the three most successful therapists of the time (the 1970s). These insights were then used to study successful people around the world to understand how they achieve what they do. That study is ongoing, resulting in a toolbox of techniques and language models that make up NLP today.
Is NLP a Cult?
Absolutely not. NLP is a methodology and a set of techniques.
Can cult-like behavior occur in NLP training? Yes, absolutely. In large NLP trainings, I often see participants coming close to blindly following everything their trainers say. And yes, I’ve attended seminars where the NLP trainer seems to enjoy the devotion a little too much, getting people to do, believe, or invest more than they would otherwise.
Is this shocking or unusual? Not at all. It’s very likely you’ve experienced something similar in a personal development seminar, yoga class, breathwork session, meditation course, or even a tech product launch inspired by a visionary like Steve Jobs. Many of us have spent thousands on brands, logos, and items endorsed by celebrities like Kim Kardashian.
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NLP is Taught by Using NLP
NLP trainers use NLP techniques to teach NLP. These include strategies to change how you process information, use language, work with emotions, and communicate verbally and non-verbally. There’s a big difference, however, between teaching an NLP skills class and manipulation.
Is NLP Manipulative?
The vast majority of NLP trainers have good intentions. Some don’t. The vast majority of NLP practitioners also have good intentions, though some do not.
Just as with psychology, NLP is a tool. It can be used constructively or, in some cases, manipulatively.
Elsewhere on this blog: Is NLP Manipulative?
How to Start a Cult Using NLP
Kidding. But why are NLP techniques sometimes associated with cults?
In a nutshell, it’s important to remember that NLP is a toolbox that includes:
Two Language Models
- Meta Model: A questioning approach that helps uncover someone’s deeper motivations, needs, and wants, allowing unconscious information to surface. This can lead to epiphanies—not new insights but clarity on what you already know yet haven’t realized consciously.
- Milton Model: A model for speaking to the unconscious mind, often used to motivate, inspire, and influence people, even creating a waking hypnosis. It’s not as mysterious as it sounds; many great speakers naturally use similar patterns without knowing NLP.
Rapport-building techniques
Techniques that create trust and connection.
NLP Techniques for observing people and understanding how they use their brain
NLP practitioners can detect patterns in thought processes. By doing so, they gain a good sense of what makes someone tick and how they may respond.
NLP Techniques for emotional shifts
These techniques can move someone from negative to more empowered emotional or positive states.
NLP Techniques for changing thoughts and beliefs
Techniques to improve the way one thinks or remove limiting beliefs.
Behavior modification
Tools that allow for adjustments in actions or habits.
Values discovery t
Techniques that allow people to live more authentically aligned with their core values.
Goal-setting techniques
Tools that engage both conscious and unconscious minds, well beyond the scope of traditional SMART goals, and techniques to overcome obstacles.
NLP techniques for common life issues
Think of things like fear, phobias, anxiety, anger, and confidence issues. Advanced NLP trainings even address grief, shame, guilt, self-esteem, trauma, and goal-setting strategies.
Stimulus-response conditioning
Anchoring tools that prime the brain to respond in a certain way when a specific action is taken.
Perception-shifting
Change perspectives to self, others, observer, groups, or higher power (source, God, etc.).
So, Can You Use NLP to Start a Cult?
If that’s what you want, sure.
But put the same tools in the hands of a coach, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, therapist, parent, child, athlete, or actor, and you get something entirely different. These techniques simply bring out qualities admired by many.
Has NLP Ever Been Used to Start a Cult? NXIVM?
Has NLP directly created a cult? That’s hard to say. But was there a cult openly teaching NLP tools? Yes!
NXIVM was a controversial organization headed by Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman. Salzman was an NLP Trainer.
NXIVM Initially a multi-level marketing scheme for personal development seminars, it did teach some NLP, alongside other invasive and ultimately harmful techniques. Investigative journalism and whistle blowers later revealed the organization was involved in forced labor, sex trafficking, branding female members, and serious financial crimes.
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Conclusion: How to Start a Cult Using NLP
In conclusion, while NLP itself is not a cult, its techniques can be powerful tools in the hands of those with good or bad intentions. From my personal experiences and observations, NLP can enrich lives when used ethically, just as easily as it can be manipulated for more sinister purposes. As with any influential technique, the ethical responsibility lies in the hands of those who wield it. Whether used by cults or by reputable trainers, the impact of NLP is profound and, as such, demands a high standard of ethical usage and awareness.
But ultimately, yes, you can use NLP start your own cult.
