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Using Your Brain--For a Change: Neuro-Linguistic Programming by Richard Bandler
NLP offers a conceptual understanding that is solidly based on information science and computer programming, yet rooted even more thoroughly in the observation of living human experience. Everything in NLP can be directly verified in your own experience, or by observing others. The new submobility patterns described and taught in this book are even faster and more powerful ways of creating personal change than the earlier NLP methods.
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First published July 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 18, 2013
I like the idea that we have the capacity to self-change the patterns we have created to automatically sabotage ourselves. His wisecracks and matter-of-fact approach to doing his tricks are not only enlightening but entertaining. I am not surprised at these possibilities but I find them reinforcing the truths that are already there. Good work Dr. Bandler.
March 15, 2008
This is the funniest book on psychology I've ever read, but it's also provided food for thought for many years. A great investigation into the way the mind works, a practical user's manual that is also creative & open-ended.
August 3, 2013
[The rating for this should be 0]
It is books like this that make you think of Tyler’s “Self-improvement is masturbation.”
I do want to better myself, to know more about the world, about people, and about myself, but how can you work on the latter, when lots of books are pure garbage.
Richard Bandler is one of those annoying self-help guys that just make me angry knowing they exist. The book is about something called NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming). See how impressive that sounds? That is what these motherfuckers do. Their aim is to fool people. See, the word has “Neuro” in it, so it sounds medical, it has “linguistic” another attempt to make it sounds more professional, and ends with “programming” to make it sounds very logical. It is not, no matter how many times assholes like Richard Bandler use terms like “cutting-edge technology” to talk about bullshit.
One of his most annoying traits is how he insults psychology. I’m not a big fan of psychology, since I think most of it is wrong, and psychologists are usually morons who studied to be better morons, but I at least acknowledge that it is the best thing we have at the moment. But here are some of Bandler’s put downs of psychology,
“…in which professionals get paid more if they take longer to solve a problem. Since incompetence is rewarded, new and better methods take much longer to become part of the mainstream in these fields.”
“Except for torturing rats, probably more psychologists’ time has gone into studying memory than any other subject.”
To get into people’s minds, he overstates his work. He talks about how by controlling the images in your mind, you can either learn to be a civil engineer or a psychotic. Or how there really isn’t a lot of difference between being a physicists and being a schizophrenic (his reason is that they both talk about things you can’t see, conveniently ignoring that physicists have theories that other’s can verify).
His techniques are mostly moronic, and I can summarize them for you in a few lines. Think of a memory. Now, change that image (like making it brighter). You now associate happiness to that memory. Using more or less these techniques (with a lot of variety, changing the size, etc), you can change year old phobias in MINUTES. Fuck you, Richard Bandler.
I will admit that there might be something in thinking deeply about your experiences, and I am sure there is something interesting there, but merely thinking of image and changing its height or size or color. I am an imaginative person, but I do not see feelings in clear pictures that I can manipulate.
Here is a brief example of one his techniques, “Now I want you to run a movie of exactly the same event, but from the point of view of looking over that other person's shoulder, so that you can see yourself as that argument takes place. Go through the same movie from beginning to end, watching from this viewpoint. . . .”
Another one is, “First I want you to imagine that you're sitting in the middle of a movie theater, and up on the screen you can see a blackand-white snapshot in which you see yourself in a situation just before you had the phobic response. . .”
Nothing irritates me more than reading a book like this and have the author constantly praise himself. Here are some of the most annoying examples,
“…and you'll save another thousand dollars worth of therapy. Believe me, when this stuff gets known, we're going to put traditional therapists out of business. They'll be out there with the people selling magic spells and powdered bat wings.” (this was written twenty years back, and I’d wish I could feel a certain satisfaction knowing he is wrong, but I can’t, because I’m sure he doesn’t give a shit, as he just wanted to make money at that time, he probably didn’t believe his own bullshit.”
“…so he had actually invested about $140,000 [and sixteen years] trying to change something that took me ten minutes to change.”
“In a recent seminar there was a woman in the front row moaning and groaning about having tried to quit smoking for eleven years. I changed her in less than eleven minutes.”
Even his explanations are stupid. At one part he talks about the reason we don’t remember things from school, is because school is a bad experience, so we forget it. “Since he doesn’t want to feel bad, he is not likely to remember it.” This is moronic on so many levels. Schools are sometimes a lot of fun for some people who fuck around all day, and terrifying for some of the nerds, but I bet the nerds remember more years later. And if people did not remember things that made them feel bad, then we’d all be okay, but we always DO remember things that makes us feel back.
If all of that does not seem bad enough, the book seems to be just a written from a seminar, since it participants ask questions. This means, fucking Bandler has not even taken the effort to actually put any effort to write it. I’m just slightly glad I stole it from the internet, and did not have to pay for Bandler’s cocaine habit.
Cocaine habit? I’m not joking. This is what turns me most into the Incredible Hulk. That these fuckers steal money from people, pretend they have certain answers, and then can not use them themselves. He filed for divorce with his wife, sued his partner against the ownership of the name, NLP, and used cocaine, and was involved with the murder of a prostitution (he was not acquitted though).
Yet people always get fooled. These pieces of shit fuckers charges for books, tapes, seminars, personal talks, and so on, and people always buy it. People being morons would not concern me so much, if it were not for the fact that gullibility is DANGEROUS. If you are willing to pay big money to someone to tell you bullshit, then it would not take much effort for your government or your religion to do what it wants with you.
It is books like this that make you think of Tyler’s “Self-improvement is masturbation.”
I do want to better myself, to know more about the world, about people, and about myself, but how can you work on the latter, when lots of books are pure garbage.
Richard Bandler is one of those annoying self-help guys that just make me angry knowing they exist. The book is about something called NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming). See how impressive that sounds? That is what these motherfuckers do. Their aim is to fool people. See, the word has “Neuro” in it, so it sounds medical, it has “linguistic” another attempt to make it sounds more professional, and ends with “programming” to make it sounds very logical. It is not, no matter how many times assholes like Richard Bandler use terms like “cutting-edge technology” to talk about bullshit.
One of his most annoying traits is how he insults psychology. I’m not a big fan of psychology, since I think most of it is wrong, and psychologists are usually morons who studied to be better morons, but I at least acknowledge that it is the best thing we have at the moment. But here are some of Bandler’s put downs of psychology,
“…in which professionals get paid more if they take longer to solve a problem. Since incompetence is rewarded, new and better methods take much longer to become part of the mainstream in these fields.”
“Except for torturing rats, probably more psychologists’ time has gone into studying memory than any other subject.”
To get into people’s minds, he overstates his work. He talks about how by controlling the images in your mind, you can either learn to be a civil engineer or a psychotic. Or how there really isn’t a lot of difference between being a physicists and being a schizophrenic (his reason is that they both talk about things you can’t see, conveniently ignoring that physicists have theories that other’s can verify).
His techniques are mostly moronic, and I can summarize them for you in a few lines. Think of a memory. Now, change that image (like making it brighter). You now associate happiness to that memory. Using more or less these techniques (with a lot of variety, changing the size, etc), you can change year old phobias in MINUTES. Fuck you, Richard Bandler.
I will admit that there might be something in thinking deeply about your experiences, and I am sure there is something interesting there, but merely thinking of image and changing its height or size or color. I am an imaginative person, but I do not see feelings in clear pictures that I can manipulate.
Here is a brief example of one his techniques, “Now I want you to run a movie of exactly the same event, but from the point of view of looking over that other person's shoulder, so that you can see yourself as that argument takes place. Go through the same movie from beginning to end, watching from this viewpoint. . . .”
Another one is, “First I want you to imagine that you're sitting in the middle of a movie theater, and up on the screen you can see a blackand-white snapshot in which you see yourself in a situation just before you had the phobic response. . .”
Nothing irritates me more than reading a book like this and have the author constantly praise himself. Here are some of the most annoying examples,
“…and you'll save another thousand dollars worth of therapy. Believe me, when this stuff gets known, we're going to put traditional therapists out of business. They'll be out there with the people selling magic spells and powdered bat wings.” (this was written twenty years back, and I’d wish I could feel a certain satisfaction knowing he is wrong, but I can’t, because I’m sure he doesn’t give a shit, as he just wanted to make money at that time, he probably didn’t believe his own bullshit.”
“…so he had actually invested about $140,000 [and sixteen years] trying to change something that took me ten minutes to change.”
“In a recent seminar there was a woman in the front row moaning and groaning about having tried to quit smoking for eleven years. I changed her in less than eleven minutes.”
Even his explanations are stupid. At one part he talks about the reason we don’t remember things from school, is because school is a bad experience, so we forget it. “Since he doesn’t want to feel bad, he is not likely to remember it.” This is moronic on so many levels. Schools are sometimes a lot of fun for some people who fuck around all day, and terrifying for some of the nerds, but I bet the nerds remember more years later. And if people did not remember things that made them feel bad, then we’d all be okay, but we always DO remember things that makes us feel back.
If all of that does not seem bad enough, the book seems to be just a written from a seminar, since it participants ask questions. This means, fucking Bandler has not even taken the effort to actually put any effort to write it. I’m just slightly glad I stole it from the internet, and did not have to pay for Bandler’s cocaine habit.
Cocaine habit? I’m not joking. This is what turns me most into the Incredible Hulk. That these fuckers steal money from people, pretend they have certain answers, and then can not use them themselves. He filed for divorce with his wife, sued his partner against the ownership of the name, NLP, and used cocaine, and was involved with the murder of a prostitution (he was not acquitted though).
Yet people always get fooled. These pieces of shit fuckers charges for books, tapes, seminars, personal talks, and so on, and people always buy it. People being morons would not concern me so much, if it were not for the fact that gullibility is DANGEROUS. If you are willing to pay big money to someone to tell you bullshit, then it would not take much effort for your government or your religion to do what it wants with you.
August 27, 2015
I read this book 24 years ago. It changed my life. I cured myself of insomnia and a massive fear of 'public' speaking (any group of 3 or more people was 'public' speaking to me!). I have used the power of NLP daily, since.
December 7, 2013
A very insightful and mind-altering book. If you go into this book really wanting to see change and really wanting to gain control of your own mind. You will be amazed. You may have to read through some chapters a second time to get the full effect, but no worries, it is an enjoyable novel. Very interactive. Take as much time as you need to go through each exercise. It is no race. This book is personalized for each reader.
February 15, 2009
I was astounded that this author actually wrote about striking a client because he felt that the man needed a good slap. I just couldn't proceed after that, nor could I tolerate his smug attitude.
May 2, 2020
There are some pretty harsh reviews out there, so I'll try to provide an honest review.
If you're looking for a self improvement book, then there are other very good reads on the market that can help change your approach to situations and change your way of thinking.
NLP has never pretended to be scientific, although neurological science has helped improve the understanding of NLP over the years. It is about changing brain patterns and changing unhelpful thought processes that hold individuals back. Yes it has given birth to showman type people like Tony Robbins (if you like that sort of thing), but if you look at NLP in its simplist form it is a coaching tool that psychologically can help people to be better at what they want in life and give up bad habits.
Back to the book, it's important to understand that this book is written as though you are at a seminar or workshop. It skips through techniques and doesn't lay out why these techniques work in any great detail or any of the study behind it. Which is great if you just want to try the techniques, not great if your looking to understand more about NLP.
So caution;
A good read for those who understand basic coaching skills or do coaching at work etc. and what to refresh their own way of approaching the subject.
An okay read for someone wanting to try the techniques to help challenge their normal way of thinking. Bear in mind it is a transcription, not a normal book.
Not so great for people who want to learn about NLP and mindset work, as there is an assumption that you're familiar with some mindset work already.
If you're looking for a self improvement book, then there are other very good reads on the market that can help change your approach to situations and change your way of thinking.
NLP has never pretended to be scientific, although neurological science has helped improve the understanding of NLP over the years. It is about changing brain patterns and changing unhelpful thought processes that hold individuals back. Yes it has given birth to showman type people like Tony Robbins (if you like that sort of thing), but if you look at NLP in its simplist form it is a coaching tool that psychologically can help people to be better at what they want in life and give up bad habits.
Back to the book, it's important to understand that this book is written as though you are at a seminar or workshop. It skips through techniques and doesn't lay out why these techniques work in any great detail or any of the study behind it. Which is great if you just want to try the techniques, not great if your looking to understand more about NLP.
So caution;
A good read for those who understand basic coaching skills or do coaching at work etc. and what to refresh their own way of approaching the subject.
An okay read for someone wanting to try the techniques to help challenge their normal way of thinking. Bear in mind it is a transcription, not a normal book.
Not so great for people who want to learn about NLP and mindset work, as there is an assumption that you're familiar with some mindset work already.
May 21, 2013
Not a "quick" read, but if you are interested in pursuing the art and science of NLP, this is the place to start. Powerful tools for anyone who makes their living on understanding how to connect with others.
December 14, 2017
Brilliant book, thank you, Dr. Bandler. I highly recommend Using Your Brain For a Change to anyone who is interested in exploring the power we all have to create our own experience. I find it fascinating that such seemingly simple techniques can have such wonderful results.
March 7, 2019
NLP is scam. Its a theory developed in intriguing way which tries to answer the things which we already knew. Any cognitive theory, psychology can be presented as NLP with the tweaks. I have been going through various books , audi0's, videos they are pure scam. try to avoid it, in case you think they are going to help you. Read such book or books only if you are interested in the topic or want to increase your knowledge but I personally think, don't waste time reading such books if result is expected from it.
April 4, 2021
This is my 6th NLP book I have read, and my 3rd one by Richard Bandler. This book focuses using NLP on the following:
1. Procrastination
2. Insomnia
3. Belief Change Pattern
4. Integrating Anchors
5. The Swish Pattern
The reader will reinforce ideas on the above 5 areas if they have some NLP experience prior to reading this book. If not, the reader will learn fresh these concepts. It is always entertaining to read Bandler because of his humor.
1. Procrastination
2. Insomnia
3. Belief Change Pattern
4. Integrating Anchors
5. The Swish Pattern
The reader will reinforce ideas on the above 5 areas if they have some NLP experience prior to reading this book. If not, the reader will learn fresh these concepts. It is always entertaining to read Bandler because of his humor.
August 24, 2024
"Usando Sua Mente" de Richard Bandler, é um livro sobre Programação Neurolinguística (PNL), que descreve algumas ferramentas, técnicas e métodos práticos para alterar padrões.
Destaca a importância da visualização, do uso da linguagem e da auto-reflexão como meios de transformação.
Contribui para exemplificar o impacto que a linguagem e a visualização têm na criação do mapa que representa o território onde vivemos. Para quê usar um mapa de papel desdobrável se podemos utilizar o waze 😀
Destaca a importância da visualização, do uso da linguagem e da auto-reflexão como meios de transformação.
Contribui para exemplificar o impacto que a linguagem e a visualização têm na criação do mapa que representa o território onde vivemos. Para quê usar um mapa de papel desdobrável se podemos utilizar o waze 😀
December 30, 2021
Using your brain for a change is a book I believe every adult and child should be offered to read to better understand the inner workings of their brain - the flaws and the gifts.
Contents:
I Who's driving the bus?
II Running your own brain
III Points of View
IV Going Wrong
V Going for it
VI Understanding Confusion
VII Beyond Belief
VIII Learning
IX The Swish
A must read imho
Contents:
I Who's driving the bus?
II Running your own brain
III Points of View
IV Going Wrong
V Going for it
VI Understanding Confusion
VII Beyond Belief
VIII Learning
IX The Swish
A must read imho
September 2, 2025
Soggetto interessante ma (tra)scritto in un modo non semplice da leggere: sembrerebbe la trascrizione letterale di una conferenza tenuta dall’autore, durante la quale interloquisce con il pubblico al fine di permettere ad alcuni tra questi di sperimentare certi ‘trucchi’ al fine di apprendere la PNL
October 4, 2018
Fullt godkänd bok av en av de två NLP-grundarna. Tror alla som läser kan få ut något av den genom att ändra sitt sätt att tänka.
August 23, 2017
One of the must read books...
November 8, 2018
Great book from Bandler.
It talks about NLP, in-depth on submodalities.
Recommended.
It talks about NLP, in-depth on submodalities.
Recommended.
March 18, 2019
It's an okay book. To me it was a repeat of a lot of stuff that I have read. Good reminders for me, but not much new.
August 29, 2020
I've already read other RB books, so its mostly recycled material. But its a good reminder. Can people change the way they think? I believe everyone should strive to become better.
March 28, 2021
basicamente um livro ensinando lei da atenção e sem nada de científico
April 6, 2021
Libro fondamentale per conoscere le basi della PNL. Uno dei must più importanti
January 25, 2022
I enjoyed this book. Really walks you through the swish program.
Trance-formation was much more dense and instructive but this book is also good.
Trance-formation was much more dense and instructive but this book is also good.
March 14, 2022
interesting, but a little too patriarcal in the exemples.
April 19, 2022
still haven't understood whether NLP works or not but it is interesting to read.
Read
June 24, 2023Brain control using visual imagery techniques - shifting parameters on visual images.
February 23, 2017
*More of a personal note than a reivew
Excellent book. I swear I wrote a review for this book already, maybe it was on amazon...
I have found out that it is time to start actually using my brain in it's intended way and training it with new strategies.
I am curious how this goes along with the affirmations that I am doing. It is defiantly time for me to read it again.
Excellent book. I swear I wrote a review for this book already, maybe it was on amazon...
I have found out that it is time to start actually using my brain in it's intended way and training it with new strategies.
I am curious how this goes along with the affirmations that I am doing. It is defiantly time for me to read it again.
January 15, 2014
It’s a very interesting book and it gave me some insights into NLP. Also it's one of his later works and a lot has changed, he went more to the “keep it simple” approach. At the same time I was also reading one of his first books “the structure of magic I” which is a lot harder to get through because it's a lot more academic. It seems he got older and got tired of all the complicated methods and explanations.
He writes in a somewhat arrogant tone which can be very unpleasant, somewhere in the books he slaps a patient in the face to make a point. He has a strong personality indeed and it shows. I believe NLP work but like most methods it's just a system and not a solution for everything, it will work more for some people and for others not at all. Most of this book is common sense and like I said not so much complicated techniques. What I've liked especially is that he showed me that there is no point in healing someone by simulating him/her in to a disillusioned state, like creating a fake confidence that only masks the problem where it should be resolved.
I would say definitely worth a read but like with anything else it's not an ultimate so don't take it to serious.
He writes in a somewhat arrogant tone which can be very unpleasant, somewhere in the books he slaps a patient in the face to make a point. He has a strong personality indeed and it shows. I believe NLP work but like most methods it's just a system and not a solution for everything, it will work more for some people and for others not at all. Most of this book is common sense and like I said not so much complicated techniques. What I've liked especially is that he showed me that there is no point in healing someone by simulating him/her in to a disillusioned state, like creating a fake confidence that only masks the problem where it should be resolved.
I would say definitely worth a read but like with anything else it's not an ultimate so don't take it to serious.
April 22, 2014
While I understand the value of some of the exercises outlined within the book, I disliked the attitude of the seminar material. I felt the basic tools were meant to be empowering, but came across as demeaning or superior. I wish there had been actual examples rather than "think of a thing, but don't actually tell me (or the reader) what that thing is...because that would make TOO MUCH SENSE". That didn't help me at all. I'm not a good book learner when it comes to practical applications/processes, and require explicit instructions sometimes. I got very little out of this, in spite of its high reviews from a friend many years ago. It has taken me this long to get through it, and now I know why. It just wasn't tailored for me, the way I need to process things. I'm sure it has value, and GREAT value to some people. I just wasn't one of them. Interesting concept though, in its own way.
May 6, 2008
I didn't realize that NLP was so "fringe" when I took this class in college. I was just trying to get in some extra upper division credit and a friend had recommended it to me. It had some great tools and then I promptly forgot about it after the class was over. Since studying my HypnoBabies, I've thought a lot about "curing" my anxiety with hypnosis and I remembered NLP. This book had lots more great tools including one for phobias. I read it cover to cover, but didn't leave very much time for practice. I have another one from the library, so I think I'll really try this time. It would be great if I could drive outside of the valley again...
November 20, 2010
For any one fascinated with the process of personal change and growth, this makes a wonderful investigation on the potential of the human brain and how it is associated to the emotions that we go through on a daily basis. If you ever wanted to know how to move from where you are to the next desirable point that you want to be at while owning the process 100%, then this is for you because this is a phenomenal contribution in the frontier of mind over matter.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews