The NLP Illusion: From Linguistic Tool to Dangerous Coaching Cult

Introduction

Neuro-Linguistic Programming, sometimes known as NLP, promises something seductive in a world with too much self-doubt and unresolved trauma: rapid transformation.

The mantras of a growing sector are “rewire your brain in days,” “become emotionally free in hours,” and “heal yourself and coach others.”

Benevolent under the surface of elegant seminars, high-ticket genius ideas, and shiny certificates is a darker reality: the commercial exploitation of NLP has produced a worldwide scam machine that trades in illusions of healing, manufactures authority, and preys on vulnerability.

It is no longer about coaching.

This is about psychological war dressed in personal development.

I express my views not as a theorist, but as someone trained in psychological operations, interrogations, and manipulation—true psychological warfare.

What I see being marketed today as NLP is not true empowerment. Unlicensed influence free from ethics, responsibility, or license is what it is.

The Origins: NLP’s Birth and Misuse

Neuro-Linguistic Programming was developed in the 1970s by Richard Bandler, a computer science student, and John Grinder, a linguist.

The pair were fascinated by how successful therapists communicated, particularly figures like Milton Erickson, Virginia Satir, and Fritz Perls.

They attempted to model these patterns into a formula that anyone could follow to produce similar results. This fusion of language, psychology, and behavioural modelling was marketed to unlock the secrets of human change.

However, the scientific establishment never tested NLP.

The scientific establishment never validated it as a clinical therapy.

And yet, it was incredibly persuasive—precisely because it mirrored what psychological influence looks like in real time.

Entrepreneurs saw a marketable system of influence that they could sell to the masses, while many academic psychologists dismissed it as pseudoscience.

The methodology slowly migrated out of fringe psychology and into corporate training rooms, dating seminars, sales conferences, and finally into the heart of the modern coaching industry.

It evolved from a speculative method to a commercial empire. The more scientific legitimacy it lacked, the more mystique it gained.

When Influence Becomes a Product

Today, NLP has become a product, a business model, and a personal brand.

Online advertisements promise that in just a few days, you can become an “NLP Master Practitioner” or a “Certified NLP Coach” and begin charging clients thousands of dollars for transformation services.

The training industry surrounding NLP certifications has ballooned into a global market.

According to IBISWorld and Grand View Research, the broader life coaching and personal development industry—fuelled in part by NLP—was worth over $20 billion globally by 2023.

The appeal is obvious.

You don’t need a degree, licensing, or supervision. You don’t need to prove results or submit to ethical review boards.

All you need is a certificate, some slick language, and a willingness to sell the dream. It is a form of modern-day psychological multilevel marketing.

But unlike essential oils or protein powders, what these coaches are selling is power—the power to shape human identity and emotion.

And when untrained hands begin shaping the human psyche, disaster often follows.

How the Coaching Industry Weaponized NLP

The techniques that form the core of NLP—anchoring, mirroring, pacing and leading, and embedded commands—are remarkably effective at bypassing logical thought.

In the hands of an experienced interrogator or negotiator, these tools can uncover secrets or influence decisions.

In the hands of a weekend-certified coach, they become a form of emotional manipulation wrapped in empowerment language.

The way coaches learn to use NLP for sales is one of the most unsettling aspects.

Coaches construct sales calls with embedded commands, such as “You already know this is the breakthrough you need.” Pricing strategies use artificial urgency and emotional peaking: “If you leave this call now, you’re turning your back on the life you deserve.”

It mimics the same control strategies used in cults—remove external advice, create dependence on the leader, and frame doubt as failure. is not healing.

This is programming.

Where NLP Coaching Has Gone Wrong

Where NLP Coaching Has Gone Wrong

Real harm is not hypothetical—it’s happening now, quietly, and often without recourse.

The Therapy Abuse Victims Alliance (TAVA) in Australia has alerted to the growing misuse of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) by unqualified practitioners. TAVA explicitly warns that NLP is not a regulated profession, and individuals offering NLP-based coaching or trauma recovery sessions may have no formal qualifications in psychology or counseling. The practice becomes particularly dangerous when such individuals operate in areas involving grief, abuse, anxiety, or mental illness.

According to TAVA, some clients have reported the following experiences:

• Encouraged to revisit traumatic experiences during unstructured “breakthrough” sessions,

• Advised to stop taking prescribed antidepressants without medical consultation,

• Told to cut off relationships with family members under the guise of “clearing generational blocks,”

• Manipulated into spending thousands on additional coaching sessions framed as essential for their healing journey.

These are not theoretical risks—they are documented patterns of behaviour in an industry that lacks formal oversight.

NLP coaches can set up shop, advertise “trauma healing” services, and use emotionally intense sessions to invoke deep psychological responses—all without clinical supervision or liability.

In the UK and U.S., while public reporting is more limited, similar patterns emerge. Online forums and watchdog discussions describe clients experiencing anxiety attacks, emotional destabilization, and financial exploitation after attending high-pressure NLP seminars or one-on-one sessions with “Master Practitioners.”

Yet because NLP coaching operates outside of licensed psychotherapy, there is no governing board to hear complaints or enforce discipline.

This creates the perfect storm:

There are significant emotional risks involved. The situation is characterized by low professional standards. No accountability.

The danger lies not just in the techniques but in the false sense of authority. A freshly certified NLP coach—trained over Zoom for six days—may not recognize signs of trauma regression, dissociation, or clinical depression.

But they’ll proceed anyway, often armed with persuasive language and the belief that “mindset is everything.”

As someone trained to apply behavioural pressure in high-stakes interrogation settings, I can tell you: these are not toys.

These are tools of real influence, and when they’re placed in untrained hands, they become instruments of psychological harm.

The False Promise of Certification

One of the most common misconceptions around NLP is that certification means competence. But there is no global body governing who can certify in NLP.

Many “International NLP Federations” or “Global NLP Boards” are nothing more than shell websites created by coaching businesses themselves. There is no licensing requirement, no state oversight, and no standardized curriculum.

Anyone can create an NLP course and issue certificates. Some do this through private Facebook groups or Google Drive folders. Others build entire revenue streams by certifying new coaches who then go on to certify others.

The deeper you go, the more it resembles a psychological pyramid scheme.

Unlike licensed mental health professionals, who are required to complete years of training, undergo supervised clinical hours, and pass government exams, NLP practitioners operate independently.

Legally classified as “coaches,” not therapists, they can make therapeutic claims without breaking any regulations—until they cause harm to someone.

A Culture of Emotional Exploitation

Perhaps the most insidious aspect is how the coaching industry targets emotional vulnerability. NLP is not sold to the healthy and secure.

It is marketed to those in pain—those searching for meaning, healing, or connection. High-ticket NLP packages target the very people who most need professional psychological care.

On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, influencers promote NLP as a cure for trauma, grief, and anxiety.

Some offer “quantum NLP,” “intuitive NLP,” or “spiritual timeline reprogramming.” It becomes a spiritual performance—a blend of soft tones, healing music, and confident persuasion.

Clients are promised transformation but often walk away confused, dependent, or worse—re-traumatized.

The Battlefield of the Mind

As someone who served in military and diplomatic intelligence, I was trained to recognize manipulation. I was trained to use language to build trust, uncover motives, and, when necessary, disrupt thought patterns in interrogation settings.

These tools are powerful. But in that world, they came with rules, accountability, and a clear objective—national security.

Today, I watch these same tactics repackaged as healing.

I observe unskilled individuals manipulating the identity, emotions, and trauma of others for their own financial gain. And I say this with absolute certainty:

What makes these situations even more dangerous is that the same tools used by spies, interrogators, and cult leaders—which I was trained to recognize and defend against—are now being taught in glossy PDF manuals, with no psychological safety net for the person on the receiving end.

This is not empowerment. It’s control.

Conclusion: The Illusion Unmasked

LP, in its original form, may have had value as a communication framework.

But what it has become in the hands of influencers, online coaches, and self-proclaimed gurus is a psychological illusion sold to the desperate.

It’s a lie wrapped in science-sounding language.

When people entrust their mental health to someone without the tools or training to navigate it, the result is not growth. It’s harmful. This is why unregulated NLP coaching is not just a risk—it is a scam with a human cost.

If you’re seeking change, don’t reach for shortcuts.

Healing takes time, structure, and safety. Real transformation comes from those who are trained to carry your pain, not just sell you hope.

And remember—on this battlefield, the mind is the most sacred ground of all.

This post was written by Mario Bekes