Proponents of NLP often claim it is predicated on a scientific understanding and the title of Neuro-linguistic programming implies a basis in science. Psychologists
Margaret Singer and Janja Lalich (1996) in
Crazy Therapies say that despite lack of support from scientific research, marketers continues "to call the originators 'scientists' and to use such terms a 'science', 'technology' and 'hi-tech psychology' in describing NLP".
[43] Cognitive neuroscience researcher Michael C Corballis (1999) says that "NLP is a thoroughly fake title, designed to give the impression of
scientific respectability."
[44][
dubious – discuss]
Evidence-based researcher and clinician Scott Lilienfeld says that "largely untested treatments comprise a major proportion—in some cases a majority—of the interventions delivered by mental health professionals."
[45] Lilienfeld argues that NLP, as a New Age psychotherapy, is one of many hundreds of variations of psychotherapy that have not been subject to rigorous empirical validation. Lilienfeld and colleagues believe that randomized controlled studies are the only way to verify whether or not psychotherapeutic treatments are effective.
[45] It is argued that the proof of the validity of new therapeutic practices in clinical psychology fall on the proponents of these practices.
[46] There has been no peer-reviewed empirical research on VK/D (Visual/Kinesthetic dissociation),
[7] an intervention derived from NLP which has been been taught alongside other
Power therapies (eg.
EMDR,
TFT).
[46]
Psycholinguist Willem Levelt (in Dutch skeptic magazine Skepter) acknowledges that the main point of NLP was pragmatic, but points out that the title of
Neuro-linguistic programming implies a basis in neurology, linguistics and computer programming. He argues that most modern neurologists are informed about the brain based on
neuro-imaging and clinical data but in NLP there has been little interest in this
neuroscience or clinical research. He asserts that the experimental evidence does not exist to support the hypothesis that eye movements can reveal
preferred representational system. He also claims there are philosophical conflicts between the NLP meta model, the philosophy of
David Hume (sensory experience is combined to form representations) and
William Wundt (which Levelt considers close to "the study of subjective experience", a main idea in NLP).
[47]