The study examined the effectiveness of Neuro-linguistic psychotherapy (NLPt) in treating 54 clients in Croatia between 2004-2005. Participants underwent NLPt and were assessed before, after, and 3 months following treatment on measures of psychological difficulties and quality of life. A control group of 52 clients was assessed at the beginning and 3 months later without receiving treatment. Results showed that while the therapy and control groups did not differ initially, the therapy group had significantly fewer psychological difficulties and greater quality of life following treatment compared to the control group. Within the therapy group, difficulties significantly decreased and quality of life significantly increased from pre to post treatment, with further improvements at 3-month follow up. The study concluded that NLPt

1. Study of Effects of Neuro-linguistic
Psychotherapy - NLPt
Authors:
Melita Stipancic ; Walter Renner ;
Peter Schütz ; Renata Dond

2. Published October 12th 2009 in:

3. RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES:

4. Examples of research supporting general claims
of NLPt

5. Examples of research examining effectiveness
of NLP/NLPt in clinical setting:

6. Examples of research examining effectiveness of
NLP/NLPt in clinical setting:

7. CROATIAN STUDY OF EFFECTS
OF NLPt
PLACE: Zagreb, Croatia
TIME: January 2004 – December 2005
SUPPORTED BY: Mag Peter Schütz and EANLPt

8. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

9. STUDY DESIGN
R- Random selection of clients
O- Observation- measuring dependent
variables
T- Treatment- NLPt therapy
TG - Treatment Group CG- Control Group
TG- R O1 T O2 // 03
CG- R O4 // O5

10. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

11. Sociodemographic, economic variables
and other variables
 Gender
 Age
 Educational level
 Socio-economic
status
 Family status
 Length of therapy

12. THERAPY SETTING & CLIENTS

13. Psychotherapists – 7
 NLPt Practitioner,
NLP/NLPt Master
 At least five years
clinical work
 University degree
 Additional psycho-
therapeutic
education

14. Assessments by psychotherapists
 Beginning of Therapy:
“Framework for NLPt Casestudies” suggested by
Peter Schütz/Helmut Jelem
 During therapy:
Check list after each session + notes on
observations
 After therapy:
Questionnaire on therapy evaluation

15. Framework for NLPt Case-Studies
 A. Structure of client from perceptual position of NLPt-therapist
1. Biographie of the person (anamnestics)
2. Context of referral
3. Problem/is-present state and behavior
4. Desired goal/outcome
5. Ecological aspects
6. Causes
7. Resources, active and to be established
 B. From therapeutic metaposition/ reflexion/ selfsupervision
 1. DSM –IV diagnosis
 2. Prognostic estimate
 3. Working hypothesis
 4. Therapeuti resonance of patient in yourself/intuitions
 C. Oriented at T.O.T.E. Model
 1. Concept of interventuins
 2. Process of therapy
 3. Interventions and tasks
 4. Changes and subgoal
 Points A,B,C should be documented as far as possible in detail and relevant in
relation to: neuro-logical Levels, Physiology,
 Representational Systems, Language Patterns, Metaprograms.

16. Instruments

17. SCID II
 119 items for assessment of personality
disorders according to DSM-IV:
Paranoid ● Schizoid
Antisocial ● Borderline
Histrionic ● Narcissistic
Avoidant ● Dependent
Obsessive-Compulsive
Schizotypal

18. Scale of Quality of Life by University professors
M.Krizmanic and V.Kolesaric at the
Department of Psychology in Zagreb
QL

19. Example of item on Life Quality scale:
With my current job (study) I am
___________________________________________
Very Partially Neither satisfied Partially Very
Satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied

20. “NLPt- interventions” used in therapy
 Goal-oriented set of questions; Anchoring;
Reframing; Parts-work; Trance; Belief Change;
Submodality shifts; Metaphors; Time-line;
Trauma/ phobia process; Change history;
Strategies; SOAR- model; Modelling; Re-
imprinting;and other....
and Tools for
externalisation
of intrapsychic
processes-
KOCKE! KUBURI! BUILDING BLOCKS!

21. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
 Prior to obtaining informed consent, the participants were
informed of all aspects of research,in particular:
- information about the testing procedures
- how many times the testing will be repeated, how long it took,
who undertook testing, which instruments were used.
- for participants in the control group information that they
were on the waiting list, and would be re-tested after three
months
- the right to withdraw at any stage
- the needs of the individual as paramount over the research
process.
- information provided to participants about the wider findings,
and individual results
- participant confidentiality
Participants in control group received therapy after waiting three
months and being re-tested, they were not tested again after
their therapy.

22. RESULTS?

23. Number of clients: 54 in Therapy Group
52 in Control Group

24. LENGTH OF THERAPY
N
U 30 -
M
B
E 25 -
R
O 20 -
F
15 -
P
A
R 10 -
T.
5-
9 18 27 36 45 54 62
AVERAGE NUMBER OF SESSIONS

25. Age of Participants

26. Percentage of Female and Male Participants

27. Marital Status of Participants

28. Educational level of participants:

29. Occupational Status of Participants

30. Reasons for seeking therapy

31. Data analysis
 Pre-post-follow up comparison in therapy group:
Changes in the course of therapy group on three occasions (pre-,post-,
and follow-up measurements) were computed using one-way within-
Subjects ANOVA analysis of variance.
 Comparison of the therapy and control groups.
Changes in the course of time of the therapy group as opposed to the
Control group were assessed by Repeated Measures Analysis of
Variance.
In accordance with Grawe et al. (2001), (cf. also Cohen,1992) effect
sizes were computed in order to determine the amount of change that
occurred in the therapy as compared to the control group.

32. Testing of pre-conditions for Analysis of Variance
 Testing of crosstab references via different Chi-Square tests –
results statistically proved that participants are randomly
distributed in therapy and control group.
 Test of variance shows that results of different groups come
from the same population.
 Distribution of participants into Therapy and Control group is
random regarding age, sex, marital status,
education,employment.

33. 1 (pre) 2 (post)
Occasion
0
1
2
3
4
EstimatedMarginalMeans
THERAPY
CONTROL
Estimated Marginal Means of KVZ Criterion Variables

34. 1 (pre) 2 (post)
Occasion
0
1
2
3
4
EstimatedMarginalMeans
THERAPY
CONTROL
Estimated Marginal Means of KVZ Predictor Variables

35. Comparison of Therapy and Control Group
- Scale of Quality ofLife
 THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THERAPY AND
CONTROL GROUP ON FIRST “QUALITY OF LIFE”
TESTING.
 ON SECOND “QUALITY OF LIFE” TESTING THERAPY
GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER
PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE, BOTH IN PREDICTOR
AND CRITERIUM VARIABLES, P<0,01

36. 1 (pre) 2 (post)
Occasion
0
2
4
6
8
10
EstimatedMarginalMeans
THERAPY
CONTROL
Estimated Marginal Means of SKID-II

37. SCID II – comparison of results of Control and
Therapy Group
THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THERAPY AND
CONTROL GROUP ON FIRST SKID-II TESTING.
ON SECOND SKID-II TESTING THERAPY GROUP
SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PSYCHOLOGICAL
DIFFICULTIES, P<0,01.

38. COMPARISON OF RESULTS OF DIFFERENT TESTING IN
THERAPY GROUP ONLY
(ONE-WAY WITHIN-SUBJECTS MULTIVARIATE ANOVA )
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND KVZ
CRITERIUM VARIABLES TESTING FOR THERAPY GROUP IS
SIGNIFICANT, P<0.01 (P=0,000)
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD KVZ
CRITERIUM VARIABLES TESTING FOR THERAPY GROUP IS
SIGNIFICANT, P<0.05 (P=0,019)
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRST AND THIRD KVZ CRITERIUM
VARIABLES TESTING FOR THERAPY GROUP IS
SIGNIFICANT, P<0.01 (P=0,000)
IN THERAPY GROUP IS PRESENT EFFECT OF GREATER
PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN TIME ON KVZ CRITERIUM
VARIABLES (Overall Satisfaction with Life).

39. COMPARISON OF RESULTS OF DIFFERENT
TESTING IN THERAPY GROUP ONLY
ONE-WAY WITHIN-SUBJECTS MULTIVARIATE ANOVA
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND KVZ
PREDICTOR VARIABLES TESTING FOR THERAPY GROUP IS
SIGNIFICANT, P<0.01 (P=0,000)
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD KVZ
PREDICTOR VARIABLES TESTING FOR THERAPY GROUP IS
NOT SIGNIFICANT, P>0.05 (P=0,124)
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRST AND THIRD KVZ PREDICTOR
VARIABLES TESTING FOR THERAPY GROUP IS
SIGNIFICANT, P<0.01 (P=0,000)
IN THERAPY GROUP IS PRESENT EFFECT OF GREATER
PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER THERAPY ON KVZ
PREDICTOR VARIABLES. THE EFFECT IS STABLE IN TIME.

40. COMPARISON OF RESULTS OF DIFFERENT TESTING
IN THERAPY GROUP ONLY – SCID II
MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE
 ONE-WAY WITHIN-SUBJECTS MULTIVARIATE ANOVA
SHOWED THAT RESULTS FOR THERAPY GROUP ON SCID-II
TESTINGS CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE THREE
TESTINGS, P<0,01 (P=0,000).
 RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIMINISH OF
DIFFICULTIES IN TIME (REPEATED MEASURE IS SCID-II).
IN THERAPY GROUP IS PRESENT EFFECT OF SIGNIFICANT
DIMINISH OF DIFFICULTIES IN TIME ON SCID-II.

41. Summary of results-
Psychological Difficulties
COMPARISON BETWEEN THERAPY AND CONTROL GROUP:
● THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THERAPY AND
CONTROL GROUP ON FIRST SKID-II TESTING.
● ON SECOND SKID-II TESTING THERAPY GROUP SHOWED
SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES,
 COMPARISON BETWEEN RESULTS WITHIN THERAPY
GROUP:
● THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIMINSH OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
DIFFICULTIES ON SECOND TESTING
● THERE WAS A FURTHER SIGNIFICANT DIMINSH OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES ON THIRD (FOLLOW UP)
TESTING

42. Summary of results- Quality of Life
COMPARISON OF THERAPY AND CONTROL GROUP:
 THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THERAPY AND
CONTROL GROUP ON FIRST “QUALITY OF LIFE” TESTING.
 ON SECOND “QUALITY OF LIFE” TESTING THERAPY GROUP
SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER PERCEIVED QUALITY
OF LIFE, BOTH IN PREDICTOR AND CRITERIUM
VARIABLES, P<0,01
CHANGES WITHIN THERAPY GROUP:
 ON SECOND TESTING (AFTER THERAPY) THERE WAS A
SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE
IN PREDICTOR AND CRITERION VARIABLES
 ON THIRD (FOLLOW-UP) TESTING THERE WAS A FURTHER
SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE
IN CRITERION VARIABLES, REGARDING PREDICTOR
VARIABLES THE CHANGE REMAINED STABLE

43.  Statistical analysis did not reveal any significant
correlation between therapy effects and the
examined socio-demographic variables (age,
gender, educational level, marital status,
employment status). The only significant correlation
was found with respect to the number of
psychotherapeutic sessions, indicating that a larger
number of sessions was correlated with greater
improvement.
Correlation between NLPt treatment effects
and socio-demographic and economic
variables?

44. Conclusions
We have shown that NLPt helps to decrease clinical
symptoms. The effects of therapy are long-term and
develop further after the end of therapy. Neuro-
linguistic psychotherapy also helps increase
perceived quality of life, both regarding satisfaction
with current life circumstances as also with overall
quality of life. Also in this regard, the effects of
therapy are long-term and continue to further
increase satisfaction with overall quality of life.