Evidence of Change
In a recent video by Jamie Smart, he gave a number of forms of evidence for determining whether an NLP process has successfully produced the desired outcome.
1. Long-term change in circumstances
If the phobia is still gone after five years, that is very strong evidence that the NLP process (or something else along the way!) was successful.2
2. Reality-based testing
Test the results right away. If the person had an allergy to peanuts, and they are willing to try to eat peanuts right away, this can be a powerful form of evidence for both parties.
3. Imaginary testing
Have the person visualize the situation and go into it.
4. Involuntary shifts
Many unconscious processes cannot be controlled consciously and thus provide a useful indicator of change. For example, a change in skin colour, change in posture, change in language patterns, or a change in breathing can indicate significant internal change in beliefs.
5. Covert questioning
If you ask people directly, they will sometimes respond in order to please you, so covert questioning can be better.
For example, you can say:
“I’m not going to ask you, ‘did that work’, because I know that you are going to find that out for yourself.”
The unconscious mind of the client will tend to respond to the embedded question, often non-verbally with a nod or shake of the head.
6. Changes in other patterns/Novelty
If the client reports a major shift in another area of their life, that is also a good sign that the process has been effective. Generally, it is good to accept and acknowledge all changes as evidence that things are moving in the right direction (in some way!).
7. The Conscious Mind Report
It is easy for a client to verbally report that the process worked very well. But this is probably the weakest and least reliable form of evidence. The conscious mind report is simply a story about the process that the client has made up.
As always in NLP, if you’re not sure if the evidence is sufficient, you can practice your behavioral flexibility and do something different.