Shlomo Vaknin

An ok introduction to core ideas of NLP. Very conversational style and the expectation that a reader with no knowledge of NLP will effectively learn skills such as anchoring and submodality management are unrealistic in my opinion. The book good do with some enhancements such as diagrams, tables, and info boxes. For a book on NLP which "preaches" the need to communicate in all representational systems (visual/auditory/kinesthetic) this is a major flaw! I think there are much better introductions to NLP than this one.… (plus d'informations)

To put my review in context, I am a certified NLP trainer, working in the field full time since 2005. I work mostly with adolescents at risk.

The Big book of NLP, as described, is packed with NLP patterns. The reason I gave the book 5 stars is that it is exactly what the Product Description on Amazon says it is - no fluff, all practical sourcebook. In the past couple of weeks I've been experimenting with the patterns written in it, and I must say that the explanations are very clear, to the point and without (so far) any "space fillers". I came across more than a handful of techniques of which I was not aware of at all, such as The Inner Hero pattern and Rhythmic Learning strategy.

The techniques in the book are in Step-by-Step format; however, the author advises early in the introduction chapter to be careful about memorizing steps and does point out that in order to master these concepts and ideas, one must remain flexible and creative. He also gives "additional advice" for almost every technique, giving some more ideas on how to use the process more efficiently.

I did appreciate the credits given to originators of NLP patterns, and not only to Bandler & Grinder.

Out of the few techniques I've tried on myself this week, the "Aligned Self" (#71 in the book) made a great impression on me. It is based on Robert Dilts' Logical Levels concept, and the purpose of this pattern is to get you into an aligned state of mind. The result is that you feel as if all your values, beliefs, thoughts and attitude are aligned and working together in a strong unity. It is well explained in this book and it is a process I recommend everyone to experience.

The first 30 or so patterns (out of the 210 I counted) in the book are the known, basic, NLP techniques - Swish, Mirroring, as-if, collapsing anchors, outcome definition and so on. From page 100 or so the more complex and "juicy NLP" stuff begins. There are a lot of ideas and techniques here that are taught only in Master Prac. and Trainer's Training programs, and plenty of specialized techniques that deal with individual challenges. Among the more advanced techniques I found really useful is the "emotional pain management" and the nested loops method.

Regarding the physical layout of the book - as you might suspect from the title, it is BIG. It's a 7x10 inches, and heavy! the print is large enough to read when you work with a client and "cheat" by glancing at the instructions. Most of the book is in columns, which makes it easier to read on the fly (speed readers like me appreciate it a lot). There's a grey box with only the steps outlined so that you can read them quickly once you learned the details of the pattern. The book has more than 700 pages and they are used almost fully; there isn't much of empty space to write comments on, so I attach sticky notes everywhere.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book because it is well written and it serves the need of NLP practitioners and students to have a complete practical sourcebook of techniques to work with.… (plus d'informations)