The Cult of Neurolinguistic Programming
April 21, 2026
1 hr 2 min
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214 of 222
April 21, 2026
The Cult of Neurolinguistic Programming
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Amanda Montell Episodes Around April 21, 2026
Episode 214 of 222 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
The Cult of Neurolinguistic Programming
Summary
What if the right words could rewire your brain… or at least make you feel like they did? This week, Amanda is joined by journalists and hosts of the podcast Mind Games, Alice Hines (@alicehines_) and Zoë Lescaze (@zoelescaze), to unpack the cult of neurolinguistic programming, the self-improvement framework that promises transformation through language, mindset shifts, and a little bit of psychological sleight of hand. They dig into how NLP showed up inside NXIVM and explore why these techniques can feel genuinely helpful in everyday life, and how the line between self-help and manipulation often comes down to who’s in charge. Amanda even tries an NLP session herself, which is equal parts intriguing and slightly unsettling and begs the question: is NLP a useful set of tools… or a very persuasive vibe?
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