Can NLP books be a substitute for Training?

In my opinion, I feel that you can learn a fair amount about Neuro-linguistic programming from NLP books but you hit the limit fairly quickly.

Before taking my Practitioner Training I read everything I could get hold of and was still shocked by how much more I learnt and how different my view of NLP was after a practitioner training.

Really I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised.

Can you learn to ride a bike from a book?

Or learn to swim?

Why should NLP be any different?

OK, so it's not a physical activity (Well it can be - You only have to watch someone like Michael Breen to realize that movement can be an elegant way for changing state and anchoring), but it is a learned skill.

To perform NLP well, the Practitioner must be dealing with lots of simultaneous activities (more than the standard 7 plus or minus 2).

The only way to do this is to handle some of the activities subconsciously.

This is something that books fail to deliver, but a good training provides.

If you are interested in reading, and there are many books on NLP (probably too many in my opinion), please checkout my reviews of NLP books.

I have tried to ensure that you have a good idea of which books are most useful, and which are good for beginners, but if you think a training may be for you, then please read my article entitled "Should I take a training?"