I am genuinely disgusted that you are giving a platform to a known contributor to systemic sex abuse. There is an ethical way to cover cults, sexual abuse, and coercion in journalism, and this podcast is definitely not it.

They’re constantly mispronouncing words and their speech sounds all stilted and unnatural, they’re either terrible broadcasters with a horrible command of the English language or AI models.

The reporters share information about the origins of NLP. The uses and abuses of the practice, in a personable and entertaining manner.

Deciding to end on the lowest hanging fruit is just lazy.

I am honestly surprised at all the negative reviews. I honestly found this podcast to be quite entertaining and binged through the episodes in a few days. I really hope these hosts do more investigative podcasts like this because I really enjoyed listening to them!

I get why you would want to interview Salzman, but why do you take her at her word? Every single thing out of her mouth should be considered manipulation. How can I trust you to be a fair reporter when you let stand a statement like Salzman saying that NLP got her thru prison?

I am in shock that these hosts platformed Nancy Salzman, a criminal who participated in a sex-trafficking cult, who spent time in prison for racketeering, and subjected NXIVM members to unethical and abusive psychological coercion. In the podcast, Nancy took zero accountability for the harm she caused in NXIVM, and the hosts just… took her at her word. What on earth? This is really dangerous stuff that has led to a lot of harm - especially to women - and the hosts do not take a harsh enough stance towards it. Please seek out other resources to learn about NLP.

They say they’re skeptics and they try to check the skeptic boxes, but the hosts far too credulous of the actual grifters they interview.

I listened to an episode and a half, because the topic seemed so interesting, but the hosts were so annoying. Would’ve been a better podcast in different hands.

I listened and thought there would be a lot of really deep investigation on how this is being used to manipulate people and also the tactics. It seemed very lighthearted and almost in some areas like they were encouraging it. I think about this as it’s so prevalent in manipulation and grifting people into losing their money or obeying the guru. This was that hard hitting reporting.

I think the content is interesting but I wish that the host would stop adding CH to words that begin with S. She pronounces words like snazzy as schnazzy. It’s very difficult to get into listening when she repeatedly mispronounces words.

I hoped this would be more informative about NLP, hypnosis, mind hacking, and essentially other common manifestation principles that overlap with NLP concepts. However, I felt it was primarily instead a “true crime” feeling saga (I’m not a true crime fan at all) about some terrible people and the awful things they do and get away with-including murder, drug abuse, threatening children at gunpoint, and various other things that instead left me feeling even more depressed about the world full of monsters we live in. And even worse, listening to their victims who didn’t all exactly seem to learn their lessons about blindly following charismatic sociopaths, one of which went on to teach the tricks to even worse sociopaths. My spouse kept questioning why I was listening to a podcast that I kept yelling at. It was interesting though. The hosts did a good job. But I would have preferred entire episodes dedicated to healing hypnosis practices rather than detailing the decades human rights abuses from cult leaders. I feel like I need some NLP to replace the traumatic memories of what I learned here.

But the hosts are just so hard to listen to. Their banter makes it sound like they think this is all a joke. Many of these are real patients struggling and There ate real proven therapies woven into this technique. And instead of teasing out the truth from the fiction they just make light of it all and call it all weird.

episode 5 claims that EMDR’s use of eye movements haven’t been proven as being beneficial — it has. it’s neuroscience. bilateral stimulation (activating both sides of the brain) is essential to healing broken neuro pathways or creating new ones. this is why it works so well with people who have experienced trauma — the trauma has essentially been trapped in their body with nowhere to go. rapid eye movements and bilateral stimulation of the brain allow for the release of trauma. the same concept is applied to watching waves wash onto shore. while NLP can’t explain why this works, it doesn’t mean it’s pseudoscience— it does mean they were onto something but didn’t bother to investigate why. like all cults they used true information/co-opted scientific language to fit their purposes.

Interesting podcast and worth the listen! However, it also made me want to scream in frustration at times! So many of the concepts and principles of NLP are NOT original to it. In the interview with Bandler, he literally quoted a fundamental tenet of CBT (the way we think about things affects the way we feel and what we do). He made the erroneous claim that all therapies share the same flaw - trying to understand the “why” of someone’s problem. That’s not true. CBT is all about figuring out “how to put out the fire” so to speak - not over analyzing what caused it. Empathy and building rapport are critical components of establishing a therapeutic relationship and promoting change. NLP did not invent that and should not get credit for it. To say someone is using NLP when they are showing empathy and trying to build rapport is ludicrous. As a licensed psychologist and therapist, it made me cringe every time an NLP promoter talked about these things like they were revolutionary ideas when they’ve been a part of evidence based practice for decades

Vocal fry is not a crime and if that’s all you have to say about this podcast you are weak. Also, say what you will about giving manipulative people a platform, I think for the purpose of this podcast, it’s extremely necessary for the audience to hear the manipulators in action, and be trusted to make our own decisions about them rather than being led by the hosts own opinions.

This is a relevant and important topic (most of what they cover can also be found in Jon Ronson’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats”. ) The hosts come across as unserious, running experiments on themselves and then weaving in their anecdotal evidence to try and make points. To mix in Nancy Salzman and the Wolf of Walstreet (both found criminally liable) and large therapy group techniques like Tony Robinson with PTSD techniques like EDMR as if these live on the same plain is irresponsible. They made these topics feel like a gossip column.

the subject matter is very interesting and whilst the hosts describe themselves as "skeptics", they are often giddy about experiencing new kinds of trances or trying nlp so they seem more like the perfect marks. i think the podcast would be more interesting if told from a more objective and truly skeptical view.

A great overview I enjoyed the overview of NLP and all the other programs that have become part of or offshoot . I can understand more some the cult personalities now and their manipulation. It’s very scary at times because we always think how did the fall into this but mental manipulation is also an example of feeling you have found what you have been searching for

I don’t have a PhD but am generally aware of hypnotherapy, coercive control, evidence based methods etc. etc. As an older person raised with the expectation that “good”narrators have a deep male voice and silver tongue persona, I can understand that people may not be used to hearing young women speak as they naturally do, but we all need to get over that and base our reviews on content not “vocal fry”. It can be difficult to find unbiased research on NLP. Has NLP been associated with controversy? Well sure but I don’t think they gave the bad actors a pass, and I also don’t think they threw out the baby with the bath water either. Thank you for an informative and balanced series, and keep up the great work. Don’t let the haters discourage you!

Though the vibe is a little overplayed, this was a really cool look at fringe part of some very mainstream stories. Bravo for shining a light on NLP!

This podcast is phenomenal. Zoe and Alice put an enormous amount of time and effort into researching the subject. I can honestly say that they take an accurate and fair-minded approach to NLP—certainly for the part of the story that I’m most familiar with. (I was part of the training group where Bandler and Grinder first introduced NLP. I also published the first (admittedly informal) literature review of the subject, although eventually, as I trained as a social scientist, I lost interest in NLP.) I could go on at length about the podcast, but suffice it to say that I learned a lot and highly recommend it.

I am enjoying this podcast so far but I am confused by the sponsorship of Compassion.com. Seems a little bit culty, no?

I hope someone else takes on this subject matter. These hosts are intellectual lightweights who uncritically platform abusers. I’ve listened with hope to all eps, but I’m disappointed. And their wet sounding vocal fry makes this a truly unpleasant listen.

I fully support podcasts getting paid (get your bag!), but the ad breaks are just too long. Space them out a bit and this would easily be a five-star binge listen!

I was simply enjoying the listening experience until episode 3. Listening skeptically whilst vacuuming - I did go to my drink several times. Coincidence? Perhaps. But what stuck me was the fact that I actually had the thought more than once "wow- I am still thirsty that's weird." Strange because I always have water or an iced tea with me and rarely ever think about being thirsty. DID you get in my mind??? I also just hit follow and gave you a great rating, so maybe!! 😄 Thank you for the way you are presenting this topic!

This came up randomly in my feed. First 90 seconds I recognized the story and I thought, surely they are not going to unapologetically have NANCY SALZMAN on a podcast and have her talk about her pseudo science that traumatized and abused women with zero caution, warning, or footnotes. I am very sorry, but this woman does not just get a platform without HEAVY disclaimers. And has she ever done anything at all to rectify the harm she has done? Point me to that and then I might come back, because I would like to listen to other episodes, but you can’t just have a convicted offender on episode one, not explain why upfront and expect me to keep listening.

The subject matter is interesting with a lot of compelling research to support. Hoping the narration cleans up. There’s a place for well timed jokes and snarky commentary which adds a lot to some of these podcasts. However, it’s a niche skill that could use some work in this space. I want to love this podcast but it’s coming off as heavily scripted and a little immature tbh, though it pains me to say.

Intensely researched, great storytelling, attention to multiple points of view--plus the hosts have a way of anticipating and then addressing every "but wait what about..." question forming in my head as I listen. And what a weird, fascinating tale this is! Impatient for the next episode!

Great show so far. Episode 1 paints NLP to be specific and manipulative when it’s really a very broad acronym.

I absolutely love the skeptical and yet open minded approach of these journalists. Fantastic job! I want more!

I’m really enjoying these hosts and what this topic seems to be getting at, but giving a platform to abusive grifters is bizarre.

I am addicted to Mind Games! Each episode I listen to I can’t wait for the next one to come out. It is entertaining, witty, very well written and researched and very insightful. Zoe and Alice are brilliant and I can’t wait to listen to more podcasts from them.

The Tony Robbins episode is an infomercial for Tony Robbins, not an examination of the Mind Games he hocks. At least until I stopped, bc I don’t need decades-old infomercial clips to know who and what he is; no need to play clip after clip of his BS. It feels like filler to cover for a lack of original content. I hope for more. Will keep listening and hope the reporting tightens up, bc the topic is interesting.

I am so sucked into this and hope the theme continues. I love psychology, human behavior etc and this is a topic train I’ll never get sick of. The total depression that kicked in when I realized the whole series wasn’t released and my binge had to end…. 😩

You’re kidding me right? This podcast has got to be a spoof!! If so …nice.

The two hosts have a really nice back-and-forth relationship. And they are tackling this story in a bold way. It’s a fun listen!

Fascinating topic covered by two pro journalists. Love the pace of the episodes, the banter between hosts and the flawless transitions between serious phsych topics and mad character reporting. They have us both literally and figuratively under hypnosis!

Murder, drugs and mind control. What could go wrong! Excellent podcast. Waiting patiently, not really, for the next episode to drop.

Fun listen!! Hits that sweet spot where you can feel good because you know you’ll learn something new that can benefit you in your life, but you’re also having fun following an interesting and mysterious story!!

Twice now I’ve sat in my car to finish listening to an episode- the two hosts are really personable, the music and pace of the program keeps me entertained , and the subject matter is fascinating.-wouldn’t we all love a little NLP in our lives? Well, maybe…

So interesting, super sharp, love it

Mind Games is a fascinating exploration of the history of nuerolinguistic programming (NLP) and the cult-like atmosphere around it. The reporters do a great job of telling the story and weaving in eccentric real life characters like Tony Robins and a member of NXIVM along with a true crime murder related to NLP. The reporters also test NLP on themselves and invite the listeners to explore NLP as well while asking whether this is actually self improvement or mind control. It’s a chilling, essential look at how easily some people believe that the human mind can be hacked, leaving you wondering if anyone has ever tried to play these tricks on you!

Despite the insanity we’ve heard just up through episode 2, both narrators giggle about continuing to pay for therapy for years? How do people not see what a farce psychology is?

This pod is astonishingly incisive and brilliantly researched. It’s been a long time since a pod was “appointment listening” when a new episode comes out. Deeply fascinating.

Well produced, woven, edited, written, and most of all researched! Look forward to future episodes to get a handle on the techniques and methodologies of NLP. And as always with any podcast, just gotta fast forward through the ads in the beginning.