NLP has its roots in Ericksonnian hypnotherapy, and can be good for thinking in new ways and a very effective tool for a therapist, but is clouded by the claims

NLP has its roots in Ericksonnian hypnotherapy, and can be good for thinking in new ways and a very effective tool for a therapist, but is clouded by the claims of so many new-age bullshit practitioners that it struggles to gain credibility, which is a shame. CBT is good for mild disorders, but requires a lot of conscious effort to make work. The difference is, CBT works by "overwriting" the thought processes that result in the depression by repetition of new behaviours and thoughts. It takes time, and works. NLP / Hypnotherapy works by discovering what leads up to those thought processes (which, a lot of the time, is out of our conscious awareness) and changing that, so the depression never kicks in. From personal experience, both work, and both don't, depending on the therapist, which studies you read, and how committed you are to making them work for you. However, it's much more important that you find a therapist that you can connect with personally and trust. If you have that, the exact modality of a therapy will result in pretty much the same outcome - some kind of turning point in your own thoughts and outlook which sets you on the mental path you wish to go down. (source: I train NLP and Hypnosis, practise CBT, and have seen hundreds of clients.)