The skills layer is real the way sales training is real: precision questioning, state management and reframing change conversations measurably. The theoretical layer — representational systems, eye cues as processing indicators — largely failed when tested. The evidence layer sits between: some components overlap well-supported adjacent research, while the package itself has little controlled-outcome literature.
So: is NLP real? As communication training, yes and usefully. As neuroscience, no. Anyone selling certainty in either direction is skipping the nuance.