NLP is based on Modeling. Which is basically, "do as people who are doing good do"
The creators started following the best Psychologist and people who were having results in every area, from Sales to Magick, And asking them question of how they do that?, being aware of patterns and reasons for the person being that good.
Thats why everything someone does good, others can say is NLP, but in reality is just having some skills. Like the old "obama is using NLP" Well he is, or maybe he is just good at talking, If you watch a Hitler speech you can find NLP all over it.
NLP is heavy influenced by hypnosis, Basically all there is to know about NLP you can find it in hypnosis, the NLP models are more flexible, but still are just Hypnosis. The creators modeled Milton Erickson well enough to reproduce his success.
And most NLP Is just a Model that works, but not necessary truth. Is just good assumptions.
As an example of just things that works read this
http://www.bradburyac.mistral.co.uk/nlpfax04.htm
I'd like to thank the OP and everyone who contributed to this thread, with opinions, links etc.
My special thanks to at3ist with his post and link above.
I ran into NLP back in 1995, and found some interesting things to learn. But I got (from someone in Scn) that it was "from Psychs", and thus I forbade myself to look into it or learn anything about it.
In fact, my self-created prohibition to learn anything about it was valid up until today.
I mean now! AFTER I've learned about OT3, Xenu and the fact that Scn tech with its theory are nothing but scam.
Today my curiousity (AGAIN!) overcame my fears of reading and hearing something that would make me insane... (I guess here I agreed being insane after learning what I wanted to learn).
Yet, this gave me another great perspective. Not that I'm all over NLP now but my vision has certainly expanded.
Maybe because I removed another barrier from learning about things and humans.
I guess that Scientologist's mindset makes one still. I mean still about going forward in his learning. It keeps one shut off from fruits of observations that are not per LRH. It keeps one sticking to a certain paradigm.. to a certain principles... One of which is "do not get subverted into something else! Or - you'll die in agony!"
Do I make sense?

