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Reflections on September 11 The Principle of Positive Intention Belief Change Cycle The Influence of Timothy Leary on Re-Imprinting Modeling the Wisdom of Jesus Darwin's "Thinking Path" Walt Disney The New Leadership Paradigm Allergy Process The NLP Spelling Strategy
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Reframing Implementing the Belief Change Cycle Re-Imprinting 'Wholeness' Process Somatic Syntax Walt Disney - Planning Strategy (Storyboarding) Moving From Vision to Action NLP Allergy Technique Visual Spelling Strategy
Resolving Conflicts With NLP Figure And Ground The Phenomenon of Gentling Eye Movements and NLP Hierarchies of Criteria Harnessing the Imagination Motivation Synesthesia and the Structure of Beliefs Modeling Presuppositions Fourth Position Intellectual Property and NLP NLP and Self Organization Theory Fractals and Human Behavior Pragmagraphics NLP, Aging and Longevity Transderivational Morphology Anchoring
Integration of Conflicting Parts The Foreground - Background Process "Gentling" as a Path to Personal Growth Eye Scanning Patterns Hierarchy of Criteria Technique New Behavior Generator Strategy Basic Motivation Strategy Steps of the Failure Into Feedback Strategy Some Beginning Modeling Drills and Exercises Operationalizing NLP Presuppositions Creating a "We-Field" Guidelines for Using Copyrighted Materials Exercise: Shifting and Attractor 'Landscape' Exercise: Making 'Neurolinguistic' Fractals Steps of the Pragmagraphic Swish Design Pattern Time Line Longevity Procedure Exploring the Impact of Transderivational Morphology Exercise: Anchoring a "Resource" State
Comments or Suggestions
Again, thanks for visiting my web site. I hope to hear from you again soon. For information on Robert Dilts, please see Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: info-www.michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 2001 by Robert Dilts Santa Cruz, CA.
Alpha Leadership
by Robert Dilts
Alpha Leadership is a new model of leadership whose purpose is to capture and share the latest and most up-to-date knowledge about the practice of effective leadership. The model arose as a result of a series of passionate and in-depth conversations and discussions about effective leadership between myself, Anne Deering (a top consultant for A.T. Kearney) and fellow NLP trainer and coach Julian Russel (founder of PPD Consulting). The Alpha Leadership model defines a set of principles, tools and skills modeled from observing and coaching world-class leaders from around the world. Prior to the early 1980s, leadership development in organizations primarily focused on different leadership styles. These styles were most evident in the relationship between leaders and co-workers. Leadership emphasized the characteristics and rules for expressing an effective leadership style with respect to a particular situation. It was noticed, for instance, that winning leaders were able to strike a balance between attention to tasks or goals and attention to relationships with team members; a balance that needed to be constantly adapted to specific situations. The mid 1980s saw a shift in focus from transactional to transformational leadership, spearheaded by the work of Bernard Bass. In the transformational model, effective leadership was no longer a function of simply adjusting ones style and actions to a particular situation in order to get someone to efficiently accomplish a specific task, but rather to promote the expression of each individuals potential (helping him or her to perform beyond expected outcomes). Transformational leadership focused on four key additional elements: 1. Vision 2. Change management 3. Motivation to continuous improvement 4. The key role of trust in promoting true team spirit The last decade has seen an extension of transformational leadership through the skills of visionary leadership and meta leadership (leading and developing other leaders). This has led to the emergence of other leadership abilities in relationship to: Promoting Change Realizing Core Values Recognizing the Potential of Each Individual
Developing and Empowering People Thus, in the emerging views of leadership leaders do not have influence simply because they are bosses or commanders. Rather, leaders are people who are committed to creating a world to which people want to belong. This commitment demands a special set of models and abilities in order to effectively and ecologically manifest the visions that guide those committed to change. It involves communicating, interacting and managing relationships within an organization, network or social system to move toward ones highest aspirations. Alpha Leadership represents the leading edge of these developments. The term alpha, which comes from the first letter of the Greek alphabet, means something that is first, or the beginning. In fact, it is interesting to note that leading and leadership come from the Old English word lithan (one of the rare English words that actually has an English origin), which literally means to go. According to Merriam-Websters Dictionary, leadership means to guide on a way, especially by going in advance. It is significant that the root of the word leadership does not have to do with power, command, dominance, etc. It has to do with going somewhere together with others. It is not so much about being number one as it is about leading the way through ones own actions. Thus, in its truest expression, leadership is fundamentally about going first, and influencing others as much by ones actions as by ones words. From this perspective, effective leadership can be viewed as the ability to involve others in the process of accomplishing a goal within some larger system or environment. That is, a leader leads or influences a collaborator or group of co-workers towards achieving some end in the context of an organization, social community and environment.
Leaders Involve and Influence Others in Order to Achieve Goals Within a System
The Alpha Leadership model addresses each of these key elements, which make up the work space of leadership, through what we refer to as the triple As of leadership: Anticipate, Align and Act.
Anticipating has to do with the leaders ability to be aware of the larger system in which he or she and the team or organization are acting. Aligning has to do with the way a leader engages and interacts with othersachieving congruence in his or her own values and desires, and the values and desires of others in order to act effectively in pursuit of business goals and outcomes. Acting relates to establishing what is important to achieve the business goals, and making the commitment to persist in areas that make a difference through clarity and constancy of purpose.
The Alpha Leadership Model Each of these key aspects of leadership is supported by three core skills necessary to bring them into action. Anticipate
Detecting Weak Signals: Similar to the sonar system of a bat, leaders and organizations need to be able to sense and interpret subtle cues, in order to become aware of trends and patterns in the larger system, even before they happen. Mental Agility: Having the flexibility (or requisite variety) to respond appropriately to these signals. Freeing Up Resources: Creating organizations fluid enough to respond quickly to new circumstances.
Align Leading Through Embodiment: Developing personal power through congruence and personal alignment, and being aware of ones impact on others. Task Through Relationship: Establishing cooperation and rapport and encouraging self-organization through meta leadership. Creating Cultures that Can Act: Establishing the conditions in which others can win.
Act The 80/20 Rule: Being efficient, and finding the key leverage points for effective action knowing where to tap. Ready, Fire, Aim: Being proactive and at the same time sensitive to feedback in order to make in-course corrections. Dogged Pursuit: Focusing and stretching business goals, being clear about how the business creates value, and having a strong sense of connection between ones personal mission and business role.
Alpha Leadership Principles, Skills and Tools Support Effective Interactions Between Leaders, Co-workers, Business Goals and the Larger System in Which They Are Acting.
The Alpha Leadership model supplies tools for managers, consultants and coaches to develop more effective leadership ability in themselves and others. While the focus of Alpha Leadership is necessarily on business, the principles, skills and tools can be applied in other contexts in which we want to improve our performance or results. The book on Alpha Leadership is available now. For more information see the Alpha Leaders website.
80/20 Planning
Stephen Covey recounts the story of an instructor lecturing on time, (First things first, by Stephen Covey, Simon and Schuster, 1994). At one point the instructor said, Okay, its time for a quiz. He reached under the table and pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar. He set it on the table next to a platter with some fist-sized rocks on it. How many of those rocks do you think we can get in the jar? he asked. After we made our guess, he said, Okay, lets find out. He set one rock in the jarthen anotherthen another. I dont remember how many he got in, but he got the jar full. Then he asked, Is that jar full? Everybody looked at the rocks and said Yes. Then he said Ahhh. He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar and the gravel went in all the little spaces left by the big rocks. Then he grinned and said once more, Is the jar full? By this time we were on to him. Probably not, we said. Good! he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went in all the little spaces left by the rocks and the gravel. Once more he looked at us and said, Is the jar full? No! we all roared. He said, Good! and he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in. He got something like a quart of water in that jar. Then he said, Well, whats the point? Somebody said, Well, there are gaps, and if you really work at it, you can always fit more into your life. No, he said, thats not the point. The point is this: if you hadnt put these big rocks in first, would you ever have gotten any of them in?
Allocating resources: Getting the rocks in your jar When you think forward 3 to 6 months, what are the REALLY IMPORTANT things you want to achieve, the rocks in your jar? (These rocks may be first steps in larger goals visions that may take much longer to complete) 1. List the mix of activities that you need to undertake in the next period of time.
2. Make up a time allocation worksheet or use the one below. Write the list of activities in the spaces in the middle of the worksheet. 3. On the pie chart on the right, under the column Desired State, represent the percentage of time you will need to allocate to each activity if your key objectives are to be successfully achieved. 4. Now review what you have specified as the allocation you would like, and compare it to the time you actually spend on these activities. Using the pie charts on the left hand side of the worksheet, represent the relative amounts of time you are currently spending with respect to each activity. 5. Now list the people with whom you are collaborating in order to undertake these activities on the second half of the worksheet. Note the proportion of your time you would liketo spend with them in order to be successful in your activities, and note this on the right side of the worksheet. Compare these percentages with the time you actuallyspend with each individual, noted on the left side of the worksheet.
Reflections on September 11
Dear Friends, Like many of you probably did, I had a difficult time sleeping following the horrific events of September 11. I saw the nightmarish images of the desrtruction in New York and Washington DC over and over during the day on television, and then again at night in my own minds eye. I received many wonderful, empathetic and supportive e-mails from concerned colleagues around the world. As one friend from the UK wrote: "I dont know what to say. It's a bad dream and I still hope I will wake up. So much beauty and so much ugliness in the same world. I hope that we in NLP can make some difference to what is unfolding." My thoughts too have touched upon what these events mean with respect to NLP and the people who practice NLP. My conclusion is that it is a time of "awakening" for us. The dictionary defines awakening as "rousing from sleep," "emerging from a state of indifference, lethargy or dormancy" or "becoming fully conscious, aware and appreciative." Times of growth and transformation in our lives are usually accompanied by such "awakenings." It is as if we were roused from a type of sleepcoming out of a self-imposed stuporor had been blind and suddenly regained sight. Our mental maps of who we are and what is possible in the world become broader, and we perceive old limitations in a completely new way. In these experiences, we succeed in breaking through our old mind set and "get outside of the box." The results of awakening are frequently a renewed sense of purpose and meaning, expanded awareness, clear perception and emotional and physical revitalization. Awakening is often associated with cognitive or mental expansion, but can also be related to our heart and emotions. Awakening frequently has to do with reconnecting with our motivations at the deepest level. While waking up is usually exhilarating, it is not always pleasant. It seems to me that the events of September 11 were a type of unpleasant awakening. In our seminar, Love in the Face of Violence, Stephen Gilligan and frequently quote
the great Danish physicist Nils Bohr, who pointed out that there are two types of truth: superficial truth and deep truth. According to Bohr, "In a superficial truth, the opposite is false. In a deep truth, the opposite is also true." Beauty and ugliness are both deep truths. The fact that there is great beauty and hope in the world does not mean that it is not also ugly. And the fact that people are capable of acting so horribly, does not mean that they are not also capable of creating miracles. Once somebody has been awakened to such a deeper truth, then he or she is able to truly choose. If they are both true, then where do I choose to put my life energy? Do I devote myself to the light or succumb to the darkness? In fact, it is important to point out that sometimes "the brighter the light, the darker the shadows." When I have had even a minor spiritual awakening, I suddenly see shadows that I didnt see before because the light has gotten brighter. When my daughter was born, for example, it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I think it is transformational for a man to have a daughter. When Julia was born, parts of my heart opened that I didnt even know were there before. She was a really bright light, and I felt totally awake in her presence. But after spending more or less a whole summer with her, I had to travel again. I flew to Europe to do a seminar. It was the first time I was very far away from her. One morning I was in the bathroom at my hotel getting ready to go to the seminar. I had the television on, and I heard crying in the other room. For a moment, I thought it was my daughter crying in pain or fear. I hurried to the other room and found that the cry was coming from the television. They were showing reports of people in Somalia. On the screen was a baby girl in Somalia who was dying of starvation. Her cry sounded just like my daughters. I was so connected to my daughter, it was as if my heart was being broken by the image on television. Before Julia had been born, I would have just seen an anonymous image on television. Now the suffering of a child thousands of miles away was breaking my heart. I realized in that moment that I had a choice: I could close down and say, "Oh this is something that is happening very far away from me. It is happening to somebody very different from me, that I dont even know or care about ." Or, I could keep my heart open and realize that the baby was no farther away then than my own daughter (both physically and emotionally). The specter of suffering and death became a very real Shadow. The fact that people were dying of starvation wasnt something I could just think of as a concept any longer. I was feeling it. And to choose to close my heart would have meant to somehow love my daughter less. I realized that to love my daughter meant that I had to allow my heart to be broken. It was as if someone that I loved was dying and I was helpless to do anything about it. That Shadow had been there all my life, but the darkness and reality of it had never before been so obvious.
This is an illustration of how, when the light gets brighter, the Shadow becomes more visible. In the presence of the light, we can no longer ignore pain, suffering and fear. For me that was the decision that I made with respect to the starving baby and my daughter. I decided to love anyway, which meant loving the little girl who I saw dying on television, even if I was helpless, and could do nothing about it, and even if loving her led to greater pain in my life. I felt this same pain many times over watching the images on the television yesterday. It was also the same daughter I just talked about, now 10 years old, who kept asking me, "Why would somebody do such a thing daddy? Dont they know that they are hurting and scaring people?" At first, I responded, "Yes, honey, they wanted to hurt and scare people." "But," she persisted, "why? Why do they want to hurt and scare people. What is it doing for them?" In her innocent, yet determined desire to understand and change things she was looking for the root cause, the deeper truth, the intention of the perpetrators. This search for a positive intention, especially since when it most difficult, seems to me to part of our task as a people. In Tools of the Spirit, Robert McDonald and I point out that this is the spiritual principle of NLP. My daughters question continued to echo as I heard the haunting cheers of the children in the Palestinian refugee camp, "America is dead. God is free." What will it do for them if America is dead? What will do for them if God is free? These are some of the first questions we must ask if we are to find other choices and create a true and lasting solution. A number of times yesterday I was reminded of the story when Albert Einstein was approached by a reporter during an interview and asked something to the effect of, "Dr. Einstein, you are recognized around the world as one of the most bone fide geniuses of our century, maybe of human history. Your scope of thinking has covered the workings of the universe from the tiny atom to the cosmos. You have seen your discoveries both evolve and enrich, and also mutilate and destroy the human life you so highly value. What, in your opinion is the most important question facing humanity today?" Characteristically, Einstein stared off into space for a moment, and then looked down at the ground in front of him. Finally he looked back at the reporter and replied, "I
think the most important question facing humanity is, Is the universe a friendly place? This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves. "For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendlyand I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process. "If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially playing dice with the universe, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning. "But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives." I myself do not know any answers to the many questions that arose as a result of the awful events of September 11, but I know that we must be congruent and awake to find those answers through understanding. In considering how to deal with the consequences of this tragedy, I was reminded of Gregory Bateson's comment that "Love can survive only if wisdom has an effective voice." I was also reminded of the important life lesson I learned as a child from my father that "two wrongs don't make a right." I hope that, as NLPers, the horrible events of September 11 reawaken in us the commitment to continue to "create a world to which people want to belong," and become awakeners ourselves. In many ways, leaders, coaches, consultants, therapists and teachers are awakeners; opening up new vistas and possibilities for their students, clients and collaborators. Awakening others involves supporting them to grow at the level of vision, mission and spirit. An awakener supports another person by providing contexts and experiences which bring out the best of that persons understanding and awareness of purpose, self, and the larger systems to which he or she belongs. Being an awakener requires the abilities of a coach, teacher, mentor and sponsor to some degree, but has other dimensions. It is obvious that it is not possible to awaken others if you yourself are still asleep. So the first task of the awakener is to wake up and stay awake. An awakener "awakens" others through his or her own integrity and congruence. An awakener puts other people in touch with their own missions and visions by being in full contact with his or her own vision and mission.
The job of the awakener is to shine light into situations which are dim, not cast his or her own shadow into the darkness that is already there. Awakeners have no illusions about human natureso they do not have negative surprises. But they have a strong belief about what is possible. Awakening others involves the unconditional acceptance of who and how they are; yet, at the same time, the suggestion that there are possibilities and choices for expansion and evolution. Awakening can be gradual or sudden (such as a moment of "epiphany" or sudden insight). Awakening often leads to learning at the level of what Gregory Bateson called Learning IVthe creation of something "completely new." In NLP the closest thing we do to praying is to "hold an intention." It seems to me to be appropriate at this time for all of us in the NLP community to hold the intention for healing and wisdomhealing for the people and their families who were devastated by this experience, and wisdom to decide how to respond. In closing, I offer the words of Albert Einstein: "A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe. . . a part limited in time and space. He experiences his thoughts and feelings as separated from the resta kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." Thank you all for your concerns and warms wishes.
Positive Intention Bringing Light Into The Darkness: The Principle of Positive Intention
One of the most important but often misunderstood (and therefore controversial) principles of NLP is that of 'positive intention'. Simply put, the principle states that at some level all behavior is (or at one time was) "positively intended". Another way to say it is that all behavior serves (or at one time served) a 'positive purpose'. The positive intention behind 'aggressive' behavior, for example, is often 'protection'. The positive intention or purpose behind 'fear' is usually 'safety'. The positive purpose behind anger can be to 'maintain boundaries'. 'Hatred' may have the positive purpose of 'motivating' a person to take action. The positive intentions behind something like 'resistance to change' could encompass a range of issues; including the desire to acknowledge, honor or respect the past; the need to protect oneself by staying with the familiar, and the attempt to hold onto the positive things one has had in the past, and so on. Even physical symptoms may serve a positive purpose. NLP views any symptoms, including physical symptoms, as a communication that something is not functioning appropriately. Physical symptoms often signal to people that something is out of balance. Sometimes physical symptoms are even a sign that something is being healed. Sometimes a particular problem behavior or symptom may even serve multiple positive intentions. I have worked with people who wanted to quit smoking, for instance, who discovered that it served many positive purposes. They smoked in the morning in order to "wake up". They smoked during the day in order to "reduce stress," "concentrate" and, paradoxically, "remember to breathe." They smoked at night in order to "relax." Often, smoking served to cover up or 'cloud' negative emotions. Perhaps most importantly, smoking was the one thing that they did "just for themselves" to bring some pleasure into their lives. Another basic principle of NLP, that is related to that of positive intention, is that it is useful to separate one's "behavior" from one's "self" - that is, to separate the positive
intent, function, belief, etc., that generates a behavior from the behavior itself. In other words, it is more respectful, ecological and productive to respond to the 'deep structure' than to the surface expression of a problematic behavior. A consequence of combining this principle with the principle of positive intention is that in order to change behavior or establish viable alternatives, the new choices must in some way satisfy the positive purpose of the previous behavior. When the positive intentions and purposes of a problem state or symptom have not been satisfied, then, ironically, even "normal" or "desired" behaviors can produce equally problematic or pathological results. A person who stops being aggressive, for instance, but has no other way to protect himself or herself, just exchanges one set of problems for another. Quitting the behavior of smoking without finding alternatives for all of the important purposes that it serves can lead a person into a nightmare of new problems. According to another basic NLP principle - that of 'pacing and leading' - effective change would first involve 'pacing' by acknowledging the positive intentions behind the existing behavior. 'Leading' would involve assisting the individual to widen his or her map of the world in order to find more appropriate choices for successfully achieving those positive intentions. These choices would allow the person to preserve the positive intention or purpose through different means. This is what the various NLP techniques of 'reframing' attempt to accomplish. Why people object to the principle of positive intention. On one hand, the principle of positive intention - and the approach to change described above - seem quite natural and effective. Yet, the notion of 'positive intention' has also engendered much criticism and ridicule; even by some members of the NLP community. The objections range from the perception that it is more theoretical and philosophical than practical, to the belief that it is downright dangerous. One of the purposes of this article is to acknowledge and address some of these concerns. The notion of 'positive intention' is more philosophical than scientific. It can't be proved. Actually, the principle of positive intention does not come from religious or romantic idealism, but rather from the scientific discipline of systems theory. The fundamental premise of the principle of positive intent is that systems (especially self organizing or "cybernetic" systems) are geared toward adaptation. That is, there is a built in tendency to optimize some important elements in the system or to keep the system in balance. Thus, the ultimate purpose of all actions, responses or behaviors within a system is 'adaptive' - or was adaptive given the context in which those behaviors were initially established.
It is true that you cannot objectively 'prove' that there really is a positive intention behind a particular behavior; that is why it is considered a 'presupposition'. It is something that is presupposed, not proved. Similarly, one cannot 'prove' that the 'map is not the territory' and that 'there is no one right map of the world'. These are part of the basic 'epistemology' of NLP - they are the basic beliefs upon which the rest of the model is based. NLP principles and presuppositions are like the fundamental concepts of Euclidian geometry. For instance, Euclid built his geometry upon the concept of the 'point'. A point is defined as 'an entity that has a position but no other properties'-it has no size, no mass, no color, no shape. It is of course impossible to prove that a point really has no size, mass, color, etc. However, if you accept this presupposition, along with a few others, you can build a whole system of geometry. The conclusions of this system can then be 'proved' with respect to their adherence to the fundamental but unproven concepts. It is important to realize that one does not have to accept Euclid's assumption about a point in order to create a geometry. There are other geometries based on different presuppositions. [For instance, MIT mathematician Seymour Pappert (1980) built his fascinating 'Turtle geometry' for children substituting the notion of a 'Turtle' for a 'point'; a 'Turtle' being an entity that has a position and a direction.] Thus, accepting the principle of 'positive intention' is ultimately an act of faith. And in many ways, the notion of positive intention is probably the 'spiritual' core of NLP. If we accept that there are positive intentions behind every behavior, then we will find or create them as opposed to waiting for the proof that such intentions exist. If people supposedly have positive intentions then why do they do such bad things? It is common wisdom that "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Having a good intention is not a guarantee of good behavior. People who have good intentions do bad things because they have limited maps of the world. Problems arise when a well intended person's map of the world presents only a few choices for satisfying their intentions. This is why it is important to consider the principle of positive intention in relation to the other teachings of NLP. Isolated from the other NLP presuppositions and the technology of NLP, the principle of positive intention would indeed be naive idealism. Without the mastery of the NLP change techniques, thinking tools, communication skills etc., it would be irrelevant whether someone had a positive intention or not because we would be helpless to direct their attention to a new behavior anyway. As Einstein pointed out, "You cannot solve a problem with the
same type of thinking that is creating it." The principle of positive intention must be coupled with powerful and effective creativity and problem solving skills. It is also important to keep in mind that people can only have a positive intention for the particular part of the total system that they are aware of or identify with. Thus, an individual who is knowingly and 'purposefully' doing something harmful to another, will often have a positive intention for himself or herself which does not include the other. In fact, the concept of 'negative intentions' probably stems from this kind of experience. The positive intention behind the belief in negative intention and the rejection of the notion of 'positive intention' is undoubtedly "protection." People who reject the notion of positive intention are often afraid of either being or appearing 'naive'. They also often feel helpless to change anything. Without the mastery of the appropriate NLP skills, people simply end up feeling, "If they were really positively intended they would have changed by now." It is important, however, not to confuse the notion that people are motivated by 'positive intentions' with the idea that people are always able to keep in mind the 'best interests' of others or the rest of the system. The fact that others are positively intended does not automatically make them wise or capable of being altruistic - these are the result of intelligence, skill and their map of the world. Adolph Hitler had a very positive intention - for the part of the system that he identified with. A mugger who robs and perhaps even kills another to get money has a positive intention for himself but no identification with the victim. The European pioneers who killed Native American fathers and their families in order to protect their own families had a positive intention but had limited choices. In their map the 'red devils' were not human. The Native American warriors who killed European fathers and their families in order to protect their hunting grounds had a very positive intention, but had limited choices. They both lacked the skills to communicate effectively with one another, and their maps of the world did not allow them to appreciate and manage the cultural differences between them. Doesn't accepting that a behavior comes from a positive intention make that behavior alright? The fact that some action or symptom may have a positive intention behind it does not justify the behavior or make it acceptable or "OK." Rather, the principle of positive intention states what is necessary to be able to permanently change a behavior or resolve a symptom or resistance. The principle of positive intention addresses issues of 'change', 'healing' and 'ecology' more so than 'morality' or 'justice'. It is more about the future than the past. The principle of positive intention merely
asserts that healing or "associative correction" involves adding new choices to the individual's impoverished model of the world. These new choices would need to be able to satisfy the positive intention or purpose that the individual is (consciously or unconsciously) attempting to fulfill, but not have the negative or pathological consequences of the problem behavior or symptom. But I can't find any positive purpose to some behaviors. Positive intentions are not always conscious nor obvious. Because we are not used to thinking in terms of positive intentions, it is sometimes difficult to find them right away and therefore we find it easier to lapse into other explanations for a behavior or symptom. But if one is committed to finding them and looks deeply enough, they will be there. Sometimes the intention or 'deep structure' is far removed from the surface level behavior. In these cases, the relation between the intention and behavior may seem paradoxical For instance, I have worked with suicidal people who's positive intention is to "attain peace." Parents sometimes physically punish or even abuse their children to "show them that they love them." The mystery of the seemingly paradoxical relationship between the positive intention and the resulting behavior lies in the past events and model of the world in which the relationship was formed. Another conclusion of combining the principle of positive intention with other NLP presuppositions is that any behavior no matter how 'evil', 'crazy' or 'bizarre' it seems, is or was the best choice available to the person at that point in time, given his or her model of the world. That is, all behavior is or was perceived as necessary or appropriate (from the 'actor's' point of view) given the context in which it was established. What happens many times, however, is that the positive intention for which the behavior was established is no longer actually being served by the behavior. As an example, the positive intention behind 'revenge' is often initially to "put things right" in order to try to heal them. Instead it creates an unending or escalating feud (like the Hatfields and McCoys). To truly heal the situation it is necessary to break the cycle by finding a way of thinking that is different from that which is creating the problem. What is important to keep in mind is that, even though the situation in which the problematic response was established is now outdated, the positive intention behind it, or the purpose which it was intended to serve, may still be valid and important to acknowledge and address. What if I can't find any positive purpose in the past?
In some situations the positive function of a symptom or behavior was not part of the initiating circumstances but was rather established later as a 'secondary gain'. For instance, a person may not have intended to become physically sick, but nonetheless received a lot of attention and relief from his or her responsibilities when he or she did become ill. This attention and relief, received as a positive by-product of the illness, could become a secondary gain - indicating areas of imbalance in the person's 'normal' life that need to be addressed. If they are not adequately dealt with, the person may be likely to relapse. But when I make people aware of perfectly good alternatives they don't always accept them. It is important to keep in mind at this point that there is a subtle but significant difference between 'alternatives' and 'choices'. 'Alternatives' are external to a person. 'Choices' are alternatives that have become a part of the person's map. An individual could be given many options or alternatives but really have no choice. Choice involves having the capability and the contextual cues to be able to internally select the most appropriate option. In NLP, it is also considered important that the person possess more than one other alternative besides the symptom or problematic response. There is a saying in NLP that "One choice is no choice at all. Two choices is a dilemma. It is not until a person has three possibilities that he or she is really able to legitimately choose." What about when someone admits that he or she has other choices but is still doing the same thing? What often confuses people about the principle of positive intention is that it seems the person "should know better." They should have the intelligence or maturity to employ other alternatives to achieve their desired intentions. It is not uncommon for a people to say over and over again that they realize something is not good for them or achieving what they really want or intend, yet still persist in the behavior. The influence of past events often extends beyond the specific memory of the particular situation. Under certain conditions, events can produce altered states of consciousness which lead to a "splitting of consciousness," such that a part of the person's thinking process became disassociated from the rest. This disassociated part of consciousness, what Freud called a "secondary consciousness", could produce ideas which were "very intense but are cut off from associative communication with the rest of the content of consciousness." In the view of NLP, people are always drifting or moving between various states of
consciousness. There is a wide variety of states which the nervous system is capable of achieving. In fact, from the NLP perspective, it is useful and desirable to have 'parts'. In circumstances that require high levels of performance, for instance, people often place themselves mentally and physically into states that are different from their "normal state" of consciousness. Certain tasks require that individuals use their body and nervous system in special ways. For instance, athletic performances, labor and birth experiences, even tasks requiring high levels of concentration like surgery, are often accompanied by special states. The ideas, perceptions and thoughts that occur in these states can be "associated amongst themselves" more easily than experiences that occur in other states or circumstances. This kind of process is one of the ways that we keep from being overwhelmed by the vast contents of our experiences. The degree of influence of a particular 'part' depends upon the 'level' at which it has been formed. Some parts are more at the capability level; like a 'creative' part, a 'logical' part or an 'intuitive' part. Other parts are more at the level of beliefs and values; such as a part that 'values health more than success' or a part that believes 'family is more important than career'. Still others may be at the level of identity; such as a part that is an 'adult' versus a part that is a 'child'. Different 'parts' may have different intentions, purposes and capabilities that may or may not be connected to other parts of a person and to his or her normal state of consciousness. Thus, while one part of a person may understand something, another part may not. One part of a person may believe something is important while another part may believe it is unnecessary. As a result, an individual may have different parts with different intentions. These intentions may come into conflict with one another, or lead to behaviors that seem bizarre and irrational to others and even to part of a person's own consciousness. In other words, the fact that the "normal consciousness" of a person recognizes other choices does not mean that the "secondary consciousness" that is initiating the behavior understands or accepts those choices. A symptom is only completely 'reframed' when the part of the person that is generating the problematic response is identified, the positive intention behind the response understood and acknowledged, and when other effective choices for achieving the positive intention have been internalized by that part. (The specifics of how to conduct such communications have been detailed in a number of NLP books including Roots of NLP, Frogs Into Princes, Solutions, NLP Volume I, Reframing.) Are you saying that there is no such thing as 'evil'? The notion of 'evil' is certainly an ancient one. Yet, perhaps surprisingly to some, it has not always existed as an essential part of human consciousness. In his book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (1976), Julian
Jaynes points out that references to the concept of "evil" do not appear in ancient writings or artifacts (Greek, Egyptian or Hebrew) until around 1200 BC. According to Jaynes, in order for the idea of "evil" to arise, people's behavior had to become perceived as being sufficiently disassociated from the will of the various gods that controlled them in order for people to have their own 'free will'. It was only with advent of ongoing contact and interaction between peoples of different cultures, and the resulting belief that the differences in people's behaviors came from their own internal thoughts and wills, that ideas such as 'deception' and 'evil' emerged. Without individual consciousness and will there can be no intent, positive or negative. It would seem that, historically, the concept of evil arose out of our struggle to understand and come to terms with our own internal programming. Even from the earliest times, however, 'evil' was associated with 'darkness' and 'good' was associated with 'light'. Destructive and harmful behaviors come from 'darkness'. Loving and healing behaviors come from 'light'. This metaphor fits in very well with the NLP notion of positive intention. Positive intentions are like light. Their purpose is to bring illumination and warmth to the world. Symptoms and problematic behaviors emerge out of the darkness - the places that the light is unable to reach. It is very important to realize, however, that 'darkness' is not a 'force', it is merely the absence of light. Light can shine into darkness, but darkness cannot 'shine' into light. Thus, the relationship between light and the shadow that it casts is not one of a struggle between opposing forces. The question is, "What is obstructing the light?" and "How can we get some light to where it needs to be?" From an NLP perspective, 'darkness' comes from a narrow map of the world or from something in that model of the world that is interfering with the 'light' of the positive intention and casting a shadow. Change comes from 'widening the aperture' of the person's map of the world or by finding and transforming the obstacles to the light not by attacking the shadow. According to NLP, the obstacles to the light come from limiting beliefs or 'thought viruses' in our mental maps of the world. Typically, these obstacles come as beliefs or assumptions which stand in opposition to the basic NLP presuppositions. For example, consider just how easy it is to create conflict and violence by taking on the following beliefs: "There is only one true map of the world. They (the chosen enemy) have the wrong map of the world - I/we have the correct map of the world. They are negatively intended - they want to hurt us. They are incapable of changing I/we have tried everything I/we could. They are not part of our system - they are fundamentally different from us." These beliefs, taken together, have no doubt been at the heart of every atrocity that has been committed in human history. The fundamental 'light' and healing capacity of
NLP comes from its commitment to promote a different set of presuppositions: "We are a system that is part of much larger system. This system is fundamentally geared toward health and adaptation. Therefore, we are all ultimately motivated by positive intentions. Our maps of the world, however, are limited and don't always provide us with all the possible choices. We are, nonetheless, capable of changing, and once we are able to perceive a truly viable option, we will automatically take it. The issue is to be able to widen one's model of the world to include other choices and capabilities for protection and wisdom and to assist others in doing so as well."
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
as Reframing, are ways to help people widen their map of a situation and perceive other choices and options. Thus, when managing an objection or resistance, it is useful to begin by acknowledging its positive intent and then lead to a wider space of perception or thinking. It is especially important to separate a person's identity and positive intention from their behaviors. In dealing with interferences, an effective strategy is to first acknowledge the person or their positive intent and then respond to the issue or problem as a separate issue. It is important to realize that one can acknowledge another person's point of view without having to agree with that person, i.e. it is different to say "I understand that you have this perspective", than to say, "I agree with you". Saying, "I appreciate your concern", or "That is an important question" is a way to acknowledge the person or their intention without necessarily implying that their map of the world is the right one. In summary, according to the principle of positive intention, when dealing with resistance to change it is important and useful to: 1) Presuppose that all behavior (including resistance and limiting beliefs) is positively intended. 2) Separate the negative aspects of the behavior from the positive intention behind it. 3) Identify and respond to the positive intention of the resistant/problem person. 4) Offer the person other choices of behavior to achieve the same positive intention. Copyright 1995 by Robert B. Dilts
6-Step 'Reframing'
1. Identify the problematic behavior. "What is the behavior or symptom you want to change?" 2. Establish communication with the part of yourself that is responsible for the behavior. "Go inside of yourself and ask the part of you that creates this behavior, 'Please give me a signal if you are willing to communicate with me.' Pay attention to any internal words, images or feelings that might be a signal from that part of yourself." 2.1. If you do not get a clear signal, ask the part to exaggerate the signal. You may also use the symptom itself by asking "Please intensify the symptom if your answer is 'yes'." 2.2. If the part is not willing to communicate, ask "What is your positive purpose in
not wanting to communicate with me?" [If you have continued difficulty establishing communication with the part, you may want to try a different change process.] 3. Separate the positive intention of the part from the problematic behavior. "Go inside and thank the part for communicating with you and ask, 'What are you trying to do positively for me or communicate to me with this behavior?'" 3.1. If the intention of the part seems negative, keep asking "And what will that do positively for me? What is your positive purpose?" 4. Find three other choices that satisfy the positive intention of the part but do not have the negative consequences of the symptom or problematic behavior. "Go to the 'creative part' of yourself and ask it to come up with at least three other ways to satisfy the positive intention of the problematic behavior." 5. Have the part that creates the symptom or problematic behavior agree to implement the new choices. "Go inside and ask the part responsible for the problematic behavior, 'Signal me if you accept the alternative choices." 5.1. If any choices are not acceptable, or there is no signal, go to step 4 and modify or add choices. 6. Ecology check. Find out if any other parts object to the new choices. "Go inside and ask, 'Do any other parts object to these new choices?'" 6.1. If yes, identify the part and go to step 2, repeating the cycle with that part. implement the new choices. "Go inside and ask the part responsible for the problematic behavior
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
become 'open to believe' that we may, in fact, have the capabilities to be successful and resourceful. As our capabilities become confirmed, we become confident in our 'belief' that we are successful and resourceful and that what we are doing is right for us for now. As we begin to pass that stage of life or work, we begin to become 'open to doubt' that the success and activities associated with that stage are really what is most important, priorital or 'true' for us anymore. When we are past that stage, we are able to look back and see that what used to be important and true for us is no longer the case. We can recognize that we 'used to believe' that we were a certain way and that certain things were important; and we can retain the beliefs and capabilities that will help us in our current phase, but we realize that our values, priorities and beliefs are now different. All one needs to do is to look over the cycles of change that one has gone through since childhood, adolescence, and the stages of adulthood to find many examples of this cycle. As we enter and pass through relationships, jobs, friendships, partnerships, etc., we develop beliefs and values which serve us, and let them go again as we transition to a new part of our life's path. In the terms of self organization theory, we can summarize this cycle as a 'landscape' that looks something like the following diagram.
'Landscape' of Natural Belief Change Cycle What we 'want to believe', what we 'currently believe' and what we 'used to believe', are like three 'basins' in the landscape. The experiences and ideas, both perceived and imagined, which make up our lives can collect or rest in the bottoms of these basins. If one visualizes a particular experience or idea as ball or pebble that can pass over the landscape, then in order to move from wanting to believe something to actually believing it, we must first pass over the part of the landscape in which we become 'open to believe' it. The part of the landscape in which one is 'open to believe' something new is less stable than those at the bottoms of the basins on either side of it; and it it sometimes requires and investment of effort to reach this part of the landscape. The 'currently believe' basin is represented as deeper than the others because the ideas that we do currently believe are generally held more strongly and are more stable than what we 'want to believe' or 'used to believe'. It also sometimes takes more effort to move one of our current beliefs to the less stable part of our landscape in which we can become 'open to doubt' it. Once we have made that transition, certain aspects of that belief may fall back into the basin of our current beliefs, while other come to rest in the part of the landscape that holds those beliefs that we are aware that we 'used to believe' but no longer believe.
When something is changing or unstable on one level, it is helpful to establish stability at the next highest level of 'deep structure'. If, instead of changing behaviors, people are learning a new mental skill or capability, for instance, it is useful for them to have stable beliefs and values in relation to that skill. In other words, even though people be uncertain about their new skill they can be certain in their belief that they will eventually learn the skill and that it is valuable. Likewise, if a person is in a situation where he or she is changing a belief or needing to establish a new belief, it will make it easier if that person has a stable sense of identity. So that even if the person does not know what to believe anymore, the person still knows who he or she is. Similarly, if a person's identity is changing or unstable, it would be important for that person to find a point of stability on a 'spiritual' level in terms of his or her position within the larger system of which he or she is a part. The experience in 'trusting' in something that is beyond one's beliefs, or trusting in a larger system than oneself, can help to make the process of belief change more smooth, comfortable and ecological. In guiding people through the process of changing their beliefs it is important to have them create a space or location for the experience of 'trusting' in something beyond their beliefs, which serves as a kind of 'meta position' to the rest of the process.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Once this landscape has been laid out it can be utilized in many different ways. One of the common ways in which to use it is to have a person think of a new belief that he or she would like strengthen and simply 'walk it' through the natural steps of the cycle. The instructions would proceed as follows 1. Stand in the 'Want to Believe' space, think of the 'new belief' that you would like to have more confidence in. Holding this belief in mind move into the 'Open to Believe' space. (If you have chosen a 'mentor' for this state, you may step into his or her 'shoes' at this point. Seeing yourself through the eyes of your mentor, you may give the you who is 'open to believe' the new beliefs any helpful advice or support.) 2. Feel what it is like to become more open to believe this new belief. When you intuitively feel the time is appropriate, step into the 'Currently Believe' space concentrating on the new belief you want to have. 3. If there are any conflicting or limiting beliefs that come up in the 'Currently Believe' space, hold them in mind and move to the 'Open to Doubt' space. (Again, if you have chosen a 'mentor' for your 'open to doubt' state, you may step into his or her 'shoes' at this point. Seeing yourself through the eyes of your mentor, you may give the you who is becoming 'open to doubt' any of the limiting or conflicting beliefs any helpful advice or support.) 4. Ecology Check Go to the 'Trust' space and consider the positive intents and purpose of both the new belief and any conflicting or limiting beliefs. Consider whether there are any changes or revisions you would like to make to the new belief. Also consider if there are any parts of the old beliefs that would be worth retaining or incorporating along with the new belief. 5. Return to the old limiting or conflicting beliefs that you left in the 'Open to Doubt' space, bringing the insights you had from the 'Trust' space and move them into the 'Used to Believe' space, your 'Museum of Personal History'. 6. Step back into to the 'Currently Believe' space and focus on the new beliefs you want to strengthen. Experience your new sense of confidence and verbalize any new insights or learnings that you may have discovered during this process. 7. Ecology Check Again step into the 'Trust' space and consider the changes you have made. Know that, because this is a natural, organic and ongoing cycle, the process can continue evolve and that you can make any necessary adjustments in the future in the way that is most appropriate and ecological for you. Many people find that simply walking through these locations (or even imagining walking through these locations) and reexperiencing the states allows them to gently completely shift their beliefs.
Symbol ___________________________________ 3.1. Make up character or symbol for the conflicting or limiting beliefs you would like to update or change. Character/Symbol ___________________________________ 4. Move into the 'Open to Doubt' space and think of a time you were open to doubt something you had believed for a long time. What is your metaphor or symbol for being 'open to doubt'? Symbol ___________________________________ 5. Stand in the 'Used To Believe' (your "museum of personal history") space and remember something you used to believe but no longer believe. What is your metaphor or symbol for all the beliefs in your life that you used to believe but no longer believe? Symbol ___________________________________ 6. Step into the space for the experience of deep 'Trust'. Create a symbol or metaphor for the experience of trusting in something beyond your beliefs. Symbol ___________________________________ 7. Tell your 'story of change' by incorporating all of the metaphors and symbols that you have created. If you want to, as you are telling the story, you may physically walk to the spaces to which you are referring. Allow the story to 'self-organize' itself. That is be intuitive. Just begin and let the story take you where 'it needs to go'. Tell it as if you were telling a fairy tale to a child or as if it were a dream. In fact it is best to start the story with the words, "Once upon a time..." or "I had a dream that..." and then just let it flow.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
moved the ducklings would follow it. They would follow Lorenz around while he was walking, for instance. After a day or so the duckling would have completed its 'imprint' of the mother. After the imprint period was up, if you brought back the real mother they would ignore her completely, choosing instead to follow the individual or object to which they had been imprinted. So, when Lorenz got up in the morning, instead of being out in their nest, the ducklings that had been following him would be all curled up on the porch around his wading boots. It is important to realize that one can acknowledge another person's point of view without having to agree with that person, i.e. it is different to say "I understand that you have this perspective", than to say, "I agree with you". Saying, "I appreciate your concern", or "That is an important question" is a way to acknowledge the person or their intention without necessarily implying that their map of the world is the right one. They even imprinted one of these ducklings to a balloon. They pulled it around and the duckling followed it. When this duckling that was imprinted to a balloon became an adult, it wouldn't court or mate with members of its own species. Instead it would go through all its courtship behavior with round objects. The implication of this is that early imprints influence subsequent psycho-sexual behavior. When the duckling grew up, the imprint of the mother also transferred into the imprint for a mate. Lorenz and his colleagues believed that imprints were established at certain neurological critical periods, and that once the critical period had past that whatever had been 'imprinted' was permanent and not subject to change. Leary believed that, similar to other animals, imprints formed in human beings at various chronological stages that effected specific aspects of the intellectual and emotional development of the individual in later life. Leary identified several significant developmental critical periods in human beings. Imprints established during these periods established core beliefs that shaped the personality and intelligence of the individual. The primary critical periods involved the establishment of imprints determining beliefs about 1) biological survival, 2) emotional attachments and well-being, 3) intellectual dexterity, 4) social role, 5) aesthetic appreciation and 6) meta cognition or the awareness of ones own thought processes. Thus, health problems might stem back to core beliefs and programs established during the biological survival critical period, while phobias would have their roots in the emotional well-being period, whereas learning handicaps would derive from imprints formed during the critical period involving intellectual dexterity, and so on. Leary contended, however, that the human nervous system was more sophisticated than that of ducklings and other animals and established that under the proper
conditions, content that had been imprinted at earlier critical periods could be accessed and reprogrammed, or "re-imprinted." Leary considered imprints to be associated with certain biochemical states, and believed that if the state could be reaccessed through drugs (such as LSD) a person could be 're-imprinted' and substitute new experiences for those which had originally been associated during the initial imprinting period. Leary became interested in NLP and hypnosis as other methods to change imprints that avoided the uncertainties and ecological problems of LSD. As a result of Leary's ideas, I gained a new appreciation for the significance of people's personal history. I realized that some traumatic episodes experienced by clients were more than simply bad memories. They were belief and identity forming "imprints" involving significant others (if your mother is a duck, for instance, it says a lot about you as well). These experiences were not simply memories of events, but involved key relationships and critical developmental periods. These experiences formed the cornerstones of a person's personality and thus required a different approach to influence in an adequate and lasting way. The NLP technique of Reimprinting evolved from these realizations. While our work had diverged in recent years, Timothy and I kept in touch through mutual friends and acquaintances. I last saw him at the end of April, a month or so before his death. While his body was clearly deteriorating, I found his mind and his humor to be as sharp as ever. I shall always remember Timothy for his warmth, his wit and his love of life and learning.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
3. Identify any significant others involved in the imprint. [Some symptoms may actually come from the role modeling of a significant other]. The significant others do not necessarily need to have been physically present during the event or period. Sometimes an imprint occurs because the significant other was somewhere else at the time of the imprinting situation (and thus became 'internalized'. a. Associate into each of the significant others (2nd position) and experience the imprint situation from their perceptual position. Describe their experiences using first person language. b. Step out of their perceptual position to a point off the the time line (3rd position) and find the positive intention of their actions and responses. 4. For each of the people involved in the imprint experience: a. Identify the resources or choices that the person needed back then and did not have but that you do have available now. Remember that you need not limit yourself to the capabilities that you or the significant others had at that time. So long as you (not the significant others) have those resources available now you may use them to help change that experience. [Make sure the resource is at the appropriate logical level to address the needs of the person - i.e., belief, identity, spiritual.] Sometimes a single resource is needed for the whole system. b. Step onto your time-line at the location where you most strongly experienced having that resource and relive as fully as possible what it feels sounds and looks like. "Anchor" this experience by symbolically representing the resource as a kind of energy, light or sound. c. Still standing in the resource location, "transmit" the resource back through time to each person in the system that needed it. This may done metaphorically through the energy light or sound. d. When you sense that the "associative connection" has been made through the "anchor," step off of the time-line, walk back to the imprint experience, step into the position of the person who needed the resource and relive the imprint experience from that person's point of view incorporating the needed resource. You may continue to use your symbolic "anchor" to bring the resource into that perspective. e. Associate once again into your own perceptual position within the imprint experience, and update or modify the beliefs and generalizations you would now choose to make from the experience. Verbalize them from first person, present tense.
Repeat this procedure for each of the significant people involved in the imprint experience.
5. Identify the most important resource or belief that you would have needed as your younger self. "Anchor" that resource and take it back to the location on the time-line before the imprint occurred. Take the resource into your younger self and walk all the way up your time-line to the present, experiencing the changes made by the reimprinting.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
accounts of Jesus' works of healing. In many ways Jesus' healing works seem as remarkable to us today as they did during his own time. Jesus' exceptional abilities to heal are mentioned in the gospels more than 35 times - many of the references describing how he healed "multitudes" of people "that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatik, and those that had the palsy," (Matthew 424), including the "lame, blind, dumb and maimed" (Matthew 1530). Thus, it is somewhat surprising to find that very few efforts had been made to examine Jesus' works of healing from the point of view of what they might contribute to practically promote the process of healing. As Ian Wilson points out in his book Jesus The Evidence (1985) "If there is one feature of his activities that repeatedly shines out from the gospels, it is [Jesus'] capacity to work what men have called 'miracles'...in the sheer magnitude of his reported successes Jesus was without equal...Yet paradoxically, it has been one of the least explored." (pp. 99-100) I believe that the tools and distinctions of NLP can help to cast new light on this fascinating area. There's an interesting Far Side cartoon depicting a professor, who looks somewhat like Albert Einstein, madly writing a very complex series of mathematical equations on a blackboard. At a certain point in the midst of all of this very scientific looking scribbling, he stops and writes, "And then a miracle happens." And then madly goes on again with his equations. One of his colleagues is standing nearby pointing at the comment about the miracle and asking, "Could you be a bit more specific about that part there?" In a way, that is a metaphor for my study of Jesus' healing patterns. A lot has been written and said about the 'equations' surrounding the miracles. Is it possible to be a little bit more specific about the part where the miracle happens? I think that, in considering Jesus' works of healing, there will always be a point where we must simply say, "And then a miracle happens." The question is, "Is it possible, by modeling the descriptions of Jesus' healing works, to discover verbal and behavioral patterns which create a context in which it is more likely that a 'miracle' will happen?"
person's belief system. Certainly, a clear pattern that emerges in the accounts of Jesus' healing works is that a great deal of his words and actions were directed toward influencing people's beliefs and belief systems. As the following statements indicate, Jesus placed a great deal of emphasis on the power of belief.
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Be not afraid, only believe. Mark 536 If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Mark 924 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 1123-24 According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 929
These quotations certainly imply that belief is one of the key factors in helping a miracle to happen. As Goethe maintained, "The miracle is faith's most cherished child." Even modern medical science acknowledges the healing influence of beliefs in the form of the 'placebo effect'. My own work in the applications of NLP in psychotherapy and healing have certainly highlighted for me personally the significance of people's beliefs upon their mental and physical health. [See Changing Belief Systems with NLP (Dilts, 1990) and Beliefs Pathways to Health and Well Being (Dilts, Hallbom & Smith, 1990).] I have seen some fairly 'miraculous' things happen when people have changed limiting beliefs regarding themselves and their health; including recovery from cancer and other tumors, arthritis, allergies, lupus, eyesight problems, mental illnesses of many types and even symptoms of AIDS. The three most common areas of limiting beliefs center around issues of hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness. These three areas of belief can exert a great deal of influence with respect to a person's mental and physical health. Hopelessness occurs when someone does not believe a particular desired goal is even possible. It is characterized by a sense that, "No matter what I do it won't make a difference. What I want is not possible to get. It's out of my control. I'm a victim." Helplessness occurs when, even though he or she believes that the outcome exists and is possible to achieve, a person does not believe that he or she is capable of attaining it. It produces a sense that, "It's possible for others to achieve this goal but not for me. I'm not good enough or capable enough to accomplish it."
Worthlessness occurs when, even though a person may believe that the desired goal is possible and that he or she even has the capability to accomplish it, that individual believes that he or she doesn't deserve to get what he/she wants. It is often characterized by a sense that, "I am a fake. I don't belong. I don't deserve to be happy or healthy. There is something basically and fundamentally wrong with me as a person and I deserve the pain and suffering that I am experiencing." At the core of Jesus' works of healing was his ability to elegantly and effectively help people to shift these types of limiting beliefs to beliefs involving hope for the future, a sense of capability and responsibility, and a sense of self-worth and belonging. Jesus' uncanny ability to be able to gain access to and transform core beliefs and identity issues in his patients and followers can no doubt at least partially account for the dramatic changes he was able to effect. By all accounts, Jesus had the unique ability to easily and consistently help people to change limiting beliefs and establish new empowering beliefs. The core question in modeling is, "How did he do it?" One clue is provided by the type of strategies he promoted in his teachings and parables.
plucks it right out of the heart. If there's no experiential 'soil' for it to grow in, all somebody has to do is to look at you cross-eyed, and you think, "Oh, well, I guess I'm being stupid and foolish, etc." So if the new belief "falls by the wayside," if it's just shallow and you're running around speaking it but not feeling it, hearing it, seeing it or tasting it, then it's easy for it to be "trodden down" or "devoured". When a new belief "falls on stony ground" it is blocked, as Jesus explained, by the "hard places in the heart." These 'stones' may relate to past experiences, things that you're not ready to let go of. In my work with beliefs and health, for instance, people often need to work through 'imprints' experiences in their past that might create a "hard place." The roots of the new belief can't grow because the person can't get past this particular feeling or this particular event in their life. When this occurs, even though the belief begins to strengthen, it "withers" in the face of resistance. When 'the sun is up' it becomes "scorched" and, since it has no root, it "withers away, because it lacks moisture." Thus, it is important to find ways of either removing the rocks or crumbling them up into more fertile soil. For example, finding the 'positive intention' behind a symptom and finding new choices to meet that intention is a way of releasing some of those hard places. A belief that 'falls among the thorns' is one that is confronted by conflicting beliefs, incongruency or 'thought viruses'. These resistances may come from either external or internal sources from within the person or from the person's environment. Conflicting or limiting beliefs are kind of like the thorns that overshadow or 'choke' the new belief, even if there is rich soil in which it could grow. It is not that the 'thorns' have to be poisoned or destroyed, but they do need to be resolved or sorted out. You need to create an ecological context; otherwise the new belief gets choked. The power of this metaphor is that 'healing' is likened to 'gardening'. You can't make a tree grow. Rather, you can prepare the soil. The gardener doesn't go, "I'm going to make this tree grow, no matter what!" But what the gardener can do is to remove the rocks, make sure the soil is fertile and see that thorns aren't surrounding the seedling. That is the essence of Jesus' view of change. In order for a new belief to strengthen and for new capabilities and behaviors to develop it is necessary to: 1. Deepen the experiences which will serve as the references for the new belief or behavior. 2. Address the internal resistances and interferences to the new belief or behavior. 3. Deal with any incongruence or conflicts within the person or his/her environment. The next step in the modeling process is to explore more specifically how Jesus accomplished these goals in his healing works.
"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town." Mark 822-26 There are a number interesting elements to this report. The first is that Jesus did not immediately heal the man but made two attempts in order to successfully complete the process, using the feedback he got from his first attempt. He did not perceive the initial lack of success as a failure on his part, the part of his subject or on the part of God. It is also interesting that that Jesus made the man "look up". This is considered an 'accessing cue' for the visual representational system in NLP. Considering that the man had problems with his vision and that, at the point Jesus had him look up, he had partial access to his vision, this may be an indication that Jesus knew about (at least intuitively) and used accessing cues. The fact that he led the man out of the town and told him not to go into the town nor tell anyone in the town about the experience, would indicate that Jesus was not doing this work as any particular 'sign' to the people there. Rather Jesus' focus is on the health of that individual. Clearly, Jesus makes no mention of sins or unclean spirits as he does in some of his works. The fact is, Jesus was described as doing some very specific things with his subject that were different from the way he treated others, and took two iterations to complete it. Another of Jesus' healing works that particularly fascinated me was the account of his treatment of Simon's mother-in-law's fever. Luke (439) reports that, "he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her" Matthew (815), however, mentions that "he touched her hand" and Mark (131) says that Jesus "took her by the hand, and lifted her up." These description are interesting in that, taken together, they indicate that even though Jesus was "rebuking" the fever verbally, he was supporting the woman kinesthetically. In other words, his auditory communication and his kinesthetic communication were directed towards two different levels, and performing two different functions. His words were directed toward the symptom and his touch was directed toward the person. From the NLP perspective, we can think about the interaction in terms of a verbal 'message' and a non-verbal 'metamessage'. The message involves the "rebuking of the fever". It is directed at the behavioral expression of the symptom. The touch of the hand is a nonverbal metamessage that communicates, "I'm supporting you." Jesus took her hand and lifted her up while rebuking the fever. Thus, there's no confusion that he is "rebuking" the patient for having a fever. I think there's something very
profound and powerful about that simple combination of word and touch. It is also interesting that the word "rebuke," in English was translated from the Greek word, epitimao which doesn't simply mean to be verbally abusive. It means 'to set a weight upon'. The implication is that Jesus was not necessarily speaking angrily, but rather 'putting pressure' on the symptom. So we are given this beautiful sense of putting pressure on the fever verbally and lifting up the person physically. He is removing the 'stones' and 'thorns' while at the same time he is supporting the 'soil' by lifting and supporting the person. I think that reflects a deep aspect of healing. This type of verbal and non-verbal combination has been the inspiration for a number of the techniques in the 'Healing Patterns' seminar. These are only two of the many fascinating examples of Jesus' healing works. Unfortunately, to go into depth with any others is beyond the scope of this article.
his name, and asked if he was going to chastise this person Jesus replies, "he that is not against us is with us." (Luke 950). It is as if he was saying that anybody who shares the mission to heal shares something that is really important and deep. My interpretation of Jesus' comments and actions is that the ability to heal was not just something that Jesus intended to keep for himself, but rather was something that he intended others to learn and to do. Not only did Jesus want and encourage others to heal, he seems to have been fairly successful at transferring the ability. Mark (613) mentions that Jesus' disciples, "cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them." It is in the spirit of the mission to heal that I have approached the study of the structure of Jesus' healing works and invite others to approach it. Regardless of one's religious background or beliefs, I believe it is possible to find a connection between these patterns and the mission to heal. Whether a person is 'Mother Teresa' or a shaman, people who have a mission to heal, or to be healed, share a similar path and have something to gain from such a study.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
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become a metaphorical image you can see clearly in your mind's eye. Just notice what image the healing part of you naturally takes. Thank that part of you for revealing itself to you and communicating with you. Ask your internal healer,"What is your positive intention and purpose for me?" Quietly and respectfully listen, watch and feel for any inner messages. Say to your symptom, "Thank you for communicating with me. I appreciate you for having been so committed to those positive intentions and purposes all this time." Imagine that your symptom and then your internal healer are able to face one another. Ask them if they can understand and appreciate, in terms of their own intentions, the value and usefulness of the other's positive intentions and purposes. Make sure that each part recognizes and accepts the positive intent of the other . When both parts accept the other's intentions and purposes as valuable, explain the need for them to work together in new and more effective ways. Find the common mission, on the spiritual level, that both parts actually share. Identify the resources and capabilities that each part has that would helpful to the other part in order to accomplish its own positive intention and the common mission. Secure a congruent agreement from the parts to combine their resources so they can more fully accomplish their own purposes and the common mission. Entering again into a contemplative state that you would associate with being 'close to Spirit', imagine that a brilliant light is shining down on you from above. Fantasize a metaphor for healing; such as a water flowing through you, a fire burning within you, a wind blowing around you or the earth soaking up and recycling anything toxic. Slowly bring both hands together. Watch and feel your symptom and internal healer integrating, transforming and merging together within the light and the healing metaphor. Allow them to form a new image which represents a full integration. Say to yourself, "Now I can be whole. The two are one. This is what I really want. No part of me has any objections to it. I have no doubt in my heart." Pause and feel deeply and respectfully for how this fits with your sense of congruity and identity. [Note: If you sense any incongruity, resistance or doubt, repeat the process from step 3 using the sense of incongruity, resistance or doubt as the symptom.] If there is no objection, bring this integration image into your heart, breathe it into your lungs. Let the feeling you have now take you all the way into your past, to just before you were born. Be in your mother's womb feeling this way. As both sperm and egg, allow yourself to continue going back into all the branches of your family history. Then, with the feeling deeply within your history, your body and your cellular structure, gently bring it back up up through all the branches and years of your life to this present moment.
Visualize what it would look like to be fully healed, physically more capable, clear in mind, calmer and enjoying being your real self. Watch it continue to gently unfold into your future. 17. Share your experience with one or two other people. Each of you tell a short metaphor to the others that you feel represents your process of healing.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
strolled it daily, referring to it as "my thinking path." Often he would stack a few stones at the path's entrance, and knock one away with his walking stick on completing each circuit. He could anticipate a "threeflint problem," just as Sherlock Holmes had "three-pipe problems," and then head home when all the stones were gone. Reading this description, it is easy to imagine Darwin, deep in thought, strolling along his sandwalk and contemplating some key aspect of his theory of evolution and natural selection. The fact that Darwin called the sandwalk his "thinking path" indicates that he considered his walks along this path to have some significant connection with his thinking process. An intriguing question from the NLP perspective would be "What, specifically, is the link between 'thinking' and walking along such a path?"
Darwin, other famous thinkers, such as Emmanuel Kant, walked as part of their daily regimen. I myself could immediately relate to Darwin's "thinking path" because I have had my own 'Dreaming Path' for many years. My home in Santa Cruz, California is near a large park, and I jog on a path through the redwood trees every morning. That path has been the birthplace and nursery of many of my seminars, software programs, books and articles. I also swim regularly at certain times of the year, and work out on a weight machine that I have at home. I have noticed that the different qualities of movement associated with these various activities seem to bring out particular qualities of mind. The different "whole body" physical patterns seem to help access and integrate different qualities of mental processing. That is, different types of activity seem more conducive to addressing different types of outcomes and issues. During my study of effective leadership, for example, I interviewed the founder of a large Scandinavian shipping company. He claimed that he used different physical activities to help him solve various problems. For certain issues, he would have to go out and play golf to get into the frame of mind required to deal with the issues. For other problems, he would go out and ride his bicycle in order to think about it effectively. He was so specific about which type of physiology to use that he would say, "You can't golf on that problem. That's one that you have to ride your bicycle on." It seems natural to conclude that patterns of physical activity stimulate and organize patterns of neurological activity. Riding a bicycle is an example of one way to activate and maintain a particular state. In the language of self-organization theory, we could say that certain movements create a positive 'attractor basin' which supports mental self organization. There are some who might even go so far as to contend that mind is movement, and that wisdom and intelligence comes from the quality of that movement. There is an old New Guinea proverb, for instance, which states, "Knowledge is only rumor until it is in the muscle."
'Somatic Syntax'
These types of observations have lead Judith DeLozier and I to explore the relationship between 'mind' and movement more deeply in the form of what we call "Somatic Syntax." The term "somatic" comes from the Greek word "soma" which means "body". "Syntax" is a Greek word meaning "to put in order" or "arrange". Thus, Somatic Syntax has to do with the organization of physiology and the
'grammar' of our 'body language'. Rather than focus on physical details, Somatic Syntax emphasizes the overall pattern and organization of movement and the formation of cognitive-somatic (i.e., 'mind-body') strategies. Epistemologically, Somatic Syntax is rooted in linguist Noam Chomsky's theories of transformational grammar (1957, 1965). According to Chomsky, sensory and emotional experiences (deep structures) may be expressed through a variety of linguistic descriptions (surface structures). Deeper structures reach the surface after a series of 'transformations'. These transformations act as a type of filter on the experiential deep structures. Grinder and Bandler (1975) maintain that the movement from deep structure to surface structure necessarily involves the processes of deletion, generalization and distortion. Many important clues about the deep structure, however, are expressed and reflected in the verbal surface structure. Somatic Syntax applies these principles of verbal (digital) language to kinesthetic (analog) expression. As an example of the relationship between 'deep structure' and 'surface structures' in the kinesthetic system, most of us learned to write using our right or left hand. Yet, once our hand has learned this skill, it can be immediately transferred to other parts of the body. For instance, we can easily write our name in sand with our left big toe or make letters by holding a pencil in our mouth, even though the physical structure of these parts of our bodies are completely different. The deep structure related to the form of the letters is not tied to any particular part of the body. It can be generalized to many surface structures. One of the purposes of Somatic Syntax is to deepen and widen the 'attractor basin' of a particular internal state or resource. Somatic Syntax employs the movement of the body as a means to strengthen, integrate and generalize deep level resources. By exploring variations in the physical form and organization of the movements associated with a particular state, for instance, we can learn to better express or manifest that state in more situations and increase our flexibility. In this way, Somatic Syntax helps to deepen our understanding and ability to utilize knowledge by bringing it more "into the muscle." At another level, because physical movement is related to 'analog' expression, it is more systemic and not 'linear'. Consequently, exploring Somatic Syntax brings us closer to our experiential deep structures. Thus, another application of Somatic Syntax is to help recover and express parts of deep structure that may be deleted or distorted by other forms of expression. In the words of the famous dancer Isadora Duncan," If I could say it I wouldn't have to dance it."
One of the tenets of Somatic Syntax is that the body itself is a 'representational system'. Rather than simply being some kind of mechanical shell for inputting and outputting signals to and from the brain, Somatic Syntax views the body as a means of representing and processing information. The typical NLP perspective has been that all our information about the world around us is relayed by the senses to the brain where it is centrally represented and processed. Recent research, such as that relating to the enteric nervous system surrounding the stomach, has demonstrated that there are sophisticated information processing networks distributed throughout the body with a structure corresponding in complexity to that of our cerebral cortex. According to Somatic Syntax, we can use our bodies to make a model of the world just as we do with our other representational systems. We can represent key relationships in the world around us and in our personal history in the relationship between parts of our body. For example, our perception of the relationship between our mother and father could be represented by the relationship between our left and right hands, or between our chest and our stomach. In understanding the significance of Darwin's "thinking path" it is also important to recognize that, in addition to being able to input, process and output information, all representational systems have the capability to represent information in at least two ways literally and figuratively. That is, each of our sensory systems can form maps that have either a direct correspondence or a more metaphorical correspondence to the phenomenon we are representing. For example, we can visualize the white cells of our bodies as we have seen them under the microscope, or as looking like octopi or 'Pac-Men' video game characters. Similarly we can speak of our brains literally as "a network of neurons", or figuratively as being "like a computer." Likewise, we can experience a particular emotional symptom as a particular set of kinesthetic body sensations or as a "knot" in the stomach. As a representational system, our bodies have a similar double capacity. We can express movements which are the literal response to a particular situation, or create expressions which are more metaphorical, as in a dance. A state of anxiety, for instance, may be literally represented by reproducing the physical effects that accompany a feeling of anxiety (such as tensing up the muscle in one's face and shoulders), or figuratively represented by placing one's arms over one's head and eyes, as if hiding from something dangerous. As is the case with our other representational modalities, metaphorical representations are often more meaningful and impactful (because they carry multiple levels of information). From this perspective, Darwin's walk along his "thinking path" can be also be viewed as a physical metaphor in addition to being a means to access and maintain a particular mental state. Walking along a path is a comparatively slow and incremental
process. A path has a beginning, an end, and landmarks which indicate a direction that is leading somewhere. Looked at from the point of view of Somatic Syntax then, it is no surprise that Darwin came to perceive evolution as the result of slow, infinitesimal variations. Darwin's theory of evolution is quite analogous to walking down a path. Clearly, Darwin 'evolved' his own thoughts along his sandwalk in a slow and methodical fashion, knocking away stones as he completed each successive cycle in the process just like the mechanism he postulated for evolution. In fact, according to Darwin's own descriptions of his thinking methods, his theories themselves arose from a type of 'natural selection' of ideas. Like Einstein, who claimed "Imagination is more important than knowledge," Darwin did not derive his theories from the inductive process of pondering facts and looking for patterns. Instead he creatively formed the theories first out of pure imagination, and then checked the validity of the theory with respect to the degree that they accounted for the observable facts. According to Darwin biographer Sir Gavin de Beer, "Darwin's method was to spin a hypothesis about anything that struck his attention and then to deduce from it consequences that should follow and could be refuted or verified." The ideas that he retained were the ones that most fit with the available data. The ideas which could not fit in met their extinction along Darwin's thinking path. It is no wonder, then, that Darwin proposed "survival of the fittest" as the mechanism of a slow and gradual process of evolution, since it is the reflection of his own thinking process. Of course, when we "spin a hypothesis," it does not come out of nowhere. The source of these ideas is the activity of our nervous systems. The 17th century British philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon pointed out that, rather than take in objective information about the world around us, our nervous systems tend to project their own structure out onto the world around us. That is, the order we perceive in the world around us really says more about us than it does about objective reality. Bacon referred to our belief that our perceptions were actually mirrors of reality as the "Idol of the Tribe."
Conclusion
Somatic Syntax is the study of how movement may be used to help bring knowledge into the muscle, and to help draw out knowledge from the muscle. It is a means to access the "wisdom of the body." According to Somatic Syntax, repetitive structures of movement can form the framework surrounding a particular thinking process; and thus influence its conclusions. Darwin's view of evolution follows the slow but determined act of walking down a path. In contrast, Einstein's view of the universe, has more of the characteristics of playing a piece of music on the violin (his preferred activity while thinking) each string is played relative to the other strings on the instrument in order to create the music, and the relationships determine success of the
piece. Similarly, in considering Leonardo's notebooks, one is left with the sense that his drawings are more like playing a musical instrument than methodically making repetitive circuits along a fixed path. The most fundamental tool that we have for conducting our lives and building our futures is our own body and nervous system. Certainly the manifestation of our thoughts and dreams must eventually come through our body or physiology in some way. Our mental activity becomes manifested into the world through our words, voice tone, facial expression, body posture, the movement of our hands, etc. And the way in which we use these fundamental instruments of life is greatly influenced by the types of physical practices and disciplines we adopt. A healthy and creative mental life is often accompanied by meditation of some type, whether it be through reading, prayer, or simply time for undisturbed contemplation. And if knowledge does indeed need to be "in the muscle" then we all also need some type of context for "muscular meditation" as well. As our world enters the next millennium, it is likely that we will all need to develop some of the wisdom and genius of people like Einstein, Darwin and da Vinci. Perhaps some of the lessons we can learn from Darwin's "thinking path" can help us in our own evolution.
References
Keeping Up Down House , Milner, R., Natural History, August, 1996, pp. 54-57. Syntactic Structures, Chomsky, N., Mouton, The Hague, The Netherlands, 1957. Aspects of the Theory of Syntax, Chomsky, N., The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1965. The Structure of Magic Vol. I, Grinder, J. and Bandler, R.; Science and Behavior Books, Palo Alto, California, 1975. Charles Darwin, de Beer, G., Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 5, 1979, pp. 494496. Strategies of Genius Vols. I, II & III, Dilts, R., Meta Publications, Capitola, Ca., 1994-1995.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming
Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
bodies are completely different. The deep structure related to the form of the letters is not tied to any particular part of the body. It can be generalized to many surface structures. Because Somatic Syntax is related to 'analog' expression, it is more systemic and not 'linear', and consequently often brings us closer to our experiential deep structures. One of the purposes of Somatic Syntax is to deepen and widen the 'attractor basin' of a particular internal state or resource. Somatic Syntax essentially uses the movement of the body as a way to strengthen, integrate and generalize deep level resources. By exploring the the physical form and organization of the movements associated with a particular state, we can learn to better express or manifest that state in more situations and increase our flexibility.
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different aspects of it (i.e., quality, speed, parts of the body involved, direction, etc.). Identify the minimum movement (e.g., slight rotation of pointing finger) that 'destabilizes' the symptom experience. The result should be a "transition state," as opposed to some other recognizable state. Continue to explore very small changes in physiology until you reach a state in which you feel "open to" something new. Continuing to make very slight changes, return to the "symptom" physiology from the "open" physiology. With the same quality of attention, go back to the "open" state. Repeat the cycle of shifting between the symptom and "open" states several times. Allow yourself to become aware of some feeling or part of your physiology that you have not previously noticed. Staying in the state of being "open to" something new, gently keep your attention on your new awareness and notice what resource organically emerges. Holding the state of "openness", the new awareness and resource, step back on to your health path.
resources to a particular set of symptoms, causes and outcomes. A technique is not in and of itself a resource. A technique is only effective to the extent that it accesses and applies the resources which are appropriate to address the the whole system defined by the other S.C.O.R.E. elements.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
WALT DISNEY
Strategies of Genius
Walt Disney's ability to connect his innovative creativity with successful business strategy and popular appeal certainly qualifies him as a genius in the field of entertainment. In a way, Disney's chosen medium of expression, the animated film, characterizes the fundamental process of all genius: the ability to take something that exists in the imagination only and forge it into a physical existence that directly influences the experience of others in a positive way. The simple yet worldwide appeal of Disneys characters, animated films, live action features and amusement parks demonstrate a unique ability to grasp, synthesize and simplify very basic yet quite sophisticated principles. Disney was also responsible for a number of important technical and organizational innovations in the fields of animation and film-making in general. One of the goals of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is to make explicit maps of the successful thinking strategies of people with special talents like Walt Disney. NLP explores the way people sequence and use fundamental mental abilities such as sight, hearing and feeling in order to organize and perform in the world around them. Like Albert Einstein, who claimed that, "Imagination is more important than knowledge," Disney took his fantasies very seriously, contending that,"Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive." In fact, the creative processes of the two men have some remarkable similarities. Einstein claimed that his typical thinking style was "visual and motoric" and often used visual fantasies or "special imaginary constructions" to make his discoveries. Disney too seems to have been highly visual and physical in his creative process. The following statement was given by Disney as a description of his process for creating his stories: "The story man must see clearly in his own mind how every piece of business in a story will be put. He should feel every expression, every reaction. He should get far enough away from his story to take a
second look at it...to see whether there is any dead phase...to see whether the personalities are going to be interesting and appealing to the audience. He should also try to see that the things that his characters are doing are of an interesting nature." From the NLP point of view this statement provides a remarkably clear description of the basic elements of Disney's creative strategy. It involves three distinct perceptual positions working in coordination with one another. 1. "The story man must see clearly in his own mind how every piece of business in a story will be put." In the first step, Disney describes visualizing of all of the elements involved in the story or project as a kind of gestalt. This would most likely take place through constructed visual imagery (Vc). 2. "He should feel every expression, every reaction." Next, Disney describes putting himself into the kinesthetic feelings (K) of the characters in the story, experiencing the story from their perceptual position. In the language of NLP, these first two steps involve the ability to take 'first and second position' (DeLozier & Grinder,1987). 'First position' involves seeing, hearing and feeling a particular event from one's own perspective. 'Second position' involves seeing, hearing and feeling an event from from someone else's perceptual position, including their values, beliefs and emotions. For example, if you were in 'first position' imagining a character riding a bicycle, you would be seeing it from the point of view of a bystander. Being in 'second position' would involve looking from the perspective of the rider, being on the bicycle seat, looking down at your hands on the handlebars, etc. Disney seems to have had a unique ability to assume 'second position'. "Mickey's voice was always done by Walt, and he felt the lines and the situation so completely that he could not keep from acting out the gestures and even the body attitudes as he said the dialogue." By associating himself into his characters' perceptual positions, Disney knew his imaginary characters motives and behavior more intimately. It probably also enhanced his creativity by allowing him to spontaneously discovery of how the character might act in a particular situation, rather than having to figure it out analytically.
3. "He should get far enough away from his story to take a second look at it. In his last step, Disney switches back to the visual representational system. This "second look", however, is from a different point of view than his initial visualization. He is 're-viewing' the story in memory (Vr) from a perceptual position that is literally farther away from his initial fantasizing and is serving a different purpose. Rather than be creative, the function of this second look is to be critical. In order to effectively evaluate what is taking place in the first two perceptual positions (Vc and K), Disney must get outside the relationship by shifting up a level to what is called 'third position' or 'meta-position' - a perspective above 'first' and 'second' position in which one can actually look at the relationship between the two of them. Disney's evaluations involve a hierarchy of criteria that are made from the point of view of the audience - an audience that is too far away to know how all of the pieces of the story fit together yet and also too distant to be caught up in the excitement of the initial act of creation. Disney describes three different evaluations he makes on the story from this perceptual position: a. "to see whether there is any dead phase." b. "to see whether the personalities are going to be interesting and appealing to the audience." c. "He should also try to see the things that his characters are doing are of an interesting nature." The three evaluations that Disney makes start on an abstract level and become progressively more concrete and finely chunked. The first criterion relates to a general quality of the whole story - that of movement. Regardless of the content of what his characters are doing, Disney requires a certain quality of movement so that there is not "dead phase". The second criterion relates to his characters' personalities, and again is content dependent, but rather is most likely tied to the kind of feeling the character conveys. It is only after these first to tests have been passed that Disney evaluates the specific activities of the story. Disney's "Second look" provides what is called a 'double description' of the story. This 'double description' gives us important information that may be left out of any one perspective. Just as the differences in point of view between our two eyes give us a double description of the world around us that allows us to perceive depth, Disney's double description of his own creations served to give them an added element of depth. In summary, it is clear that one of the major elements of Disney's unique genius was
his ability to explore something from a number of different perceptual positions. As one of his close associates pointed out: "...there were actually three different Walts: the dreamer, the realist, and the spoiler. You never knew which one was coming into your meeting." From our analysis, it would seem that Disney the "dreamer" functioned primarily through a strategy of constructed visual images (Vc). Disney then made his fantasies "real" by associating into the feelings (K) of the imaginary characters and acting them out to give them life. The "spoiler" comes from taking a "second look" (Vr) at these creations from the point of view of a critical audience. While Disney used this strategy to develop high quality animated films, the basic elements of the strategy can obviously be used practically any situation where planning and decision-making is involved. Balancing the fundamental perceptual positions of the "dreamer", the "realist" and the "spoiler" (or critic) in the service of a common vision is no doubt a fundamental strategy of all genius.
References
Finch, C.; The Art of Walt Disney ; Harry N. Abrahms Inc., New York, New York, 1973. Culhane, J.; Walt Disney's Fantasia ; Harry N. Abrahms Inc., New York, New York, 1983. Thomas, F. & Johnson, O.; Disney Animation; The Illusion of Life ; Abbeyville Press, New York, New York, 1981. DeLozier, J. & Grinder, J.; Turtles All The Way Down ; Grinder, DeLozier & Associates, Santa Cruz, CA, 1987.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming
Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
The NLP Pattern of the Month: Walt Disney - Planning Strategy (Storyboarding)
by Robert Dilts.
1. From Meta Position select three physical locations and label them (1) 'Dreamer', (2) 'Realist' and (3) 'Critic'. 2. Anchor the appropriate strategy to each physical location: a. Think of a time you were able to creatively dream up or fantasize new ideas without any inhibitions; step into location (1) and relive that experience. b. Identify a time you were able to think very realistically and devise a specific plan to put an idea effectively into action; step into position (2) and relive that experience. c. Think of a time you were able to constructively criticize an plan - that is, to offer positive and constructive criticism as well as to find problems.Make sure the location is far enough away from the others that it doesnt interfere. Step into location (3) and relive that experience. 3. Pick an outcome you want to achieve and step into the dreamer location. Visualize yourself accomplishing this goal as if you were a character in a movie. Allow yourself to think about it in a free and uninhibited manner. 4. Step into the realist location, associate into the "dream" and feel yourself in the positions of all of the relevant characters. Then, see the process as if it were a 'storyboard' (a sequence of images). 5. Step into the critic position and find out if anything is missing or needed. Then, turn the criticisms into questions for the dreamer. 6. Step back into the dreamer position to creatively come up with solutions, alternatives and additions to address the questions posed by the critic. 7. After you have repeated this cycle several times, consciously think of something else that you really enjoy and are good at but continue to walk through the dreamer, realist and critic locations.
8. Continue to cycle through steps 4, 5 and 6 until and your plan congruently fits each position.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
to's" of effective leadership. In defining what effective "leadership" is, it is important to distinguish between (a) a "leader," (b) "leadership" and (c) "leading." The position of "leader" is a role in a particular system. A person in the formal role of a leader may or may not possess leadership skills and be capable of leading. "Leadership" is essentially related to a person's skills, abilities and degree of influence. A good deal of leadership can come from people who are not formal "leaders." "Leading" is the result of using one's role and leadership ability to influence others in some way. In its broadest sense, leadership can be defined as the ability to influence others toward the accomplishment of some goal. That is, a leader leads a collaborator or group of collaborators towards some end. In businesses and organizations, leadership is often contrasted with management. Management is typically defined as "getting things done through others." In comparison, leadership is defined as, "getting others to do things." Thus, leadership is intimately tied up with motivating and influencing others. In the emerging views of leadership, however, leaders do not have influence simply because they are bosses or commanders. Rather, leaders are people who are committed to "creating a world to which people want to belong." This commitment demands a special set of models and abilities in order to effectively and ecologically manifest the visions which guide those committed to change. It involves communicating, interacting and managing relationships within an organization, network or social system to move toward ones highest aspirations.
them to the entity - be it the whole organization or just a division, department or group. The leader influences the individual by supplying the subordinates with answers to such questions as: what is this organization all about? where do I fit in? How am I valued and judged? what is expected of me? why should I commit myself? In the process, the leader creates committed members of the organization." 3. In contrast to both of these, Micro leadership, "focuses on the choice of leadership style to create an efficient working atmosphere and obtain willing cooperation in getting the job done by adjusting ones style on the twin dimensions of task and relationship behavior. Choice of leadership style depends on the particular subordinates and the job/task being done, it is, thus, situational and contingent...the leader directs people in organizations in the accomplishment of a specific job or task. If the leadership style is correctly attuned, people perform willingly in an efficient working atmosphere." Effective leadership involves a mixture of all three different types of leadership ability to some degree. A typical leadership situation involves a leader leading others toward a goal within the problem space of a system. This seminar will cover a variety of skills; including self skills, relational skills and systemic thinking skills. Self skills have to do with how the leader deploys himself or herself in a particular situation. Self skills allow the leader to choose or engineer the most appropriate state, attitude, criteria, strategy, etc. with which to enter a situation. In a way, self skills are the processes by which the leader leads himself. Relational skills have to do with the ability to understand, motivate and communicate with other people. They result in the ability to enter another persons model of the world or perceptual space and get them to recognize problems and objectives and understand the problem space within which they and the company are operating. Strategic thinking skills are necessary in order to define and achieve specific goals and objectives. Strategic thinking involves the ability to identify a relevant desired state, assess the starting state and then establish and navigate the appropriate path of transitions states required to reach the desired state. A key element of effective strategic thinking is determining which operators and operations will most efficiently and effectively influence and move the present state in the direction of the desired state. Systemic thinking skills are used by the leader to identify and comprehend the problem space in which the leader, his or her collaborators and the company is operating. Systemic thinking is at the root of effective problem solving and the ability to create functional teams. The ability to think systemically in a practical and concrete way is probably the most definitive sign of maturity in a leader
In summary, effective leadership skill involves the mastery of all of the different elements which make up a particular leadership situation, including: Mastery of Self (States) Relationship (Rapport) Balance Perspectives Congruence Awareness Intention Mastery of Communication (Messages) Problem Space (System) Verbal & Non-Verbal Representational Channels Meta Messages Mastery of Multiple Thinking Styles Positive
relate to the why of a particular problem or outcome. Why, for instance, should a person consider changing his or her thoughts or actions? A persons degree of motivation will determine how much of his or her own inner resources he or she is willing to mobilize. Motivation is what stimulates and activates how people think and what they will do in a particular situation. There is also the who involved in the process of change. Which roles and functions are involved in the problem or outcome? Who is supposed to be involved? What beliefs, values, capabilities and behaviors are associated with the various roles? Finally, there's the who and what else, involving the larger system or vision surrounding specific roles, beliefs, capabilities, actions, etc. This level relates to what could be considered the vision and spirit of an organization or system. As these distinctions indicate, our brain structure, language, and social systems form natural hierarchies or levels of processes. The function of each level is to synthesize, organize and direct the interactions on the level below it. Changing something on an upper level would necessarily radiate downward, precipitating change on the lower levels. Changing something on a lower level could, but would not necessarily, affect the upper levels. The levels I have identified here were inspired by the work of anthropologist Gregory Bateson (1972), who identified several fundamental levels of learning and change. Each level is more abstract than the level below it, but each has a greater degree of impact on the individual or system. These levels roughly correspond to: Spiritual A. B. C. D. E. Vision & Purpose
Who I Am Identity: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Role & Mission My Belief System Values, Meta Programs: . . Motivation & Permission My Capabilities States, Strategies: . . . . . . . . Perception & Direction What I Do Specific Behaviors: . . . . . . . . . . . Actions & Reactions My Environment External Context: . . . . . . . . Constraints & Opportunities
The environmental level involves the specific external conditions in which our behavior takes place. Behaviors without any inner map, plan or strategy to guide them, however, are like knee jerk reactions, habits or rituals. At the level of capability, we are able to select, alter and adapt a class of behaviors to a wider set of external situations. At the level of beliefs and values we may encourage, inhibit or generalize a particular strategy, plan or way of thinking. Identity, of course, consolidates whole systems of beliefs and values into a sense of self. The spiritual level relates to our perceptions and maps of those parts of our larger system which are
beyond ourselves. While each level becomes more abstracted from the specifics of behavior and experience, it actually has more and more widespread effect on our behavior and experience.
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Environment determines the external opportunities or constraints to which a person has to react. It involves the where and when of leadership influencing the external context. The environmental level of leadership primarily relates to peoples reactions. It consists of things such as the type of room, food, noise level, etc. that surrounds a situation. Certainly these external stimuli will effect the responses and the state of a leader and his or her collaborators. One key aspect of leadership skill has to do with attention to the physical environment. Behaviors are the specific actions or reactions made by a person within the environment. It involves the what of leadership influencing peoples actions. The behavioral level of leadership has to do with the specific behavioral activities that the leader and his or her collaborators must engage in. The specific behaviors that people actively participate in, such as tasks and interpersonal interactions, often serve as the primary evidence for organizational goals. Much of the focus of leadership has traditionally been on the level of behavior. Capabilities guide and give direction to behavioral actions through a mental map, plan or strategy. The level of capabilities relates to the how of leadership influencing peoples minds. Capabilities have to do with the mental strategies and maps collaborators develop to guide their specific behaviors. Simply prescribing behaviors does not insure that tasks will be accomplished and goals reached. The function of the level of capabilities is to provide the perception and direction necessary to achieve particular objectives. Beliefs and Values provide the reinforcement that supports or inhibits capabilities and behaviors. The level of beliefs and values involves the why of leadership influencing peoples hearts. In addition to developing behavioral skills and capabilities, an effective leader must also address the presuppositions, beliefs and values of his or her collaborators. The degree to which some task fits (or does not fit) into the personal or cultural value systems of one's collaborators will determine the degree to which they accept or resist that task. Beliefs and values influence the amount of motivation and permission collaborators experience with respect to their roles and tasks. Identity involves a persons role, mission and/or sense of self. It relates to the who of leadership. The identity level has to do with the sense of self experienced by a group or group members. Identity is somewhat difficult to define precisely. It is more abstract than beliefs and has to do with the deepest levels of incorporation of information, responsibility for what one has learned, and the commitment to put it into action. Identity has primarily to do with mission.
Spiritual change relates to the larger system of which one is a part and the influence of that system on the group or organization. It involves the who else and what else of leadership influencing the larger system. Spiritual factors come from our perception of being a part of larger and larger systems surrounding us. It determines the overall vision or purpose behind the actions of an individual or organization.
Clearly, each level of change involves progressively more of the system, or a larger problem space. Each level involves different types of processes and interactions that incorporate and operate on information from the level below it. In this way they form a network of "nested" processes as shown in the following diagram.
Effective leadership clearly involves addressing issues at all of these levels whether it be in regards to self, others, system or goals. Micro leadership primarily addresses issues at the levels of environment, behavior and capability: i.e., where, when, what and how. Macro leadership focuses on issues at the levels of beliefs, values and role identity: i. e., the why and who behind the where, when, what and how. Meta leadership emphasizes the levels of spirit and identity: i.e., the who and what else which form the vision and purpose behind all of the other levels of leadership.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Different Types of Processes and Leadership Ability are Involved in the Movement From Vision to Action The following exercise provides a way to combine both systemic thinking and strategic thinking in order to create a vision and then define a path leading from that vision to the actions that will concretely embody it. Exercise: Vision Into Action What I see way off is too nebulous to describe. But it looks big and glittering Walt Disney (1941) Part I. Creating a Vision 1. Put yourself in a relaxed and open state in which you can feel fully yourself. 2. With your eyes closed, create a space for Vision in your minds eye. Imagine a vast inner landscape. Notice where the horizon of your inner landscape is. Also notice the point of convergence or vanishing point related to your focus with respect to the inner landscape. Note how far from the tip of your nose this vanishing point appears to be. Is it one meter? 10 meters? A kilometer? Extend the point of convergence until it is farther away. If you need to, you can lower your horizon. Find a vanishing point that represents the rest of your life. Then, extend your focus far beyond that point. As you do, lengthen your spine and lift your head slightly. Imagine a sunrise breaking over the horizon. Feel what it is like to experience the dawning of a new day. Let the feeling of hope and belief in the future emerge. From this state ask yourself the question, "What is my vision?" Let the images and words of your answer form out of your feeling and the light coming from the sunrise.
3. Bring your attention and focus back to the point representing the rest of your life, maintaining the awareness of the sunrise and the feeling associated with your vision. Consider what needs to be done in that time frame in order to move towards the vision. Ask yourself the questions, "What is my mission with respect to that vision?" "What is my role and identity with respect to the larger system associated with that vision?" "What is a symbol or metaphor for that role and mission?" 4. Focus your attention on your body and the feelings and emotions associated with your sense of vision and mission especially those that draw you toward them. Feel the sense of motivation, inspiration and excitement that you have about the future. Imagine that you could give your heart a voice so that these feelings could be put into words. Ask yourself, "What values are expressed and represented by my vision and mission?" "What beliefs are associated with my vision and mission?" 5. Shift your attention to your spine and chest. Lengthen your spine and open your chest so you can breathe more fully and freely. Feel a sense of physical energy and strength in your body. Ask yourself the question, "What capabilities do I have, or need to develop, in order to support my beliefs and values and reach my mission with respect to my vision?" 6. Bring your focal point near to you, finding what feels like a close but comfortable distance. Allow your awareness to go into your belly and the muscles and bones of your body. Ask yourself the question, "What is my next step toward achieving my mission?" "What internal state will most help me to reach that step?" Form a plan for taking that next step. 7. Imagine that you are physically moving forward and associating into that point in the future and the context it represents. Ask yourself the question, "When and where will I complete this next step?" Part II. Defining Your Path Complete the answers in the spaces beneath each of the following questions in order to define the connecting links between the various levels of processes that you have been exploring. These links will form the path between your vision and the actions necessary to manifest that vision. 1. "What is your vision with respect to the larger system or community in which you are operating?" My/Our vision is to ________________________________________________________ 2. "What is your identity or role with respect to your vision and the system or community to which you belong?" "Who are you or do you want to be in relation to the manifestation of your vision?" (Try using a metaphor or symbol to answer this question.) In relation to that vision, I am/we are ________________________________________________________ "What is your mission with respect to that system and vision?" My/Our mission is to _______________________________________________________
3. "What beliefs and values are expressed by or encompassed by your vision and mission?" "What values are embodied by your role identity and larger vision?" I am/We are committed to this vision and mission because I/we value __________________________________________________________________________ "Why do you have this particular vision and mission? What beliefs provide the motivation for your thoughts and activity?" I/We believe _______________________________________________________________ 4. "What capabilities are needed to manifest your vision and achieve your mission, given the beliefs and values that you have expressed?" "How will you accomplish your mission? What capabilities and cognitive processes are needed or presupposed in order to accomplish your vision within the guidelines of your beliefs and values?" To accomplish my/our vision and mission I/we will use my/our capabilities to ___________________________________________________________________________ 5. "What is the specific behavior associated with manifesting your vision and achieving your mission that will both use your capabilities and fit with your beliefs and values? "What is your plan for achieving your vision and mission? What, specifically, will you do to accomplish your mission? What specific actions are associated with your vision?" My/Our plan is to ___________________________________________________________ 6. "What is the environment in which you will manifest your vision and reach your desired state?" "When and where do you want to enact the behaviors and actions associated with your vision and mission? What will be the external context surrounding the desired goal and activities?" This plan will be implemented in the context of _____________________________________________________________ An Example of a Path From Vision to Action I have used this process many times in order to create and organize paths for manifesting my own visions. The following, for instance, is an example of how I answered these questions while preparing for this work on leadership. My vision is to promote the worldwide diffusion of more effective and ecological tools and skills for leadership. In relation to that vision, I am like a spring and a reservoir for special knowledge and experiences. My mission is to develop, integrate and present practical skills that will help people of all types to be better leaders. I am committed to this vision and mission because I value growth, the achievement of our highest expression and the fundamental integrity of life. I believe in the value of the future and that people can truly grow and change their
lives through the acquisition of new skills. I also believe that the skills of leadership are essential in order to fulfill our destiny on this planet. To accomplish my vision and mission I will use my capabilities to identify, structure, and articulate the key principles and skills of leadership that I have modeled from effective leaders throughout the world. My plan is to create leadership seminars, manuals, books and other tools that can be disseminated to individuals, organizations and social systems worldwide. This plan will be implemented in the context of a global network of people who are committed to promoting the progress of all humanity. Creating an Image of Your Vision When you have finished defining your path from vision to action, create a picture of your overall vision. This will help you to consolidate your sense of your vision and mission, remember it, and communicate that vision to others. Below is an example of my picture for my own vision.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Allergy Process
According to immunologist Dr. Michael Levi, an allergy is like a "phobia" of the immune system. In the 1950s Levi won the World Health Association Award for his research demonstrating that viruses were infectious. As a result of his many years of work with the immune system, Levi contends that, when a person develops an allergy, the immune system has in essence formed a kind of phobic reaction to a certain type of substance, and then begins to panic when it gets around it. Symptoms of an allergy are produced by the results of this type of phobic reaction. Levi also asserts that other forms of allergies are like a "tantrum" of the immune system -- that is, the immune system is throwing some sort of fit because it was not being taken care of properly, or was getting so fatigued and tired that it was striking out as a person or a child might have a tantrum. In the same way that we learn and acquire emotional responses, our bodies learn and acquire immune responses. The fact that such deadly illnesses as small pox and polio have been virtually wiped off the face of the earth is a testament to the fact that our immune systems can learn. The major issue in dealing with an allergy is reeducating the immune system. Our immune system has two basic ways of dealing with foreign material in our bodies passive and active. A passive immune response is primarily carried out by macrophages - white cells in the blood stream that simply engulf and digest the foreign material. In fact, the term "macrophage" literally means "big eater." The active immune response is carried out by "killer" T cells - cells that attack and destroy foreign matter. The purpose of the passive immune response is to remove non-living matter from the body. The purpose of the active immune response is to attack and destroy living cells, like bacteria, that endanger the body. In the case of the virus, this means attacking cells in our bodies. This is because of the way a virus operates. A virus is basically a little bundle of genetic material that cannot reproduce itself because it lacks the rest of the cell structure to support that process. So instead the virus acts as a kind of a parasite that takes over the cells of its host in order to reproduce, depleting the resources of the unwilling host. In order to rid the body of a particular virus, then, the immune system must recognize and destroy the infected cells in our own body. In
some cases this is done by actually exploding the infected cell (through a chemical reaction). This is what causes the redness and irritation associated with infections and allergies. In the case of an allergy the immune system has made a mistake, in that it is responding to a harmless non-living foreign material as if it were a virus. Similar to a phobia, the immune system is panicking and is in such a confused state that it is attacking our own bodies even though there is no danger. In some ways it is a kind of an "I'll show you, I'll just hit myself" reaction. The goal of treating an allergy involves reeducating the immune system to utilize the passive rather than active protection in response to the foreign substance - a kind of physiological reframing. Like a phobia an allergy is a conditioned response. In fact, research has shown that allergies can be conditioned in guinea pigs using a procedure similar to that Pavlov used in his experiments with his dogs (Russel, Dark, et al, 1984). The researchers put the smell of peppermint into the guinea pigs' cages and then injected them with a substance that would naturally produce an active immune response. After repeating this five times over a short period of time, the researcher put the peppermint smell in the cage but did not inject the noxious substance. When they checked the blood of the guinea pigs they found that they were producing as full of an immune reaction as they would if they had been injected. Other studies (Ader & Cohen, 1981) demonstrated that rats could be conditioned to suppress immune responses. The field of psychoneuroimmunology is making many breakthroughs in the understanding of how the brain directs the immune system. Stress and emotional responses change chemical levels in the bloodstream that effect the functioning of the immune system. But immune cells also have been shown to respond directly to the same chemicals our brain and nerve cells use to communicate with each other. A basic premise of psychoneuroimmunology (which is shared by NLP) is that immune responses, such as allergic reactions, can be influenced by psychological factors. There is a famous example of this, dating back to the turn of the century, documented by a physician named MacKenzie (1886) who was treating a woman with a violent allergic reaction to roses. He had an artificial rose in his office and was surprised to discover that his patient, not realizing that the rose was fake, manifested the full allergic reaction as soon as she saw the rose. The implication is that our autonomic nervous system (even our immune system) may be influenced as much by mental representations and expectations generated from within our central nervous system as by stimuli from the outside world. Certainly, the immune system is capable of learning very quickly. Allergies are
known to appear and disappear almost spontaneously. Patients with multiple personalities will have allergies in one personality and not in another. People often "outgrow" certain allergic reactions. The cells involved in active immune responses are produced in our bone marrow at the rate of about 80 million cells per minute. So once the reeducation process is done it can spread rapidly. It is already known that allergies can, like a phobia, sometimes be treated through systematic desensitization procedures. However, like the phobia versions of these techniques, the process can be time consuming and often ineffectual. Using the model and techniques of NLP this desensitization process can be accelerated tremendously. The key questions from the NLP perspective are, "What are the psychological factors that will influence an allergy?" and "Can those factors be brought under control and can a person learn to have more control over his or her own body's responses, especially over the particular immune responses related to allergic reactions?" As a result of exploring these questions, Robert Dilts developed a technique for treating allergies using NLP that has had widespread success. Following Dr. Levis suggestion that an allergy was a type of "phobia" of the immune system, Dilts reviewed the celebrated NLP ten-minute phobia pattern, developed by NLP founders Bandler and Grinder. This technique has been shown to make significant impact on people's phobic responses within a very short period of time. Dilts wondered if a similar sort of process could be developed to treat the "phobia" of the immune system that was responsible for allergic reactions. In conjunction with his work on the NeuroLink, a new method of biofeedback, Dilts created a technique for treating allergies. The technique is in some ways similar to the NLP Phobia Technique. It also differs in some important respects. Similar to the Phobia Technique, for instance, the Allergy Process involves establishing a disassociated state. This greatly facilitates the desensitization process. Both phobias and allergies also appear to be the result of what is called "response expectancy," a process which has strong mind-body implications. Response expectancy is the same process which is at the root of the placebo effect. People can very often bring on allergic response symptoms by the strength of their imagination, as MacKenzies patient with the allergy to roses demonstrated. From this perspective, allergic symptoms may be the result of a type of negative placebo effect. From the point of view of NLP, response expectancy is a result of the richness with which an individual mentally represents an anticipated response. This richness is a product of the submodality qualities of the inner map that the person creates of the response. Dilts asked people with allergies to explore effects that their mental
representations of the allergen had on their symptoms. Dilts found that certain qualities of visualization of the stimuli associated with the allergic reaction could begin to bring on physical responses associated with the allergy. He had people experiment with how different cognitive qualities of thinking about this allergic stimulus or trigger for their allergies affected their autonomic reactions, which he measured and recorded with the NeuroLink biofeedback device. If a person had an allergy to smoke, for instance, that person would be asked to visualize the smoke and notice what kind of reaction it produced in his or her body. Then, the person would be instructed to imagine the smoke coming closer and becoming surrounded by it, and notice what happens to his or her physical reactions. They were then asked to move the representation of the allergen (the substance creating the allergy) far away and notice how the representation of the distance of the substance changed their physiological reactions. Other dimensions such as size, color and shape were also explored until people had the sense that they were able to influence their physiological reaction to some degree. The core of the Allergy Process, however, came as a result of finding an appropriate "counterexample," and checking for any secondary gains associated with the allergic response. A counterexample relates to a context or situation in which a person could or should have had the allergic response, but does not. One of the most common kinds of counterexamples is to find a substance that is very similar to the substance that produces the allergic response, but to which the individual does not have the allergic reaction. Dilts chose to focus on the counterexample as a means to "reprogram" the immune system based on his research in the field of immunology. It appears that counterexample is one of the processes by which the immune system naturally functions. Edward Jenner (1749 - 1823), for instance, employed the process of counterexample to develop the first practical vaccination against smallpox. As a general practitioner in rural England, Jenner noticed that dairy maids who had contracted the relatively mild disease cowpox did not later contract smallpox. Jenner postulated that the carrier of smallpox must have some structural similarities to the cowpox carrier, so that the immune system learned how to detect them both if the person got cowpox. In 1796 he inoculated an 8-year-old boy with material taken from cowpox pustules, and the boy developed cowpox. Several weeks later Jenner inoculated the boy with smallpox, but the disease failed to develop. Jenner went on to promote smallpox vaccinations, the practice of which spread throughout the world, apparently eliminating this disease by the late 1970s. The implication of Jenners success is that the immune system is able to learn and generalize by recognizing and differentiating key features of substances in the body. Dilts reasoned that if the immune system could generalize an appropriate reaction to a
virus that was a deadly killer, it could be directed to generalize for a lesser problem, such as an allergy, using a similar process. Dilts initially experimented with people who had successfully firewalked - i.e., walked across hot coals without injury (an experience popularized by Anthony Robbins in the late 1980s). Dilts hypothesized that the fact that people did not form blisters was a result of entering a special state of response expectancy in which they were able to selectively suppress certain immune system reactions. Following the lead of Russel, Dark, Ader and Cohen, Dilts used the NLP conditioning technique of anchoring to create a strong association between the firewalk state and an external cue. This cue could then be paired with the allergen to accelerate the desensitization process. Dilts found that this state could be used to help people to easily shift allergic reactions, when anchored under the proper conditions. Relatively few people, however, had access to such an experience. Dilts found that other types of counter examples could be substituted for this experience to create the appropriate shift in response expectancy. For instance, it is possible for people to identify some substance that is potentially even more "toxic" than the substance which causes the allergy, but to which the persons body has learned a more appropriate type of immune response. Someone may have an allergy to perfume, but not to gasoline, for example. Other may have allergic responses to some type of food, but be immune to harmful viral infections. Identifying these types of examples demonstrates that the immune system can keep the body safe without allergic symptoms. Another key area of focus in Dilts research related to identifying positive or secondary gains associated with allergic reactions that needed to be incorporated or preserved once the allergic response changed. Sometimes having an allergic response serves as a good excuse for not having to do certain activities, or for avoiding certain situations or confrontations. In other instaces, people are afraid that without an allergic response, they will be exposed to certain kinds of substances or certain kinds of situations that might actually be more detrimental to their health than the allergy. People with allergies to smoke can even believe that if they did not have the allergy they might start smoking cigarettes. Sometimes an allergy is the only excuse people allow themselves to take a rest, or to pay attention to their own health. It becomes a reminder for them to take care of themsleves. Often, an allergy is a communication that a person is under a fair amount of emotional or physical stress. There are even some people who are afraid of accepting the responsibility that would come with realizing that they had that much influence on their own health.
In special cases, if a persons father, mother, or some other significant person in his or her life has had allergies, an individual may unconsciously feel that having a similar allergy is way to stay connected with those significant others. The purpose of identifying such positive intentions and secondary gains is to help the person add more choices. An underlying principal of NLP is that ecological change comes by adding new choices, not by taking away existing choices. Before a person is ready to shift an allergic reaction, he or she may need to find other ways of addressing certain life situations. Finding these new choices is analogous to the change the immune system needs to make. Keep in mind that an allergy is often the result of the brain and the immune system together making a mistake. The body thinks that it's being invaded by something that is not, in fact, actually dangerous. The immune system becomes conditioned to try to defend itself against something that isn't really harmful. The smoke, cat dander, pollen and foods to which people develop allergies don't invade our cells like a virus. What happens is that the immune system thinks that it is being invaded, and so it strikes out at the bodys own cells. The symptoms of an allergy are the result of the immune system destroying healthy cells in the body in an attempt to protect itself from an invader that isn't really there. Dilts noticed that many allergies were developed at a time in a persons life, or under conditions which have psychological similarities to this confusion of the immune system. The immune system is the bodys equivalent of a psychological self-concept. Many people develop allergies at a time when they are at a transition point with respect to their own sense of identity. At these times a person can feel their sense of self being challenged or threatened by something from the outside. In this case the allergy may develop as a reflection of the psychological threat, and the resulting stress it produces. Allergies associated with asthma, for instance, are often related to traumatic experiences. To address such situations, people may need to detach themselves from those early or traumatic experiences. Using NLP techniques such as Change Personal History, Reframing or Reimprinting, people can be helped to recognize that their identity has evolved and is different now than it was under those early circumstances. They can discover new ways of handling their life situations and their responses to crisis or danger, in the same way that the body can learn to have a different response to old triggers and stimuli. They can imagine how they would react differently if they took their current learnings, resources and abilities back into those early situations associated with the allergic response. By combining the disassociated state, the positive response expectancy, the
counterexample reference experiences and the new choices for preserving positive intentions and secondary gains into a simple technique, Dilts found that he could effectively help people to shift almost any allergic response to some degree. In a large number of cases people reported complete freedom from their symptoms. Dilts began his explorations in 1985, creating specific interventions for people who had different types of allergies. By 1987 the first general allergy processes were in use, employing a combination of anchors. Since that time a number of variations of the technique have come into use, including the Foreground/Background Process. Other notable variations and refinements have been contributed by Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith, co-authors with Dilts of Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being (1990). The technique normally takes about 20 minutes to a half an hour but can be done in as short a time as 10 minutes.
Background Reference(s)
Learned Histamine Release; Russell, M., Dark, K. et al; Science Vol. 225, August 17, 1984, pp. 733-734. Psychoneuroimmunology, Ader, R. and Cohen, N.,Academic Press, New York, NY, 1981. Pavlovian Conditioning of Rat Mucosal Mast Cell to Secrete Rat Mast Cell Protease II; MacQueen, G. et al; Science Vol. 243, January 6, 1989, pp. 83-85. The Production of the So-Called Rose Cold by Means of an Artificial Rose; MacKenzie, J., American Journal of Medical Science, 9, 1886: 45-57. Psychoneuroimmunology: The Birth of a New Field, Investigations, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Sausalito, CA, 1983.
Specific References
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being, Dilts, et al, 1990. Overcoming Allergies, Anchor Point, October, 1987.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1997 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
be allergic to some cats but not all cats, or is allergic to cats but not dogs. b. It is also useful to identify some substance that is potentieally even more "toxic" than the substance which causes the allergy, but to which the explorers body has learned a more appropriate type of immune response. Someone may have an allergy to perfume, but not to gasoline, for example. This demonstrates that the immune system can keep the body just as safe, but without the allergic symptoms. c. Make sure you see the appropriate physiology when you set the anchor (i.e., clear eyes, smooth and even breathing, open throat, normal skin tone, etc.). 5. Check for any secondary gains or ecology issues regarding the allergic response. a. A common example might be an individual for whom the allergic reaction has been a substitute for standing up for him/herself around people who smoke. b. If the allergy has been connected with asthma in the past it is a good idea to have the person remember back to their first allergy/asthma attack and use reimprinting, reframing, change personal history, or your three anchors to add any needed resources. 6. Fire off the dissociated state anchor [A1] and have the explorer begin to imagine being near the allergy producing substance. Then fire off the anchors for the desired state [A2] and counterexample [A3] simultaneously. Make sure that you hold the anchors long enough that you see the full physiological responses associated with these experiences as opposed to the allergy response. 7. Starting with a small amount initially, begin to expose the explorer to the allergy producing material, increasing the amount in stages until he or she can be fully exposed to it without effect. At each stage start by firing the dissociation anchor [A1] and then the desired state and counterexample anchors [A2 + A3] simultaneously. You may also use the critical submodalities you found in step 1 to strengthen the new response. The explorer should be allowed to be in complete control of when and how much of the substance they will be exposed to. The basic NLP Allergy Technique has now been applied thousands of times in clinical and training settings and has been effective in changing a vast majority of allergy symptoms. The types of allergies have included those to airborne material, such as smoke, pollen, perfume, etc., to various foods, and even in cases involving asthma. In a study done in Salt Lake City (Hallbom & Smith, 1987), for example, thirty two individuals were guided through the allergy pattern for a multitude of allergies, including pollen, smoke and foods. They even treated a person who was
sensitive to poison oak, which is a kind of an allergy. Out of the thirty people, all but three showed immediate reduction of their symptoms. Most of the people in the study, in fact, showed a complete suppression of the allergic reaction immediately after learning the process. A six month follow up revealed that only three of the individuals who had responded positively had any recurrence of their allergies. In the Summer of 1994, a controlled clinical test of the Allergy Process was conducted with approximately 120 allergy sufferers. The study was conducted under the supervision of Dr. David Paul at a hospital in Vail, Colorado. The study showed that the Allergy Process produced significant reduction in the symptoms of many types of allergies, in particular food allergies. Details of this study are available from the Institute for Advanced Studies of Health (IASH). For more information, contact: Institute for the Advanced Studies of Health 346 S. 500 E. #200 Salt Lake City, Utah 84102-4022 (801) 534-1022 Fax (801) 532-2113
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
feeling determined their degree of confidence about the correctness of the spelling. Poor spellers, on the other hand, had a variety of strategies - although none were the same as the strategy of the good spellers. In fact sometimes they would even vary those strategies in the middle of trying to spell a word. Many times this lead to inconsistency, extra effort, and frustration. Furthermore, as I had discovered as a child, creative spelling was not rewarded like creative writing was. The most common strategy of poor, but not hopeless or disabled spellers, was trying to sound out the correct spelling through breaking the sound of the word down into small enough pieces that they sounded like letters. This is called "phonics" (pronounced "puh-hon-iks" if you sound it out phonically). While phonics has a number of important features (for example, making a guess at the spelling of word one has never seen before), it is not the best strategy for spelling words in English since many words are not written like they sound, and the exceptions do not follow consistent verbal rules. This was, in fact, the strategy that I had meticulously learned when I was in grammar school. I had been taught to spell by sounding out. I have to admit I was a bit concerned when I first discovered one could not correctly spell the name of the method using the method (my first try came out "fonix" ). My consternation grew, however, as we began with basics - such as the names of the first ten numbers. Instead of "wun" the first number was spelled 'one' (that looked like it should be pronounced "oh-nee" ). There was no 'W' and an extra "silent E." The second number, instead of being spelled "tu" like it sounded, was spelled 'two' (As the comedian Gallagher points out, perhaps that was where the missing "W" from 'one' had gone). After 'three' ("tuh-ree" ), 'four' ("fow-er" ) and 'five' ("fi-vee" ) I knew something was wrong, but being young, I figured it was probably just something wrong with me. In fact, when 'six' and 'seven' came along I started to build back some hope - but then they struck with 'eight' ("ee-yi-guh-hut" ) and I felt like the next number looked as if it should sound - 'nine' (a "ninny"). When I discovered years later that good spellers simply remembered how the word looked, I actually thought it was cheating. It didn't involve any effort, you didn't have to start from scratch each time you spelled - it seemed too easy. Incidentally, even if the English language was completely phonetically based and phonics was 100% accurate, a visual strategy would still be more effective and easy since vision functions much more rapidly for visual material. In fact, I have interviewed a number of copy editors - people who are professional spellers - and have never encountered a single one who claimed to begin at the top of the page and sound out all of the words in order to know if they are correct. Rather, every one of them claims that they simply look down the page and the misspellings "jump out" at
them. This visual strategy worked so well I began to have the poor spellers and even people diagnosed as learning disabled or dyslexic try it out. To learn a word they were having trouble with, I instructed them to look at the correct spelling, move their eyes up and to the left and visualize it in their mind's eye. In order to associate the spelling with the feeling of familiarity, I would have them first think of something else they were already confident and familiar with in order to access a positive feeling state. Then when they looked at the word, it would become anchored to the positive feeling instead of the feeling of effort or frustration (as often becomes associated with spelling). People tend to automatically remember things that make them feel good. Sure enough, people who had always had trouble spelling were able to spell and retain even very difficult words. Of course, these simple instructions were not always enough. Adults especially had a fair amount of 'unlearning' to do. Often they would habitually and unconsciously try to use the old 'sounding out' strategy, which lead to confusion and conflict in trying to spell. To combat that tendency, I began to have them spell backwards as well as frontwards. It is very difficult to sound things out backwards (for example, try to figure out what 'Albuquerque'' sounds like backwards). The auditory representational system is very time dependent for perception, and sound tends to propagate in a particular sequence. The visual system, on the other hand, is more simultaneous. For example, think of which letter comes three letters after "P" in the alphabet. Now think of which letter comes three letters before "P" in the alphabet. If you primarily remember the letters of the alphabet utilizing the "ABC" song most English speakers learn as a child, you probably experienced much more difficulty identifying that "M" is the the letter that comes three letters before "P". People that use an auditory strategy such as this, sometimes even have to go all the way to the beginning of the alphabet and come forward in order to find the answer. Something visual maintains it shape whether we look at it left-to-right or right-to-left. Thus, if someone could read the letters of a word off backwards (i.e., from right-to-left) one could be pretty certain that person had a reasonably clear image of it in mind. Strategies Versus Techniques It is important to remember that there is a difference between a strategy and a mnemonic technique. A strategy involves setting a fixed outcome with a variable means to achieve it. One continues varying these mental operations until the image is fixed in the mind's eye. Memory techniques tend to be fixed means, or processes that produce variable outcomes. People end up concentrating more on what to do in order to remember the information than on the information itself. The NLP strategy involves the variation of fundamental sensory processes that require no training to learn. People often have to learn to remember the memory techniques before they can
use to remember what they have learned them for. Good spelling is function of learning how to learn new words. Just as soon as the grammar school student learns his ten words for the week, sure enough if someone doesn't give him ten more words. In fact, it is important to emphasize the fact it is a process when teaching it as a strategy. Sometimes a person who has just learned how to spell some difficult words, will say, "Well I know how to spell those words now but that doesn't make me a good speller." This is true as far as the content goes, but I remind them that they also know a process for how to learn new spelling words now, which is a very different level from simply having learned those words. As opposed to a 'drill-and-practice' approach, NLP focuses on the process of learning. It is like teaching someone how to fish as opposed to giving them a fish. As the wise saying points out, "If you give someone a fish, you have fed him for a day - if you teach him how to fish, you have fed him for the rest of his life." In many ways this orientation toward 'mental programming' makes it easier to adapt NLP to computerized instruction. In fact, I have made the basic spelling strategy into a computer program. The program follows the basic format described above. It shows the student the correct spelling of a word in a color selected by the student. The student is instructed to look up and to their left hand side and visualize the word in his or her mind's eye. After typing in the word left-to-right, the student is instructed to type in the spelling starting on the right hand side and moving to the left. The program is quite simple but has demonstrated significant results. Other Factors Influencing Spelling As a specific mental capability spelling is subject to be influenced by deeper psychological processes such as beliefs and identity issues. For instance, one useful belief I like to offer a new speller is that if they can spell these difficult words frontwards and backwards, simple words will be even that much easier and effortless. Belief and identity issues can come up in interesting ways. I once taught this spelling strategy to a man in his mid-thirties. After spelling words he had struggled with for years both frontwards and backwards he responded, "Now I know I can spell, but I don't think I'll use it very much." Surprised, I asked him why. He said "Well, I really don't want to become a stiff and insensitive person." Not being able to quite relate this in an obvious way to learning to spell I explored the issue further and discovered that he had a particularly insensitive spelling teacher when in his early years at school, and had unconsciously associated being concerned about proper spelling with being uncaring about the person learning to spell, which conflicted with the kind of person he felt himself to be. Another man in his forties had a similar resistance when it came to actually learning
an appropriate spelling strategy. He had a particularly difficult time with a teacher in his grammar school years and discovered that he still carried the belief that it would somehow be a violation of his own personal integrity to finally learn to spell claiming that he would be "finally giving in to that S.O.B. after all these years." In both of these cases these beliefs were fairly easily dealt with once they were uncovered. But one can see that such beliefs could create a large amount of unconscious resistance if not addressed. At the identity level I have found that most good spellers perceive their success as a statement about their identity and their failures as a specific behavior. In other words, they tend to think, "If I spell it right it is something that I did. If I spell it wrong it was just a mistake." Problem spellers tend to think, "If I spelled it wrong it was something that I did. If I spelled it right, it was just luck." Some schoolchildren also associate scholastic capability with being a particular type of person (i.e., a teacher's pet, etc.) and thus resist learning the capability of spelling because it reflects on their perception of their identity. In other words, it is sometimes more important to first have a student see himself (or tell himself or feel himself to be) a good student in a way that does not conflict with the other elements of his identity, before working to teach him how to spell specific words. While there are a number of NLP techniques designed to accomplish this, they are beyond the scope of this article.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1997 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
1. thinking of something positive and easy to remember and anchor that feeling to the correct spelling by simply looking at the correct spelling; 2. looking up and left and visualizing the correct spelling in the mind's eye; and 3. looking up and left and spelling the word backwards. With long words, people often experience difficulty in being able to initially visualize the entire words easily (especially people new to the process of visualizing). Most often what happens is that some letters are clear but the rest get out of focus or hazy. In such a situation one needs some operations to make the unclear letters stand out. In this case there are two more sub-operations that may be used: a. breaking the word down into groups of letters (typically groups of three); and b. changing some sub-modality quality of the letters that have been difficult to visualize in such a way that makes them stand out. For instance, the letters can be made brighter, put in one's favorite color, put on a familiar background, made bigger, etc. Another operation that can help to anchor in the remembered image of letters that are not clear is to overlap from the kinesthetic system by tracing the letters in the air. The following T.O.T.E. diagram summarizes the basic elements of the overall strategy.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Conflicting 'Parts'
Sometimes, people experience being "incongruent," in an "inner conflict," "of two minds," or "at odds" with themselves. These issues do not relate so much to external pressures, but rather to the deeper structures within the person himself or herselfto conflicts between different 'parts' of one's own mental system. In other words, these issues relate to conflicts between oneself and oneself. Freud believed such internal
struggles were ultimately at the root of many psychological problems. As he maintained "One side of the personality stands for certain wishes, while another part struggles against them and fends them off. There is no neurosis without such a conflict." According to Freud Conflict is produced by frustration...in order to become pathogenic, external frustration must be supplemented by internal frustration... external frustration removes one possibility of satisfaction, internal frustration tries to exclude another possibility, and it is this second possibility which becomes the debate ground of the conflict. In a typical situation, if we are prevented from reaching a goal due to an external impasse, we maintain our focus on the outcome, inhibit any "antithetical ideas" and continue to attempt other avenues or strategies in order to attain the goal. If there is an internal conflict, however, the "debate ground" shifts inward, and a battle begins between the two parts of one's self. As Freud points out, the external frustration is supplemented by internal frustration. It is as if the person is "caught between a rock and a hard place." And when the fight is between two parts of one's self, one can never "win." As Freud put it This conflict is not resolved by helping one side to win a victory over the other...one side in either event will remain unsatisfied. Attempting to solve this type of conflict by suppressing one side, as one would do with typical "antithetical ideas," creates a 'double bind' in which you are "damned if you do and damned if you don't." It is as if the struggle is between two conflicting intentions rather than between an intention and the uncertainty as to whether it will be achieved. This makes the situation different than what is addressed by reframing, in that the core issue is not understanding the intention of the part to which one has not been listening. In that case, the focus is on a particular problematic behavior. The resolution involves finding the intention behind the behavior and generating alternative choices in order to reach the intention. In the case of conflict, however, it is the confrontation of antagonistic intentions that is at issue. Because the parts are at cross purposes, no alternatives can be produced which satisfy both intentions directly. Furthermore, because the internal conflict is not grounded in external events or results, it cannot be resolved by feedback from some external source. In fact, in such
a situation, anything can become another stimulus (or excuse) for a fight. Even the simplest decisions lead to a struggle - a struggle which is never resolved because it is not really about the content of the decision but about the deeper structure beneath it. The constant stress coming from the conflict and frustration may lead to other symptoms, including physical symptoms. These symptoms also become a "debate ground" for the conflicting parts. Since systems attempt to reach balance or homeostasis, however, certain symptoms may actually provide a potential point of "compromise" between the conflicting parts. As Freud claimed The two powers which have entered into opposition meet together again in the symptom and become reconciled by means of the compromise contained in symptom-formation. That is why the symptom is capable of such resistance; it is sustained from both sides. . . It is a battle between two forces of which one has succeeded in coming to the level of the preconscious and conscious part of the mind, while the other has been confined on the unconscious level. That is why the conflict can never have a final outcome one way or the other...An effective decision can be reached only when they confront each other on the same ground. And, in my opinion, to accomplish this is the sole task of the treatment.
Conflict Integration
Conflict Integration refers to the NLP procedure by which contradictory or incompatible responses, "parts" or cognitive processes are sorted and resolved. Conflict Integration is one of the core NLP interventions and is essential to the resolution of many mental, physical and interpersonal problems. According to Grinder and Bandler (The Structure of Magic Volume II, 1976, p. 45), the basic steps of conflict integration involve 1. Identifying the client's incongruencies by noticing contradictions within verbal and non-verbal messages. 2. Sorting the client's incongruencies into polarities via spatial sorting, fantasy (symbols), representational systems, role playing, or Satir Categories (Blaming, Placating or Super-Reasonable). 3. Integrating the client's incongruencies by first making contact between the polarities, and then achieving a meta position from which to bring the polarities together in a new way.
A key component to the process of Conflict Integration that has been added since the writing of The Structure of Magic Volume II is the identification and recognition of the positive intentions of both of the parts involved. A large part of the NLP conflict integration process involves sorting experiences into their appropriate levels in order to avoid unnecessary confusion and trouble. A typical approach to conflict resolution in NLP is to first "chunk up" one level above the conflict to find consensus with respect to "higher level" positive intentions. A second step involves "chunking down" one level below the level at which the conflict is taking place. At this "lower level" it is possible to find "complementary" resources related to the parts of the system which are seemingly in conflict.
Solving a Problem Through a Different Level of Thinking Than is Creating the Problem
NLP Provides many skills and tools for addressing and resolving both internal and interpersonal conflicts. These include techniques of Reframing, Conflict Integration, shifting Perceptual Positions, and many fundamental communication skills such as the Meta Model, Calibration and non-verbal communication methods. The NLP Conflict Integration process was initially developed to address internal conflicts within an individual, and has also become the basis for the negotiations model in NLP. The following is a general overview of the basic NLP approach to addressing conflicts. 1. Clearly identify the key issues involved in the conflict. These issues will be expressed as either opposites or polarities. Determine at which logical level the conflict is most focused. e.g., investing or spending money versus saving money = a behavior level conflict 2. Establish an unbiased 'meta-position' that is clearly distinct from either of the parties in conflict. 3. Find the positive intention and purpose behind the issues of each party. The positive intention will necessarily be at a higher level than the issues creating the conflict. ("You cannot solve a problem at the same level of thinking that is creating the problem.") Positive intentions will typically not be opposites or polarities. More often they are complementary, and beneficial systemically as
opposed to individually. e.g., spending money = "growth"; saving money = "security" 4. Make sure that each party recognizes and acknowledges the positive intent of the other. This does not mean that either party has to accept the method with which the other is attempting to satisfy the positive intention, nor does it mean that either party has to compromise his or her position. 5. From 'meta position', keep 'chunking up' until a common intention on a higher level has been identified that both parties share. e.g., optimizing resources 6. Explore other alternatives for achieving the shared intention than the two which are producing the conflict. This may include a mixture of the two existing choices, but should include at least one alternative that is completely distinct from the two in conflict. (e.g., invest some money and save some money, borrow money, create an alternative income stream, find an investment partner, downsize some expenditures so that money can be invested in other areas, etc.) 7. Identify which choice or combination of choices will most effectively and ecologically satisfy the common intention and the individual positive intentions with the greatest positive impact systemically.
References
The Structure of Magic Volume II, Grinder & Bandler, 1976. NLP Volume I, Dilts, R., Grinder, J., Bandler, R. and DeLozier, J., 1980. Reframing, Bandler, R. and Grinder, J., 1982. Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Dilts, 1990. Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being, Dilts, Hallbom, T. & Smith, S., 1990. Strategies of Genius Volume II, Dilts, R., Capitola, CA, 1994. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming
Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1997 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
2. Represent the parts in all sensory systems. For example, you can say, "Put the part of you that believes X in one hand (choose the hand that your partner used when expressing that belief). What image, voice and feelings do you have associated with that part of you?" If one of these has been missing have the explorer add it in. Put the other part in the other hand and do the same thing. 3. Have your partner associate into the perceptual position of each part and ask each part to look at the other and describe what it sees. At this stage the different parts will typically dislike and distrust the other. 4. Find the positive intention and purpose of each part. Make sure that each part recognizes and accepts the positive intent of the other. a. Make sure that each part realizes that their conflict is directly interfering with the achievement of their own purposes. 5. Have the explorer associate into each part and look at the other again, and this time describe the resources that the other has that would be helpful to its own positive intention. a. Secure a congruent agreement from the parts to combine their resources so they can more fully accomplish their own purpose. Usually the reason that they will have mistrusted or disliked each other previously is precisely because the other has not had these resources and has thus seemed foreign and out of control. 6. Ask your partner to bring his or her hands together at the same time that he or she creates a new representation of himself or herself in all sensory systems that fully integrates the resources of both parts. (Calibrate to an integration/ symmetry of the two physiologies that accompanied the separate parts.) a. Remind your partner that an integration is not a compromise or a contract. If you are successful there will no longer be two separate parts but rather one whole person. b. The "visual squash" technique described above is not always the only method of integration although it is the most common and is very effective. Sometimes, for instance, the explorer may want to expand a new image out from meta position to incorporate the conflicting parts. c. Sometimes a conflict may involve more than two parts. In such a case you may either expand this technique to include all three or do the integrations two at a time.
7. Integration of Conflicting Parts draws operationally from a combination of the NLP techniques of 'Visual Squash' and 'Reframing'. Conceptually, it based on the work of Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir.
Background Reference(s)
People Making, Satir, V., 1972. The Gestalt Approach & Eyewitness to Therapy, Perls, F., 1973.
Specific Reference(s)
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being, Dilts, Hallbom, T. & Smith, S., 1990. Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
This Picture Can Either Be Viewed As a Chalice or Two Faces, Depending on What is "Figure" and What is "Ground."
An enlightening experiment demonstrating the impact of figure and ground was done by gestalt psychologists with a group of dogs. The dogs were trained to approach something when shown a white square and avoid it when shown a gray square.
When the dogs had learned this particular discrimination task successfully, the experimenters switched to using the gray square in contrast to a black square. The dogs immediately shifted to approaching the object in response to the gray square (which had previously triggered avoidance), and avoiding the object when shown the black square (which had not been conditioned to anything). Presumably, rather than perceive the gray and an absolute stimulus, the dogs were responding to the deeper ratio lighter versus darker as opposed to gray, white or black as being things. From the perspective of Systemic NLP, the figure-ground relationship creates a natural reframing process. It provides a powerful way to shift the meaning or impact of experiences in our lives, and to bring out new insights. Many NLP submodality techniques, for example, are effective because they change figure and ground relationships. Changing the color or brightness of certain parts of an internal visual image, for instance, may bring it into the foreground as figure or shift it to part of the background. Processes such as content and context reframing also alter figure-ground relationships to some degree by placing behaviors and experiences within the background of different contextual frameworks. Similarly, a number of Sleight of Mouth patterns, such as Changing Frame Size, Consequence, and Hierarchy of Criteria, operate by shifting figure-ground relations with respect to beliefs and belief forming experiences. An unpleasant situation, for example, may seem awful compared to positive peak experiences or high expectations. The same unpleasant situation may seem actually quite positive compared to a past catastrophe or potential disaster. Likewise, a painful event may loom as an all-consuming figure when perceived within the short term frame of the five minutes surrounding the event. That same painful event may seem almost trivial when perceived against the background of ones lifetime. The Foreground-Background Process is an NLP technique, developed by Robert Dilts, which makes specific use of the figure-ground phenomenon in order to help transform limiting responses. The process uses common elements from the background of both limiting and resourceful experiences in order to transfer resources from the resourceful state to the limiting experience. Most change processes and techniques emphasize elements in the foreground only, which is more likely to lead to polarity responses and conflicts.
perception. Our perceptual filters operate to selectively focus on certain aspects of our experience, in a manner similar to the lens of a camera. When a lens is adjusted to focus on objects near us, distant objects blur and become "ground." When the lens is adjusted to focus on far away objects, those which are nearer become blurred and part of the "ground." The meaning and impact that a particular experience holds for us depends upon what aspects of it we focus on as "figure" and what we perceive to be "ground." Operationally, the Foreground-Background process is based on Ivan Pavlovs observation of his dogs responses to combined stimuli. Instead of his well known dinner bell, for instance, Pavlov also used combination of sounds in this experiments with his dogs. For example, Pavlov explored combining the bell with other sounds (such as a buzzer and a whistle) in order to trigger a salivation response in his animals. Pavlov found that, with combined stimuli, one of the sounds always appeared to be in the foreground. Lets say he had conditioned a dog to salivate using a combination of a bell, a buzzer and a whistle. After a sufficient period of pairing the three sounds with giving the dog meat powder, the combined sound might produce ten drops of saliva.
When Presented Individually, Some Sounds Were in the Foreground While Others Were in the Background
Pavlov then tried experimenting with the "background" stimulus. For instance, he paired the whistle by itself with something sour or acidic placed in the dogs mouth. Rather than triggering saliva, the sound of the whistle could be made to produce a suppression of the salivation response.
Pavlov Associated the "Background" Sound With the Suppression of the Salivation Response
Pavlov then tried combining all of the sounds again. Surprisingly, the dog produced no saliva at all. The effect of the bell and the buzzer, which had both produced a significant degree of salivation earlier, were completely suppressed. The whistle, which had originally been in the background, had come completely into the foreground, overriding the other two stimuli.
When Pavlov Combined the Sounds Again, the Former "Background" Sound Had Come Into the Foreground and Suppressed All the Others
Most of our naturally occurring responses are associated with combined stimuli. We are bombarded with a tremendous amount of sensory information, which we filter by bringing only parts of it into the foreground. Thus, when we respond to our environment - whether it is with anxiety, calm, fear, courage, frustration, joy or anger - our perceptual filters are often locked on only certain aspects of the experience, while the rest of the sensory input fades into the background. The ForegroundBackground process applies Pavlovs discoveries in order to transform limiting responses by using parts of the experience that are in the background to bring in a new reaction through the "back door," so to speak, of our experiential panorama.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com.
This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1997 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
If there is no counter example then identify an experience that is as close to the limiting one as possible in all respects but where there is no limiting response. Associate into this experience. a. a. Identify what features of this experience that you are MOST aware of (foreground ). As you focus on these features establish an anchor as you experience the intensification of the physiology [A1] . e.g., curious internal voice, dissociated image of whole office b. b. Establish a "common ground" - that is, features which are in the background of both the limiting experience and the counter example. e.g., awareness of soles of feet, color of the walls 3. Create a strong association between the common background feature and the foreground feature in the counter example experience. This may be done by focusing your attention on the background feature and firing the resource anchor [A1] and by using suggestion. e.g., "The more you pay attention to the soles of your feet the more you can notice how that curious internal voice grows louder and louder. And the as you find your awareness shifting to the color of the walls you are more easily able to maintain an image of the entire dentist's office." 4. Go back to the limiting experience and focus on the "common ground" feature that you identified in 2b. e.g., "Put yourself back into the dentist's chair in that first memory and simply put your awareness on the soles of your feet, and notice the color of the walls in that memory." If this does not change the limiting response then either A. identify a more powerful or appropriate counter example and repeat the process from 2a. e.g., getting a blood test and not noticing the pain B. go back to 2b and strengthen the association between the "common ground" and the foreground features in the counter example. 5. Test by focusing on the features that were the foreground in the limiting experience identified in 1a. You should now experience the response associated with the counter-example experience. e.g., "Now put yourself back in that dentist's office and actually focus your complete attention on the pitch of the drill, your jaw and your heart rate." The Foreground-Background process stands in marked contrast with many submodality techniques, such as the Swish Pattern, in which part of the stimulus which is most in the foreground, the so-called "driver submodality," is used to exchange one response for another.
One problem with focusing on elements in the foreground is that it creates a type of conflict, in that the two experiences struggle to dominate the foreground of consciousness. The Foreground-Background process has a very subtle, almost magical, quality to it. The change in the problem experience is gentle, unconscious and effortless.
References
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being, Dilts, Hallbom, T. & Smith, S., 1990. Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
animal. The affects of gentling, on the other hand, appears to be passed on to following generations through some type of biological mechanism. Gentling also differs from imprinting in that it requires inter-species interaction (i.e., the baby rat must be "gentled" by a human rather than another rat). Imprints may be established with respect to other species (a duckling can become "imprinted" to a person), but this is the exception to the rule, and is certainly not a requirement of imprinting. Gentling, on the other hand, appears to actually require the initial involvement of the human. The positive affects of the gentle handling of animals by humans have also been observed in other experiments as well. In a study done on rabbits, "gentling" was found to have a remarkable impact on the health of the animals. Six groups of rabbits in different locations were being fed extremely high fat diets to see if they would develop heart disease. As the experiment progressed, five of the six groups were responding as expected; becoming ill and dying. But one group remained quite healthy. At first researchers thought that the group must not have been receiving the appropriate high fat diet. But, when they checked, they discovered the rabbits had been fed exactly as the same as the other groups. The researchers then postulated that the rabbits must have been allowed more exercise. But this was also shown to not be the case. The only difference, in fact, that they were able to find was that the individual responsible for feeding the rabbits was fond of them, and would pick them up and pet them gently at feeding time. Similar positive effects have been found to result from the gentle touching or "stimulation" of premature babies. The body weights and survival rates of premature children who are touched gently is significantly higher than those who are isolated. (It is also interesting to note that the nurses who were instructed to touch the babies gently reported that it changed their own feelings toward the babies, creating a sense of relationship with the infants.) While no data currently exists to indicate whether or not there is a trans-generational "grandmother effect" in either of these other instances of gentling, there is data which demonstrates that the opposite of gentling, "isolation," produces detrimental effects which are not transferred to other generations. It has been widely reported, for example, that baby monkeys who are isolated from contact with their mothers and other monkeys suffer enormous social-sexual dysfunctions. The isolation of a monkey infant for nine to twelve months after birth permanently destroys sociability with age mates as well as all forms of sexuality and social communication. Unlike the phenomenon of gentling, however, these negative effects do not seem to be passed down to their children.
Female monkeys, who have been isolated in infancy, and made to have children through artificial insemination, will abandon their offspring, and even physically abuse them. It has been observed, however, that the infants of isolate mothers continue to seek maternal attention and, unless actually killed by the mother, are surprisingly successful in forming maternal attachments. Moreover, after three to four months the brutal mothers, even though they still appear to ignore the infants, may begin to behave as if they enjoy the bodily contact with the infants and their sucking for milk. Surprisingly, most of these motherless mother monkeys who subsequently have a second or third infant come to behave as normal or nearly normal mothers. Apparently, their first infants have psychiatrically rehabilitated them. The contrast between the results of gentling versus those of isolation would appear to suggest a type of "psychobiological" filter that passes on 'positive' or evolutionary behavior traits, but limits those which are maladaptive.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1997 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
It is sometimes useful in this process to have a partner who serves as your own "guardian angel" and who gently touches you as a reminder or 'anchor' for your own state of wisdom and gratitude. Steps of the "Gentling" Process 1. Lay out three time lines for a) yourself, b) your parent, c) your grandparent.
Multi-Generationl Time-Lines
2. From a 'Spiritual 3rd Position' of the awareness of this family system as part of a larger whole or mind, identify a set of resources or gifts you would like to bring to this family in the form of: a) a blessing b) a metaphor c) a vision 3. From a state of wisdom and gratitude, imagine you are back in time to your grandparent's birth and early childhood. Fantasize that you can hold and touch your grandparent as an infant very gently as if you yourself were some kind of higher presence or spiritual guide. As you imagine holding and touching your grandparent very gently, offer your blessing and metaphor. 4. Take the vision and go into 'second position' with your grandparent bringing your vision to him or her. From the grandparent's position, imagine being held and 'gentled'. (You may invite your 'guardian angel' to touch you gently). Also imagine receiving the blessing and the metaphor. 5. Holding these resources and gifts in your heart as the grandparent, move up along the time line to the birth and infancy of your parent (your grandparent's child). In your grandparent's position, gentle your parent passing on the blessing, metaphor and vision. 6. Associate into your parent's perceptual position. Imagine being held, blessed and gentled - receiving the metaphor and the vision. (Again, you may invite your guardian angel to touch you softly as you do this.) 7. Staying in your parent's point of view, hold these gifts and resources in your heart and move up through your parent's time line to your own birth and infancy. From your parent's position bless and gentle yourself, passing on the metaphor and the vision. 8. Associate into yourself as a baby and imagine being held, blessed and gentled
by your parent - receiving the metaphor and the vision - inviting your guardian angel to touch you softly if it is appropriate. 9. Move up through your own time line to the present, spreading the resources brought along by the gifts of the blessing, metaphor, vision and gentling, that has been passed down to you from the previous generations.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
DeLozier, 1980): Eyes Up and Left: Non-dominant hemisphere visualization - i.e., remembered imagery (Vr). Eyes Up and Right: Dominant hemisphere visualization - i.e., constructed imagery and visual fantasy (Vc). Eyes Lateral Left: Non-dominant hemisphere auditory processing - i.e., remembered sounds, words, and "tape loops" (Ar) and tonal discrimination. Eyes Lateral Right: Dominant hemisphere auditory processing - i.e., remembered sounds and words (Ac) and "tape loops" (such as nursery rhymes), as well as tonal discrimination. Eyes Down and Left: Internal dialogue, or inner self-talk (Ad). Eyes Down and Right: Feelings, both tactile and visceral (K). Eyes Straight Ahead, but Defocused or Dilated: Quick access of almost any sensory information; but usually visual.
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Think of the last time you saw someone running. Who were the first five people you saw this morning? Visual Construction: Imagine an outline of yourself as you might look from six feet above us and see it turning into a city skyline. Can you imagine the top half of a toy dog on the bottom half of a green hippopotamus? Auditory Remembered: Can you think of one of your favorite songs? Think of the sound of clapping. How does your car's engine sound? Auditory Constructed: Imagine the sound of a train's whistle changing into the sound of pages turning. Can you hear the sound of a saxophone and the sound of your mother's voice at the same time? Auditory Digital (Internal Self Talk): Take a moment and listen to the sound of your own inner voice. How do you know it is your voice? In what types of situations do you talk to yourself the most? Think of the kinds of things that you say to yourself most often. Kinesthetic Remembered: (Tactile) When was the last time you felt really wet? Imagine the feelings of snow in your hands. What does a pine cone feel like? When was the last time you touched a hot cooking utensil? (Visceral/Emotional) Can you think of a time you felt satisfied about something you completed? Think of what it feels like to be exhausted. When was the last time you felt impatient? Kinesthetic Construction: (Tactile) Imagine the feelings of stickiness turning into the feelings of sand shifting between your fingers. Imagine the feelings of dog's fur turning into the feelings of soft butter. (Visceral/Emotional) Imagine the feelings of frustration turning into the feeling of being really motivated to do something. Imagine the feeling of being bored turning into feeling silly about feeling bored.
It is important to keep in mind, as you are observing and tracking eye movements, that many people will already have habitual eye movements, related to their primary representational modality. A highly visual person may tend to look up and to the left or right, regardless of which sensory modality is assumed by your question. If you ask such a person to think of his or her "favorite song," the person may visualize the cover of the record, tape or CD in order to remember the name of the song. A kinesthetically oriented person may look down and check his or her feelings to determine how he or she feels about several songs in order to know which one is his or her "favorite." Thus it is important to ask people what they actually did in their minds as they were answering the questions in order to get an accurate sense of what their eye movements signified. Once you feel confident in eye movements as accessing cues, and in your ability to "read" them, there are many ways they can be used. As was mentioned earlier, habitual eye movements reflect a person's preferred sensory modality. If you ask someone, "What is something that is really important to you? Think of it now," the placement of the person's eyes as he or she is answering your question will probably tell you a lot about that person's most valued representational system. Eye movements can also be used to determine how truthful or congruent a person is being. If a person is describing an event that he or she has witnessed or participated in, for instance, the person's eyes should move primarily to his or her left (if the person is right handed), indicating memory access. If the person looks up and to the right a lot, however, it is likely that the person is constructing or reconstructing some aspect of the experience he or she is describing. This may indicate that the person is either uncertain or being untruthful about what he or she is saying. The most common application of eye positions in NLP is to determine the representational strategies a person is using in order to think or make a decision. Since many aspects of people's thinking processes are unconscious to them, spontaneous eye movements can be an extremely important part of eliciting and modeling a person's inner strategies for decision making, learning, motivation, memory, etc.
References
Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. Vol. II, Grinder, J., DeLozier, J. and Bandler, R., 1977. NLP Vol. I, Dilts, R., et al, Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1980.
Roots of NLP, Dilts, R., Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1983. Eye and Head Turning Indicates Cerebral Lateralization; Kinsbourne, M., Science, 179, pp. 539-541, 1972. Lateral Eye Movement and Cognitive Mode; Kocel, K., et al., Psychon Sci. 27: pp. 223-224, 1972. Individual Differences in Cognitive Style_Reflective Eye Movements; Galin, D. and Ornstein, R., Neuropsychologia, 12, pp. 376-397, 1974. The Effect of Eye Placement On Orthographic Memorization; Loiselle, Franois, Ph.D. Thesis, Facult des Sciences Sociales, Universit de Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, 1985. Eye Movement As An Indicator of Sensory Components in Thought; Buckner, W., Reese, E. and Reese, R., Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1987, Vol. 34, No 3. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Notice the differences you experience between each position. Are some of them more comfortable, natural or familiar feeling than some of the others? Does it feel to you as if you are actually holding your eyes for a longer time in some of the positions than others? In some of the positions you might find yourself thinking or making certain types of associations. In others, you may just draw a complete blank. Which eye positions do you associate more with creativity? stuckness? being a dreamer? being a realist? being a critic? Exercise 2: Exploring the Effects of Eye Position on Problem Solving As a further experiment, take some problem or idea you are working on and simply hold your eyes in these different positions for a few minutes while you are thinking of it. Notice how it effects your thought process in relation to the problem or idea. How has the way in which you are thinking about the idea or problem changed as a result of each eye position? Be especially aware of how you are affected by the unfamiliar eye positions. Do any of the eye positions bring out certain kinds of feelings, sounds or imagery? Does moving your eyes to any of these locations change any of the qualities of the images, sounds or feelings you already have associated to the problem or idea? Exercise 3: Exploring Patterns of Eye Movement and Synesthesias Our physiology, and in particular our eye movements, form the underlying circuitry through which our strategies are manifested. Thus, our strategies are only as effective as the neuro-physiological circuitry which supports them. Much creative thinking comes from our ability to link our sensory representational systems together - as in a
synesthesia. Patterns of eye movements also reflect which senses we tend to habitually link together and how strong those links are. As another exercise, try moving your eyes between various combinations of the different eye positions; say, from up left to down right and back again, or from up right to up left and back again (if you use all 9 positions, there are about 45 possible combinations). Some of the most common and significant patterns are shown below.
Some Basic Eye Movements Move your eyes back and forth between the two eye positions you have chosen about 6 times. Start by moving your eyes very slowly at first and then speed up the movement. Try to move your eyes between the two positions in a straight, smoothly line. Then switch to another pair of eye positions and repeat the process again. Keep choosing new pairs until you have covered all of the basic pairs of eye positions. Find a partner to act as an observer. Have your observer notice exactly how your eyes move between the two positions. You will probably soon realize that movement is seldom perfectly linear. Often the eyes will move in little jerks, pausing briefly in certain places along the path of trajectory. Often the eyes will arc rather than move in a straight line from one location to the other. Sometimes the eyes will move farther in one direction than the other. Patterns of eye movements are a way of linking various parts of your neurology together by laying down a physiological track or path between the various parts of your brain that you use to represent information about the world around you. The ease or difficulty you have in moving your eyes to these different positions can help you to assess which neurological pathways are most open and smooth. In fact, we sometimes use this particular procedure to make what is called an "eye print" of an
individual. Like a finger print, a person's "eye print" is a representation about an individual's unique characteristics - but on a neurological instead of physical level. Eye prints can help you to get insight into which parts of a person's brain are habitually connected or separated, and thus what kinds of thinking processes a person might excel at or have difficulty with. This in turn can help assess what kinds of aptitudes, inner conflicts or personality traits a person might be most likely to experience and express. It can also be used as a way to define areas that may be improved and enhanced. As in the previous exercise on eye position, take note of which patterns of movement seem most comfortable, familiar and natural. Do some patterns seem more related or conducive to certain types of thinking? Once again notice which patterns of movement seem more connected with creativity? stuckness? being a dreamer? being a realist? being a critic? Exercise 4. Creating and Strengthening New Neurological Pathways Take the patterns of movement which seemed the most difficult, awkward or uncomfortable and "beat a path" between the to eye positions by moving your eyes back and forth between the positions. Your partner can help you by using his or her finger as a guide for your eyes. Have your partner hold a finger about a foot to a foot and a half in front of you and move the finger back and forth between the two eye positions you want to link together more strongly. Your partner should begin by moving the finger very slowly at first in a smooth, even, linear path. As your eyes accommodate to the movement, ask your partner to increase the speed of the finger motion, tracing the same path. You may do this without a partner by drawing a line on a piece of paper and use it as a guide by holding it in front of you at the proper angle. To assess the impact of creating these new links, once again take some problem or idea you are working on and notice how using each new circuit effects it. First take note of how you are thinking about the problem or idea. Is it primarily feelings, words, sound, or images? What qualities or submodalities seem to be emphasized in your current representation of the problem or idea? Then, without consciously focusing on the idea or problem, have your partner (or the paper guide line) lead you through the new eye pattern. Notice how it effects your thought process in relation to the problem or idea. How does the way in which you are thinking about the idea or problem change as a result of the new pattern? What changes in terms of the qualities of the images, sounds or feelings you had initially associated to the problem or idea? Exercise 5. Exploring and Creating New Circuits Through Eye Movement Patterns
Clearly, more sophisticated thinking patterns tend to require more sophisticated patterns of eye movements. If you begin to observe people, you probably notice that a person's eyes can move in some fairly involved sequences. Some patterns appear to be almost circular; others may be triangular, rectangular or some other type or combination of shapes (some examples are shown below).
Some Possible Patterns of Eye Movements As an experiment, try tracing some of these basic kinds of shapes with your eyes. Make a circle, a square, a triangle or some other shape. Make sure you repeat the pattern a few times to get a sense for how it effects you. How easy or comfortable is it to move your eyes in that pattern? Now try changing some aspect of the eye movement pattern. If you traced the circle in one direction, reverse it. If the base of the triangle was on the bottom, turn it upside down. What effect does that have on you or your state of consciousness? As with the previous eye exercises, take some problem or idea you are working on and notice how using a new pattern of circuitry effects it. Once again, note the cognitive structure of how you initially think about the problem or idea. What aspects
of imagery, sound and/or feeling seem to be emphasized in your starting representation of the problem or idea? Again, go through the new eye pattern without consciously focusing on the idea or problem, and notice how it effects your thought process in relation to the problem or idea. How does the way in which you are thinking about the idea or problem change as a result of the new pattern? What changes in terms of the qualities of the images, sounds or feelings you had initially associated to the problem or idea? In NLP, these types of eye movement combinations are used in a more precise way to develop new thinking strategies - such as in the New Behavior Generator strategy. Sometimes habitual synesthesia patterns can cause problems as well, and may need to be interrupted. The Failure Into Feedback strategy, in fact, explicitly addresses the relationship between eye position and synesthesia patterns. The process, which involves breaking and reestablishing synesthesia patterns through the use of eye movements, is described in detail in Changing Belief Systems with NLP (1990, pp. 25-53). The process of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Response), developed by Francine Shapiro, draws from this type of use of eye movements.
References
Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Dilts, R., 1990. Tools for Dreamers, Dilts, R. B., Epstein, T. and Dilts, R. W., 1991. Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Hierarchies of Criteria
"Criteria" refers to the values or standards a person uses to make decisions and judgments. The term comes from the Greek word krites, meaning "judge." Our criteria define and shape the types of desired states that we will seek, and determine the evidences we will use to evaluate our success and progress with respect to these desired states. For example, applying the criterion of "stability" a product, organization or family, will lead to certain judgments and conclusions. Applying the criterion of "ability to adapt" may lead to different judgments and conclusions about the same product, organization or family. Criteria are often associated with "values," but they are not synonymous. Criteria may be applied to any number of different levels of experience. We can have environmental criteria, behavioral criteria and intellectual criteria as well as emotionally based criteria. Values, on the other hand, are at the same logical level as beliefs. From this perspective, values are similar to what are called "core criteria" in NLP. In fact, people may share similar values (like "success," "harmony," and "respect") but have very different forms of evidence for judging whether these criteria have been met or violated. This can be the source of either conflict or creativity. Recognizing that people have different criteria is essential for resolving conflicts and managing diversity. Culture contact, mergers between organization and transitions in a person's life often bring up issues related to criteria, hierarchies of criteria and criterial equivalences. Understanding people's criteria is important for successful mediation, negotiation and communication. Criteria also play an important role in persuasion and motivation. The identification and utilization of criteria are a key element in many NLP techniques and processes. It is the basis for the Hierarchy of Criteria technique, a number of Sleight of Mouth Patterns and is an important part of almost every NLP conflict resolution format. Establishing criteria for meeting goals and evaluating progress is an essential aspect of planning and decision making. "Criterial equivalence" is the term used in NLP to describe the specific and observable evidences that define whether or not a particular criterion has been met. People often differ in the representational systems, level of
detail and perceptual positions they use to evaluate their success in meeting their criteria.
Hierarchies of Criteria
A person's Hierarchy of Criteria is essentially the order of priorities that person applies in order to act in the world. Hierarchies of criteria relate to the degree of importance or meaning which people attach to various actions and experiences. An example of a 'hierarchy of criteria' would be a person who values 'health' more than 'financial success'. Such a person would tend to put his or her health "first." This person would probably structure his or her life more around physical activities than professional opportunities. A person whose hierarchy of criteria placed "financial success" over health would have a different lifestyle. He or she might sacrifice health and physical well-being in order to "get ahead" monetarily. One of the main ways to elicit a person's hierarchy of criteria is through the process of finding what are known as "counter examples." Counter examples are, in essence, 'exceptions to the rule'. The following questions use the process of finding counter examples to reveal a person's hierarchy of criteria: 1. What is something that you could do, but do not do? Why? e.g., "I would not go into a toilet that has been marked for the opposite sex, because it is against the rules." Criterion = 'Follow the Rules'. 2. What could make you to it anyway? (Counter example) e.g., "I would go into a toilet marked for the opposite sex if there were no other choices, and I really had to go badly." Higher Criterion = 'Expediency in a Crisis'. As the example illustrates, the identification of counter examples can help to uncover 'higher level' criteria which override others. To get a sense of your own hierarchy criteria by exploring counter examples, answer the following questions: 1. What would motivate you to try something new? 2. What would cause to stop doing something, even if it satisfied your answer to question 1? (Counter example A) 3. What would make you start doing something again, even if you stopped for the reasons you identified in question 2? (Counter example B) 4. What would cause to stop doing it again? (Counter example C) As you reflect on your answers, notice which criteria have emerged, and in what order of priority. Perhaps you would do something that you felt would be "creative," exciting" or "fun." These would be your first level "criteria." You might stop doing
something that was creative, exciting and fun, if you felt you felt that you were being "irresponsible" to your family (Counter example A). In this case, the criterion of "responsibility" would override "creativity" or "fun." You might, however, do something that you thought was "irresponsible" anyway if you felt it was "necessary for your growth as a person" (Counter example B). "Growth" would thus be higher on your 'hierarchy of criteria' than "responsibility" or "fun." Going more deeply, you might find that you would quit doing something that was "necessary for your growth as a person" if you believed it would "jeopardize the safety of yourself or your family" (Counter example C). Thus, "safety" would be the higher on your "ladder" of criteria than the others. Incidentally, another way to identify counter examples (and thus hierarchies of criteria) is to ask: 1. What would motivate you to try something new? e.g., "If it were safe and easy." 2. What would motivate you to try something new, even if it did not did not satisfy your answer to question 1? (i.e., If it was not safe and easy.) e.g., "If I could learn a lot from doing it." Hierarchies of criteria are one the main sources of difference between people, groups and cultures. Similar hierarchies of criteria, on the other hand, are the basis for compatibility between groups and individuals. Hierarchies of criteria are a key aspect of motivation and marketing. Consider, for instance, the following hypothetical example of using the process of finding counter-examples to identify a customer's hierarchy of criteria for purchasing beer Q: What type of beer do you usually buy? A: Well, I usually get XYZ beer. Q: Why XYZ beer? A: It's the kind of beer I always get. I'm just used to it I guess. (Criterion 1 = Familiarity) Q: Yes, its important to be familiar with what you're buying isn't it. Have you ever bought any other kind of beer? (Identify counterexample) A: Sure. At times. Q: What made you decide to buy it even though you weren't already used to it? (Elicit higher level criterion related to counter-example) A: It was on sale. A big discount from its usual price. (Criterion 2 = Save Money) Q: Saving money can sure help out sometimes. I'm wondering, have you ever bought a beer that you weren't used to buying that wasn't on sale? (Identify next counter-example)
A: Yes. I was paying back some friends for helping me move into my new house. (Criterion 3 = Show Appreciation to Others) Q: Good friends can be hard to come by. Its good to show them how much you appreciate them. Is there anything that would motivate you to buy a beer that was unfamiliar and wasn't inexpensive even though you didn't need to pay someone back for a favor? (Identify next counter-example) A: Well sure, I've bought more expensive beers when I've been out with the guys at work. I'm no cheapskate. (Criterion 4 = Impress Others) Q: Yes, I guess there are certain situations where the kind of beer you buy can make a statement about your priorities. I'm really curious to know if there's anything that might get you to buy a more expensive unfamiliar beer if there was no one you owed a favor to or that you wanted to make a statement to? (Identify next counter-example) A: I suppose I might if I really wanted to reward myself for doing something difficult. (Criterion 5 = Appreciate Self) Assuming that this person is representative of a larger population of potential beer buyers, the interviewer has now uncovered a particular hierarchy of criteria that may be appealed to in order to sell an unfamiliar and more expensive beer to people that might not normally purchase it. This process of eliciting hierarchies of criteria by identifying counter-examples can also help in the process of effective persuasion. By getting people to answer these types of questions you can help them to break out of their habitual ways of thinking and can learn about the ordering of their values. This information can then be used to get around boundaries that are often taken for granted. As an example, this method of questioning was once taught to a group of men who were shy about meeting women because they didn't think they had anything to offer a woman. They were instructed to go out and interview women and learn to identify values in women that could help them realize that they had more choices socially. The following is an example of one such interview: Man: What kind of man would you most like to go out with? Woman: Someone who is rich and handsome, naturally. M: Have you ever gone out with someone who wasn't particularly rich or handsome? W: Yes. There was this guy I knew who was really witty. He could make me laugh about practically anything. M: Are the only people you go out with rich and handsome or witty, or do you ever consider going out with other kinds of people?
W: Well sure. I went out with this person who was so intelligent. He seemed to know something about everything. M: What would make you consider going out with someone who wasn't rich, handsome or witty, and who didn't particularly impress you with their intelligence? W: There was this one guy I really liked who didn't have any of those things but he just seemed to know where he was going in life and had the determination to get there. M: Have you ever gone out with anyone who didn't have money, good looks, wit, intelligence or determination? W: No. Not that I can remember. M: Can you think of anything that would motivate you? W: Well, if they did something or were involved in something that was unique or exciting I'd be interested. M: Anything else? W: If they really cared about me and helped me to get in touch with myself as a person..or brought out something special about me. M: How would you know if someone really cared about you?... This dialogue demonstrates how some simple questions may be used to get from surface level beliefs to deeper beliefs and values that can broaden a person's choices and flexibility. Recognizing that people have different criteria (and different hierarchies of criteria) is essential for resolving conflicts and managing diversity. Culture contact, mergers between organization and transitions in a person's life often bring up issues related to criteria, hierarchies of criteria and criterial equivalences. Some individuals and cultures value the 'achievement of tasks' more than they do the 'preservation of relationships'. Other have exactly the reverse set of priorities. Having some tools and strategies to be able to identify and address different hierarchies of criteria can be important to the success of managers, teachers, coaches and therapists.
References
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being; Dilts, R., Hallbom, T. and Smith, S., 1990. Changing Belief Systems with NLP; Dilts, R., 1990. Overcoming Resistance to Persuasion with NLP; Dilts, R., and Yeager, J., 1992. Visionary Leadership Skills; Dilts, R., 1996.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
(NOTE: These will be higher level criteria because, by definition, they override the criteria for motivation.) e.g. I do not exercise consistently because there is "no time"and "it hurts". Elicit the strategy, meta program patterns and/or submodalities used to decide each criterion. e.g. "No time " = Vr/K "It hurts " = K 12. Step to location #5 and elicit a higher level criterion that overrides the limiting criteria of step 3. For example, you could ask, "What is something that is important enough that I can always make time for it and would do it even if it hurts? What value does that satisfy that makes it more important? " e.g. "Responsibility to my family" Elicit the strategy, meta program patterns and/or submodalities used to decide this criterion. e.g. "responsibility to family" = Vc/k
Find a way to achieve the desired behavior that will match the criteria on all three levels and doesn't violate the limiting criteria. For example, "Is there some kind of consistent exercise program that doesn't take much time, wouldn't be painful and in which I could involve my family? " c. Strategy/Submodality Utilization - Adjust the strategy, meta program and submodality features of the criteria of the desired behavior and the limiting criteria to match the strategy, meta program and submodality features of the highest level criterion.
References
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being; Dilts, R., Hallbom, T. and Smith, S., 1990. Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
"Imagination is of three kinds: joined with belief of that which is to come; joined with memory of that which is past; and of things present, or as if they were present." Many NLP processes involve the use of imagination. Imagination may be used to create dreams, visualize outcomes, and see the longer term effects of those dreams and outcomes upon our lives. According to philosopher Bertrand Russell, "It is only through imagination that men become aware of what the world might be." By using our imagination and creating mental images, we stimulate and alert our neurology to a particular direction, triggering self-organizing, cybernetic processes which begin to automatically and unconsciously work towards achieving the outcomes we have imaged. As the old adage states, "Energy flows where attention goes." When we imagine a goal or dream in our mind's eye, it allows us to recognize and mobilize the resources necessary to turn imagination into reality - what Walt Disney called "imagineering." Imagination is also necessary to create and understand symbols and metaphors, and to provide motivation and meaning for our present actions. According to Albert Einstein, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Einstein claimed that knowledge of the past and present was essentially "dead," and required imagination to bring it to life and put knowledge into action. As novelist and historian H.G. Wells maintained, "All youth lives much in reverie, thereby the stronger minds rehearse themselves for life in a thousand imaginations."
According to Aristotle, we construct a mental map ("image") of the future from associations drawn from ongoing sensory experience. The mind then "calculates and deliberates" by "seeing" or constructing mental "images" of "what is to come by reference to what is present," through memory and imagination (according to Aristotle's famous Law of Association). It is this internal map that determines whether we will perceive an object or situation to be "pleasant or painful." Because it is produced by the body's nervous system, imagery can also influence the body in several ways. Often, images of goals and outcomes form a focal point or "attractor," around which behavior becomes cybernetically self-organized. People use mental pictures of future outcomes and consequences as the basis for mobilizing or choosing particular actions in the present. In hypnotic work, imagery (often in the form of symbols and metaphors) is used as a means to understand and direct unconscious activity and create trance states, usually through the method of 'guided fantasy'. Imagery can also influence the function of the autonomic nervous system. Mental images, for instance, have been used to stimulate immune system functioning and other healing processes.
Visualization
Visualization refers to the process of forming mental images. From the NLP perspective, visualization involves purposefully directing the activity of the visual representational system. Visualization may utilize memories, fantasy, or a combination of both. It is one of the fundamental processes through which people build their inner models of the world. The ability to form visual images has many uses. Visualization, for example, is one of the core tools used by NLP and other applied psychological methods for the purpose of planning and "programming" changes in behavior. It is also the basis of the ability to "dream," create and innovate. For many people, visualization is the primary component of imagination. A characteristic of many geniuses, for instance, is an exceptional ability to visualize. In fact, people like Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Nikola Tesla, and even Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, all ascribed their creative genius to their ability to visualize. Visualization is often used by sports psychologists to help improve athletic performance. Numerous examples exist of how visualizing has promoted the increased development of physical skills. In one study, for instance, gymnasts who were to learn a new move were divided into two groups. One group was instructed to visualize themselves being able to do this particular move, while the other group was given no instructions. A couple of weeks later, when the time came for them to do this particular move, without the benefit of any previous physical practice, the group
who visualized had a 50%-60% success rate, whereas the group that had not visualized had only about 10% success initially. In another example, a basketball team was split into two groups in order to practice "free throws." One group physically practiced making the shots. The other group was instructed to sit in the bleachers and mentally practice by visualizing that they were making the shots. When the two groups competed with each other to see who performed better, those players who visualized actually made more shots successfully than the group who had actually practiced. Visualization is also used in various types of therapeutic work, typically in the form of 'guided fantasy', and has long been a primary tool for mind-body healing. Carl and Stephanie Simonton, for instance, incorporated visualization as one of the main components in their treatment of cancer. Sometimes people tend to approach visualization as if it were able to produce almost "magical" effects. From the NLP perspective, however, because visualization is an activity of the body's nervous system, it can also influence the body in several ways. For instance, visual images of goals and outcomes can form a focal point or "attractor," around which behavior becomes cybernetically self-organized. Thus, visualizing future outcomes and consequences can stimulate and mobilize the activity of the nervous system (both conscious and unconscious) in the present. This activity may also include functions involving the autonomic nervous system. Research has shown, for instance, that certain forms of visualization can stimulate immune system functioning and other healing processes. Many NLP techniques incorporate visualization as a key element. The New Behavior Generator, the Swish Pattern, Future Pacing, the Visual Squash, VK Dissociation, and the Disney Imagineering Strategy, all rely heavily on the process of visualization. However, almost all NLP techniques make use of visualization to some degree.
Mental Rehearsal
Some time ago, a study was made of people who had survived airline accidents. Someone interviewed a number of people who had been involved in serious plane crashes but had survived, often unhurt. They were asked how they had managed to get free of the wreckage, with so much chaos going on, while many of their fellow passengers did not. It is an interesting question because escaping an airline wreck is not something you get much chance to practice. How do you prepare yourself to do something you've never done before? The most common answer to this question that the survivors gave was that they had run a kind of mental 'dress rehearsal' over and over in their minds. They would
visualize the sequence of undoing their safety belts, moving out of their seat, running down the aisle to the nearest exit, jumping down the slide, etc. They would repeat this imaging over and over, feeling themselves doing what they saw in their picture, until it seemed that they had already done this activity many times before. Then, after the accident, when there was total havoc, they did not need to waste any time or conscious awareness thinking about what to do. The program was already in place. One of these people even mentioned that after the crash, he found himself going out the exit and suddenly realized he could hear the person who had been sitting next to him screaming that he couldn't get his seat belt off. Mental rehearsal relates to our ability to practice a process or activity in our minds. In NLP, mental rehearsal is used to strengthen or improve behavioral performance, cognitive thinking patterns and internal states. When applied to behavioral performance, mental rehearsal involves creating internal representations, in the form of images, sounds and feelings, of some behavior or performance we desire to enact or improve (as an actor might silently rehearse lines for a play). Mentally rehearsing a cognitive strategy involves repeating the sequence of representational systems, and their accompanying accessing cues, that make up a particular mental program (the steps of the Spelling Strategy, for instance). To mentally rehearse an internal state, a person would repeat and anchor the physical patterns (posture, gestures, micromovements, etc.) and the cognitive qualities (type of internal imagery, inner voice, kinesthetic sensations, etc.) associated with that state. When applied to behavioral performance and internal states, mental rehearsal involves the repetition of the same behavioral or emotional content in different imagined contexts (e.g., holding the same posture and using the same tone of voice in a varitey of situations). When mentally rehearsing a cognitive strategy, however, it is important to apply the same representational sequence, or form, to a number of different types of contents (i.e., practicing the Spelling Strategy using a variety of different words). At the level of behavioral performance, there are several different strategies for mental rehearsal. The mental rehearsal of a particular activity may be done from either an associated or disassociated perspective, for example; i.e., imagining a situation from one's own perspective or watching oneself from the point of view of an observer, as if watching oneself in a movie or video. Mental rehearsal done from an associated perspective is like entering a "virtual reality" and becoming the actor in a play or movie. From a dissociated perspective, mental rehearsal allows a person to be more like the editor or director of the play or movie. Thus, when done from an associated perspective, mental rehearsal can be used in order to internalize, or "install," a particular behavior. When done from a disassociated perceptual position, mental rehearsal can be used to anticipate possible consequences of a particular action in a situation (its ecological impact or appropriateness, for instance), as a type
of mental simulation. In order to actually internalize a behavior, mental rehearsal is typically more effective when it is done from an associated perspective. The most direct form is to simply project oneself into a future situation, and imagine delivering the desired performance. To mentally rehearse a speech, for instance, you would imagine being in the future situation, and create a multi-sensory representation of the way you would like to perform. As you mentally rehearse giving an effective and compelling speech, you would imagine what you would be seeing in that situation, feeling the movements and expressions of your body, and hearing what your voice would sound like as you gave the speech. Other strategies include the New Behavior Generator Strategy, in which key elements of the desired performance are first described verbally. The linguistic description forms the basis for constructing a disassociated visual image of the desired actions. You then imagine enacting the performance you have fantasized from an associated position, and check your feelings of confidence and congruence about doing the imagined behavior. If there are any doubts, you return to the verbal description and either add to it or refine it.
Submodalities are an important influence on the effectiveness of some forms of mental rehearsal. Certain qualities of images, feelings and sounds can be important to include in order for the nervous system to internalize a particular pattern of behavior. In addition to whether or not an image of oneself is pictured from an associated or disassociated perspective, for instance, the quality of color, movement, depth, focus, distance, etc., of an image can make it more or less effective in leading to the desired behavioral results. This is particularly important for mentally rehearsing an internal state. In addition to the New Behavior Generator, mental rehearsal is a key element of many NLP techniques. In fact, a form of mental rehearsal called "Future Pacing," in
which a person imagines enacting changes in behavior in specific contexts, is a final step in practically every NLP intervention.
References
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being; Dilts, R., Hallbom, T. and Smith, S., 1990. Changing Belief Systems with NLP; Dilts, R., 1990. Overcoming Resistance to Persuasion with NLP; Dilts, R., and Yeager, J., 1992. Visionary Leadership Skills; Dilts, R., 1996. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
The New Behavior Generator is a 'How To' process that both expresses and supports these beliefs through the process of acting "as if". Like all NLP strategies, the New Behavior Generator follows a particular cognitive sequence, made up of processes involving the various sensory representational systems. Each step in the sequence is also supported by behavioral cues in the form of eye movements. These eye positions help to focus and stabilize the particular representational system to be accessed.
Sequence of Accessing Cues for New Behavior Generator Strategy Detailed Description of the Steps of the New Behavior Generator Strategy
Each of the basic steps of the New Behavior Generator Strategy can be done with precision and rigor in order to enhance its practical effects. The following is a detailed description of each step in the strategy: 1. Say to yourself, "If I was already able to...(state your goal)...what would I look like?" (Ad) 2. Construct a visual image of what you would look like if you were in the act of achieving the full goal you have just stated. You should be seeing yourself in this image from a disassociated point of view as if you were above or next to yourself looking at yourself. (Vc) 3. If you have trouble coming up with a clear image of yourself, use one of the following strategies: a. Chunk down your goal into smaller steps. Ask yourself, "Is there any portion of my goal that I can see myself achieving?" for instance, "Can I see myself accomplishing the first step of my stated goal?" Visualize yourself successfully achieving that smaller part of your goal. (Ad_>Vc) b. Use an image of yourself from a similar successful situation. Ask yourself, "Is there something similar to my goal that I can already achieve?" Visualize what you do in that situation and edit or modify the image to fit your current goal. (Ad_>Vr_>Vc) c. Model someone else. Ask yourself, "Who do I know that is already able to fully achieve the goal I have stated?" Visualize the what this other person does to be successful. Then visualize yourself doing what
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you just saw your model doing. (Ad_>Vr_>Vc) Mentally step inside of the image you created of yourself achieving your goal so that you feel as though you are doing right now what you just saw yourself doing. What would you be seeing, hearing and feeling? (Vc_>Kc) Compare the feelings you have as you put yourself fully into that experience with the feelings you identified earlier from a similar experience in which you are already successful. (Kc/Kr) Decision Point a. If the two feelings match exactly so that you feel as confident that you can achieve your new goal as easily as the goal you have already achieved successfully, then you are done. b. If the two feelings do not match then name what is missing or what is needed (i.e., "creativity," "more confidence," "be more relaxed," etc.). Apply the same rule to this statement of the needed resource that you applied to your initial goal statement. That is, state it positively. For example, if your statement of what is needed is "be less nervous," ask yourself, "If I could be less nervous what would I be doing instead?" (Ad) Refine your goal by taking the name of the needed resource that you have identified and adding it to your goal statement by simply connecting it with the word "and." For example, the goal statement may now be something like, "I want to be more assertive with my co-workers (initial goal statement) AND keep in mind their feelings as well." Go back to step #1 and repeat the strategy. (Ad) 1. State Goal In Positive Form 4. 5. Does It Feel Like I Can Really Do It? 6. 7. Name What Is Needed Or What Is Missing
more assertive with my co-workers AND keep their feelings in mind as well AND maintain a sense of my own self confidence AND remain cool if someone gets angry."
References
Tools for Dreamers, Dilts, R. and Epstein, T., Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1991. Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Motivation
Motivation is generally defined as a "force, stimulus, or influence" that moves a person or organism to act or respond. According to Webster's Dictionary, motivation is "the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action;" and "the reason for the action." Thus, motivation relates to the internal processes that "move, impel, induce, or incite," people to do the things they do. It is "the call to action" that stimulates us to initiate behaviors in the world around us. "Needs, drives, and desires" are typically cited as internal motives of our behaviors. "Incentives, rewards and reinforcement" are considered motivations derived from external sources. One of the earliest theories of motivation was proposed by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle postulated that motivation was the result of an "appetitive" function, which always operated relative to some outcome or end. According to Aristotle, this "end" was provided or created by the thought processes of ongoing perception, memory or imagination. He claimed: [I]t is the object of appetite which originates movement, this object may be either the real or the apparent good...To the thinking soul images serve as if they were contents of perception...just as if it were seeing, it calculates and deliberates what is to come by reference to what is present; and when it makes a pronouncement, as in the case of sensation it pronounces the object to be pleasant or painful, in this case it avoids or pursues. In Aristotle's view, it was "the real or the apparent good" of some anticipated consequence, or image of "what is to come" derived in "reference to what is present," that simulated a living organism to pursue it (if positive) or avoid it (if negative). Sigmund Freud proposed the "pleasure principle" as the primary mechanism of motivation. According to Freud, organisms are driven to "seek pleasurable experiences" and "avoid pain;" a notion which clearly reflects Aristotle's concept of "appetites." Modern cognitive theories of motivation also mirror Aristotle's model, postulating that motivation is primarily derived from internal cognitive maps or "expectations" of
the potential consequences of various actions. According to the cognitive perspective, expectations relating to the projected outcomes of one's behavior are the primary source of motivation. From this view, how people feel, and what they do, depends on the value that they attach, and the causes they attribute to, anticipated consequences. Strong "positive" expectations, for instance, can push people to put out extra effort in hope of reaching some desired outcome. Expected consequences that are perceived as "negative," on the other hand, will lead to either avoidance or apathy. In addition to pain and pleasure, "needs" and "drives" are also associated with motivation. From the perspective of systems theory, for instance, the need for a system to maintain balance or homeostasis is considered one of the fundamental sources of motivation in organisms. According to cybernetics, deviation from a desired state automatically leads to corrective measures to attempt to regain the state. "Food seeking" behavior, for example, would be motivated by "hunger" which would occur as a result of a physiological imbalance created by some degree of food deprivation. Self-organization theory would view "consequences," "expectations" or "needs" as types of "attractors" around which the rest of the system "self organizes" in order to produce some type of stable state or pattern. Some models of motivation simply connect it with learned associations or conditioning, suggesting that it is essentially mechanically programmed in through repetition or external reinforcement. These theories of learning and motivation are centered around the paradigm of the 'reflex arc' - we take in some sensory stimulus, which causes some response, which is subsequently either positively or negatively reinforced. Attempts to motivate others which are based on the presuppositions of the reflex arc often center around giving people clearer stimuli, and providing appropriate 'reinforcements' in terms of praise, monetary rewards, fringe benefits, etc. Much of the research designed to support the 'reflex arc' paradigm has been done with rats, pigeons and dogs, however, and is unable to account for many phenomena related to motivation which seem to be independent of external reinforcements. Leonardo da Vinci, for example, created his voluminous notebooks on his own, without the need for any obvious "reflex arc" providing external "rewards," such as money or praise. This type of high degree of internal self-motivation seems to be a common pattern for works of creativity and genius. As opposed to the reflex arc, the standard NLP paradigm for learning and motivation is the T.O.T.E. (which stands for Test-Operate-Test- Exit). The T.O.T.E. Model (Miller, Gallanter and Pribram, 1960) combines Aristotle's notion that "appetites" are directed toward some end with the cybernetic concept of self-correcting feedback loops. The T.O.T.E. model maintains that behavior is goal driven (teleological) rather than stimulus driven (deterministic), as is proposed by the reflex arc. The distinctions
of the T.O.T.E. define the basic elements of a goal oriented feedback loop - unless certain conditions defined by the "Test" are met, the person will continue to "Operate" in order to attempt to fulfill those conditions. Thus, the "motivation" is the outcome or conditions to be achieved, not some external reinforcement. No additional "drive," "force," "external reinforcement," or other explanation is required. Natural, self-correction is an integral part of any healthy living, or self-organizing, system. Starting with the T.O.T.E. as its basis, the NLP view of motivation then incorporates all of the other various perspectives of motivation to some degree. NLP also adds the influence of other aspects of our mental programming. According to NLP, for instance, certain qualities (Submodalities) of the internal representation of some object or behavioral consequence (such as its color, brightness, distance, etc.) will influence whether we perceive it as "positive," "pleasurable," and "desirable," or "negative," "painful," or "frightening." Thus, adjusting the Submodality qualities of our internal representation of some outcome or expected consequence, will alter its degree of attraction, and thus the intensity of motivation we experience. Another important aspect of motivation in NLP relates to Meta Program Patterns. Meta Program distinctions refer to higher level patterns related to the T.O.T.E. - i.e., the ways that goals are established and assessed, and the way that operations and responses are selected in the attempt to achieve those goals. The goal or "Test" phase of the T.O.T.E., for instance, can be set up to represent either the state that a person wants to achieve, or what they seek to avoid. The goal state may be represented in terms of either a vision, logical construction, actions or an emotional state; and can come from past memories or constructions projecting possible futures. It may also be an attempt to maintain an ongoing present state. The goal and its achievement may be cast in terms of either a long term or short term time frame, and so forth. The Meta Program pattern distinguishing whether a person is "approaching positives" or "avoiding negatives," then, would determine what types of consequences would most likely move the person to action. Similarly, patterns relating to whether a person's outcome is represented with respect to the long term future or immediate present, or is oriented toward generalities or details, will have a significant effect on the types of situations and "reinforcements" that will most likely motivate that person. On another level, NLP perceives both Meta Programs and motivation as ultimately being driven by values and beliefs - i.e., the level of processes related to why we think and act the way we do. Values and beliefs shape how an individual "punctuates" and gives "meaning" to his or her perception of a situation. This, in turn, determines which kinds of mental programs and behaviors the person selects to approach that situation. Thus, our beliefs and values provide the internal reinforcement that supports or inhibits particular capabilities and behaviors. This makes them an important influence on motivation.
A person's "hierarchy" of "values" or "criteria," for instance, will greatly influence the way that person acts in the world. Hierarchies of values relate to the degree of importance or meaning which people attach to various actions and experiences. (They form a series of, what are called, "nested T.O.T.E.s.) An example of a 'hierarchy of values' would be a person who values 'relationship' more than 'achievement'. Such a person would tend to put his or her relationships "first." This person would probably structure his or her life more around maintaining good relationships than completing tasks and outcomes. A person whose hierarchy of criteria placed 'achievement' over 'relationships' would consistently act according to different priorities. He or she might sacrifice his or her relationships in order to achieve success. On a practical level, NLP combines these various influences on motivation together in order to identify and create particular Motivation Strategies which may be used to help a person to more effectively inspire or propel himself or herself toward particular goals and outcomes.
Motivation Strategies
Motivation strategies are one of the seven basic classes of strategies identified by NLP. The others include: Memory, Learning, Creativity, Decision, Reality and Belief (or Convincer). Motivation strategies relate to the sequence of cognitive steps and operations that people go through in order to inspire themselves to do all of the things necessary to get what they want. Motivation strategies are similar to processes involving mental rehearsal, such as the New Behavior Generator and Future Pacing, though they differ in important respects. Both mental rehearsal and motivation strategies involve using imagination and visualization. The primary purpose of mental rehearsal, however, is to prepare oneself in one's imagination to respond or behave the way one wants in some future situation. Motivation strategies are ways to stimulate or propel oneself forward toward a dream, goal or outcome. Motivation, for instance, may be required in order to get oneself to go through mental rehearsal at all. Many people experience problems around the process of motivating themselves or others. This is often because, as Aristotle pointed out: [A]ppetites run counter to one another, which happens when a principle of reason and desire are contrary and is possible only in beings with a sense of time (for while mind bids us hold back because of what is future, desire is influenced by what is just at hand: a pleasant object which is just at hand presents itself as both pleasant
and good, without condition in either case, because want of foresight into what is farther away in One way NLP addresses such conflicts between short term and long term consequences is through the use of time lines and the "as if" frame, in order to create "foresight into what is farther away in time." This involves the use of visualization and the creation of an associated experience of the future. In addition to helping create positive expectations, motivation strategies are procedures which help people to tap into and direct their own inner source of motivation. Motivation strategies are typically formed around key values or "criteria." To get a sense of your own values and criteria, consider for a moment the following questions: "In general, what motivates you?" "What inspires you?" "What moves you to action, or 'gets you out of bed in the morning'?" Some possible answers might be: Success q Praise q Recognition q Love and Acceptance q Setting my sights on something that I want to make my own (a home, an education, a thinner body, a job, a cause) q Making a difference in the world
q
These are all examples of "criteria" or "values" that form the basis of people's motivation strategies. Of course, a next important question would be, "How do you know if some behavior or consequence fits a particular criterion or value?" NLP would call these conditions your "criterial equivalences" or "evidences." These are typically much more sensory based than criteria or values themselves, and can be influenced by various sensory qualities of an experience. Consider the ways in which your sensory perceptions influence your degree of motivation. Think of an advertisement on television that made you want to own the product being advertised, for example. What was it about the add that inspired you to go out and buy the product? Was it the color, brightness, music, words, tone of voice, movement, etc. These particular features are known as "Submodalities" in NLP, and often play a significant role in people's motivation strategies.
References
Parable of the Porpoise; Dilts, R., 1992.
Strategies of Genius, Volume ; Dilts, R., 1994. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
A Basic Motivation Strategy Involves Adjusting the 'Submodalities' of an Image of a Particular Behavioral Consequence such that it Intensifies the Feelings of Success or Pleasure that Accompany the Image.
The purpose of initially focusing on the outcome and its positive consequences, rather than the particular behavior required to reach the outcome, is to create an "attractor" that will stimulate the natural self-organizing functions of the nervous system. It also helps to create a positive feeling state, or "outcome expectancy," that is later linked to the behaviors required to reach the outcome (which may not be as inherently positive as reaching the outcome). Thus, you are using the positive feelings of what is "farther away in time" to leverage or support the necessary short term actions required to reach the longer term desired state.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Synesthesia
As the phenomenon of overlap demonstrates, not all of our mental experiences are clearly distinguishable in terms of the five senses. Sometimes experiences become connected and overlapped so completely that it is not possible to easily distinguish one from the other in a causal relationship - they are both there simultaneously but each needs the other in order to be there. Feeling moved by a piece of music or art would be an example of this. The feeling could not exist without the art and the art could not exist without the feeling.
In NLP, such a connection is called a synesthesia. The term literally means "a synthesizing of the senses." Synesthesias are usually more rich and powerful than perceiving something through a single sense alone. Synesthesia patterns can also be a very important factor in determining the ease or effectiveness in which certain mental functions are performed. As with the development of the senses themselves, the strength of the various synesthesia relationships vary for different people. Thus, synesthesia has to do with the interconnection between representational systems, characterized by phenoma like "see-feel circuits," in which a person derives feelings from he sees, and "hear-feel circuits," in which a person gets feelings from what they hear. Any two sensory modalities may be linked together. Synesthesia links have to do with the mutual influence between sensory representations. Certain qualities of feelings may be linked to certain qualities of imagery - for example, the intensity of a feeling may be linked to the brightness of an image; the color of an image (red or blue, for instance) may influence the temperature of a feeling; people may feel the impact of a particular image at different locations in their bodies depending on its quality of movement; and so on.
Synesthesia is at the basis of our appreciation of art, our ability to feel compassion for the misfortunes of others, and is a core quality of genius. They are also the basis of the so-called "fuzzy functions" in NLP.
Fuzzy Functions
"Fuzzy Functions" were defined by John Grinder and Richard Bandler in The Structure of Magic Volume II (1976) as a connecting or overlapping of our sensory representational systems. Technically, Grinder and Bandler define "fuzzy functions" as:
Any modeling involving a representational system and either an input channel or an output channel in which the input or output channel involved is a different modality from the representational system with which it is being used. In traditional psychophysics, this term, 'fuzzy function', is most closely translated by the term 'synesthesia'. Hearing a loud noise (auditory input channel) and feeling startled or frightened (kinesthetic representational system), for example, is a "fuzzy function" because the sound has overlapped onto physical and emotional sensations. Seeing internal imagery while listening to music, or having emotional responses to seeing various facial expressions would also be a results of "fuzzy functions." Fuzzy functions are typically characterized by terms such as "see-feel" or "hear-feel" circuits. According to Grinder and Bandler, fuzzy functions are the way in which our experience acquires meaning, but can also be the source of confusion and stress. Fuzzy functions create problems when they lead to stuck states and when we have no choice about them. Problematic fuzzy functions can be dealt with by sorting and separating the representational channels that have become fused or confused. This can be accomplished a variety of ways. Accessing Cues and Submodality interventions can be used to help people clarify and influence different aspects of their sensory experience. The Failure Into Feedback process, for example, employs the use of both eye movements and submodalities to sort and restructure fuzzy functions related to the experience of failure.
guess I didn't consider them failures. I just figured they were a solution to a problem other than the one I was working on at the time." And, in fact, something that hadn't worked at one stage in the development of the device, was often a legitimate solution at another stage. Another example is that of the man who invented xerography, Chester Carlson. In an interview he said that at several points he had to make a machine that he knew would not work in order to get the feedback he needed to know what to do next. You might say he had to make a 'grander failure' than the earlier version. Yet, while most of us may agree that it is better to interpret lack of success as "feedback" rather than "failure," changing our feelings about an unsuccessful situation is "easier said than done." The Failure Into Feedback Strategy is a process that uses the NLP concepts of 'synesthesia' and 'accessing cues' to help transform experiences of failure into productive learning experiences. It was developed to address limiting beliefs about capabilities. An assumption of the process is that a "belief" is more than a particular representation of an experience. Rather, it is a synesthesia, or "synthesis," of several representations which form a kind of "molecule" of experience. In order for us to form a belief about an experience, we must not only, say, visually remember the external details of an event, but also have feelings, and/or self talk, mental fantasies, recalled messages from others, etc., attached to the memory. When these various forms of representations are detached from one another and considered in their elemental state, they do not have any particular "meaning." The words, "Be careful," for instance, are just words until we associate them with feelings and images. If we connect those words to a feeling of anxiety and a remembered image of a situation in which we failed to achieve a desired outcome, they may form the core of a belief "molecule" relating to avoidance. If, on the other hand, we add to this "molecule" a fantasized image of the desired goal and put in the additional words, "Be careful...and be wise, and you'll make it OK," and the meaning of the molecule is transformed. The anxiety may shift to being more of a sense of anticipation and alertness that helps us to approach our desired state rather than avoid failure. The Failure Into Feedback Strategy offers a method to identify and "break up" limiting "molecules" of experience, and then to enrich and reassemble the cluster of experiences into a more useful and appropriate model of a situation.
References
The Structure of Magic, Volume II; Grinder, J. and Bandler, R., 1976.
Changing Belief Systems With NLP; Dilts, R., Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1990. Strategies of Genius, Volume I; Dilts, R., 1994. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
you learned from looking at the memories. c. Make sure you can see steps that can connect the memories and the positive goal. 5. Identify a positive, resourceful reference experience; i.e., a set of perceptions related to something you believe you can achieve in the future. Establish an anchor for the experience. 6. Make the structure of the desired state molecule the same as the positive reference experience. Fire the anchor for the positive reference experience while looking at the desired goal to help this process.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Modeling
Webster's Dictionary defines a model as "a simplified description of a complex entity or process" - such as a "computer model" of the circulatory and respiratory systems. The term comes from the Latin root modus, which means "a manner of doing or being; a method, form, fashion, custom, way, or style." More specifically, the word "model" is derived from the Latin modulus, which essentially means a "small" version of the original mode. A "model" of an object, for example, is typically a miniature version or representation of that object. A "working model" (such as that of a machine) is something which can do on a small scale the work which the machine itself does, or expected to do. The notion of a "model" has also come to mean "a description or analogy used to help visualize something (as an atom) that cannot be directly observed." It can also be used to indicate "a system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a formal description of an entity or state of affairs." Thus, a miniature train, a map of the location of key train stations, or a train schedule, are all examples of different possible types of models of a railway system. Their purpose is to emulate some aspect of the actual railway system and provide useful information to better manage interactions with respect to that system. A miniature train set, for instance, may be used to assess the performance of a train under certain physical conditions; a map of key train stations can help to plan the most effective itinerary to reach a particular city; a train schedule may be used to determine the timing required for a particular journey. From this perspective, the fundamental value of any type of model is its usefulness.
The field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming has developed out of the modeling of human behaviors and thinking processes. NLP modeling procedures involve finding out about how the brain ("Neuro") is operating, by analyzing language patterns ("Linguistic") and non-verbal communication. The results of this analysis are then put into step-by-step strategies or programs ("Programming") that may be used to transfer the skill to other people and content areas. In fact, NLP began when Richard Bandler and John Grinder modeled patterns of language and behavior from the works of Fritz Perls (the founder of Gestalt therapy), Virginia Satir (a founder of family therapy and systemic therapy) and Milton H. Erickson, M.D. (founder of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis). The first 'techniques' of NLP were derived from key verbal and non-verbal patterns Grinder and Bandler observed in the behavior of these exceptional therapists. The implication of the title of their first book, The Structure of Magic (1975), was that what seemed magical and unexplainable often had a deeper structure that, when illuminated, could be understood, communicated and put into practice by people other than the few exceptional 'wizards' who had initially performed the 'magic'. NLP is the process by which the relevant pieces of these people's behavior was discovered and then organized into a working model. NLP has developed techniques and distinctions with which to identify and describe patterns of people's verbal and non-verbal behavior - that is, key aspects of what people say and what they do. The basic objectives of NLP are to model special or exceptional abilities and help make them transferable to others. The purpose of this kind of modeling is to put what has been observed and described into action in a way that is productive and enriching. The modeling tools of NLP allow us to identify specific, reproducible patterns in the language and behavior of effective role models. While most NLP analysis is done by actually watching and listening to the role model in action, much valuable information can be gleaned from written records as well. The objective of the NLP modeling process is not to end up with the one 'right' or 'true' description of a particular person's thinking process, but rather to make an instrumental map that allows us to apply the strategies that we have modeled in some useful way. An 'instrumental map' is one that allows us to act more effectively - the 'accuracy' or 'reality' of the map is less important than its 'usefulness'. Thus, the instrumental application of the behaviors or cognitive strategies modeled from a particular individual or group of individuals involves putting them into structures that allow us to use them for some practical purpose. This purpose may be similar to or different from that for which the model initially used them. For instance, some common applications of modeling include: 1. Understanding something better by developing more 'meta-cognition' about the
processes which underlie it - in order to be able to teach about it, for example, or use it as a type of "benchmarking." 2. Repeating or refining a performance (such as in a sport or a managerial situation) by specifying the steps followed by expert performers or during optimal examples of the activity. This is the essence of the 'business process reengineering' movement in organizations. 3. Achieving a specific result (such as effective spelling or the treatment of phobias or allergies). Rather than modeling a single individual, this is often accomplished by developing 'techniques' based on modeling a number of different successful examples or cases. 4. Extracting and/or formalizing a process in order to apply it to a different content or context. For example, an effective strategy for managing a sports team may be applied to managing a business, and vice versa. In a way the development of the 'scientific method' has come from this type of process, where strategies of observation and analysis that were developed for one area of study (such as physics) have been applied to other areas (such as biology). 5. Deriving an inspiration for something which is loosely based on the actual process of the model. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes which was based on the diagnostic methods of his medical school professor Joseph Bell is a good example of this.
is the distinction between "process" and "product." Products are the surface level expressions of the deeper and less tangible generative processes which are their source. Thus, "deep structures" are latent potentials that become manifest in concrete surface structures as a result of a set of transformations. This process includes the selective destruction as well as the selective construction of data. In this regard, one of the fundamental challenges of modeling comes from the fact that the movement between deep structure and surface structure is subject to the processes of generalization, deletion and distortion. That is, some information is necessarily lost or distorted in the transformation from deep structure to surface structure. In language, for example, these processes occur during the translation of deep structure (the mental images, sounds, feelings and other sensory representations that are stored in our nervous systems) to surface structure (the words, signs and symbols we choose to describe or represent our primary sensory experience). No verbal description is able to completely or acccurately represent the idea it is attempting to express. The aspects of deep structure which become manifest, are those for which enough missing links (deletions, generalizations, distortions) have been filled in that the potential latent at the level of deep structure is able to complete the series of transformations necessary to become manifest as surface structure. One of the goals of the modeling process is to identify a complete enough set of transforms so that an appropriate and useful expression of the deep structure may be attained. M
Modeling Capabilities
The focus of most NLP modeling processes is at the level of capabilities, the how to level. Capabilities connect beliefs and values to specific behaviors. Without the how, knowing what one is supposed to do, and even why to do it, is largely ineffective. Capabilities and skills provide the links and leverage to manifest our identity, values and beliefs as actions in a particular environment. The fact that NLP modeling procedures tend to focus on capabilities, by the way, does not mean they only consider that level of information. Often, a gestalt of beliefs, values, sense of self, and specific behaviors are essential to produce the desired capability. NLP maintains that, by focusing on developing capabilities, the most practical and useful combinations of "deep structure" and "surface structure" will be produced. It is important to keep in mind that capabilities are a deeper structure than specific tasks or precedures. Procedures are typically a sequence of actions or steps that lead to the accomplishment of a particular task. Skills and capabilities, however, are frequently "nonlinear" in their application. A particular skill or capability (such as the ability to think creatively, or to communicate effectively) may serve as a support for many different kinds of tasks, situations and contexts. Capabilities must be able to be "randomly accessed," in that the individual must be able to immediately call upon different skills at
different times in a particular task, situation or context. Instead of a linear sequence of steps, skills are thus organized around a T.O.T.E. - a feedback loop between a) goals b) the choice of means used to accomplish those goals and c) the evidence used to assess progress towards the goals. According to NLP, in order to effectively model a particular skill or performance we must identify each of the key elements of the T.O.T.E. related to that skill or performance: 1. The performer's goals. 2. The evidence and evidence procedures used by the performer(s) to determine progress toward the goal. 3. The sets of choices used by the performer(s) to get to the goal and the specific behaviors used to implement these choices. 4. The way the performer(s) respond(s) if the goal is not initially achieved.
responding to key words, reviewing or 'backtracking' key phrases, etc. Again, the performance of these skills is easily observable and measurable. 4. Complex Behavioral (or Interactive) skills involve the construction and coordination of sequences or combinations of simple behavioral actions. Abilities such as juggling, learning a martial art technique, successfully executing a play in a particular sport, making a presentation, acting a part in a film or play, etc., would be examples of complex behavioral skills. 5. Complex Cognitive skills are those which require a synthesis or sequence of other simple thinking skills. Creating a story, diagnosing a problem, solving an algebra problem, composing a song, planning a modeling project, etc., would be examples of capabilities involving complex cognitive skills. 6. Complex Linguistic skills would involve the interactive use of language in highly dynamic (an often spontaneous) situations. Abilities such as persuation, negotiation, verbal reframing, using humor, storytelling, doing a hypnotic induction, etc., would be examples of capabilities involving complex linguistic skills. Clearly, each level of skill needs to include and incorporate the abilities, or T.O.T.E.s, employed by the levels preceding it. Thus, it is typically more challenging and involved to model complex skills than simple ones; and it is easier to learn modeling by beginning with simple behavioral and cognitive skills before moving to more complex tasks. Often, however, complex skills can be "chunked down" into a group or sequence of simpler ones.
Modeling Methodology
One of the pivotal parts of the modeling process is the methodology used to gather information and identify relevant features and patterns relating to the T.O.T.E.s of the person(s) being modeled. While standard forms of information gathering, such as questionnaires and interviews, can access some information, they often fall short of identifying the unconscious or intuitive operations used by a human expert. They also often assume or delete important information regarding context. In addition to questionnaires and interviews, it is often useful and necessary to incorporate more active methods for gathering information such as role plays, simulations, and the 'real life' observation of the expert in context. While NLP modeling methodology does employ interveiws and questionnaires, the primary form of modeling in NLP is done by interactively engaging the individual(s) to be modeled in multiple examples of the skill or performance to be studied. This provides the "highest quality" information, and creates the best chance to "capture" the most practical patterns (in the same way that having a living model is generally much more desireable for an artist to work from than a verbal description).
Effective Modeling Involves Exploring a Particular Phenomenon or Performance from Multiple Perspectives
There is also a fourth perceptual position, which involves perceiving a situation from the perspective of the whole system, or the "relational field," involved in the situation. Because NLP presupposes that "the map is not the territory," that "everyone forms their own individual map of a situation," and that there is no single "right" map of any particular experience or event, taking multiple perspectives is and essential skill in order to effectively model a particular performance or activity. Perceiving a situation or experience from multiple perspectives allows a person to gain broader insight and understanding with respect to the event. Modeling from 'first position' would involve trying something out ourselves, and exploring the way that "we" do it. We see hear and feel from our own perspective. 'Second position' modeling involves standing "in the shoes" of the person to be modeled, attempting to think and act as much like other person as possible. This can provide important intuitions about significant but unconscious aspects of the thoughts and actions of the person being modeled. Modeling from 'third position' would involve standing back and observing the person to be modeled interacting with other people (including ourselves) as an uninvolved witness. In third position, we suspend our personal judgments and notice only what our senses perceive, as scientist might objectively examine a particular phenomenon through a telescope or microscope. 'Fourth position'
would involve a type of intuitive synthesis of all of these perspectives, in order to get a sense for the entire 'gestalt'.
One of the Purposes of Modeling is to Help People to 'Do What They Know' and to 'Know What They Are Doing'
Cognitive and behavioral competences may be modeled either 'implicitly' or 'explicitly'.
Implicit modeling involves primarily moving to 'second position' with the modeling subject in order to build personal intuitions about that individual's subjective experience. Explicit modeling involves moving to a 'third position' to describe the explicit structure of the modeling subject's experience so that it may be transferred to others. Implicit modeling is primarily an inductive process by which we take in and perceive patterns in the world around us. Explicit modeling is essentially a deductive process by which we describe and put those perceptions into practice. Both processes are necessary for effective modeling. Without the "implicit" phase, there is no effective intuition base from which to build an "explicit" model. As NLP co-founder John Grinder pointed out, "It is impossible to make a description of the grammar of a language about which you have no intuition." On the other hand, without the "explicit" phase, the information that has been modeled cannot be built into techniques or tools and transferred to others. Implicit modeling by itself will help a person to develop personal, unconscious competence with the desired behavior (the way that young children typically learn). Creating a technique, procedure or skill set that can be taught or transferred to others beyond oneself, however, requires some degree of explicit modeling. It is one thing, for example, to learn to spell well, or develop and effective golf swing for oneself; it is another thing to teach other people how to do what you have learned. NLP, in fact, was born from the union of implicit and explicit modeling. Richard Bandler had been intuitively "implicitly" modeling the linguistic skills of Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir through video tapes and direct experience. Bandler was able to reproduce many of the therapeutic results of Perls and Satir by asking questions and using language in a similar manner as they did. Grinder, who was a linguist, observed Bandler working one day, and was impressed by Bandler's ability to influence others with his use of language. Grinder could sense that Bandler was doing something systematic, but was unable to explicitly define what it was. Bandler was also unable to explicitly describe or explain exactly what he was doing and how he was doing it. He only knew that he had somehow "modeled" it from Perls and Satir. Both men were inrigued and curious to have a more explicit understanding of these abilities that Bandler had implicitly modeled from these exceptional therapists - an understanding that would allow them to transfer it as a 'conscious competence' to others. At this point Grinder made the offer to Bandler, "If you teach me to do what you are doing, then I will tell you what you are doing." In a very real way, Grinder's historic invitation marks the beginning of NLP. Grinder's words encapsulate the essence of the NLP modeling process: "If you teach me to do what you are doing" (if you help me to develop the implicit intuitions, or 'unconscious competence', that you possess so that I too can accomplish similar results), "then I will tell you what you are doing" (then I can make an explicit description of the patterns and processes we are both using). Notice that Grinder did not say, "If you let me objectively observe and statistically analyze what you are doing, then I will tell you what you are doing." Grinder said, "Teach me to do what you are doing." Modeling arises from the practical and instrumental intuitions that come from "leading with experience."
Grinder and Bandler were able to work together to create the Meta Model (1975) by synthesizing (a) their shared intuitions about the verbal capabilities of Perls and Satir, (b) direct observations (either in life or through video tape) of Perls and Satir as they worked, and (c) Grinder's explicit knowledge of linguistics (in particular, transformational grammar).
The Meta Model Arose from the Combination of Bandler and Grinder's Intuitions, the observable behavior of Perls and Satir, and Grinder's Explicit Knowledge of Linguistics
Bandler and Grinder next collaborated to apply a similar process in order to model some of the Hypnotic language patterns of Milton H. Erickson; this time with Grinder also participating in the initial "implicit" modeling of Erickson's behavior. They, and other NLP developers, have since used this process of modeling to create innumerable strategies, techniques and procedures in practically every area of human competence.
References
Modeling with NLP; Dilts, R., 1998. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Mirroring Exercise
Mirroring is a method of building a strong "second position" with someone else. It is a fundamental skill for modeling another person and for developing intuitions about the person's internal experience. To get a sense of the influence and effects of mirroring, try out the following exercise. 1. Choose a partner, or person to converse with. Do not tell the person initially that you will be mirroring him or her during the conversation. 2. Enter into a conversation with the person, asking for his or her opinions about various subjects. 3. As you are conversing, begin to subtly mirror the other person's physiology (including voice tone and tempo). [Hint: This can be most easily done in the context of 'active listening'; that is, reflecting back statements the person has made, by commenting, "So what you are saying is....", and then stating your understanding of the person's opinion.] 4. When you are fully mirroring, you will be sitting in the same posture, using the same types of gestures, speaking at a similar speed and volume, and in a similar voice tone range, as the other person. If you are completely mirroring the other person, you will even be breathing at the same rate and in the same part of the chest cavity as the other. Notice what it feels like when you have reached this level of rapport. 5. One way to test your degree of rapport is by "second guessing" the other person's opinion on a couple of subjects that you have not yet discussed. Often mirroring will give you access to information that is being unconsciously communicated and received, and you will "pick up" information about the other person without being consciously aware of how you got it. This is why mirroring is such a powerful tool for modeling. 6. To get another sense of the influence of mirroring on your interaction, you can
try out what it is like to abruptly mismatch the other person in posture, gestures, voice tone and breathing. Both you and your partner should experience quite a jolt if you do this, and feel as if your quality of rapport has changed dramatically. 7. Before concluding your conversation and letting your partner in on what you were doing, make sure you have reestablished rapport by once again physically mirroring your partner.
she were that Person. (The Subject should try to replicate the order of the questions and interaction of the conversation as much as possible.) 6. After about 5 minutes, the Subject, Observer and the Person who has been modeled are to give the Modeler feedback as to how accurately his or her performance matched that of the Person being modeled.
Group Modeling
The process of co-modeling can be generalized to an entire group. The following is an exercise that allows a whole group to get involved in the modeling process, and
form a "triple description." 1. The group selects a skill from a trainer, or from another person (from outside group), that the group is interested in learning or knowing more about. 2. The group divides into two teams A & B. Team A uses 2nd position, and team B uses 3rd position, to develop descriptions of the skill to me modeled. 3. The person to be modeled dmonstrates several examples of the skill, and each team generates a description, using the position they have been assigned. Members of the 3rd position team (B) may choose to focus on different levels of distinctions (physiology, language patterns, cognitive strategies, beliefs, etc.) in order to form their descriptions. 4. Team delegates then summarize the findings and descriptions of their teams to the rest of the group, and the whole group synthesizes the descriptions into a common model.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Presuppositions
Presuppositions relate to unconscious beliefs or assumptions embedded in the structure of an utterance, action or another belief; and are required for the utterance, action or belief to make sense. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, to presuppose means to "suppose beforehand" or "to require as an antecedent in logic or fact." The term "suppose" comes from Latin, and literally means "to put under" from sub ("under") + ponere ("to put"). There are two types of presuppositions that are significant in NLP: linguistic presuppositions and epistemological presuppositions.
Linguistic Presuppositions
Linguistic Presuppositions occur when certain information or relationships must be accepted as true in order to make sense of a particular statement. For example, to understand the statement, "As soon as you stop trying to sabotage our therapeutic efforts, we'll be able to make more progress," one must assume that the person to whom the statement is directed already has been, in fact, trying to sabotage the therapeutic efforts. The statement also presupposes that there is some kind of therapeutic effort being attempted and that at least some progress has been made. Similarly the statement, "Since they leave us no alternative, we must resort to violence," presupposes that no alternative, in fact, exists and that "they" are the ones who determine whether there are alternatives or not. Linguistic presuppositions are typically explored or challenged in NLP by asking, "How, specifically, do you know that?" True linguistic presuppositions should be contrasted with assumptions and inferences. A linguistic presupposition is something that is stated in the body of the statement itself which must be 'supposed' or accepted in order for the sentence or utterance to make sense. In the question, "Have you stopped exercising regularly?" for example, the use of the word stop implies that the listener has already been exercising regularly. The question, "Do you exercise regularly?" has no such presupposition. Conclusions such as "The speaker thinks exercise is important," or "The speaker is
unfamiliar with the exercise habits of the listener," are not presupposed by the questions. They are assumptions and inferences we might make about the question, but are not presupposed within the question itself. Consider the following two statements: The authorities prevented the demonstrators from marching because they feared violence. The authorities prevented the demonstrators from marching because they advocated violence. The two statements have exactly structure, with the exception of the words "feared" and "advocated." Depending on which word is used, we assume that the term "they" refers to either the "authorities" or the "demonstrators." We are more likely to think that it is the authorities who fear violence, and the demonstrators who advocate violence; but this in not presupposed by the statement itself. It is assumed by us as listeners. Both sentences presuppose that there were demonstrators who were planning to march, but that is all. An inference related to the two statements above would be that "the demonstrators and the authorities were not the same group of people." Inferences relate to logical conclusions which are made that are based upon the information provided by the statement. Presuppositions, assumptions and inferences all reflect beliefs and values, but in different ways. In The Structure of Magic Volume I (1975) NLP founders Bandler and Grinder identify twenty-nine different forms of linguistic presuppositions.
Epistemological Presuppositions
Epistemological presuppositions are deep, and often unstated, beliefs that form the foundation of a particular system of knowledge. As the foundation of an epistemology, they must be "presupposed," and cannot be proven. In fact, they are the fundamental assumption upon which all of the other concepts and ideas within the epistemology are "proven." Euclid, for example, built his entire geometry upon the concept of the 'point'. A point is defined as 'an entity that has a position but no other properties'-it has no size, no mass, no color, no shape. It is of course impossible to prove that a point really has no size, mass, color, etc. However, if you accept this presupposition, along with a few others, you can build a whole system of geometry (i. e., "A line is the shortest distance between two points," "A 'rectangle' is four lines connected together at equal angles," etc.). The conclusions of this system can then be 'proved' with respect to their adherence to the fundamental but unproven concepts. It
is important to realize that one does not have to accept Euclid's assumption about a point in order to create a geometry. There are other geometries based on different presuppositions. For instance, MIT mathematician Seymour Pappert (1980) built his fascinating 'Turtle geometry' for children substituting the notion of a 'Turtle' for a 'point'; a 'Turtle' being an entity that has a position and a direction. The fundamental presuppositions of NLP form the basic epistemology upon which the methodology and technology of NLP is built. They are like the fundamental concepts of Euclidian geometry. And, similar to Euclid's notion of a "point," the basic presuppositions of NLP cannot be "proven" in any objective fashion. You cannot objectively 'prove', for instance, that there really is a "positive intention" behind a particular behavior; that is why it is considered a 'presupposition'. Similarly, one cannot 'prove' that the 'map is not the territory' and that 'there is no one right map of the world'. These are part of the basic 'epistemology' of NLP - they are the basic beliefs upon which the rest of the model is based. Thus, accepting the presuppositions that 'the map is not the territory' or 'behind every behavior is positive intention' is ultimately an act of faith. If we accept these presuppositions, then we will find or create them in our experience, rather than waiting for the proof that they are "true." Like many other aspects of NLP, the basic NLP Presuppositions have been synthesized from many different fields: general semantics, transformational grammar, systems theory, cybernetics, pragmatism, phenomenology, and logical positivism. The essential epistemological presuppositions of NLP can be summarized as follows: 1. Map is Not the Territory. As human beings, we can never know reality. We can only know our perceptions of reality. We experience and respond to the world around us primarily through our sensory representational systems. It is our 'neuro-linguistic' maps of reality that determine how we behave and that give those behaviors meaning, not reality itself. It is generally not reality that limits us or empowers us, but rather our map of reality. 2. Life and 'Mind' are Systemic Processes. The processes that take place within a human being and between human beings and their environment are systemic. Our bodies, our societies, and our universe form an ecology of complex systems and sub-systems all of which interact with and mutually influence each other. It is not possible to completely isolate any part of the system from the rest of the system. Such systems are based on certain 'self-organizing' principles and naturally seek optimal states of balance or homeostasis. 3. At some level, all behavior is "positively intended". That is, it is or was perceived as appropriate given the context in which it was established, from
the point of view of the person whose behavior it is. People make the best choices available to them given the possibilities and capabilities that they perceive to be accessible within their model of the world. Any behavior no matter how evil, crazy or bizarre it seems is the best choice available to that person at that point in time. 4. The Law of Requisite Variety. In systems theory there is a principle called the Law of Requisite Variety, which states in order to successfully adapt and survive, a member of a system needs a certain minimum amount of flexibility. That amount of flexibility has to be proportional to the variety in the rest of the system. One of the implications of the Law of Requisite Variety is that if you want to get to a particular goal state you have to increase the number of operations which could possibly get you there in proportion with the degree variability in the system. It is important to explore variations in operations used to accomplish goals, rather than simply repeat the same one _ even if it produced creative results in the past. Because the environments and contexts in which we operate change, the same procedure will not always produce the same result. If you want to consistently achieve your goal, you must vary the operations you are using to get to it. When you always use the same procedure, you will produce a varying result. So, as a system becomes more complex, more flexibility is required. Another implication of the Law of Requisite Variety is that the part of the system with the most flexibility will be the catalytic element within that system - like the queen in a game of chess. All of the models and techniques of NLP are based on the combination of these four principles. They form the basic framework upon which NLP is built. According to these presuppositions, wisdom, ethics and ecology do not derive from having the one 'right' or 'correct' map of the world, because human beings are not be capable of making one. Rather, the goal is to create the richest map possible that respects the systemic nature and ecology of ourselves and the world in which we live. To explore the impact of different epistemological presuppositions, try out the following exercise: 1. Find references experiences in your own life is which you acted congruently from each of these presuppositions. 2. Fully associate into the state connected with the experience of each presupposition. Notice the posture and physiology of your body, and where your attention is focused. What perception of reality arises from this state? 3. Break state, and then think of the opposites of each of these presuppositions: There is one single correct map which is the territory. We are not part of the same system. You are separate from the
system you are in. Reality occurs linearly and mechanically. You can't trust anyone because people are basically negatively intended, or act randomly with no intention at all. There is only one right way to do things. If something works once, it will always work. You don't have the capabilities you need. You are what you do. 4. Act "as if" these 'counter-NLP' presuppositions are true. Notice the posture and physiology of your body, and where your attention is focused. What state and perception of the world arises from these presuppositions? 5. Go to an observer position and contrast the two states and realities. Which do you find the most "natural" for you, and easiest to sustain? Which seem most "foreign" and difficult to maintain? How do you experience the difference? What do you learn about yourself, your culture and your congruence with NLP presuppositions? 6. Consider the following beliefs: a. You can't control the system but it is predictable and you can prepare yourself for what is going to happen. b. You can get what you want in this system but you must do the right thing. c. You can't get what you want in this system no matter what you do. d. Everyone in this system is out for themselves so you must protect your own interests. e. If you don't get what you want right away it will be too late. Take each belief and act 'as if' it were true. What epistemological presuppositions could be at the basis of each belief?
The following is a summary of the basic presuppositions of NLP, and their corollaries. The Map is not the Territory. 1. People respond to their own perceptions of reality. 2. Every person has their own individual map of the world. No individual map of the world is any more "real" or "true" than any other. 3. The meaning of a communication to another person is the response it elicits in that person, regardless of the intent of the communicator. 4. The 'wisest' and most 'compassionate' maps are those which make available the widest and richest number of choices, as opposed to being the most "real" or "accurate". 5. People already have (or potentially have) all of the resources they need to act effectively. 6. People make the best choices available to them given possibilities and the capabilities that they perceive available to them from their model of the world. Any behavior no matter how evil, crazy or bizarre it seems is the best choice available to the person at that point in time - if given a more appropriate choice (within the context of their model of the world) the person will be more likely to take it. 7. Change comes from releasing the appropriate resource, or activating the potential resource, for a particular context by enriching a person's map of the world. Life And 'Mind' Are Systemic Processes. 1. The processes that take place within a person, and between people and their environment, are systemic. Our bodies, our societies and our universe form an ecology of systems and sub-systems all of which interact with and mutually influence each other. 2. It is not possible to completely isolate any part of a system from the rest of the system. People cannot not influence each other. Interactions between people form feedback loops - such that a person will be effected by the results that their own actions make on other people. 3. Systems are 'self organizing' and naturally seek states of balance and stability. There are no failures, only feedback. 4. No response, experience or behavior is meaningful outside of the context in which it was established or the response it elicits next. Any behavior, experience or response may serve as a resource or limitation depending on how it fits in with the rest of the system. 5. Not all interactions in a system are on the same level. What is positive on one level may be negative on another level. It is useful to separate behavior from "self" - to separate the positive intent, function, belief, etc. that generates the
behavior from the behavior itself. 6. At some level all behavior is (or at one time was) "positively intended". It is or was perceived as appropriate given the context in which it was established, from the point of view of the person whose behavior it is. It is easier and more productive to respond to the intention rather than the expression of a problematic behavior. 7. Environments and contexts change. The same action will not always produce the same result. In order to successfully adapt and survive, a member of a system needs a certain minimum amount of flexibility. That amount of flexibility has to be proportional to the variation in the rest of the system. As a system becomes more complex, more flexibility is required. 8. If what you are doing is not getting the response you want then keep varying your behavior until you do elicit the response.
References
Applications of NLP; Dilts, R., 1983. Strategies of Genius; Dilts, R., 1994-1995. Tools of the Spirit; Dilts, R. and McDonald, R., 1997. Modeling With NLP; Dilts, R., 1998. Mindstorms; Papert, S., 1980. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
observer). What do you see, hear and feel through your own eyes, ears and body? Step into the shoes of the other person. How would you perceive the situation if you were that person? Imagine you were an uninvolved observer looking at this situation. What would you notice about the interaction from this perspective? 4. It is not possible to isolate any part of a system from the rest of the system. People cannot not influence each other. Interactions between people form feedback loops - such that a person will be effected by the results that their own actions create with respect to other people. Consider in what way you might be participating in creating or maintaining the issue or situation. What part are you playing in reinforcing this pattern? 5. Not all interactions in a system are on the same level. What is positive on one level may be negative on another level. It is useful to separate behavior from "self" - to separate the positive intent, function, belief, etc. that generates the behavior from the behavior itself. Consider what kinds of factors might be influencing the issue or situation (e. g., environment - where, behavior - what, capabilities - how, beliefs & values - why, identity - who, system - who else or what else). How is the external environment or context influencing this situation? (physical space, background noise, quality of air, etc.) What are the specific behaviors involved in this interaction? (averting eyes, tone of voice, specific gestures, etc.) What capabilities are involved or missing in this situation - i.e., something that you or the other person knows or does not know how to do? (creativity, rapport, calibration, etc.) Are there beliefs or values that are being violated or missing from the interaction? Are you operating from different criteria? (safety, loyalty, boundaries, play, etc.) Why is this interaction meaningful? How are you and the other person perceiving your sense of self in this interaction? (peer, subordinate, victim, rescuer, etc.) What influences from the larger system (the 'field') may be effecting this interaction? (other members of the group, past experiences, expectations, assumptions, etc.) 6. No response, experience or behavior is meaningful outside of the context in which it was established or the response it elicits next. Any behavior,
experience or response may serve as a resource or limitation depending on how it fits in with the rest of the system. Consider the problem or difficulty from more than one time frame. (i.e., long term, short term - past, present, future) Have you looked at this situation with respect to an hour, a day, week, a month, a year from now? How is this current situation influenced by the past? What if I saw this experience as part of a cycle instead of linear cause and effect? 7. The 'wisest' and most 'compassionate' maps are those which make available the widest and richest number of choices, as opposed to being the most "real" or "accurate". Clarify the perspective, level and time frame from which you are experiencing the issue or situation. Are you clear about which perspective you are taking when you are experiencing the situation? Are you clear about which level of process is influencing you in this interaction? At which level is your attention most focused? Are you clear about the time frame from which you are perceiving the situation? 8. In order to successfully adapt and survive, a member of a system needs a certain minimum amount of flexibility. That amount of flexibility has to be proportional to the variation in the rest of the system. As a system becomes more complex, more flexibility is required. If what you are doing is not getting the response you want then keep varying your behavior until you do elicit the response. Make sure you have at least three different choices for responding to the issue or situation. What are three other ways that you could respond to this behavior or situation?
then transfering them into a particular context in which you would like to experience them more strongly. First, lay out a space for the problem context or situation. Then arrange a series of locations, representing various NLP presuppositions, around the problem situation.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Fourth Position
"Fourth position" is a perceptual position which involves being associated in the whole system or 'field' relating to a particular interaction. It involves experiencing a situation with the best interest of the entire system in mind. Fourth position is a "we" position, and is characterized by the use of 1st person plural language - "We are," "Us," etc. Fourth position is an essential component of wisdom and ecology. Although it was not included in the original group of perceptual positions (first position - self, second position - other, third position - observer), fourth position is just as fundamental. It is essential for effective leadership, team building and the development of group spirit. As the term implies, fourth position presupposes and encompasses the other three perceptual positions. People who are not able to achieve fourth position have difficulty experiencing themselves as a member of a group or community. The experience of fourth position comes from finding the deeper common factors and characteristics which unite and connect all of the members of a group or system. It is the foundation of what is known as "groupmind". Fourth position should be distinguished, however, from simple consensus. Consensus is essentially agreement among individuals. Fourth position comes from a felt sense of "sameness" and identification with all members of a system. It also presupposes that one has already taken the other three perceptual positions. The relationship of fourth position to the others can be most easily envisioned as the tip of a pyramid. The foundation of the pyramid is made up of the three primary perceptual positions -- self, other and observer. The fourth position, or system position, is the crest of the pyramid, which encompasses and adds depth to the other three.
"We" position. Webster's Dictionary defines the use of the term "we" as referring to "a group that is consciously felt as such by its members." In his classic work on group dynamics, Kurt Lewin (1939) referred to the sense of cohesiveness (the feeling of "we-ness") as one of the basic properties of any group. When cohesiveness is high, members are motivated to participate in the group's activities and to help the group attain its goals and objectives. Such an experience provides group members a sense of security and identity, and a feeling of personal worth - or in Lewin's words, "the ground on which the person stands." The degree of cohesiveness experienced by a group is generally a function of the degree of overlap of the interests and values of group members, and the degree of communication and 'rapport' that they are able to achieve with one another. The NLP concept of rapport stems back to 1976. Creating rapport is generally defined as the establishment of trust, harmony and cooperation in a relationship. "Harmonious mutual understanding," "agreement," being "in tune" and "in accord," are some of the words used to describe the process or state of being in rapport with another. The process of body mirroring to create rapport is one of the earliest and most well known NLP techniques (although mirroring is not a guarantee of the creation of the state of rapport because a person can still easily stay in his or her own "first position" and not necessarily enter the "we" experience.) The NLP notion of rapport was derived from the work of Milton Erickson. As a hypnotherapist, Erickson created and entered into a special state of rapport called the "therapeutic trance." In 1978, a student noticed that, as Erickson was in the process of leading a client into a trance state, Erickson himself exhibited the characteristics of trance, including pupil dilation, change of muscle tonus and breathing. When asked if he was entering trance when he hypnotized his clients, Erickson's response was "invariably." To this reply the student asked, "Who is hypnotizing who in that case?" Again Erickson replied "invariably," suggesting that the state of rapport is a loop of mutual influence and interaction in which each element is influencing, and influenced by, the other elements. The first use of the term "we" as an explicit part of an NLP technique was in the Composition Strategy (Dilts & Grinder, 1982) format for creative writing. "We" is the fourth of the narrative positions used to generate "prompts" for stimulating ideas while writing; along with "I," "You," "She," He," and "They." The advent of the notion of spatial sorting and psychogeography (the psychological effects of physical location) in NLP (Dilts, 1987, 1990), along with perceptual positions, brought new developments to the NLP notions of perceptual positions, rapport and the experience of "we". It could be easily demonstrated that shifting one's
'psychogeography' while communicating with another would dramatically alter the perception of the relationship. Standing or sitting face-to-face, for example, tends to focus attention strongly on the perception of "I" and "you." Standing side-by-side promotes the experience of operating as partners in a framework of "we."
The experience of the fourth position sense of "we" has also been enhanced by the development of Somatic Syntax (Dilts and DeLozier, 1993, 1996). Stephen Gilligan's notion of the relational field, introduced into NLP through the series of workshops Love in the Face of Violence (conducted with Robert Dilts) has added further emphasis to the experience of "we." Other perspectives with respect to the NLP notion of fourth position include those suggested by Peter Wrycza and Jan Ardui (1994) who link it with a "witnessing awareness encompassing and behind all positions," and Robert McDonald (1998) who associates perceptual positions with different "levels of awareness," arguing that fourth position is not actually a "position" at all, but the emergent result of an interaction between the other positions. Of course, the crucial point, from the NLP perspective, is not merely the definition or description of fourth position or a "we-position" (the map is not the territory after all), but rather the process by which people can be lead to have the experience to which we are referring.
References
Field Theory in Social Science; Lewin, K., 1951. Steps to an Ecology of Mind; Bateson, G., 1972. Applications of NLP; Dilts, R., 1992. Turtles All the Way Down; DeLozier, J. and Grinder, J., 1987. Changing Belief Systems With NLP; Dilts, R., 1990. Cognitive Patterns of Jesus of Nazareth; Dilts, R., 1992. Perceptual Positions Revisited; Wrycza, P. and Ardui, J., NLP World, Vol. 1, No.2, 1994. Tools of the Spirit; Dilts, R. and McDonald, R., 1997. Courage to Love; Gilligan, S., 1997. An Interview With Robert McDonald; Anchor Point, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1998. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
6. As a pair, find another pair and repeat this same process; this time using the movement you created together as a couple. Then repeat it again in foursomes, etc., until you have found a common movement for the whole group. Another variation of this process in a group (say of seven) would be for each person in the group to make his or her own resource movement, one at a time. While that person is making the movement, the rest of the group goes to "second position" taking on the movement themselves. When all group members have demonstrated their movements, the group members begin to first individually make their movements, incrementally changing them and blending them into a "group resource" movement. This process demonstrates the generative aspects of perceptual positions (and in particular fourth position), preserving Bateson's notion of characterological adjectives and the creation of a "larger mind" as a function of the interactions between two or more others. Bateson provides the example of the dog and gibbon at play who create activities that are neither exclusively "dog" behaviors or "gibbon" behaviors, but "gibbon-dog" behaviors. The fourth "dog-gibbon" position emerges naturally out of their interaction. Thus, such a fourth position is, in Bateson's terms, "immanent" in the interaction between the dog and gibbon, rather than being some sort of "transcendent" awareness.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
training, for example, certification relates to a person's skill as a trainer. Authorization relates to the rights to use material related to the content of a training. NLP models, techniques and skills may be applied to the 'process' of training or presenting, or offered as the 'product' of a training or presentation. Mastering the applications of NLP to the process of training or presenting is what trainer "certification" is about. Selling NLP models and techniques as the product of a particular training or presentation relates to "authorization." Attesting to the fact that someone has demonstrated proficiency and understanding as a trainer is different than authorizing that person to copy and sell intellectual property. A "certified" NLP Trainer is not automatically "authorized" to use particular intellectual property (i.e., copyrighted material or trademarks) without the authorization of the owner of that material. One can only give another person permission to use intellectual properties that one has rights to. To make an obvious example, the fact that someone has been certified as an NLP Trainer by a particular institute does not authorize that person to make copies of books, manuals, tapes and other materials that are not the property of that institute. The certification is simply an assertion by that institute that the individual has demonstrated training skills according to whatever standards and assessment procedures have been established by that institute. No NLP trainer, association, society or institute automatically has the rights to materials developed by a particular individual in the field, unless some type of specific licensing arrangement has been made. To understand this point better, it is important to look more closely at the issue of intellectual property rights.
Copyrights
The two areas of intellectual property that have most relevance to NLP are copyrights and trademarks. In the United States, copyright law is derived from the US Constitution. The same section of the Constitution that provides for patents gives Congress the power to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing to authors, for limited times, the exclusive right to their writings". Copyright law was basically established to protect writings, but has been expanded to include other expressions of ideas. A book, for instance, is copyrightable. So are photographs, drawings, architects' drawings, records and music. You can also secure copyrights for works of art, paintings and statuary, maps and computer programs. You can even copyright reproductions of works of art. They are all expressions of ideas. You cannot copyright an idea, and you cannot patent an idea. You can patent a specific article of manufacture based on an idea, and you can get a copyright on a specific
rendition of an idea. This is a fundamental distinction that relates to what have become known as "NeuroLogical Levels" in NLP. Copyrights, patents and other intellectual property rights relate primarily to 'environmental level' products, and extend to specific behaviors (such as "performance rights") in some cases. "Property" relates to something concrete and tangible. Processes at the level of capabilities, beliefs, values and identity cannot be intellectual "property." Intellectual property laws relate to dynamics which function at a particular level, and the rules which apply to one level do not apply on others. As President Thomas Jefferson pointed out, "If two people get together and exchange a dollar, they each walk away with a dollar. If two people get together and exchange an idea, on the other hand, they both walk away with two ideas." 'Dollars' are at the level of concrete, environment. 'Ideas' are at the level of capabilities and beliefs. The distinction between ideas and their expression is important in order to understand how copyrights work. For example, if someone were to write a history of the City of San Francisco, that person could copyright his or her book on the history of San Francisco. That would not prevent someone else from getting the same idea and writing a history of San Francisco. The facts that are involved would have to be the same. If someone has written a history of San Francisco and copyrighted it, then he or she is protected from someone else coming in and taking that particular work, copying, publishing and selling it as their own. But it would not stop someone else from writing his or her own history of San Francisco. One big question, of course, is how close can someone be to a book or a computer program without infringing on it? Could someone change a few lines or have exactly the same structure and just paraphrase the sentences? Copyright infringement of written works can sometimes be difficult to demonstrate. It involves looking at specific paragraphs and sentences. You have to look at all the elements that make up the work and see how much of it is similar. In order to get a copyright you have to create something new and original. You may well be able to get a copyright on your arrangement of somebody else's song, for instance -- to the extent that you added something else to it. That doesn't mean that you have the right to use it. If you make a unique variation of someone else's work, you must still respect the other person's rights in his or her original work. On the other hand, the original composer does not automatically have the right to the unique arrangement you have created either. The issue of intellectual property rights with respect to NLP can be just as complicated. In some ways, in fact, NLP is probably most similar to music relation to
intellectual property rights. With music, for instance, you can copyright the underlying musical composition. You can copyright the specific printed sheet music that is sold to the public. You can copyright a record that is made of someone singing that particular song. So there are three different copyrights you can get on that one underlying composition. All of them based on specific renditions of the musical idea. Most of the issues with respect to intellectual property and NLP arise in reference to seminars. There are a number of rights related to giving seminars. There are "copyrights, there are the so-called "performance rights," and there are "unfair competition rights." The current US copyright law gives you a copyright in your work as soon as you reduce it to some concrete form. As soon as you've put the ideas down on paper, you immediately have rights in that work, whether you have placed a copyright notice on it or not. If a few copies are distributed -- let's say you send a few copies of an article out to publishers to see if they're interested in publishing it -- you have not lost your right to copyright it. In fact, the copyright law provides for registration for unpublished works. You could take the copy of your work and go down and make a photocopy of it and send it to the Copyright Office and you could register it, in unpublished form. And you would have a copyright in the work. The copyright notice is a "C" in a circle - - the name of the person claiming the copyright, and the year in which it is published. A typical example of a copyright notice would look something like: Copyright 1997 by Meta Muddle Associates. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author or publisher. The typical length of a copyright is based on the author's life plus fifty years. When you file the application for registration, you include your birth date which becomes an essential feature of the copyright coverage. (You can't sue for infringement of copyright until you have registered the copyright with the Copyright Office.) If it's a "work for hire," then the copyright is for seventy-five years from the date of publication. "Work for hire" is where the author is hired to produce the work. Say Walt Disney Studios hires someone to write a story for a movie, and that work is produced as a result of their being hired. That would be a work for hire, and the life would be seventy-five years.
In addition to copyrights in manuals and handouts, if the seminar is recorded, the presenter can copyright the tapes, so long as what he or she is presenting is original. The presenter could prevent someone from taking the tape and making an essentially identical performance of the seminar. Of course, the tape could be used as the basis for a book, and a person could copyright the book. He or she would also have rights in any translations made from tapes or books. Again, remember the distinction between ideas and their expression. When someone has been to an NLP training, that person has the right to use the ideas that he or she has learned with his or her clients. The person does not have the right duplicate and distribute copyrighted material used or received during the training unless he or she has obtained permission or authorization from the author or publisher of that material.
Fair Use
Under the current US copyright laws, there is a fair use doctrine. It's always been possible to quote from somebody's copyrighted work as long as you show that it's their copyright and that you contact the copyright owner and tell them you're quoting from their book. You obviously can't take a best seller and then say, "As they said in Gone With The Wind..." and then repeat the entire book. But you can pick certain pieces out of a book. It's considered a "fair use" as long as you haven't taken the entire work and used it for your own purposes. If you are using it as an illustration of some sort, as part of a much larger work, it is considered a fair use. Anybody can list anybody's books in a bibliography and say "this paper is based in part on ...." The person who has published the book under that name has no objection he can make to the fact that you have used his book in preparing your paper. Mentioning it is like mentioning the name of a public figure. Newspapers do it all the time. If you do something noteworthy, they can tell: it's not a violation of your right of privacy to report that fact that you climbed the side of the Bank of America building to the top and were arrested by the police. Whenever you've done anything that's noteworthy, such as publishing a book, that item is a fact that can be used. So a bibliography is no problem so far as listing the names. You would get into a problem if you had an appendix and in the appendix you essentially reprinted somebody's doctor's thesis or a chapter out of somebody's book without their permission. Then you're getting into copyright infringement. Plagiarism, of course, is copyright infringement. Plagiarism involves presenting someone else's intellectual property as your own. Sometimes this is done unintentionally, when a person fails to cite the sources of material that he or she is using.
In general, If you're going to make a quotation of content from somebody's work, it is good practice to get their approval ahead of time, such as a signed letter of release. When asking for permission to use copyrighted material, you should furnish the following information: 1. The pages you want to use, titles, and/or page numbers in a specific publication. 2. The group or publication that will be receiving the information. 3. Where and when you will be using the materials. 4. The number of copies you want to make.
Trademarks
Copyrights are not the same as trademarks, although people sometimes confuse the two. A "Trademark" essentially relates to the name or logo of a particular trade. You cannot copyright a name, short slogan or a trademark. Copyrights are reserved for expression of ideas, such as books, photographs, records, drawings, etc. But a name that distinguishes one company from another is not copyrightable. Instead, you register trademark rights in the name relating to a trade. To claim a trademark, you would place the letters "TM" after the name. (You cannot use the "R" in a circle until you have actually registered the name with the Patent Office.) In the U.S. you register a name as a trademark either with the state or federally. Every state in the union will register trademarks. They will register the name of your company or the name you sell a product under. In the state of California, you could claim exclusive rights in a name and you could register it with the Secretary of State. If you want to register the name federally, then you have to go to the Patent Office in Washington and register it. You cannot register a name federally until you have actually engaged in interstate commerce. There is currently a great deal of confusion relating to the difference between NLP as 'field' and NLP as a 'trade'. A 'trade'-mark only extends to a trade. The problem is, NLP is both a field and has become a trade, which has created a lot of misunderstanding about the nature of NLP trainings. This is probably one of the most important issues for the NLP community to clearly sort out. Teaching people NLP for educational purposes is different than involving them in a vocation or trade. Unless the participants of an organization's trainings sign a statement saying, "The undersigned clearly understands that the education being provided is solely for avocational / recreational purposes and not to provide training for employment. Such education is being pursued for personal entertainment, recreation, individual edification or as a hobby," that training could
be considered vocational, or part of a "trade." As such it would come under various governmental laws and regulations that are different than for education alone. The generic use of the letters "NLP" may indeed indicate the name of a "field," but the use of "NLP" to identify a professional certification or licensing program may relate to a trade.
Credit History
One difficulty in giving proper credit arises when an idea, or expression of an idea, is the result of a group effort. (As Isaac Newton said when asked about his great discoveries in physics, "I was merely standing on the shoulders of giants.") Unlike other creative fields, like the music and film industries, NLP has not yet established conventions for crediting the people involved in creative group efforts. Films acknowledge not only the actors, but the directors, producers, screenwriters, editors, special effects creators, etc., who are all key parts of making a successful movie. NLP needs to establish a clear set of roles relating to the types of contributions which might be made with respect to NLP developments. There is a kind of "credit karma" that comes from acknowledging the contributions of others. When you give credit, you get back credibility. There are a number of different elements in the creation and development of something, whether it be an object, theory, technique or idea. First of all, most products of creation have both a conceptual and operational side. The conceptual elements are the ideas that serve as the theoretical foundation of the product. The operational elements have to do with the implementation of ideas. In terms of the conceptual and operational development, there are a number of basic roles. There is 1) the primary creator role which typically serves as the 'focal point' for the development. Then there are various support roles including 2) individual who have the conceptual or operational background, 3) ongoing contributors who help to test and refine concepts or operations, and 4) those who make further adaptations and refinements of the material.
For example, while Robert Dilts served as the 'focal point' for the development of a number of techniques and formats such as Reimprinting, Failure into Feedback, Belief Integration and Logical Level Alignment, there were many other people to be acknowledged for their support roles. The technique of Reimprinting, for instance had both a conceptual and an operational history. Conceptually, Reimprinting is drawn from the background concept of "Imprinting" of Konrad Lorenz, which was extended to "re-imprinting" by Timothy Leary. It is also conceptually supported by Sigmund Freud's ideas from his Studies in Hysteria, and the family systems work of Virginia Satir. Operationally, however, Reimprinting is drawn primarily from the Change Personal History technique of NLP developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. Contributing support is different than background support in that it comes during the formation and "beta testing" of a process. For instance, the physicalization of the timeline, and spatial sorting of "significant others," as part of Reimprinting technique came from a series of discussions with Judith DeLozier and John Grinder and a resulting set of seminars Dilts did with Grinder, called Syntax. Other incidental conceptual and operational support came from Dilts' colleague Todd Epstein, as the technique became formalized. Adaptations relate to conceptual and operational refinements or improvements on a process, model or technique once it has been established. The "Forgiveness Pattern" by Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith, for example, represents a significant, creative variation on Reimprinting, allowing someone to work with significant others without the need for working with a time line. The Failure into Feedback technique is primarily an extension of the work on accessing cues and cognitive strategies begun in the early days of NLP and described in the book Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I. The innovative relational aspects of the process, however, were stimulated by the work of Max Wertheimer and his colleagues in the area of Gestalt Psychology.
The Belief Integration process draws operationally from a combination of the NLP techniques of the Visual Squash and Reframing. Conceptually, it has been heavily influenced by the work of Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir. On a fundamental conceptual level, the notion of Logical Levels in belief change is drawn from Gregory Bateson's applications of logical levels in his studies of systems and schizophrenia. And much of the inspiration for the methods of applying these ideas was derived from the innovative work of Milton H. Erickson M.D. These suggestions are only the beginning of an important dialogue that needs to be continued among the key innovators and developers in the NLP field. It is only when these issues have been sorted out that we will truly begin to have credibility as a field. For further information on intellectual property rights and copyright issues, visit World Intellectual Property Organization an intergovernmental organization with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
has been cited parenthetically. In the back of the practitioner booklet is bibliography including a full reference their work in which they offer their own definition and description of the T.O.T.E. This typically includes: title of publication, author, publisher, city, state or country, and date of publication: Plans and the Structure of Behavior, Miller, G., Galanter, E., and Pribram, K., Henry Holt & Co., Inc., 1960. 2. If you are making a direct quotation, reproduction or translation of less than half a page, you customarily do not need to request permission from the author or publisher, but should cite the specific source from which the material is quoted, including the page number(s) if possible. As an example, consider the following discussion of "congruence," taken from the 1998 NLPU 100A Practitioner manual (p.46): According to Webster's Dictionary, "congruence" in a system is "marked by inner harmony, coherence, or agreement of its parts." In NLP, a state of congruence is a result of all of a person's internal beliefs, strategies and behaviors being in full agreement and oriented toward securing a desired outcome. For this reason, congruence is considered an essential resource state in NLP. The notion of congruence has been fundamental to NLP since its inception. In The Structure of Magic Volume II (1976), Grinder and Bandler defined congruence in the following way: The term 'congruency' is used to describe a situation in which the person communicating has aligned all of his output channels so that each of them is representing, carrying or conveying the same or a compatible message. When all of a person's output channels (body posture and movements, voice tonality and tempo, words) are representing the same or compatible messages, the person is said to be congruent. Other people's experience of a congruent human being is usually described in terms of that persons's having personal presence, knowing what he is talking about, being charismatic, dynamic and a host of other superlatives. (p. 45)
Congruence may be contrasted with "incongruence," which refers to a state of inner conflict resulting from inner struggle, typically at the level of beliefs or identity. These struggles are usually at a deeper level and are less conscious than typical cognitive activities. For this reason, the factors influencing states of congruence or incongruence are often outside of awareness. Thus, maintaining a state of congruency involves learning to pay attention to and interpret signals from one's unconscious mind. Again, in the back of the practitioner booklet is bibliography including a full reference for The Structure of Magic: The Structure of Magic Vol. II, Grinder, J. and Bandler, R.; Science and Behavior Books, Palo Alto, California, 1976. 3. If you are making a direct quotation, translation or reproduction of half a page or more (including graphics), you should request permission from the author or publisher. In addition to citing the specific source from which the material is quoted, you should include a copyright notice referring to the author or publisher and the words "reprinted with permission" (provided you have received that permission). The following is an example from the Pattern of the Month section of my web page on the Internet. My article on Operationalizing NLP Presuppositions includes the following description: NLP Presuppositions Exercise The following exercise, designed by Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith, is another way to operationalize NLP presuppositions with respect to a specific symptom, situation or problem. It involves establishing reference experiences for each presupposition and then transferring them into a particular context in which you would like to experience them more strongly. First, lay out a space for the problem context or situation. Then arrange a series of locations, representing various NLP presuppositions, around the problem situation.
1. Standing in the context space, access the symptom or problem state, and the context in which it occurs to create an anchor. 2. Step into each presupposition space, accessing and anchoring the idea, then look at yourself in the problem context (disassociated), through the filters of the presupposition. 3. Access the presupposition fully, then step into the context space, adding the presupposition. 4. Continue around the circle until all spaces have been accessed and integrated. (Copyright 1995-1997 by Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith. Reprinted with permission.) In this case, no specific reference has been made to another publication, because the exercise has not yet been published in book or other major publication. This reference would be added, and included in the bibliography of the manual, when such a source was published. In general, if you are going to make a substantial quotation of content from somebody's work, it is good practice to get their approval ahead of time, such as a signed letter of release. When asking for permission to use copyrighted material, you should furnish the following information: 1. The pages you want to use, titles, and/or page numbers in a specific publication. 2. The group or publication that will be receiving the
information. 3. Where and when you will be using the materials. 4. The number of copies you want to make. The publisher or author may request a nominal fee for some reproduction, depending on how the material is to be used. The following page provides an example of a copyright request form.
Robert B. Dilts
P.O. Box 67448 Scotts Valley, CA 95067-7448 Phone (831) 438-8314 Fax (831) 438-8571 E-Mail: rdilts@nlpu.com Website: http://www.nlpu.com Copyrighted Materials Request Form
A signed authorization is required each time you want to use copyrighted materials. To request to reproduce copyrighted materials, fill out the form below and send it to the above address. Please limit your request to a small portion of any one publication, and submit your request at least one month before you need an answer. Please provide the following information: Your Name__________________________________Fax ________________________ Address Information_______________________________________________________ _________________________________________Telephone____________________ Title of publication from which you want to copy pages _________________________________ Page number or numbers of the material you plan to distribute ____________________________
(If it is more convenient, you may attach copies of the material you want to reproduce to this request form. You have our permission to make a copy for this purpose.)
Where will you distribute this material? ___________________________________ When will you distribute this material? ____________________________________ Approximately what percentage of your publication will this material provide? ___________________ How many copies will you make of each page? _______ Total number of copies to be made: _______ If your request is approved, the copyright notice referencing Robert Dilts must appear on the bottom of each page. You can add "Reproduced with permission of the author," after receiving signed authorization.
(If this material is more than 10% of your publication, please send a copy of your whole handout or publication in which you intend to use the material.)
Approved: ______________________________________________ Date: _________________________ Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
much more energy to move it to a new location than it would if the starting state of the ball were in the unstable location.
Attractor 'Landscape'
Attractor 'Landscape'
assumptions and deep structures within our own nervous systems - what Aristotle referred to as "formal causes." To move between the 'images' in the 'landscape' we need to first destabilize our focus on one attractor and subsequently restabilize or 'fixate' our attention around the new attractor. Some other examples of 'attractor landscapes', are shown in figures 3 and 4. The first group shows the face of a man transforming or "morphing" into the body of a woman. At the extremes the two images are clear and 'stable'. The intermediate images become progressively more ambiguous. In the middle, it is more difficult to "fix" upon one particular image. Again, the experience of "man's face" or "woman's body" are not in the marks on the paper but in our own nervous system (a bee or a dog would not be likely to recognize either image).
Man or Woman?
Of course, 'attractors' are not only a perceptual phenomenon. They occur in other forms as well. For example, a similar process seems to be behind the neurological mechanisms by which we are able to establish different 'parts' of ourselves within the same nervous system. As an analogy, the images of the women in the earlier picture would be like two 'parts' of a person. Under certain circumstances, a person's nervous system could self organize to bring a 'younger' part into the foreground. In other situations, the 'older' part could be in the foreground. The NLP conception of an "imprint" is also quite similar to the notion of an 'attractor'. Of course, in self organizing systems, the 'force' of the "attraction" does not actually come from the object or event outside of the system, but is rather the result of the interaction between the system and its environment. 'Attractors' are simply an external reference point around which the rest of system organizes its activity. For example, for a newly hatched duckling, 'movement' is the initial attractor around which the nervous system of the duckling begins to form the rest of its representation or "imprint" of 'mother'. According to self organization theory, internal states (either problem states or states of excellence) would be considered patterns of organization within the nervous system of the individual which could be 'self organized' and maintained under certain conditions. Aspects of the events in which these states first occurred could become anchors or 'attractors' around which the state would spontaneously self organize and reoccur later on. Thus, events and "imprints" function as the initial "attractors" for our later models of the world; both drawing out experiences and collecting them into memory. These collections of representations then become an "attractor" themselves for the next level of organization. In self organization theory, the 'strength' of an attractor is described in terms of the 'depth' and 'width' of its 'basin'. The 'depth' of the basin relates to the intensity of the attraction. The 'width' of the basin relates to how easy it is to access that particular state in different situations. For example, some of our states may be very strong and powerful, but only available to us in a small number of special circumstances - like moments of inspiration that are intense but few and far between. Other states may be relatively weak, but are available to us in many different circumstances - such as short moments of irritation or doubt which may occur in a variety of situations but are easily overcome.
Figure 5. The Influence of an 'Attraction' is Described in Terms of the 'Depth' and 'Width' of its 'Basin'
Thus, a basin that is 'deep' but 'narrow' would be a strong state that we only experience on occasion. A 'shallow' but 'wide' basin would be like a state that we are able to experience in many different situations, but which is not very intense. A 'shallow' and narrow basin would represent a very transient state that we experience only rarely and not very strongly. A 'deep' and 'wide' basin would be a state that is intense and easy to get to in a variety of different circumstances.
common situation might have an intense reaction as well, but experience it more often and in more contexts (its basin is 'wider'). This would be more like the situation of a person who has something like agoraphobia (fear of going out of doors). Establishing a 'metacognition' or 'meta position' with respect to challenging past experiences could be viewed as a way to help make the 'attractor basin' of those particular experiences 'wider' (available to our conscious awareness in more circumstances) but also more 'shallow' (lowering the emotional affect associated with the experience). Within the metaphor of a 'landscape', change processes could be viewed in one of two ways; 1) surface level or 2) deep level changes. 'Surface' level change would involve moving the ball to a different part of the landscape; but leaving the landscape unchanged. Trying to ignore a bad feeling and stay optimistic would be an example of attempting to move the ball of one's 'consciousness' to a different part of one's mental or emotional landscape. Change at the level of 'deep structure' would involve modifying the landscape itself by actually altering the 'attractors' or the attractor 'basin'. Finding the source of the bad feeling and transforming by 'reimprinting' for instance, would be an example of this level of change. The basic process of deep level change in a self organizing system involves first 'destabilizing' the existing attractors which hold the system in its present state, and then introducing or activating a new attractor that will alter the 'landscape' of the system. In self organization theory, the resulting change in the landscape is considered to be produced or 'unveiled' through the process of 'iteration'. This is because self organizing systems tend to impact their environment by continually attempting to manifest their own internal deep structures. Looked at from this perspective, solutions to problems emerge organically through successive cycles of iteration - similar to Freud's notion of "associative correction." A strong representation of a goal, for example, can be an "attractor" for possible resources and solutions (in the form of a T.O.T.E. loop). Each stage of the process of achieving that goal is another 'iteration', building upon the previous ones, until the final product is produced; much like organic growth in nature or a mathematical fractal.
'destabilizing'
Figure 7. The basic process of change in a self organizing system involves first 'destabilizing' the existing attractors which hold the system in its present state, and then introducing or activating a new attractor that will alter the 'landscape' of the system.
In NLP, 'attractor' type phenomena are believed to occur with respect to the 'submodalities' of the various sensory representational systems. The submodality characteristics of an experience determine much about the type and degree of affect that experience will have for a person. In other words, it is not only the content of a particular experience or memory that will determine how a person responds, but the formal characteristics of the representation of that experience. The same image, for example, may be experienced as either attractive or repulsive depending on certain submodality characteristics. An inviting image of a slice of chocolate cake may seem less inviting if the color of the cake is suddenly changed to green, for instance. As another example, there was a time in my mother's process of healing her cancer in which an image came into her mind of a demonic looking creature dressed in black that threatened her and made her feel doubtful and afraid. She tried to block the image and put it out of her mind; but it kept returning. It was as if this image had become an 'attractor' for her fears and doubts. (In the metaphor of a 'landscape', this creature was like a hole or ditch along the path of her healing. She would try to roll the ball out of the middle of the basin, but as soon as she stopped efforting, the ball would roll back to the bottom.) Rather than blocking out the image, I invited my mother to explore the positive purposes of fear and doubt. She realized that the positive intention of both of them was to protect her and to make sure she was taking care of herself. Having understood and acknowledged those intentions we decided to use a more appropriate 'attractor'. Rather than simply trying to make the old one go away, we adopted a strategy of
'pacing and leading'. I first asked her if she could just make the image of the demonic figure slightly smaller. She was able to do this and, when she did, its affect became a little less. I then asked if she could make the image two-dimensional - not change the content of the image, but simply make it two dimensional. She was also able to do that, which lessened the affect even more. I then asked if she could put a frame around it. She did. Finally I asked if she could change its color. She imagined the figure in a bright yellow outfit. At this point the image of the creature had become so laughable and harmless to her that it just seemed to disappear on its own_never to return. In place of this creature my mother decided to insert the image of a 'guardian angel'. To make the image of this angel powerful and 'attractive', she made the image large, three-dimensional, bright and glowing with light. This new image would also satisfy the positive intention of protecting her and making sure she was taking care of herself, but the affect, of course, was quite different. As another example, the celebrated NLP 'fast-phobia' cure essentially involves destabilizing the mental representations at the basis of the phobic response. One of the versions of the NLP phobia technique involves finding the 'mental movie' associated with the phobic response and then changing it to 'black and white' and running it backwards. This often destabilizes the rigidity of the phobic association enough that it becomes open to "associative correction" and is able to spontaneously reach a new state of equilibrium. Similar processes, like the EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Repatterning) technique for dealing with post-traumatic stress, also essentially involve interrupting patterns that are highly stable because they are blocked, "strangulated" or 'frozen'. The EMDR process, for instance, involves having a person move his or her eyes back and forth rapidly while thinking of a frightening or traumatic event. The movement of the eyes in effect 'scrambles' or destabilizes the representation. Providing the person has other resources available, this destabilization will often lead to 'associative correction' without further intervention on the part of the facilitator.
Conclusion
Self-organization theory offers a powerful and refreshing alternative to the typical 'mechanistic' views of human behavior put forward by Behaviorism and many aspects of NLP. The metaphor of a 'landscape' also provides a more systemic and organic explanation for how many NLP techniques work (see Strategies of Genius Volume III). The principles of self-organization also provide a rich source for more generative and ecological applications of NLP by placing the source and power for healing and change within (rather than outside of) the individual. For more information on Self-Organization:
Synergetics of Cognition, H. Haken & M. Stadler (Ed.), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 1989. Self Organization Theory Meets NLP (video), R. Dilts & P. Kruse, NIK, Ausser der Scheifmuhle 67, 28203 Bremen, Germany, 1994 (Fax: 49-421-33 55 843). [This article includes material excerpted from Strategies of Genius Volume III, by Robert Dilts, Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1995.]
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Existing 'Landscape'
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com.
This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Fractal Dragon
Set three points (A, B and C). Start somewhere in between the three points. Randomly select one of the three points (say B). Move halfway between wherever you are and that point and leave a dot. Then randomly select one of the three points again (maybe A this time). Move halfway between your current position and that point and leave another dot. Repeat this process again and again many times. What pattern do you think will emerge? The following graphic was created by a computer program applying the above instructions (known as the Sierpinski triangle):
Sierpinski Triangle
the instructions which produce the Sierpinski triangle) often produce complex behaviors. Bandler and Grinder's Meta Model is a good example of this. It is a type of "linguistic fractal." By identifying a basic set of linguistic distinctions and responding with simple questions, a person can produce a sophisticated verbal interaction similar to that of an experienced therapist. Descriptions of generative processes are typically more "code congruent" than descriptions of the resulting content. As an analogy, the attempt to describe the resulting pattern of the Sierpinski triangle in terms of objects_ i.e., "big triangles and little triangles"_ would require a great deal of information if one were to attempt to reproduce the pattern precisely. The sizes and locations of many different "objects" would need to be specified. The simple instructions used to actually create the fractal, however, do not operate at all in terms of specifying "locations and sizes of triangles." Rather, they operate on the basis of identifying reference points (A, B and C) and relationships with respect to those points (moving "half way" between a current location and a chosen point). It should be pointed out, by the way, that applying the Sierpinski triangle instructions to other numbers of reference points does not produce the same results. If four points are used instead of three, for instance, no coherent pattern emerges. Instead of "big squares and little squares" the result appears to be just a random placement of dots. If five reference points are used, a pattern again results (that looks somewhat like a "sand dollar"), but which is nothing like the sophisticated triangular pattern which emerges from using three reference points.
Results of Applying the Sierpinski Triangle Instructions to Four or Five Points Instead of Three
This reflects another difficulty people face when modeling. Patterns that produce the desired results in one set of circumstances, do not produce the same effects when the context or conditions change. A pattern or rule that works effectively to produce
order among a group of three people, for example, may produce only random results if a fourth person is added. A creativity strategy that works well to integrate three materials or ideas may falter if a fourth item is included. While this is not always obvious when working with human behavior, it becomes graphically clear when attempting to produce fractals. Thus, a better understanding of fractals can teach us many practical things about modeling human behaviors. Many behaviors could be considered to be types of "neurolinguistic" fractals. Dance, for instance is a type of somatic fractal. Many forms of music are a type of auditory fractal (consider Ravel's Bollero, or Pacelbel's Canon in D, for example). Clearly, many types of images are created as a result of the intuitive application of fractal patterns.
You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
shoulders. Make any adaptations you need to until it seems natural, and you can feel the sense of the resourceful state as a result of making the movement with this other part of your body. 5. Transfer the resourceful movement to as many parts of your body as you can (i. e., face, feet, eyes, breathing, hips, etc.). You can repeat the above exercise using the visual and auditory representational systems. That is, find a pattern or quality in the images or words associated with the resource state. Then, begin to transfer that quality to other images and words. For instance, if there is a certain quality of color associated with the resource state, you can "color your world" by mapping it across to many other memories and images. If there is a certain quality of voice, begin to speak about different topics, transferring that quality of voice into whatever words you are saying.
References
Grolliers Multi Media Encyclopedia, 1993. Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Pragmagraphics
Pragmagraphics is an area of NLP established by Todd Epstein and Richard Bandler in 1980, and developed further by Epstein with Robert Dilts over the following decade. Pragmagraphics provided both the theoretical and practical basis for much of NLPs submodality technology. The term, coined by Epstein, comes from a combination of the words pragmatic and holographic, and suggests an integration of the two disciplines. Pragmatics is an area of linguistics that involves the study of how context and other nonlinguistic factors (such as the personal history and beliefs of the speaker and listener) affect the interpretation of spoken expressions. It involves the examination of the system of influences which determine how we make sense of or give meaning to words or linguistic expressions, which are beyond the expressions themselves. For example, to understand the meaning of the statement, Father was not drunk tonight, one must factor in assumptions about the history of speaker and his or her father, the context in which the speaker made the statement, the person to whom the statement was made, the degree of understanding the speaker has about the possible impact of such a statement, and so on. Holography is a method for recording and then reproducing a complete image of a three-dimensional object. In a hologram, the whole picture is contained in every part of the image. Holography involves the recording of an entire picture by recording the relationships between the interference patterns of light reflected from the object, and shined directly onto the film. As a phenomenon, the hologram has become a metaphor for the notion that, in many systems, all of the information relevant to that system is distributed through every part of the system, in some form. As an integration of the principles of these two fields, Pragmagraphics strives to explore the qualities of, and relationships between, the experiences and information that is being represented in a persons inner map of the world. It has to do with the practical aspects of how we create and derive meaning from our experiences. Its purpose is to (a) identify key characteristics relating to the experiential substance of a particular image, set of words or feeling state, (b) explore how experiences are represented, sorted and punctuated, and (c) examine the resulting influence that these factors have on a persons emotional and behavioral responses and reactions. In many respects, pragmagraphics can be considered the attempt to describe the structure of
meaning. To illustrate, Epstein might draw the figure on the board and ask people, What is that? 99% will immediately say, Its a triangle, thats what that is. But Epstein would then point out that it is not really a triangle. It is an intersection of three lines at three given angleswhich we call a triangle. The question that pragmagraphics asks is, What needs to be there to call it a triangle? What would need to be shifted or added in order for us to call it an arrow head, a roof top, or a pyramid. Similar questions could be asked in relation to the process of learning. What needs to be there to call some mental activity spelling, for instance, versus remembering a sequence of shapes? What are the underlying processes and capabilities upon which spelling is based? Notice that this is very different than asking, What are the behaviors that would indicate to us that a child was spelling a word correctly? To be able to ask and answer such questions, Epstein advocated entering a state of not knowing, in which all previous mental maps and assumptions are put aside with reference to ones ongoing experience. To explain this state, Epstein invented the character Nerk-Nerk. Nerk-Nerk is the name of a fictitious space alien who has the exact same nervous system and physical characteristics of human beings, but none of the perceptual, linguistic or cultural assumptions. Nerk-Nerk has studied and is familiar with all forms of human language, but is incapable of making the deletions, generalizations and distortions that most human beings do habitually while communicating verbally with one another. Nerk-Nerk is only able to understand and respond to fully specified sensory based descriptions and instructions. Thus, when a person enters a Nerk-Nerk state, he or she attempts to drop and challenge pre-existing assumptions, and get a fresh and unbiased view of a particular situation or experience. Another use of Nerk-Nerk involves acting as if one is describing or explaining something to Nerk-Nerk in such a way that he would be able understand it. Such an exercise forces one to be more precise and sensorially grounded. Similar to the notion of Meta Program patterns, Pragmagraphics arose as a result of the attempt to understand ways in which people kept coherency in their mental programming (like the reference beam in an optical hologram). It is about, what Epstein would call, the goo which holds everything together in our map of the world. Like Meta Program patterns, Pragmagraphics came from the attempt to better understand the functioning of cognitive strategies. In particular, they developed as a way to explain how individuals with the same cognitive structure to their strategies could sometimes end up with widely divergent results. For instance, two people might
have a motivation strategy with the structure: Vi->Ki (deriving feelings from internal imagery as a way to stimulate themselves into action). One person, however, might report, When I can picture what I want to achieve very clearly, I really start to feel excited about doing what I need to do to get there. The other person, on the other hand, might say, I need to get a general image of the direction Im heading. If I picture what I want to achieve too clearly, I begin to feel afraid that I will be disappointed. Pragmagraphics seeks to explore and explain what is at the root of such different outcomes to two processes that have a similar structure. Epstein postulated that these differences had to do with patterns related to the qualities by which the representations (the pictures and the feelings in the example above) were linked together. Drawing from the analogy of holography, Bandler and Epstein hypothesized that a particular submodality feature (the clarity of the internal image, for instance) could function like the reference beam used to make a hologram. Altering this submodality, like adjusting the angle or wavelength of the reference beam, would change the resulting interference pattern, bringing out different dimensions and facets of the experiences with which it was linked, perhaps shifting it to something else altogether at times. This idea lead Epstein, Bandler and Dilts to begin to explore in detail the relationship between two consecutive representations or steps in a cognitive strategy. If an image and a feeling were joined together, and the image was made brighter, for instance, what happened to the feeling? What happened if the image was made dimmer, given more color, made larger or smaller, etc.? Epstein developed a notational system to describe some of the basic interrelationships between representational qualities. Rather than the linear, horizontal arrows, typically used in NLP strategy notation to indicate the sequencing of representations, Pragmagraphics uses vertical arrows to indicate the quality of influence one representation had on another. If an increase in the clarity or detail of a picture created a corresponding increase the intensity of the feeling of excitement or motivation, for example, it would be notated Vi (clarity)^^ Ki(intensity), indicating a parallel relationship between the two submodalities. If, on the other hand, an increase in the clarity of a picture created a corresponding decrease the intensity of the feeling of motivation, it would be notated Vi(clarity) ^v Ki(intensity), indicating an inverse relationship between the two representational qualities. It was these types of explorations that eventually lead to the development of the Swish Pattern, the Threshold Pattern, Submodality Chaining, and the other applications of Submodalities in NLP.
Another area of exploration in Pragmagraphics was the examination of the representational structure of what are called minimal pairs experiences that are similar in many respects, yet are considered opposites. e.g., anxiety and excitement, anger and determination, appreciation and flattery etc. The question to be explored was, What is the difference that makes the difference? What has to be there in order for us to call a particular feeling excitement? The feelings of anxiety and excitement, for instance, share many kinesthetic features. They are both often experienced in the midline areas of the chest and stomach, for example. What quality or qualities would have to be changed or altered in order for us to call a feeling anxiety instead of excitement? One such pairing explored in depth by Pragmagraphics was in the area of Meta Model patterns known as modal operators. Modal operators include words like: should have to, can, must, impossible, want to, ought to, etc. Pragmagraphics would ask the question, What needs to be there in order for us to feel that we have to do something versus that we want to do it? In other words, what is the difference between desire (wanting something, but still having the choice) and compulsion (having to do something, and having no choice about it). What needs to be there in order for us to call something choice or compulsion? And, How can we use this information in order to help transform compulsion into choice?
Scale of Intensity
This scale suggests that we can rate a compulsive response with respect to its degree of intensity in which 0 represents no desire to engage in the compulsive act and 10 represents a point at which there is no longer any choice, and the person has to do the behavior. It is much easier to redirect the behavior when the response is only at the level of 1, 2 or 3 than when it is at 9 or 10. The challenge for most people, however, is that they only become aware of the compulsive response after it has already reached an intensity level of 7 or 8. Thus they have no possibility to make any intervention at an earlier point, and always end up struggling. One objective of the Pragmagraphic Swish Design process is to help people bring into consciousness, and distinguish between, more of these gradations in the level of intensity of the compulsive response. One interesting question from the Pragmagraphics perspective is, If we call this response a compulsion when it is at the level of 9 or 10, what do we call it when it is at 7 or 6, or 3 or 2? Do we still call it a compulsion or do we have different names for it? At the level of 5, for instance, we might call the response a desire or a wish rather than a compulsion. Perhaps at the level of 2 or 3, we would call it emptiness or confusion. By being able to bring the entire scale of the response into conscious awareness, we are suddenly provided with much more possibility to take action earlier, when it is more simple and easy to shift our behavior somewhere more ecological and appropriate. A next question would be What is the easiest to change or redirect the response? Most people try to simply negate or squelch their compulsive feelings or responses. The fundamental NLP approach to change, however, is pacing and leading, and typically involves dealing with the structure of a response rather than its content. The steps leading to a compulsion, for instance, could be considered a type of chain. And, as the old adage points out, the chain is no stronger than its weakest link. The purpose of the Pragmagraphic Swish Design Pattern is to weaken the link leading to the compulsive response, and strengthen the link in the chain that leads to the state of creativity and choice. This is done by identifying and shifting the Submodality qualities that create these links. The typical Swish format involves de-intensifying one set of submodality qualities while simultaneously increasing another set, stimulating different pathways of neurology and resulting in a shift in the direction of the internal response.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical
journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
submodalities are critical in increasing the intensity of the feeling in such a way that it begins to lead you into "Wanting To" engage in the compulsive behavior (K2). Which submodalities decrease the "?" feeling of K3 so that you do not feel like you "Want to" do the compulsive behavior. Also determine which submodalities have no impact on the degree or quality of the K3 feeling. 5. Step into the final location and identify a state of choice and creativity and the specific feelings (K4) that accompany choice and creativity. a. Elicit the visual and auditory submodalities that accompany K4 and determine which submodalities are critical in increasing/decreasing the intensity of K4. Also determine which submodalities have no impact on the degree or quality of the feeling. b. Find which critical submodality is SHARED by both K3 and K4. (eg. brightness) 6. Step back into the "?" location. Start with the critical submodality for K3 in the most intensified state (eg. bright and close) and the critical submodality for K4 in the least intensified state (eg. dim and distant). Notice the degree to which you are "pulled" into the "Want to" location (K2). Slowly intensify the critical submodality for K4 as you simultaneously de-intensify the critical submodality for K3 (eg. have K4 get closer and brighter and K3 get dimmer and more distant) until their positions are completely switched. As you do this, slowly step from the "?" location into the location for choice and creativity (K4). 7. Step away from the K4 location and repeat step 6 at least five times as fast as possible. 8. Test by stepping back into the "?" location and noticing which direction you naturally feel like moving, toward K2 or K4? What happens when you try to go back to the compulsive feeling and behavior.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have Suggestions or Comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com.
This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Studies on Longevity
One expression of the general interest in the subject of longevity is the large amount of statistical data that has been gathered about individuals and communities who reach unusually advanced ages. This information can be roughly divided into two categories: 1) data about communities that, as a group, reach an exceptionally high average age, and 2) data about individuals who reach unusually high ages compared to their peers in the same community. An example of research in the first category (healthy communities) is the study of inhabitants of areas like the Hunza-region in Pakistan and Abkhasia in Russia. An example of the second type of research (healthy individuals) would be the study by George Gallup (1966) which investigated the habits and lifestyle of 402 Americans with an average age of 99 years. The primary method for conducting statistical research on longevity involves contrasting long living individuals or communities with shorter living ones. As a result of this contrast statistically significant differences are determined. All relationships discovered in this way are correlational in nature. For instance: statistical research shows that moderate drinking correlates with high age, it doesn't prove that it actually causes high age. There is always the possibility of a third factor causing both moderate drinking and high age. Statistical research might establish a correlation between eating ice cream and death by drowning; the third factor in this case being hot weather. Secondly, this type of research concerns itself with averages. And as the saying goes: "You can easily drown in most rivers with an average depth of three feet." The correlations that have been found this way, involve hereditary factors, behavioral
and nutritional factors, personality factors and social factors. They can be summarized as follows: Long living communities and individuals (on the average): 1. Have parents and close relatives who also reach high ages and have a low incidence of coronary and hereditary diseases. 2. Drink moderately (1 or 2 drinks a day) and don't smoke. 3. Eat low fat, low sugar, low calorie diets and are not overweight. 4. Exercise regularly but not excessively. 5. Are flexible, relaxed, determined, cheerful, optimistic and intelligent (above average IQ). 6. Avoid high risk situations. 7. Have lasting relationships (friends and spouse). 8. Have sex at least 1 or 2 times per week. 9. Experience a moderate or slow change rate in their lives. Even though statistical data doesn't prove any causal relationships, it provides a fairly clear ideal (and composite) picture of the lifestyle and personality of the active, healthy 90-year old. He or she is a happy, flexible person with a moderate, balanced lifestyle and harmonious social relationships. The next question then becomes: "How does one become such a person?" Since most people in our society already know that the described lifestyle is healthy, we know that a simple instruction like "Live happily and moderately" is not enough. We want to find the psychological processes which organize most of the statistically significant factors into a consistent life pattern that can be maintained in a relaxed and almost automatic fashion. We know roughly what a vital old person does, now we need to know how he does it. Most of this information, however, is on the level of behavioral, environmental and general personality factors. Two crucial elements have been missing: 1. an in depth analysis of the specific psychological processes involved, and 2. a way to consolidate all of this data into an integrated system of life-patterns that can be easily attained by the average person. In order to implement such a system, we need to explore the overall psychological factors required to organize and support the behavioral and environmental patterns. Cognitive strategies, beliefs, identity and 'spiritual' issues influence our will to live, our ability to cope with stress created by life-transitions and our ability to establish consistently healthy life-patterns. The importance of these deeper levels of organization is becoming more and more acknowledged by the medical profession. Dr. Peter Van Der Schaar, for instance, director of the International Biomedical Center in the Netherlands (a leading cardio-vascular surgeon for over 25 years and an
orthomolecular specialist studying the biochemical aspects of life extension), proposes that all surgical and chemical knowledge is basically powerless to extend life, unless the patient is able to establish healthy overall life patterns.
Modeling Longevity
NLP was originally developed through the modeling of the shared cognitive, linguistic and behavioral patterns of exceptional therapists such as Fritz Perls, Virginia Satir and Milton Erickson. The same modeling principles may be used to find the patterns of exceptional elderly people who have successfully mastered the aging process.
In May 1988 Robert Dilts and Jaap Hollander conducted an NLP modeling project to identify the strategies and beliefs of four vital and active elderly Dutch people. The project was conducted in a 2 1/2 day workshop-format, organized by the Institute for Eclectic Psychology (IEP) of Nijmegen in The Netherlands. The workshop involved 35 advanced NLP practitioners who participated in the modeling design and assisted in the observation phase. The program started with an evening session during which specific modeling questions were generated and selected. Questions centered around issues such as life transitions, time lines and time perception, relationships to significant others, personal beliefs and values, strategies for coping with stress, illness and death, and attitudes about aging. The following is the list of questions that were asked during the interviews. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. m. n. o. p. q. r. s. t. u. v. Do you consider yourself to be an exceptional person? How do you know that you are vital? Where do you get your energy? What do you consider to be the most important transitions in your life? Which transitions were the most difficult? How did you cope with them? How do you cope with stress and problems in general? What has changed the most about you in your life? What has stayed the same? Have you left any parts of yourself or your life behind? Would you change anything about your life? How do you see your future? How do you relate to your past? Which do you believe is most important in order to live a long and vital life: Mind, Body, or Environment? Which has had the most important role in your life: Vision, Language or Feelings? In order to live a long and vital life which is of more importance: the specific things that you do to keep physically healthy or your general approach to life? What gives you your sense of self or identity? Do you feel that you have a mission or purpose in life? How were you influenced by your relationship with: Your parents? Your children? Your mate? Did you have other role models besides your parents? Who influenced you the most? Who are you the most grateful to? How have you dealt with the death of significant others? Are they still present in your life? How do you think about death in general? How do you deal with illness? What is the difference between age and youth? What is your attitude about the relationship between work and play? What are the most important values to have in life? What are your views on spiritual issues such as God and the afterlife, etc.?
w. x. y. z.
What is the role of emotions in your life? Is humor important for long life? What is your favorite joke? What question do you think is most important for us to answer in our own lives?
r r r
Learn from multiple role models. Incorporate lost loved ones. Integrate earlier developmental stages.
3. Meta-program Patterns r Move toward future positives. r Have a strong internal frame of reference. r Match what helps and mismatch what doesn't. 4. Beliefs & Values r Relationships are very important. r I'm useful to others. r Health and vitality are normal. r Old age is a benefit. r You have to work for it, and its worth working for. 5. Identity r Have a stable identity. r Have an identity that is congruent with personal, family and cultural history. 6. Spiritual r Have an ongoing relationship with the spiritual. It is interesting to note that these results appear to match with the advice of another, more well known, vital elderly person. In an interview in USA Today on his 90th birthday, Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking (which has sold 15 million copies in 40 languages since 1952), gave the following tips for success, health and happiness:
q q q q q q q
Believe in yourself and ride your self confidence. Keep your mind active and you will increase energy. Think positive thoughts. Don't be afraid to try something new. Always strive for the top. Don't dwell on age or sickness. Have faith in God. Love people and try to help others.
Peale, who still travels and lectures regularly, stands as a good model for the potential effects of his own advice. The common approach to life shared by the four models in the NLP study (and echoed by others such as Norman Vincent Peale) can be summarized by the
following six steps: Six Steps to a Long and Vital Life: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Look at the bright side and have a good sense of humor. Keep moving but never leave a part of yourself behind. Stick to who you are and what you want. Value relationships and learn from different people. Move towards a positive future. Sing.
The essence to the models' message about how to live a long and vital life seems to be "Concentrate more on putting more life in your years than years on your life," and longevity will come as a natural result.
developing new strategies and beliefs that involve all of the senses. NLP techniques such as Reframing, the New Behavior Generator, Well-Formedness Conditions for outcomes and Future Pacing provide specific tools to learn many of the important processes described by the models in our study. Advanced NLP skills such as Reimprinting, the Swish Pattern and Integration of Conflicting Beliefs can help people to overcome barriers to these beliefs and strategies should they need it. All of these step-by-step procedures are accessible through the books (Dilts, 1990) and seminars on NLP that are available worldwide, and are beyond the scope of this article. As a result of the research described above, Dilts designed a specific technique/ exercise (see Pattern of the Month) to help directly install both the beliefs and strategies of the vital elderly models. This process may be used to help develop positive beliefs and resources for almost any kind of issue.
References
Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I; Dilts, Robert, et al; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1980. Applications of NLP; Dilts, Robert; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1983. Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Dilts, Robert; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1990. Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being, Dilts, Robert, et al; Metamorphous Press, Portland, OR, 1990. Aging and Health: Effects of the Sense of Control; Rodin, Judith; Science Vol. 233, September 19, 1986, pp.1271-1276. Coping, Stress, Stressors and Health Consequences; Vogel, Wolfgang; Neuropsychobiology 13: 1985, pp. 129-135. Learned Histamine Release; Russell, M., Dark, K. et al; Science Vol. 225, August 17, 1984, pp. 733-734. Psychoneuroimmunology, Ader, R. and Cohen, N.,Academic Press, New York, NY, 1981. Pavlovian Conditioning of Rat Mucosal Mast Cell to Secrete Rat Mast Cell Protease II; MacQueen, G. et al; Science Vol. 243, January 6, 1989, pp. 83-85. NLP and Life Extension: Modeling Longevity, Dilts, R. & Hollander, J., Dynamic Learning Publications, Ben Lomond, CA, 1992. Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
3. Treasure Hunt. Turn around and face your past. Focusing on the feelings of vitality and health that you are experiencing as you stand in your future, begin to slowly walk along your time line into the past. Find the 'treasures' in your past - i.e., any positive experiences that support the capabilities or beliefs needed to accomplish your desired life goals. Also identify any significant others that have helped you develop those beliefs and capabilities, have supported you or have served as a positive model for you. Stop at each place on your time-line where you discover one of these treasures and fully relive the experience, feeling it and enjoying it. It is not necessary that you be conscious of exactly what happened in a particular event or even when exactly it was. Allow the feeling of health and vitality from your future to guide you to the experiences that are most supportive and appropriate.
the the following strategies to help you: i. Compare the negative experiences to something worse that could have happened. As you look back at the negative experience, think of something worse that could have happened but didn't. It may make you thankful that what did occur was only as bad as it was. s Find positive meanings to negative events. An event that is negative on one level may mean something positive within the framework another level. The fact that you experienced a problem on one level may mean that you had solved one on another level. The fact that you perceived something you did as negative may mean that you did not compromise your standards even for yourself. ii. Find causal links from the negative events to positive events. Search for how these negative experiences actually caused positive events to happen at later times. Perhaps some of the most positive things in your life would never have happened without these seemingly negative events. Sometimes the chain of events can be quite long or involved. Try starting with positive events in your life and trace them back to how they were caused either directly or indirectly be the negative events. s Keep the different logical levels in mind. Something that was negative on a behavioral level may have caused positive growth on an identity or spiritual level, etc. For example, a negative physical event may make you a stronger person. iii. Find positive intentions behind the negative events. Even if a particular event is negative the intentions behind the seemingly negative behaviors or situations that caused them may be very positive. For example, the positive intention behind getting ill may be to stop a dangerous life pattern or get needed attention. (Again, positive intentions will probably be on a different level than the actual event itself.) iv. Find the humor in the seemingly negative events. Humor allows to view events from a different perspective. Its healing properties have been well documented. George Bernard Shaw said, "Life does not cease to be funny when people die anymore than it ceases to be serious when people laugh." Once you have made all of these reframes on each of the negative events, associate back into the events on your time line and relive the experiences again within the framework of your
new insights. c. Find a place in your life when you were able to be most in touch with the resource that you would have needed in the negative experience. d. Identify the spot on your time-line that the resource experience is located and associate into it fully. e. Fully experience and feel what that resource is like. Imagine that this resource is a kind of light? Visualize what color of light it would be. What kind of brightness and movement would it have? f. Standing at this resource location, imagine you are shining that light across time to the location of the negative experience. Keep shining the light into the negative experience until it has changed, or your perception of it has changed. Often you will discover that the seemingly negative experience will become a kind of 'buried treasure' rather than something painful. 5. Collecting your Treasures into Your 'Treasure Chest' When you have finally reached the earliest supportive memory, turn back around and once again face your future. Slowly walk into the future, again reliving all of the supportive and resourceful events of your life. This time, however, instead of leaving them where they occurred on your time-line, collect together all of those positive, supporting experiences, memories and significant others and take them with you into your future. So that you feel that all those times and all of those people are with you right now. (As before, you may simply step over or around any negative or nonsupportive experiences.) As you are walking, listen inside you for a song that represents or encapsulates the sense of resourcefulness, support, health and wholeness that you feel. Let that song fill your mind and your heart as you walk toward your future. 6. Build a 'Health Hologram' When you once again arrive at the future goal location you should have brought all of those positive and supportive memories to that location. Fully experience all of these resources and the goal together so they form a single self-reinforcing experience and you feel that your future is fully connected to all of the important people and resources of your past - that all of the events of your life lead congruently and directly to this vital healthy future.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have Suggestions or Comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Transderivational Morphology
Transderivational morphology is an NLP term which refers to the way in which the form or structure of a particular word directs our pathways of mental association; and thus influences the meaning and impact which that word has on us. Morphology is an area of linguistics that has to do with patterns and structures within particular words. (This is in contrast to syntax, which defines the patterns and relationships that take place between words.) For example, the difference between the words "happy," "happily," "unhappy," "happiest," "happiness," and "unhappiness," is their morphology, or structure. They are all derived from the same root word, but given different twists through the various affixes (prefixes and suffixes) which have been added to the base word. In linguistics, morphological derivation is defined as "the process by which a new word is built from a base, usually through the addition of an affix." Derivation creates a new word by changing the category and/or the meaning of the base word to which it applies. The derivational affix "er," for instance, combines with a verb "X" to create a noun with the meaning "one who does X." The verbs "drive," "jump," "teach," "heal," "help," etc., can all be transformed into nouns by adding the suffix "er" -- i.e., driver, jumper, teacher, healer, helper. From an NLP perspective, the addition of the "er" suffix also begins to shift the word from being primarily focused at the behavior and capability level to the identity level. Some suffixes create adjectives. Adding the suffix "ive" to certain words, for instance, creates and adjective meaning "performs or tends toward an indicated action" -- "responsive," "abusive," "active," "reclusive," etc. Adding prefixes can also create new words. Combining the prefix "re" with a verb, for instance will make a new verb (instead of changing it to a noun), meaning "to X again" -- e.g., "redrive," "reteach," "reheal," etc. Attaching the prefix "un" to a word X creates a new word meaning "not X" ("unhealthy," "unfriendly," "unresponsive," etc.). Thus, prefixes and suffixes can be added to practically any existing words in order to create new words. It is interesting to note, for instance, that the suffix "ize" (which is of Greek origin) was intentionally introduced into English by Thomas Nashe (1567-
1601) in order to "remedy the surplus of monosyllabic words." Almost any noun or adjective can be made into a verb by adding "ize" (e.g., "hospitalize," "familiarize," "finalize," "prioritize"); meaning "cause to be or conform to or resemble." Many technical terms are coined this way (e.g., "oxidize") as well as verbs of ethnic derivation ("Americanize") and verbs derived from proper names ("mesmerize"). Trans-derivational morphology was initially suggested by Richard Bandler in the early 1980's as an extension of the Meta Model (during a similar period as many of the early developments with submodalities). Transderivational morphology implies the examination of the movement of a root word across several derivations. Robert Dilts and Todd Epstein worked with Bandler on the notion, and created several procedures for exploring and applying it. In NLP, a transderivational search (Bandler and Grinder, 1976) is essentially the process of searching back through one's stored memories and mental representations to find the personal reference experiences from which a current understanding or mental map has been derived. In its existing NLP applications, 'transderivational morphology' primarily focuses on the psychological (or "neurolinguistic") effects that various prefixes and suffixes have on the way we understand and are influenced by particular words. The philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson aptly referred to words as a "fossil poems"; implying that the history and "poetry" of a word is encoded in its structure. As author Julian Jaynes so poignantly pointed out: Because in our brief lives we catch so little of the vastness of history, we tend too much to think of language as being solid as a dictionary, with a granite-like permanence, rather than as the rampant sea of metaphor which it is. (The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, 1976). Similar to the skeletons of animals, from which biological fossils are formed, a word's morphology carries a certain amount of information about the word's history, and often tells a story. Etymology is the name given to the study of the history of a linguistic form (such as a word or phrase). Exploring the etymology of a word involves tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, and its transmission from one language to another. This is often done by analyzing the word or phrase into its component parts, identifying related words, or word components ("morphemes") in other languages, or by tracing it and its components to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language. As an example, the English term "addiction" is used to describe dependency on a
particular drug or other substance. The term originally comes from the Latin word addictio which was "a formal award or assignment of a person or thing to another"; such as an award made by a magistrate or a debtor to his creditor. The Latin word comes from the combination of the prefix ad (meaning "to" or "toward") and the word dictus, meaning "say" or "speak" Thus, the term literally means "to say" or make a declaration. The implication of this is that the "addict" was verbally given over to another without his or her consent or choice. In fact, addiction is considered to be the opposite of freedom or choice. Thus, the history of the development of a word is frequently embedded in its structure. Prefixes and suffixes, for instance, carry information about whether the root of the word is Greek, Latin, German, etc. Prefixes such as syn, trans, and com, for example, are Latin; as are the suffixes able, ive, al, and ation. Prefixes such as meta, neo and exo are Greek; and so are the suffixes ology, ist, ism, and ia. The suffix "ing," however, is of Norse origin; and "ful" and "ness" are Old English. Greek suffixes typically go with words that have Greek roots; such as: phobia (phobos = fear), paranoia (nous = mind), mania (menos = spirit), pneumonia (pneuma = air). Latin suffixes accompany base words that are Latin: infection (inficere = "to stain" or "to taint"; facere = "to do or make"), inflammation (flamme = "flame"), addiction (dictus = "to say or speak"). There are words, however, in which the suffixes shift. The word "organizationally," for instance, comes from "organ" + "ize" + "ation" + "al" + "ly". "Organ" and "ize" are Greek; but "ation" and "al" are Latin. The suffix "ly" is actually Old English. Organ is an ancient Greek word meaning "tool," and "ize" is a Greek suffix meaning "to resemble." Thus, when something is "organized" it is "like a tool." The suffixes "ation" and "al" however, are Latin. Interestingly, the terms "organization" and "organizational" didn't come into use (according to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary) until the 15th Century, when Latin was the dominant language. The word "organizationally" was not used until 1881, when the English language was becoming more dominant. It is also significant that the various word endings change the category to which the word belongs. Organ is a noun, organize is a verb, organization is a noun, organizational is an adjective, organizationally is an adverb.
Different Suffixes Can Change the Deeper Structure Category to which a Word Belongs
From the "neurolinguistic" perspective, the syntactic category into which a word falls also changes the path of mental association that we use to make sense of it. Neurologically, the coherent patterns of thought and and association that we use to understand our world and organize our behavior derive from "convergence zones" within the nervous system. These convergence zones mobilize and bring together clusters of activity from other parts of the system. The establishment of such points of convergence is considered a critical element in the processes of learning and communication. Language appears to be a very highly developed way of forming convergence zones for clusters of other cognitive activity. Recent neurological studies indicate that a word serves as a point of convergence or confluence for other neural circuits. (These types of convergence zones are known as "attractors" in the language of selforganization theory.) The meaning and significance of a word to a particular individual is a function of the amount of neurology it mobilizes. The verbal labeling of an experience allows it to be associated and connected to other neural circuits. It influences the process of "transderivational search" that we use to give meaning to the word. Nouns, for example, will trigger different forms of transderivational search than verbs. We are likely to associate to completely different personal reference experiences with the word "organ," for instance, than we would with "organize." The word "organ" might trigger a mental image of a part of the body (such as the lungs, liver, kidney, or heart), or of a musical instrument. We would probably make no such associations with the word "organize." Instead, one might visualize a mental movie of tidying one's desk or planning a social activity. Thus, the addition of a single suffix can completely redirect our whole path of association. According to the notion of transderivational search, the slight shifts in surface structure lead to large changes in the deep structures from which the meaning of the
word is derived.
Shifts in Linguistic Surface Structures Lead to Different Paths of Association at the Level of Deep Structure.
Like many of the linguistic patterns defined by NLP, the concept of transderivational morphology comes from exploring the intuitions of native speakers. We have many unconscious intuitions about suffixes and prefixes as native speakers of our language. Native speakers of English, for example, will recognize "peaceful," "happiness" and "contentment" as well-formed words referring to a related group of positive emotional states. Part of the construction of the words includes well-known suffixes in English: "ful," "ness" and "ment." If the suffixes are switched around, however, the words will sound strange. "Peaceness," "happiment" and "contentful" seem like they could or should have meaning, but they are unusual. Try playing around with words like Communist, Capitalist, Freudian, Christian, programmer, and practitioner. Switch around the endings and notice how it affects you: e.g., Communian, Capitaler, Freudist, Christer, programmist, and practitian. From an NLP perspective, various affixes (prefixes and suffixes) could be considered to operate as types of 'verbal submodalities'. In fact, shifts in affixes are often highly correlated with shifts in the submodalities of the non-verbal portion of the inner representations associated with the word. For example, adding "ing" to a word, often results in the addition of the submodality of movement to whatever inner representation a person has for that word. Take words like "hand," "sled," "flower," "bite," or "sleep," for instance. Our initial representation of the experiential 'deep structure' to which these words refer is most likely an image or sense of some static object or event. Adding "ing" to produce "handing," "sledding," "flowering," "biting" or "sleeping," typically immediately brings in or increases a sense of movement with respect to the inner representation.
Try this out with some other words; such as "rock" --> "rocking"; "smile" --> "smiling"; "e-mail" --> "e-mailing"; etc. Notice how adding the suffix alters your internal representations. It is also interesting to do this exercise with respect to words that we do not typically associate with the ending "ing." Think of some words like "phobia," "cancer," "victim," "problem," etc. Add the suffix "ing" and notice how your perception of the experiences or phenomena to which these words refer changes (i.e., "phobing," "cancering," "victiming," "probleming"). It is probably different than the way you normally think about it. It may even prompt you to smile or laugh, because it seems incongruous or unusual. One of the main applications of 'transderivational morphology', in fact, is to shift our internal response to key words that constrain or limit us, by playing with the structure or morphology of the word. In the following exercise, for instance, words associated with problem states are "defused" by substituting alternative prefixes and suffixes.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Some possible prefixes and suffixes are listed below: Suffixes Prefixes
3. Notice the shifts that the different affixes make on your experience. You can use the following worksheet to explore and record the impact of the various word structures. Submodality Characteristics include distinctions such as: Movement Color Focus Perspective Distance Location Size Adding the prefix "un" to fail in order to make "unfail," for instance, may reverse the direction of a particular mental movie. Adding the suffixes "ment" or "ia" to create "failment" and "failia" may shift the image of the reference experience to one that is more disassociated, or shift the feeling response that you have to the word to a different location in your body. Physiological Cues involve changes in breathing, body symmetry, eye position, posture, etc., that accompany your reaction to the word. You may have a different eye position while considering the term "prefailure" than "refailure" or "metafailure." Meta Program Patterns relate to distinctions such as: Chunk Size: larger - smaller Time Orientation: past - present - future Point of Reference: self (internal) - other (external) - context (neutral) Attitude: toward - away Altering the word "fail" to "cofail," for example, may shift the point of reference from 'self' to 'other' or 'context'. Creating the words "transfailation" and "defailize" may change the 'chunk size' with which one is considering the experience to be either larger or smaller. Logical Level changes involve the shift in the focus of the reference experience to different 'levels' of experience; i.e., environment, behavior, capabilities, beliefs and values, or identity. A person may originally experience the meaning of "failure" at the level of belief or identity, for instance. Altering the word to "failable" or "failizing" may move the focus of the experience to the level of capability. Usually, there will combinations of patterns. Shifting the term "failure" to "failist," or "failite" may focus the experience at the identity level but simultaneously make it more disassociated.
References
Contemporary Linguistics; O'Grady, W., Dobrovolsky, M., and Aronoff, M., 1989. Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have Suggestions or Comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Anchoring
In NLP, "anchoring" refers to the process of associating an internal response with some external or internal trigger so that the response may be quickly, and sometimes covertly, reaccessed. Anchoring is a process that on the surface is similar to the "conditioning" technique used by Pavlov to create a link between the hearing of a bell and salivation in dogs. By associating the sound of a bell with the act of giving food to his dogs, Pavlov found he could eventually just ring the bell and the dogs would start salivating, even though no food was given. In the behaviorist's stimulus-response conditioning formula, however, the stimulus is always an environmental cue and the response is always a specific behavioral action. The association is considered reflexive and not a matter of choice. In NLP this type of associative conditioning has been expanded to include links between other aspects of experience than purely environment cues and behavioral responses. A remembered picture may become an anchor for a particular internal feeling, for instance. A touch on the leg may become an anchor for a visual fantasy or even a belief. A voice tone may become an anchor for a state of excitement or confidence. A person may consciously choose to establish and retrigger these associations for himself. Rather than being a mindless knee-jerk reflex, an anchor becomes a tool for self empowerment. Anchoring can be a very useful tool for helping to establish and reactivate the mental processes associated with creativity, learning, concentration and other important resources. It is significant that the metaphor of an "anchor" is used in NLP terminology. The anchor of a ship or boat is attached by the members of the ships crew to some stable point in order to hold the ship in a certain area and keep it from floating away. The implication of this is that the cue which serves as a psychological "anchor" is not so much a mechanical stimulus which "causes" a response as it is a reference point that helps to stabilize a particular state. To extend the analogy fully, a ship could be considered the focus our consciousness on the ocean of experience. Anchors serve as reference points which help us to find a particular location on this experiential sea and to hold our attention there and keep it from drifting. The process of establishing an anchor basically involves associating two experiences together in time. In behavioral conditioning models, associations become more
strongly established through repetition. Repetition may also be used to strengthen anchors as well. For example, you could ask someone to vividly re-experience a time she was very creative and pat her shoulder while she is thinking of the experience. If you repeat this once or twice the pat on shoulder will begin to become linked to the creative state. Eventually a pat on the shoulder will automatically remind the person of the creative state.
"Aha!" - and you turn on a transparency, it is going to be received in a different way and associated in a different way than if people are struggling with a concept. Timing can be very important. It is important for a teacher to time the presentation of material in relation to the state of his or her learners. If the teacher has a cognitive package to present, such as a key word or a visual map, he or she must wait for the moment that the 'iron gets hot'. When the teacher senses that there's a kind of a readiness, or a surge, or an openness in the group, at that moment he or she would introduce the concepts or show the key words. Because the point of anchoring is that a teacher is not just giving information, he or she is also providing stimuli that gets connected to the reference experiences of the learners. This is why stimuli that are symbolic are often more effective anchors. The kinds of questions that a teacher needs to answer are, "When do I introduce this idea?" and "How strongly do I want people to experience it, or respond to it?" For example, if the teacher is facilitating a discussion, an issue might arise that is deeply related to beliefs and values that is strongly felt, especially by some people. In that moment, if the presenter puts information out, it becomes connected with that degree of interest or involvement. The point is that anchoring is not simply a mechanical matter of presenting cognitive maps and giving examples. There's also the issue of the state of commitment or interest of the learners, as well. Sometimes a teacher will want to let a discussion go on, not just because people are making logical connections, but because the energy level of the group is intensifying, and you want to capture that moment. In other times, if the state of the group is low, the teacher might not want to anchor that state to certain topics or reference experiences. People may use anchors to reaccess resourceful states in themselves as well as in others. It is possible for a teachers, for instance, to use a self-anchor to get into the state he or she desires to be in as a leader of a group. A self-anchor could be an internal image of something that, when thought about, automatically brings on that state. Somebody one is close to, for instance. One could also make a self anchor through an example. Talking about one's children, or some experience that has a lot of very deep associations. In summary, anchors employ the process of association to:
q q q
focus awareness reaccess cognitive knowledge and internal states connect experiences together in order to: r enrich meaning r consolidate knowledge
Cues that are anchors can help to transfer learnings to other contexts. The 'cue' used as an anchor may be either verbal, non-verbal or symbolic (a person may even become an anchor). Common objects and cues from a person's home or working environment may make effective anchors. Some common types of cues used to create anchors include:
Establishing an Anchor
One of the skills of effective teaching or learning is being able to 'imprint' something by catching those moments when information will be associated with positive or powerful internal states. Pavlov found there were two ways of creating associations. One was through repetition, the continual association between a stimulus and a response. The other had to do with connecting an intense internal state to a particular stimulus. People, for example, people remember the details of highly emotional experiences with no repetition at all. The association is made immediately. These are two important aspects related to establishing an anchor. One is the continued reinforcement of the anchor. Pavlov found that if he started ringing the bell and not giving the food, eventually the response to the bell would diminish and fail. For an anchor to last for a long time, it has to be in some way reinforced. This is an important issue with respect to continued self-learning. The other aspect has to do with the richness and intensity of the experience one is attempting to anchor. As an example, let's say a couple is preparing for childbirth. The husband is usually in the role of the coach to the expectant mother. One of the challenges of being a coach during birth is that the experience is so intense that it's hard to transfer everything you know because the real situation is so different than the one in which you practice. You practice breathing and the various other techniques at home in a comfortable state, but when the reality happens its a completely different situation that makes it difficult to remember all the techniques that you have practiced. One helpful strategy is to make an anchor. When the expectant mother is in the state that she wants to be able to maintain throughout the birth process, she can make an internal anchor, such as a symbol. She could be asked, "What would symbolize this state?" Let's say she imagines a nautilus shell - a snail shell that has a big opening on the bottom. The couple could then actually buy one of these shells. Then during all their practice sessions, the expectant mother could focus her eyes on the shell. The shell may then be brought into the hospital during the actual child birth process, and
be an ongoing trigger to help generalize the desired state to the actual birthing process. As another example, let's say a team leader is trying to get a group into a positive state for brainstorming, and has done a very nice job of creating a motivated state. The question is, how can the leader anchor that state so that he or she can get back that same degree of motivation more quickly in the future? One way is through particular behaviors, such as a special eye contact, or facial expressions, that could be used again later to trigger that state. Another way is to use something external as a means to draw the focus of the group - like pointing to a flip chart or referring to a transparency.
Anchoring-Elaboration Cycle
An anchor is often best established by first associating the cue with the experience, then going through a cycle in which the experience is continually elaborated and the anchor repeated. The 'elaboration - anchoring' cycle is a useful way to reinforce learnings and associations. After the initial association is made, the communicator or teacher will want to 'elaborate' the number of connections by stimulating and anchoring associations such as, "How does this apply to your work?" "How does this relate to your family?" "How does this relate to a friend, or an ongoing situation?" This is not simply a repetitive reinforcement, it's an enrichment and an elaboration of the space of experience which one is trying to anchor to something. The more that can be elaborated or elicited with respect to a particular concept or reference experience, the stronger that anchor will tend to be. For example, music often affects people because of what was happening their when they first heard a particular song. Something important or something significant in their life was going on and the song happened to be on the radio. This is the essence of 'nostalgia'. One can anchor by returning to specific examples, stories, or jokes. Think about being with a group of friends. When you repeat a story about some experience, you recreate the same feeling that you had when you were together before. The word "anchoring" is itself an anchor. During this discussion, for example, we have been connecting a number of different reference experiences to the term 'anchor'. 'Anchoring' is the term we keep coming back to elaborating the richness of its meaning.
Natural Anchors
Natural anchors relate to the fact that not all stimuli are equally effective as anchors. We form associations with respect to some cues more readily than others. Clearly, the ability to make associations with respect to environmental cues in order to choose appropriate responses is vital to the survival of all higher animals. As a result, various species of animals develop more sensitivity to certain types of stimuli than others. Rats, for instance, who are given two water dishes containing safe or tainted drinking water, learn very quickly to distinguish the safe from the tainted water if the tainted water is a different color than the safe water. It takes them much longer to learn to distinguish the two if they are simply put in two containers of different shapes. Color is a more "natural" associative anchor for rats than shape. Similarly, Pavlov found that his dogs could be conditioned to salivate much more quickly and eaily with sound as a stimulus than if visual cues, such as colors and shapes, were used as a conditioning stimuli. Natural anchors are probably related to basic neurological capabilities. Words, for instance, are able to form powerful anchors for humans, but not for other species. Other mammals (provided they can hear) respond to tone of voice more than the specific words being used. This is presumeably because they lack the neural apparatus to be able to recognize verbal distinctions to the same degree of detail that humans do. Even in humans, some sense organs and parts of the body have more discriminative capacity than others. A person's forearm, for example, has less tactile nerve endings than the palm of the hand. Thus, a person is able to make finer discriminations with the fingers and hands than with his or her arms. The awareness of "natural anchors" is important in selecting types of stimuli to be used for anchoring. Different types of media can be used to help make certain types of associations more easily. With people, individuals may have certain natural tendencies toward certain types of anchors because of their natural or learned representational abilities. A visually oriented person will be more sensitive to visual cues; kinesthetically oriented people may make associations more easily with tactile cues; individuals who are auditorally oriented will be reponsive to subtle sounds, and so on. Smells often form powerful anchors for people. This is partially because the sense of smell is wired directly to the association areas of the brain.
Covert Anchors
Sometimes the most powerful anchors for people are those in which the stimulus is outside of awareness. These are called "covert" anchors. The power of covert anchors comes from the fact that they bypass conscious filtering and interference. This can be useful if a person (or group) is struggling to make a change because his or her conscious mind keeps getting in the way. It also makes covert anchors a powerful form of influence.
Covert anchors are often established with respect to stimuli that are from an individual's least conscious representational system. A highly visual person, for instance, may be unaware of subtle shifts in tone of voice. Voice, then, may become a rich source of unconscious cues for that person.
amount of the state or experience you are anchoring, then the anchor can only be associated with that particular amount. Incidentally, "intensity" does not simply have to do with a person's degree of emotional arousal. A person may be in a very strong disassociated state, in which he or she feels no emotional reaction at all. "Purity" of response has to do with whether or not the response or experience you are attempting to anchor has been "contaminated" by other irrelevant or conflicting thoughts, feelings or reactions. It is possible that a person may very intensely experience the state to be anchored, but also mix it with other states and experiences. Another way to state this condition is that you will get back exactly what you anchor. As they say in the parlance of computer programming, "Garbage in, garbage out." If reaching out to anchor someone with a touch makes him or her suspicious, then that suspicion becomes part of the state that is anchored. If you ask a person to think of something positive, but that person is recalling a disassociated memory of the event, and judging whether or not he or she has chosen the right event, then you will be anchoring disassociation and judgment. 2. Uniqueness of the Stimulus used as the "Anchor" The condition of "uniqueness of stimulus" relates to the fact that we are always making associations between cues in the world around us and our internal states and reactions. Some stimuli are so common that they make ineffective anchors, largely because they have already been associated with so many other contexts and responses. Shaking hands or touching a person's shoulder are much less unique stimuli than a touch on the middle digit of the little finger. Unique stimuli mae better and longer lasting anchors. It is important to note that "uniqueness" is not the same as "intensity". A more intense stimulus is not necessarily a more effective anchor. A more intense stimulus may be unique, but very subtle, even unconscious stimuli (such as the subtle smells and sensations that trigger allergic reactions), may be unique and thus very strong anchors. 3. Timing of the Pairing of Stimulus and Response The relationship in time between stimulus and response is one of the key conditions of effective association. According to the basic 'laws' of association, when two experiences occur close enough together a sufficient number of times, the two experiences become associated
with one another. Studies involving classical conditioning have shown that this association proceeds only forward in time; that is, the stimulus (the bell) must precede the response (salivating when eating food). There also seems to be an optimal interval at which various types of associations are most easily made. For quick reflexes such as an eyeblink, this interval is about one-half second; longer or shorter intervals are less effective. For slower reactions such as salivation the interval is longer, perhaps two seconds or so. In learning verbal associations timing is much less critical than in classical conditioning. Verbal pairs are learned with almost equal ease whether presented simultaneously or separated by several seconds. In NLP, the optimal anchoring period is determined in relationship to the peak of the intensity of the response or state one is anchoring. It is generally taught that the stimulus should be initiated when the response to be anchored had reached about two-thirds of its peak. If possible, the anchoring stimulus should be held until just after the state has stabilized or begins or diminish. In this way, the association is created between the stimulus and the crest of the response. To do this, the response must be "calibrated," so that the behavioral charactersitics of the response are known before the anchoring is attempted.
Anchoring Stimulus
It is Best to Provide the Anchoring Stimulus Just Before the Intensity of the Response Reaches Its Peak
4. Context Surrounding the Anchoring Experience Context is an important influence on anchoring that is often ignored. The context or environement surrounding an interaction contains many cues which may effect the anchoring process. Even though they are not
the primary focus of attention, environmental cues can become anchors. In what is called "context association," the general environment may begin to elicit a response that is being conditioned to a specific stimulus. (Context association is the basis for "locational anchors.") It is interesting to note, in this regard, that Pavlov first accidently discovered the notion of conditioned reflexes as a result of contextual conditioning. For his research on digestion, Pavlov needed to collect saliva from his laboratory animals. He stimulated saliva flow by placing meat powder in the dog's mouth; soon he noticed the dog would begin salivating at the sight of the experimenter, in the expectation of receiving meat powder. In some cases, contextual stimuli may combine with the primary anchoring stimulus, making the environment part of the overall anchoring experience. Because of this, many anchors are "context dependent." That is, they work more effectively in the context in which they were initially established. The influence of context relates to the process of 'Learning II'. In addition to being part of the anchoring stimulus, context shapes perceptual filters and attention. Anchoring is a classical 'Learning I' process, but humans and animals are not robots. Whether or not a context is interpreted as being "safe," "important," "unfaimiliar," "a learning context," "a place to explore," etc. will determine which type of stimuli people pay attention to, and how readily and easily certain types of anchors will be established. From this perspective it is important that the rapport between the individuals involved in the anchoring process and the environment be condusive to the type of anchors one intends to establish.
Also see the NLP Pattern of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth. You also may want to visit the Anchor Point Page. Anchor Point is the practical journal of NLP.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page.
If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
After you have done this for a few seconds, stop thinking of the experience and shake off the state. Step 5. Repeat 'Step 4' several times, each time enhancing your experience of the resource state by amplifying any submodalities (color, movement, brightness, etc.) associated with the state, and including all representational modalities (sight, sound, feeling, movement, smell and taste). Step 6. Test your anchor by clearing your mind and simply touching or squeezing your self anchor location. The associated experience of your resource state should arise spontaneously without any conscious effort. Continue to repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have easy access to your resource state. Step 7. Identify some of the situations in which you would like to have more of your state. Imagine being each situation touch your self anchor in order to create and automatic association. As you do this exercise, pay attention to the cues and distinctions that allow you to access and discriminate between the representational systems you are accessing and the state you are creating. You may also wish to establish anchors for yourself in this way for other states or experiences such as relaxation, creativity, motivation, etc. In a way, the pattern of this process is that embodied by all biofeedback: A certain state picked and identified. As the individual accesses that state he is given feedback for it by way of a particular stimulus_the tightness of the grip in this case (Ke ); it is done through tones (Ae ), or by intensity or color of light or the position of an arm on a dial (Ve ) in other biofeedback processes. After a while the feedback stimulus and the target state become associated (the stimulus becomes an anchor for the state) so that the mere presentation of the feedback stimulus anchors and contributes to to the development of the target state. You may want to experiment with internal anchors as well. For instance, if you wish to be able to access a state of relaxation easily you can begin by imaging a color vividly in your mind's eye. Begin to allow your body to relax as much as possible, lowering your breathing and relaxing any tense muscles. As you reach the state you desire, watch the color change to a color that most exemplifies that state for you (from orange to blue for example). You may also wish to allow the color to change configuration (watch it drip down into your stomach as it changes color). Keep practicing until you are able to access the state of relaxation by simply imagining the color. Then, when you notice you are tense or anxious, and you wish to have a choice about the condition, all you need to do is simply close your eyes momentarily, take a deep breath and imagine the color, and it will access the desired state.
Many forms of meditation involve auditory anchors like mantras and chanting to access downtime states or relaxation. The words or sounds are repeated as the individual enters the state. Later, repeating the sounds will readily anchor up the designated state.
Extinguishing an Anchor
A common question that people have is, "How long does an anchor last?" The answer to that question relates to how many of the "well-formedness conditions" for anchoring it meets. An anchor made of an intense response, a unique stimulus, a welltimed association and which has been appropriately contextualized can last a very long time. According to Pavlov, some of the conditioned reflexes of his dogs were only extinguished with the death of the animal. This holds true with negative anchors (such as phobias) as well as positive anchors, however. Sometimes it is useful to have a way of changing or "extinguishing" an anchor. NLP provides a number of ways to have more choices about automatic anchors. If you ever want to reprogram or "get rid of" any anchors you have established for yourself, for instance, all you need to do is "collapse" the anchor with some other anchor or experience. For example, you could squeeze your wrist at the same time you fire off some other anchor or when you are experiencing some other state. Remember, though, that when you fire off the anchor you wish to reprogram it will influence your ongoing experience, so that when you are reprogramming yourself be sure to pick anchors, states and/or experiences that are of equal intensity and strength to the one you are changing. If you wish to strengthen an anchor be sure you pick a stimulus that you can keep fairly autonomous and that won't be accidentally fired off and integrated with others. The NLP techniques of VK Disassociation, Chaining and Change Personal History provide other ways of "extinguishing" or transforming problematic anchors.
Also see the Article of the Month or the Archives if you are interested in checking out NLP in more depth.
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or
comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Robert B. Dilts
Mr. Dilts has been a developer, author, trainer and consultant in the field of NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP)a model of human behavior, learning and communication since its creation in 1975 by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. A long time student and colleague of both Grinder and Bandler, Mr. Dilts also studied personally with Milton H. Erickson, M.D., and Gregory Bateson. In addition to spearheading the applications of NLP to education, creativity, health, and leadership, his personal contributions to the field of NLP include much of the seminal work on the NLP techniques of Strategies and Belief Systems, and the development of what has become known as Systemic NLP. Some of his techniques and models include: Reimprinting, Integration of Conflicting Beliefs, Sleight of Mouth Patterns, The Spelling Strategy, The Allergy Technique, Neuro-Logical Levels, The Belief Change Cycle, Generative NLP Patterns, the Unified Field Theory for NLP and many others.
He is the principle author of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I (with John Grinder, Richard Bandler and Judith DeLozier, 1980), which serves as the standard reference text for the field, and has authored numerous other books on NLP. Changing Belief Systems with NLP (1990) and Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well Being (with Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith, 1990) describe his work in changing limiting beliefs and creating functional belief systems. Tools for Dreamers (with Todd Epstein and Robert W. Dilts, 1991) and Skills for the Future (with Gino Bonissone, 1993), explore the applications of NLP to manage and enhance creativity. Effective Presentation Skills (1994) covers the key skills necessary for successful public speaking. Strategies of Genius Vols. IIII (1994-1995), apply the tools of NLP to model the thinking processes of important historical figures; including Aristotle, Sherlock Holmes, Disney, Mozart, Einstein, Freud, Leonardo and Nikola Tesla. Dynamic Learning (with Todd Epstein, 1995), explores the development of effective strategies for learning and teaching. Visionary Leadership Skills (1996), studies tools and skills necessary for "creating a world to which people want to belong." Tools of the Spirit (with Robert McDonald, 1997), explores how NLP principles and processes may be used to encourage and enhance spiritual growth and
development. Modeling with NLP (1998) covers the tools and skills for modeling the behavior of exceptional people, illustrating the application of NLP modeling procedures to the study of effective leadership ability. Sleight of Mouth (1999) describes the set of verbal reframing patterns he developed to conversationaly influence beliefs. The Encyclopedia of Systemic Neuro-Linguistic Programming and NLP New Coding (with Judith DeLozier, 2000), provides a comprehensive overview of the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, including its wide range of applications, techniques and influences. Alpha Leadership: Tools for Business Leaders Who Want More From Life (with Ann Deering and Julian Russell, 2002) describes a new model of leadership that captures and shares the latest know-how on the practice of effective leadership, offering approaches to reduce stress and to promote satisfaction. Dilts' most recent work From Coach to Awakener (2003) provides a road map and set of toolboxes for coaches to help clients to goals on a number of different levels of learning and change.
Recognized internationally as one of the foremost developers, trainers and practitioners of NLP, Mr. Dilts has done consulting and training throughout the world to a wide variety of professional groups and organizations. Past sponsors and clients include Apple Computer, World Bank, Hewlett Packard, Ernst & Young, Telecom Italia, Lucasfilms Ltd., Alitalia, The American Society for Training and Development, The University of Miami School of Medicine, and all of the major NLP institutes. He has lectured extensively on NLP, making presentations and keynote addresses for The European Forum for Quality Management, The World Health Organization, Harvard University, The California Association of Special Education Teachers and The National Tumor Institute of Italy.
Dilts was head of an extensive study of leadership skills, organizational values and creativity for Fiat, spanning more that a dozen years. He is currently an associate professor at ISVOR Fiat, the corporate university for the Fiat Group and has been extensively involved in the development of the new Fiat Leadership Model. He is also chief scientist for a US based joint venture with ISVOR Fiat, ISVOR DILTS Leadership Systems. The mission ISVOR DILTS is to deliver a wide range of innovative leadership development programs to large corporations on a global scale. These programs leverage leading edge e-learning solutions and other new technologies to serve corporate clients around the world. Dilts also headed a project with the State Railway of Italy involving organizational learning and communication skills for trainers, instructors and presenters. He has developed a certification program for NLP and systemic thinking skills for the
management development group of IBM Europe, and supervised the design of Tools for Living, the behavior management portion of the program used by Weight Watchers International.
In 1982 Mr. Dilts co-founded the Dynamic Learning Center with the late Todd Epstein. In 1991 he and Epstein established NLP University which provides a full range of basic and advanced NLP training. He and Epstein were also the founders of Dynamic Learning Publications and The Academy of Behavioral Technology.
Dilts is also a co-founder (with Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith) of the Institute for Advanced Studies of Health (IASH). IASH is a non-profit organization, established in 1994, which supports research and networking relating to the application of Systemic NLP methods to the area of health. As part of this mission, IASH provides administration for The NLP World Health Community and Health Certification Training. IASH maintains an international directory of certified NLP Health Practitioners.
In 1981 Mr. Dilts established Behavioral Engineering, a computer software company using NLP concepts to create interactive computer products for education, training and personal development. He is the author of over two dozen computer programs including Spelling Strategy and Math Strategy, Typing Strategy and Mind Master - a unique computer interface utilizing the electrical activity of the skin to allow the computer to respond to a person's thought patterns. The Mind Master was featured in two television documentaries on computer aid to the handicapped and an interactive theater production at Expo 86.
Mr. Dilts is also the co-inventor of a unique biofeedback device known as the NeuroLink, which simultaneously monitors and records activity in heart rate, body temperature and the electrical activity on the left and right sides of the body. Dilts' State Enhancement Coach software combines these key measurements of nervous system activity with artificial intelligence and NLP methods and principles to help people achieve optimal states of health, learning and personal performance. The NeuroLink is the core technology for the Mind Drive products marketed by The Other 90%.
Other organizations founded or co-founded by Dilts include the Global NLP Training and Consulting Community (GTC) and Dilts Strategy Group (DSG). The vision of the Global NLP Training and Consulting Community is that of a worldwide network of competent trainers, consultants, developers and sponsors who share the mission of bringing the presuppositions and practices of NLP to social systems, organizations, groups and individuals. The members of this community recognize that effective training, consulting, coaching, developing and organizing require leadership the skill to bring vision into action and support learning and change.
The mission of the Dilts Strategy Group is to bring together proven business criteria with strategic knowledge to help companies grow and succeed. With the dawn of the Internet revolution and the continuing globalization of business, such proven strategies have become essential in order for organizations to survive and succeed in making the transition to the new business paradigm.
From 1979-1981 Mr. Dilts was Vice President and Director of Research for NOT Ltd. Division of Training and Research in NLP where he helped design the curriculum and testing procedures for the first NLP Practitioner and Master Practitioner certification programs with Leslie Cameron-Bandler-Lebeau, David Gordon and Maribeth Meyers-Anderson.
Mr. Dilts has a degree in Behavioral Technology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He received the President's Undergraduate Fellowship in 1977 for research correlating eye movement and brain function conducted at the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute in San Francisco.
BOOKS
1. From Coach to Awakener; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 2003. 2. Alpha Leadership: Tools for Leaders Who Want More From Life, coauthored with Anne Deering and Julian Russell, John Wiley & Sons, London,
3.
17. 18.
England, 2002. Encyclopedia of Systemic Neuro-Linguistic Programming and NLP New Coding, co-authored with Judith DeLozier, NLP University Press, Santa Cruz, CA, 2000. Sleight of Mouth: The Magic of Conversational Belief Change; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1999. Modeling with NLP; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1998. Tools of the Spirit, co-authored with Robert McDonald, Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1997. Visionary Leadership Skills: Creating a World to Which People Want to Belong; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1996. Dynamic Learning; co-authored with Todd Epstein, Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1995. Strategies of Genius Volumes I, II & III; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1994-1995. Effective Presentation Skills; Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1994. Skills for the Future: Managing Creativity and Innovation (with Gino Bonissone); Meta Publications, Capitola, CA, 1993. Cognitive Patterns of Jesus of Nazareth: Tools of the Spirit; Dynamic Learning Publications, Ben Lomond, CA., 1992 Tools For Dreamers: Strategies of Creativity and the Structure of Innovation, co-authored with Todd Epstein and Robert W. Dilts, Meta Publications, Capitola, Ca., 1991. Beliefs: Pathways to Health & Well-Being, co-authored with Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith, Metamorphous Press, Portland, OR, 1990. Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Meta Publications, Capitola, Ca.,1990. Applications of Neuro-Linguistic Programming: A practical guide to communication, learning and change, Meta Publications, Capitola, Ca., 1983. Roots of Neuro-Linguistic Programming: A reference guide to the technology of NLP , Meta Publications, Capitola, Ca., 1983. Neuro-Linguistic Programming: The Study of the Structure of Subjective Experience, Volume I ; co-authored with John Grinder, Richard Bandler, & Judith DeLozier, Meta Publications, Capitola, Ca., 1980.
ARTICLES
19. Leadership Cults and Cultures (co-authored with Anne Deering and Julian Russell); Leader to Leader, Number 28, Spring 2003, New York, NY. 20. NLP and Distance Learning (co-authored with Judith DeLozier); Anchor Point, February, 2003, Salt Lake City, UT. 21. Ethics and Leadership, Isvor Training and Education Review, Volume IV, Number 7, December, 2001, Turin, Italy.
22. Resolving Grief with NLP, The Health Attractor Journal, August 2001, Salt Lake City, UT. 23. Shared Values of the NLP Community, Anchor Point, January, 2001, Salt Lake City, UT. 24. Research and NLP, The Health Attractor Journal, September 1999, Salt Lake City, UT. 25. Transderivational Morphology, Anchor Point, July 1999, Salt Lake City, UT. 26. The Evolution of Perceptual Positions; co-authored with Judith DeLozier, Anchor Point, September 1998, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, UT. 27. NLP and Intellectual Property; Anchor Point, December 1997, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, UT. 28. Time Lines; Anchor Point, October 1997, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, UT. 29. The Process of Reimprinting; Anchor Point, July & August 1997, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, UT. 30. Map and Territory (co-authored with Judith DeLozier); Anchor Point, May & June 1997, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, UT. 31. Darwin's Thinking Path; Anchor Point, November 1996, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, UT. 32. Thought Viruses, Mental Maps and Health; Anchor Point, March-April 1996, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, Utah. 33. Modeling the Wisdom of Jesus; Anchor Point, February 1996, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, Utah. 34. Bringing Light Into The Darkness: The Principle of Positive Intention; Anchor Point, December 1995, Anchor Point Associates, Salt Lake City, Utah. 35. Dynamic Assessment; Anchor Point, October 1995, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, Utah. 36. NLP, Self-Organization and Strategies of Change Management; Anchor Point, July 1995, Anchor Point Associates, Salt Lake City, Utah. 37. NLP and Self-Organization Theory; Anchor Point, June 1995, Anchor Point Assoc., Salt Lake City, Utah. 38. Applications of NLP in Health: Overview of the Seven C's Model; Anchor Point, August 1992, Anchor Point Associates, Salt Lake City, Utah 39. Moshe Feldenkrais: NLP of the Body, 1990, Dynamic Learning Publications, Ben Lomond, Ca. 40. NLP & Life Extension: Modeling Longevity, co-authored with Jaap Hollander, 1990, Dynamic Learning Publications, Ben Lomond, Ca. 41. NLP in Training Groups, co-authored with Todd Epstein, 1989, Dynamic Learning Publications, Ben Lomond, Ca. 42. Neuro-Linguistic Programming in Family Therapy; co-authored with J.D. Green, in Family Counseling and Therapy ; Horne & Olsen editors, 1982, Peacock Publishers, Inc., Itasca, Ill.
43. Let NLP Work for You, Real Estate Today , February, 1982, Volume 15, November 2. 44. Neuro-Linguistic Programming in Organizational Development, 1979, Organizational Development Network Conference Presentation Papers, New York, New York. 45. Neuro-Linguistic Programming: A New Psychotherapy, 1978, Realities Conference Presentation Papers, San Francisco, CA.
FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS
46. Developing World-Class Leadership in a Changing Global Economy, coauthored with John Dilts (expected Fall 2002). 47. Sleight of Mouth: Volume II The Language of Leadership and Social Change, (expected Spring, 2003). 48. Creating New Pathways to Health and Well-Being, co-authored with Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith, (expected Spring, 2003). 49. The Handbook of NLP New Coding; co-authored with Judith DeLozier, (expected Summer, 2003). 50. Strategies of Genius Volume IV; Bateson, Erickson, Feldenkrais (expected Winter, 2003). 51. Healing Patterns of Jesus of Nazareth (expected Fall, 2003). 52. Strategies of Genius Volume V; Women Geniuses (expected Spring 2004). 53. Systemic NLP: A Unified Field Theory (expected Fall, 2004). 54. Addictions, Compulsions and Identity, co-Authored with Todd Epstein (expected Fall, 2005).
Comments or Suggestions
Again, thanks for visiting the Anchor Point Web site. I hope to hear from you again soon. For information on Robert Dilts' products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts, Santa Cruz, CA.
What is NLP?
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that encompasses the three most influential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming. The neurological system regulates how our bodies function, language determines how we interface and communicate with other people and our programming determines the kinds of models of the world we create. NeuroLinguistic Programming describes the fundamental dynamics between mind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how their interplay effects our body and behavior (programming). NLP is a pragmatic school of thought - an 'epistemology' - that addresses the many levels involved in being human. NLP is a multi-dimensional process that involves the development of behavioral competence and flexibility, but also involves strategic thinking and an understanding of the mental and cognitive processes behind behavior. NLP provides tools and skills for the development of states of individual excellence, but it also establishes a system of empowering beliefs and presuppositions about what human beings are, what communication is and what the process of change is all about. At another level, NLP is about self-discovery, exploring identity and mission. It also provides a framework for understanding and relating to the 'spiritual' part of human experience that reaches beyond us as individuals to our family, community and global systems. NLP is not only about competence and excellence, it is about wisdom and vision. In essence, all of NLP is founded on two fundamental presuppositions: 1. The Map is Not the Territory. As human beings, we can never know reality. We can only know our perceptions of reality. We experience and respond to the world around us primarily through our sensory representational systems. It is our 'neurolinguistic' maps of reality that determine how we behave and that give those behaviors meaning, not reality itself. It is generally not reality that limits us or empowers us, but rather our map of reality. 2. Life and 'Mind' are Systemic Processes. The processes that take place within a human being and between human beings and their environment are systemic. Our bodies, our societies, and our universe form an ecology of complex systems and subsystems all of which interact with and mutually influence each other. It is not possible to completely isolate any part of the system from the rest of the system. Such systems are based on certain 'self-organizing' principles and naturally seek optimal states of balance or homeostasis. All of the models and techniques of NLP are based on the combination of these two
principles. In the belief system of NLP it is not possible for human beings to know objective reality. Wisdom, ethics and ecology do not derive from having the one 'right' or 'correct' map of the world, because human beings would not be capable of making one. Rather, the goal is to create the richest map possible that respects the systemic nature and ecology of ourselves and the world we live in. The people who are most effective are the ones who have a map of the world that allows them to perceive the greatest number of available choices and perspectives. NLP is a way of enriching the choices that you have and perceive as available in the world around you. Excellence comes from having many choices. Wisdom comes from having multiple perspectives. NLP was originated by John Grinder (whose background was in linguistics) and Richard Bandler (whose background was in mathematics and gestalt therapy) for the purpose of making explicit models of human excellence. Their first work The Structure of Magic Vol. I & II (1975, 1976) identified the verbal and behavioral patterns of therapists Fritz Perls (the creator of gestalt therapy) and Virginia Satir (internationally renowned family therapist). Their next work Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. Vol. I & II (1975, 1976) examined the verbal and behavioral patterns of Milton Erickson, founder of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and one of the most widely acknowledged and clinically successful psychiatrists of our times. As a result of this earlier work, Grinder and Bandler formalized their modeling techniques and their own individual contributions under the name "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" to symbolize the relationship between the brain, language and the body. The basics of this model has been described in a series of books including Frogs Into Princes (Bandler & Grinder, 1979 ) , Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I (Dilts, Grinder, Bandler, DeLozier, 1980), Reframing (Bandler & Grinder, 1982) and Using Your Brain (Bandler, 1985). Through the years, NLP has developed some very powerful tools and skills for communication and change in a wide range of professional areas including: counseling, psychotherapy, education, health, creativity, law, management, sales, leadership and parenting. For information on Robert Dilts' products and services, please see Robert's Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit. com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
What's New
There are a number of important new items, updates and resources that I have recently put up on the web. 1. The Encyclopedia of Systemic NLP and NLP New Coding is finally available! Judy (DeLozier) and I have been working on it for well over four years. It is easily the most ambitious project I have ever been involved in. We have decided to make the NLP encyclopedia available 'on-line' FREE for limited use (25 pages every twenty-four hours). The on-line NLP Encyclopedia is a replica of the printed version, with over 1600 pages of NLP strategies, formats, background material, biographies and information that is essential for anyone who is practicing or interested in NLP. Feel free to put a link to the site from your own web page (if you have one). The online NLP Encyclopedia is intended to be a global resource to promote awareness and credibility for NLP worldwide. It is a great way to get people information and help answer their questions. The printed version of the NLP Encyclopedia, available for purchase through the web site, is a top quality two-volume book set that is an invaluable resource for any NLP Practitioner, Master Practitioner or Trainer. In addition to covering relevant material from the 16 books I've written over the past 20 years, it contains more than 50% new material that has not appeared anywhere else before.
2. The NLP Millennium Project, held this past Summer (July 27-August 8, 2000) at UCSC in Santa Cruz, was both a very intense and very inspiring event. A summary of some of the key themes and activities is available at: http://www.nlpu.com/millen. htm. I would like to personally thank all of the people from around the world (more than 26 different countries) for joining together to help make it a success. One of the most important outputs of the event was the identification of Shared Values of the NLP Community). I believe that these values are of the highest importance for the future growth and credibility of NLP. I encourage you to look over these values and continue the conversation with your students, clients and peers. To find out more about what happened at the NLP Millennium Project, check out the
innovative multimedia Internet Participation Site. For a small one-time fee you can: View streaming 5-10 minute RealVideo clips summarizing the focus of each day. Listen to an entire 1-2 hour presentation using RealAudio. View charts, diagrams, and other illustrations. Gain experience by following along with exercises. Read key information about each day's topic.
3. Dates for NLP University Summer sessions for 2001 are up at: http://www.nlpu. com. The first semester courses will take place from June 17 - July 7, 2001. Second semester classes will be held from July 14 - August 3, 2001. We are in discussions with Tim Hallbom and Suzi Smith about the possibility of co-sponsoring an international 21-day residential Health Certification Training, in partnership with Anchor Point Institute and NLP California, at NLP University this Summer. Let us know if this is something that you think would be valuable (either for yourself or others). We will be holding our usual Practitioner, Master Practitioner, Modeling (with David Gordon), and Trainer and Consultancy certification programs. We are also considering holding a New Applications and Millennium Projects Continuum program, to follow-up with our NLP Millennium event. This program would most likely be held immediately following the Modeling program. Again, feel free to let us know if this is something that you would be interested in.
4. As some of you may know, my brother John and I founded Dilts Strategy Group last year, for the purpose of helping start-ups (and traditional companies) to learn and apply NLP in the form of what we call Success Factor Modeling. Success Factor Modeling brings key NLP cognitive and behavioral skills together with effective business practices that John and I have modeled from successful Silicon Valley companies. We have combined Johns background working in venture capital investing in Silicon Valley start-ups with my work in behavioral modeling to create a powerful methodology for building success in companies entering the New Economy. One of these critical success factors is leadership (a topic that has been a passion of
mine for many years). There is a very interesting article on Leadership and the New Economy (which summarizes some of the key elements of the new leadership model I have been developing with Fiat for the past several years) on our site. In conjunction with the Fiat management school and the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern Californian, Dilts Strategy Group is a member of the International Forum for Leadership Excellence. You might want to check out our new strategies@dilts.com. We are also considering the possibility of doing a seminar on our Success Factor Modeling process and discoveries sometime in April in the Silicon Valley area. Let us know if you would like to be informed about the specifics of this event or other events such as this in the future.
5. John and I have also founded Dilts Capital Partners, L.L.C., and have established two venture capital funds to help promote companies with the vision and technologies necessary to change the world. Dilts Technology Fund, LP, is a $50 million private equity venture capital fund focused on investing in technology companies primarily in the areas of Internet applications, e-commerce, enterprise software and telecommunications. Dilts Strategic Fund, LP is a $2 million angel fund which will make strategic investments in very early stage technology companies which strategically support Dilts Technology Fund. If you want to view the fund documents in the protected area of the site, you can enter using the password "guest" for the time being.
6. John and I are also completing developments on the Global Angel Network. The Global Angels Network brings together the combination of factors necessary for startups to reach the critical mass necessary for success in the new economy. Its primary purpose is to assist in bringing together new venture start-ups with "angel" investors and other resource providers from around the world. Our web site, GlobalAngels. com, will be a virtual "venture catalyst" for companies entering the new economy. We are looking for people who would be interested in being coaches and consultants to entrepreneurs and start-up companies seeking to emulate Silicon Valleys success. If you are interested in being part of the Global Angels Network, contact us at: strategies@dilts.com.
Introduction According to Websters Dictionary, values are "principles, qualities or entities that are intrinsically valuable or desirable." Service, profits, results, health, quality, and safety are all examples of common values that may be held by a particular individual or group. Because they are associated with worth, meaning and desire, values are a primary source of motivation in peoples lives. Shared values are considered to be the foundation of ethics, community and culture. When peoples values are met or matched, they feel a sense of satisfaction, harmony, or rapport. When their values are not met or matched, people often feel dissatisfied, incongruent, or violated. In terms of the Neuro-Logical Levels model, values operate together with beliefs to create meaning and motivation in our lives. They relate to why we think what we think and do what we do. Values and beliefs support the identity and mission of an individual or organization, and provide the reinforcement (motivation and permission) that promotes or inhibits particular capabilities and behaviors. A particular identity or role, for instance, will be associated with several core values and beliefs. These, in turn, are supported by a range of skills and capabilities, which are required to manifest particular values and beliefs as actions in a particular environment or context.
In groups, organizations and social systems, values form a type of non-physical framework which surrounds all of the interactions of the people within the system. Values, and related beliefs, determine how events and communications are interpreted and given meaning. Thus, they are the key to motivation and culture. Shared values and beliefs are the "glue" which holds an effective organization, community or team together. Conflicts of values are the source of disharmony and dissension.
Identifying Common Values Within the Global NLP Community Many people think of the field of NLP as being simply a group of techniques and modelsa kind of "toolbox" without a heart. The principles, tools and skills of NLP, however, presuppose certain values, which form the emotional basis for peoples commitment to the field. NLP practitioners, trainers and institute directors share key values that serve as the underlying impetus for their involvement in the NLP community and their passion for sharing the powerful benefits of NLP with others. One of the goals of the NLP Millennium Project, sponsored by NLP University in Santa Cruz, California, in the Summer of 2000 was to identify some of the core values that make us a global community. The identification of these values can help to solidify the bonds between people within the community (as well as attract others who also share those values to the field), and define ethical guidelines for the practice of NLP. The communication of these values to people within other professional groups and communities can help to strengthen the credibility of NLP and increase the appreciation for the intentions and motivations of NLP practitioners. The group participating in the NLP Millennium Project numbered over 110 people (mostly NLP trainers and founders of NLP institutes) from 26 different countries around the world (including Russia, Japan, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Hong Kong, and many others)representing a diverse cross-section of our planet. Following a process I developed for helping large organizations establish common values, participants were asked to get into groups of four or five people and go through the following exercise: 1. Each group member is to share with the rest of the group some of his or her own personal core values; in particular those relating to his or
her "mission" or "calling" with respect to NLP. In other words, answer the questions: "Why am I personally involved in NLP?" "Why is NLP important?" "What is NLPs contribution to the world?" 2. Make a list of the group members key values and criteria and look for any similarities and commonalities. 3. Identify the deeper core value, on a higher level, presupposed by the individual values expressed by the group members. Try to find one or two single words or phrases that reflect and encompass all of the core values expressed by the group in some way. Each group then made a presentation about its core value statement to the rest of the Millennium Project participants. These value statements were collected into a single list which was distributed to all participants. Participants were asked to select 72 of the values from the list (no less than 5, no more than 9) and rank them according to their importance (1 being the highest). Participants were also asked to write down one or two behavioral indicators next to each value statement that they selected, to help define it more specifically.
The Twelve Core Values of the Global NLP Community The top twelve values (and accompanying behavioral indicators) are listed below according to the hierarchy of importance given by the participants as a whole. This was determined by summing up the ratings given each value by the individuals who took part in the survey. 1. Usefulness: To be pragmatic and goal oriented. To seek to make a difference. To focus on practical applications. To use all available resources to reach a goal. To think and act with the end in mind. To meet needs in a goal-oriented and testable way. To chunk down into practical and testable steps. 2. Integrity: To "walk our talk." To have congruence in language and action. To have alignment between our beliefs and values and our behavior. To act from our core values. To integrate all aspects of who we are. To be aware of our internal processes and beliefs and behave in ways that are congruent with them. To be truthful about our actions. 3. Respect: To acknowledge personal boundaries. To honor the
potential within another person. To listen and give space to others needs and expectations. To give all persons equal space and time. To ask for permission. To maintain an unconditional positive regard for others. To honor the unique contributions of each person. 4. Ecology: To always work within the other persons well-formed outcome. To respond to our own congruency signals. To be systemically oriented. To consider the consequences of our actions. To respect positive intention. To reach for balanced outcomes. To seek to maintain a healthy balance among all systems. To consider our impact upon the larger system. 5. Creativity: To be free builders of our own lives. To develop wellformed mistakes. To be open to possibilities. To not accept the given as given. To find new questions. To make new models. To find new ways to reach a goal. To encourage others to express and share their inner dreams. To constantly challenge the way we do things and to innovate new possibilities. 6. (Universal) Love: To take second position with others (put ourselves in their shoes). To connect through deep second positioning to the energy source within others. To feel and show compassion to others. To accept others for who they are. To offer a space where something can change. To value ourselves, and to value others as we do ourselves. To "see" and acknowledge the best in others. To choose to invest in the well-being of others. 7. Freedom: To have choice. To add more choices. To be able to choose. To allow others to make choices for themselves. To state our thoughts and feelings without fear of retribution. To honor peoples right to their own development. 8. Diversity: To be unafraid of difference. To welcome the challenge of difference. To see the value in all maps of the world. To recognize and honor and value the differences in others. To accept different styles. To include different perspectives. To respect different cultures. 9. Elegance: To seek the shortest and simplest path to an outcome. To seek beauty and simplicity. To act with grace. To select the path and the tools that allow us to accomplish the most with the least effort. 10. Professionalism: To work with competence, creativity and joy. To
observe precisely. To set high standards. To know our limits. To model excellence. To be congruent, clear and skilled at all times in any context in which we are representatives of NLP as a field. To know what we are doing, and to do what we know. To be able to demonstrate all NLP skills. To keep learning. 11. Flexibility: To have more possibilities in behavior. To have more instruments for work. To be able to let go of our last discovery. To have a range of ways to reach a goal. To be open to change and additions from external influences. To adapt to different people and situations. To be able to adjust and adapt ourselves to unexpected situations. To utilize and react properly to the feedback that we get. 12. Creating Artful Community: To foster bonding and friendship for future projects together. To have concern for the "we." To act in service to others. To value the different gifts each person brings. To create affiliation and association which incorporate the wide variety of aspects of human expression. To connect with people as equals.
Some other notable values included: Curiosity/Adventuring: Delighting in "not-knowing" and staying there long enough to make higher level discoveries. Fun/Humor: Not taking seriously what is deeply serious. To enjoy one another and what we are doing. Authenticity: To be ourselves. To share our own internal experience honestly with others. It should be remembered that these are not ethical injunctions or rigid "modal operators" (i.e., "shoulds" and "musts"). Rather they are guiding principles which we aspire to put into practice more consistently in our personal and professional interactions.
A Culture of LeadershipCreating a World to Which People Want to Belong In reflecting on this group of values, it is evident that some of them relate to oneself.
Other values relate to how one interacts with others. Some relate to goals or the achievement of goals. Still others relate to the larger system in which one is acting. Usefulness, freedom and elegance, for example, seem to primarily relate to choosing and achieving goals. Integrity, creativity and flexibility, on the other hand, are primarily related to the way one conducts oneself while attempting to achieve goals. Respect, love and community are clearly associated with ones relations with others. Ecology, diversity and professionalism seem to be more connected to ones interactions with respect to the larger system within which one is interacting.
It is fascinating to note that the four elements around which NLP community values so elegantly cluster are the primary elements of effective leadership. In its broadest sense, leadership can be defined as the ability to involve others in the process of accomplishing a goal within some larger system or environment. That is, a leader expresses himself or herself (by being both a stimulus and an example) to influence
individuals and groups towards achieving some outcome in the context of a particular system or context. The highest expression of this is known as "visionary leadership." Visionary leadership involves working with others (most often peers) to "create a world to which people want to belong." One implication of the Millennium Project values study is that people attracted to NLP, and the values it represents, are naturally inclined toward leadership. As I mentioned earlier, shared values are the foundation of ethics, community and culture. The culture of NLPas expressed by the values and skills it promotesis thus ultimately a culture of leadership. This is something that should be communicated not only to those learning to be practitioners of NLP; it should also be recognized and appreciated by the trainers and institutes that make up the NLP community at large. It is something to be shared, and something to be proud of. Again, it is important to mention that the purpose of the Millennium Project values study was not to attempt to say that the twelve values that emerged are the values of the entire NLP community. The purpose was for representative members of the community to reflect on their core values and establish the beginning of a conversation about values. One goal of this conversation is to better understand the purpose and influence of values in the NLP community. We hope that many NLP trainers, practitioners, developers and institute directors will recognize and resonate with the values we have uncovered. We also hope that these values will help to serve as guiding principles for our work with others and our interactions with one another in the future. I for one am proud and pleased to count myself as a member of a community that has these values, and I am committed to bringing them more into action in my life and work. I hope you are too.
INTERVIEW ON THE GTC WITH ROBERT DILTS - Aug. 30 1997 by Greta Mildenberg, Roger Vaisey, and Maren Franz. Q. What is your vision for the newly formed Global Trainers and Consultants Network? (GTC) ROBERT. The vision for GTC is to have a global network of people who are trainers but also including consultants and sponsors. I think a lot of the emphasis in NLP has been on trainers and that has been great but has lead to some of the problems in NLP where people go out and train, but you can't train without sponsors, and without material that has been developed. Its a little like music. You can have musical performers, yet if there are no composers and organizations that promote or sponsor, it doesn't get out there. Some of these areas have been the blind spots or weak links in the dissemination of NLP. So the idea of the Global Training and Consultancy Community is that beyond the Master Practitioner level, it's not OK to just do more and more NLP practitioner programs, and to get into competition with people who used to be your friends. My belief and my experience is that there is so much more for NLP to do than it has done and if we can have a network and community of people who can share that, then the opportunities to bring NLP to the world and to expand the applications of it can increase exponentially. So one of the visions for it is, that there is an expediential expansion of the ways that NLP is taught, used and applied in the world. Q. Would you say something on how you see NLP expanding more in the world. ROBERT. One of the things we do in the Advanced Training is to have people not only work on presentation skills of what we already know about NLP, but that they also work on developing their own applications. There is a little bit of history to that that comes from Todd Epstein and I. In 1982 there was a lot of fallout when Bandler and Grinder were splitting up and people were already at that time beginning to bicker over Practitioner Training. So we set up the Dynamic Learning Center as a way of applying other applications of NLP, in learning, in business and in all kinds of areas. So what I envision is people starting with 1 to 3 day programs or consulting applications that explore or manifest a particular application of NLP that could range from team building to leadership development at a number of different levels, to areas of healing, and spiritual healing.
I mean there are just so many different possibilities. I could go on for ever about how many things could be done and have just not been done so far in NLP. If we think that phobias and allergies are the epitome of what can be done with NLP then that is pretty short sighted. There is the whole area of transcultural abilities and skills -of creativity and innovation that is so important not only for people in companies but also for individuals. So to me as I see it, there are applications that are as diverse, as the different people that are attracted to NLP. I was just even thinking about this as I was looking at the people in our Practitioner group at NLP University. The difference in age, country and background of a pretty small group of people in a way was quite remarkable, yet what was obvious was that they shared something together. There was a 20 year old musician from New York, a 60 year old Japanese business man and they are sharing the same kinds of language, the same kind of frames, the same kinds of tools and I really think that these are same of the things that NLP can bring to the world. So what the idea of the GTC is to create an opportunity for that. and in terms of the background of the GTC it is that to a certain degree we are attempting to model the Health Community Training. The idea of the GTC is that there would be a post Master training, an investment that people put in, to really go deeply into work with health and healing-that we should have a directory a newsletter, a not for profit organization and to do this in all sorts of different places all over the world. And what happens is that although people are very geographically spread out, they all share a similar mission, a similar vocabulary, a similar set of tools and that allows us on the one hand to be able to make referrals to people who call in, because I know I get requests all the time that my schedule is too saturated to be able to fulfill whether it before someone who needs health work, or for some kind of training or for some kind of consulting with a company, so that's part if it. There is another part that is a little bit difficult to describe in words because its more of a sense that there is a solidity that comes when you, for example, when we had these health certification trainings that finished in Denmark, Germany, Brazil and the US, there was a feeling that there was a "We" around the world that was much more than just here are some Brazilian people that have just finished some new certification program. It's rather "Now we are part of something and that something has substance." And that for me is what the GTC is all about. There are same other goals for the GTC. I think that a lot of the existing NLP applications and models are very American in their approach and I have the opportunity to travel around the world and see what people do, in different parts
of the world with NLP and how what unique things are coming out of Germany or Brazil. I would like the opportunity for these things to be able to be spread rapidly - a kind of NLP internet. But one of the things that bothers me about the internet is the chatter, meaning the superficial is as much present as the meaningful, the sustenance. So part of the idea of the GTC is to build this NLP network starting on a foundation of people who have had a real commitment to NLP and we have just finished, as you well know, our first group, and the people who were in that group are people who have been in NLP for literally years. Maybe there are a few people who started and progressed very rapidly. I think the thing for me that was very profound about many of the people is that they have made 5 or 6 or even 10 year commitments and that is very important for me. Its about building the community on a foundation of people around those who have all shared, not only the tools if NLP etc, but also a really strong commitment and that for me is where you get the quality control. One of the things that all people who are trainers or have any professional interest in NLP in the world, clamor for is something like quality control, credibility, integrity. But the kind of things people have done to accomplish that are sort of policing organizations or arbitrary standards and as I think in true NLP fashion the best way to do that is through role models- is to have an opportunity and to have a place, a network that is built and designed and co-created by people who share that commitment. And that's what I dream and feel that we have the opportunity to do with the GTC. To wrap up at least the first answer, another part of that vision is that we will have not only the people but also the instruments to keep them together and events and structures that give people an opportunity to contribute into this global network so that somebody in Singapore for example can create a vision program and get out to someone in Brazil or Germany or Scandinavia or all over the US. So that it doesn't just come from one source. My strong belief and again my experience, having been around NLP as long as I have, is that there is a creativity that comes from that, that you will see innovations and developments in NLP the likes of which have not been seem before because there will be that kind of cross fertilization. But in a strong way it won't be chaotic and just dispersed and diffused. It will be for people who care about it, who have the ability to assess the depth of something. That's why a lot of the training we have been doing that goes into that, has been focused on assessment and how do you really know that something works. How can you tell that somebody has done something with a particular thing?
Q. What benefits will there be for trainers in the directory, and what benefits will there be for organizations that use trainers in the directory? ROBERT. Well certainly for trainers in the directory firstly, the most important benefit is that they will be listed and grouped together with people who have the highest level of training reputation and quality in the field. So it's a kind of "Who's Who " of NLP. So there is a credibility of reputation that will come from being in the directory. Also the kind of things we are asking of people to be in the directory is going to relate to what kind of specialities they have so that there is not just this homogeneous NLP trainer, or mythical NLP Trainer , but people who have particular areas, who are doing projects, who also have a history of working. They will get known to other people in the field. I don't know how many times for example it happens to me that I am in let's say Berlin or Paris and somebody goes "Oh you know we are doing, my company is doing" - they get a hit of NLP, and they get enthusiastic and excited, and they say " Do you know someone who is doing this? " and I go "Yeah well yes I'm sure there's somebody around here, ummmm who is it- Where do they live ? What was their last address? There's this perfect person, but what is there professional name," and so on and so on. So that having that directory will start to crate the possibility of the right person being linked to the right opportunity at the right moment. Its like a resource guide. Also, the directory will not only be an paper but also on disc and on the internet. So the other thing is that in a few months it will be on the internet in a way that people can access it from any part ton the world. And that is another benefit. All the things we have been doing in this past year we have not just thought of in in terms of a booklet, but something on the internet and it will be updated regularly. And we are looking for ways that people will be able to update their own addresses. You would have your own password. I don't know how that would work as yet. The other benefit too is for people just knowing that they are part of a community. We have finished this first training with about 40 people. There is one in the UK of about 60 people. There is going to be one finishing in Berlin of between 60 or 70 people. So in a very short order, say 6 months there will be 150 people. And that's enough to make a community, that's all over the world, spread from Asia to South Africa. People that are coming to these different programs of course there will be fairly large concentration in Europe and the US. But that just serves to build the community. And one of the things we know and this is important, because it is one of the things we stress in the advanced trainings and are part of the requirement of getting into the community, is that these are people that are committed to
networking, to working together, to doing interesting projects and for creating things. So its not just " Oh, I will have to look who my competitors are" but to really use one and other as resources and there are people who are committed to doing that and there are people in this GTC that are doing big projects, that are already looking for different kinds of other people to help them. And I think it will open the doorway for a new way of people working together in the NLP field. We need a place for there to be a community and it used to be and still is for people to attend seminars. There was a while when there was some conferences, but I think conferences and some of the associations that did those conferences have changed or transformed and conferences sort of came and went as an opportunity So we are really looking for something whose purpose is to create community, and not just where the accidental by-product is to create community. So I think that is another benefit for being on the directory. Now the benefits for the organisations or companies who use this are that again they will be able to target people who have the background, expertise, interest or mission in areas and skills, so it's not just flipping a coin and saying, "Oh this person has a certificate, maybe they'll do." - a sort of hit and miss strategy. But the idea of having a directory is that its going to give a lot of information about the person and again the best analogy is how the Health Directory has worked. We have a picture, a mission statement, the background, the degree, languages you know, all that people have, all the relevant information that you need and there have been times for instance- I can remember a couple of months ago somebody - this is the analogy to the health directory - somebody called from Porto Alegre which is in Brazil. They had just found that a close relative or somebody had cancer and they wanted to know who could help. What we could then do was to open this directory pick out a few pages of people who seemed to fit the profile, faxed them - of course on the GTC we will have it on e-mail and internet - faxed them these pages and they could make a decision right away. They were able to get help that could really make a difference in a timely way to this person who needed help. That's the kind of vision of it. Its timely, its targeted and its with people who can be guaranteed to have a degree of skill and commitment. That's the idea; not just that somebody has a little certificate on the wall. Its has a picture. You can see them , it tells you something about their mission, their history, something about their specialities. the kinds of things we want to put in the directory are the sorts of things we need to know in order to refer somebody into a job that we couldn't do whether its a training job or consulting job. Q: These sort of jobs get more as people understand the benefits.
ROBERT. Yes and I think there is the issue of fighting over a particular slice of the pie, or making a bigger pie and certainly the goal and vision of GTC is to create a bigger pie. One of my analogies is the US stock market where it just keeps getting bigger and you jeep getting a bigger pie because you've got a synergy-you are actually creating something more than it used to be . Its not like you are over using a limited resource. You are actually creating more resources rather than taking advantage of or using up a resource. And so ecology is one of the really important values of this. Q- What steps does someone who wants to become a GTC trainer have to take? ROBERT. The first steps are to complete their basic NLP training and hopefully, by the way , as people who are members of the GTC members and know that they have that quality. At this point as there are a lot of good trainers who are not in the GTC or who don't have that opportunity, I wouldn't want to say that people should limit themselves to that. But part of one of the benefits of it is that people can get a referral. I would say that people should complete their basic training and then there is the GTC base courses. One in the UK, one in Berlin and one here at NLPU, and I'm sure there will be more in the future. Part of the idea of setting these up is like a setting up the health community training. We have them in a enough places. People who are committed can go there. So there's NLP University 400A and B course's and thats part of getting into the GTC. Now there will be other courses that will provide possibilities and we will be establishing these and announcing these and I know we will be doing 400Aand B next summer in 98. And then again I'm hoping there will be places around the world which will make more opportunities. Q- I would like to ask two questions not necessarily related to GTC. One is that you are known as being at the cutting edge of NLP. What is on that cutting edge right now? ROBERT. Well I think there are some things that are obvious and somethings that are less known. One thing that is on the cutting edge of NLP is the book that just came out called Tools of the Spirit, and I think that the integration of NLP and Spirituality is certainly at the cutting edge of NLP and a necessary growth of NLP. For too many years it was absolutely dumbfounding to me that for so many years people would say the NLP didn't have anything to do with spirituality and yet the title of NLP Vol.1 is "The study of the structure of
subjective experience," saying-" well if spiritual is a subjective experience how could it not b part of NLP." Secondly for anybody who has a commitment with any sense of vision or mission. they have something spiritual that goes to that level of depth. Everybody that I know and admire in NLP and again whether they call that spiritual or not, that is an element that attracts me to those people. Q- I don't know Robert if you know that in 1988 Ragini Micheals came to Poona to see Osho and he got to know NLP. He said that he wanted his people trained in this. He clearly saw about the understanding of subjective reality that it is not body and no mind, it's one. ROBERT. Yes. Its kind of a funny thing because it seems as if it should be the most ancient thing and in a way it was the starting point of NLP. But its taken this long to become the leading edge of it again. I think that is how it is. Also other explanations of the so called higher logical levels, Identity; I mean a lot of NLP techniques are what we would call changes in behavior, changes in abilities and as we move on to get into deeper levels of change, more pervasive, more long lasting and ecological levels of change, there have to be changes at the level of identity and spirit. Some other things that are at the leading edge of NLP are some of the things that we started this year - the leadership conference which to me has a very close interrelationship with GTC, you know the idea of getting NLP trainers and leaders together and looking into the future and building a vision that we follow together, in the spirit of cooperation, in the spirit of community and of mutual development. To me that is a leading edge that is so leading edge that I can't yet see where it is going. But again it is a funny thing to say that the leading edge of NLP is at the area of cooperation and working together rather than individualistic power and personal mastery which is all part on NLP. But I think the leading edge is to create a "we-space". Sometimes I like to say that when I look at the development of NLP, sometimes what I see is 2 renegades modelling 3 loners - 2 outlaws modelling 3 loners: Erickson worked by himself in his mysterious way and even Perls who talked a lot about community pretty much was a loner when it came to his work. And even Virginia Satir who did family therapy - her mission was as an individual helping families. So I think its just coming around now that we are getting a sense of a modelling community, bringing community cooperation, rather than the myth of the single individual genius who goes out there and blazes the trail. And again I think some of that comes from the American pioneer archetype. I think that NLP is bigger than that archetype. It's bigger than a whole lot of archetypes. Some of the other things that I am personally doing if I am
representative of leading edges - some if it has to do with stretching out into places where NLP hasn't been before, like really on the edge of spirituality of what I see is really exciting is happening among the trainers here - it's not just spiritual but so many different dimensions -chakras, Zen, these other things all beginning to come together. So how shall I put it - it's like a new unity - they are all held in a complementary way because that to me is the essence. I got into NLP because it offered the promise of really being able to experience fully the richness of being a human being in all areas and in all levels. That's what I want. Not about doing the right thing in one way and setting standards and excluding all these other things, otherwise I wouldn't be interested in NLP. I was only interested in NLP because I didn't want to have to choose one thing over another and excluding everything. It was a way to be able to accept everything, experience everything but within a framework . Not in a chaotic schizophrenic piecemeal way - but in a way that could truly hold all of this richness. That's what characterized so many of the people who were here in this first group to go through GTC. That's one of the things that we all share:- a great richness of background, experience, interests, and an openness to receive another model. And I think that along these lines, the other part of the leading edge of NLP has to do with its history. As far as you reach into the future you have to reach into the past - and NLP came from modelling and its going to modelling. NLP started from modelling and that will always be its leading edge. What is new? Modelling is ultimately what NLP is about. What is great is that as more and more people become interested in applications of NLP they also become interested in modelling. And I think that again modelling is a gateway to the future. Its like to me a true NLP person, they see someone doing something better than they do so instead of being jealous trying to screw that person get rid of them, fighting them - they model them. They go: Great. I can do that too. Then I grow - then that person sees me doing something then - Hey, I am going to model what you do. Its kind of like that sense of growing together. I see that of all the people I've worked with, like Judy, like Todd, Robert McDonald all of the people, we grow by modelling things in each other and you know I'm not the same person by any stretch of the imagination that I was 10 years ago. That's because we are the leading edge - we keep pushing our own edge and when, as people grow, the field cannot help but grow. And I think that that is also what is exciting about GTC. So modelling is one and I think interest in modelling is another - I foresee in the very near future there probably will be a whole group of books on modelling which I think is finally time that happened. Also - as you know I and Judy are hoping to finish the encyclopedia of systemic
NLP. NLP is in a way too big of a field for any two people to be able to encompass but our dream there , is that by starting together, together creating something, it is an encyclopedia that is a container for the great richness of NLP, past, present and future. This will stimulate other people who will say, "Well this is not in there, that is not in there", and then it becomes like GTC, you collect enough things together in one place, weave it together strongly enough and then people can easily start adding bits. This encyclopedia of NLP is epic. Judy and I look at it and we are awestruck. Its awesome. And this is just what our little perspective has put together. I foresee the day when our encyclopedia is on the internet. It grows and grows and as NLP grows, this encyclopedia will also grow with all the cross links being updated. Someone is interested in addictions, so they look it up on the internet and they find this encyclopedia and as they begin to explore addictions and NLP, there is suddenly a reference here to cybernetics and then there is one over there for 12 steps which leads to spirituality, which leads to - and then suddenly someone is on a journey. One of the most interesting things Judy and I have found is that just putting together the encyclopedia, we have these journeys. We start an entry and that leads to to think of something else and something else and it really does show me that there are worlds within worlds. So its not just creating a world and I think that is the problem with the statement " Creating a world that everyone wants to belong." Everyone is always looking at the problem presupposition in that statement. I think that the only issue is creating worlds within worlds. Q. One last thing. There seems to be a conflicting thing going on in the world, as far as I see it. On the one hand there is the ever increasing globalization of businesses, bigger businesses world wide. And on the other hand nations tend to be breaking down into smaller units. Scotland, Palestine, the former Yugoslavia, and so on. So there is a double thing going on here. How can NLP address this? ROBERT.- A spot on observation. And what I think is responsible for the dual development is that it relates to the leading edge of NLP question. What is on the leading edge of human consciousness, human development, is how to create a global identity yet maintaining integrity in ones own identity. The dangers of having this big global identity is that you have a homogeny. There is no diversity, no richness, no color, no difference - everybody is the same - eg Microsoft, Mcdonald's, back to 1984, the horrific vision:- everything is just a shade of gray. At the same time the positive sense is of unity. And we even address this in
Tools of the Spirit because a lot of peoples experience of spirit is unity, but if there is unity where is individuality, where is uniqueness, where is the joy of meeting someone who is different than you and going Oh Wow - that's fascinating, that's fantastic. And that in fact, to a certain degree, the view of spirituality as simply unity is for many people, death. You die and everything is phewww. So life comes from distinction, from difference. That's where you get integity. How do I have my personal integrity as an individual being, if I am just absorbed into this mass of grey. I think that part of it is being able to sort out well, certain logical levels. First become clear ,what is identity and how to have self-referenced identity? I think that the big danger and the reason we have wars and genocide is that people have an externally referenced identity. " Well we are not them." And yet paradoxically the worst thing to happen is to get rid of that which you hate. By that I mean, I can remember those Americans how were anti-communist. What happens when there is no more communism worth speaking about any more. You are nobody now. If someone were to come up to you and say, I'm an anticommunist, its laughable. There's nobody to be anti any more. It's bizarre to have that sort of an external reference. I think that what NLP has a chance to offer is to be able to sort out these levels of spirit from identity and from beliefs. Most of the world is at the level of not being able to sort out identity from spirit. One of the things NLP has to offer is obviously all of the presuppositions of NLP. I think my view of heaven would be a planet like ours, living from the presuppositions of NLP. The map is not the territory - people have positive intentions - Everybody has all the capabilities they need. All of those things and having all of the tools to be able to express them , to be able to solve problems in their own ways. I was talking to Richard Bandler a few months ago where he was saying, "You know it's funny that years ago NLP used to vi with Gestalt, Transactional Analysis, etc, and now nobody wants these particularly. I mean people are clamouring and fighting still over NLP, and NLP trainings, but not over Gestalt etc." It's like what the world needs in certain ways is what NLP has because NLP has the ability to grow. It's the one thing that saves NLP very much. It isn't a thing. What it is now- I mean what Gestalt was 25 years ago is very similar to what it is now. NLP is totally and remarkably different. And what it will be like 20 years from now, I can only dream about.
A Changing World The past several years have brought about a revolution in the world of business and the way in which organizations, old and new, must operate. Accelerating changes in technology and the explosion in the use of the Internet have led to the establishment of a new economy, characterized by e-commerce, virtual teams and a global marketplace. New technologies are continually pushing the envelope, creating both opportunities and challenges for new ventures and forcing traditional companies to adapt. Recent economic fluctuations have created additional challenges for businesses attempting to cope with change, requiring them to accomplish more with fewer resources. Such rapid technical and economic changes have placed an increased demand on individuals and companies to respond quickly and innovatively in order to keep up with new developments, manage resources more efficiently and stay ahead of competition. In order to survive and succeed in the rapidly changing global economy, companies need to refine and reengineer their leadership abilities, elevating them to a world class level. An Innovative Solution The purpose of this program is to present a solution derived from leadership practices of successful multi-national companies and synthesize them with new patterns and developments from leading-edge Silicon Valley ventures. Drawing from a combination of a) interviews with top managers within both large traditional organizations and Silicon Valley start-ups, b) fundamental organizational values, and c) current research on leadership, the program will present a model that integrates time-tested skills and principles of leadership from well-established companies with the latest innovations and developments modeled from progressive leaders in the new economy. World-Class Leadership World-class organizations form around a compelling vision and common values that are shared by all of the members of the organization. In the new business climate of globally focused world-class companies, leaders are not bosses or commanders; rather, leaders are people who have a compelling vision and are able to attract others to that vision. In other words, they are able to create a world to which people want to belong. This type of leadership demands special skills and know-how in order to
effectively and successfully bring visions into action. Rather than being power driven, world-class leadership is a result of the ability to express a vision, influence others to achieve results, encourage team cooperation, and be an example. World-class leadership involves the effective integration of professional knowledge, behavioral skills and personal qualities that are aligned with and directed toward the achievement of organizational outcomes. This program examines some of the essential skills and tools which can help to create world-class leadership within an organization including: The four fundamental goals of world-class companies The key actions and qualities of world-class leaders Communicating vision and understanding the motivation of others Assessing the leadership ability of yourself and your company Meta LeadershipLeading and growing other leaders Leadership development paths within an organizational environment Modeling successful behaviors and processes Learning leadership by leading change
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Achieving and maintaining positive attitudes by building beliefs that support good health. Refining and updating old belief systems and transforming limiting beliefs. Resolving internal conflicts that lead to stress and health related behavior problems. Develop the most effective types of cognitive strategies for influencing physical health.
Mr. Dilts has been an author, developer and consultant in the field of NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP) - a model of human behavior, learning and communication - since its creation in 1975 by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. A long time student and colleague of both Grinder and Bandler, Mr. Dilts also studied personally with Milton H. Erickson, M.D., and Gregory Bateson . In addition to spearheading the applications of NLP to education, creativity, health, and leadership, his personal contributions to the field of NLP include much of the seminal work on the NLP techniques of Strategies and Belief Systems and the development of what has become known as Systemic NLP. Some of his techniques and models include: Reimprinting, Integration of Conflicting Beliefs, Sleight of Mouth Patterns, NeuroLogical Levels and the Unified Field Theory for NLP. He is the principle author of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I, which serves as the standard reference text for the field, and has authored numerous other books, articles and monographs on NLP. His books, Changing Belief Systems with NLP and Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well Being describe the basic principles and techniques involved in his work on changing limiting beliefs and creating functional belief systems. Since 1982 Mr. Dilts has been Director of Training and Research for the Dynamic Learning Center which he co-founded with Todd Epstein. The Dynamic Learning Center provides consultation, seminars and training materials in the educational and advanced applications of NLP One of Mr. Dilts most recent development is the NeuroLink - a multi-channel biofeedback device which simultaneously monitors and records activity in heart rate, body temperature and the brain hemispheres via patterns of electrical activity on the left and right sides of the body. The NeuroLink unit is a sophisticated tool for picking up changes in a person's internal state. It works by measuring a number of important physiological responses associated with the autonomic nervous system - the bodys inner regulatory system. Mr. Dilts State Enhancement Coach software combines these key measurements of nervous system activity with artificial intelligence and NLP methods and principles to help people achieve optimal states of health, learning and personal performance.
This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1997 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
For information on Robert Dilts, please see Home Page. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
For information on Robert Dilts, please see Home Page. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
One of the most important set of skills required in a changing world are the skills of leadership. In the emerging view of leadership, leaders are not bosses or commanders; rather leaders are people who are committed to creating a world to which people want to belong. This commitment demands a special set of models and abilities in order to effectively and ecologically manifest the visions which guide those committed to change. Rather than power, true leadership is a result of influence, congruence and integrity. It involves managing relationships and interacting and communicating within an organization, network or social system to move towards ones highest aspirations. From this perspective, leadership can be defined as the capability to: express a vision, influence others to achieve results, encourage team cooperation, and be an example. Defined in this way, leadership ability provides added value to any fundamental management ability. In other words, strengthening leadership ability can help any individual to improve his or her capacity to achieve results and reach personal or organizational outcomes. The behavioral science of NLP is uniquely suited to contribute to the development of leadership ability. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) contains a set of principles and distinctions which are uniquely suited to analyze and identify crucial patterns of values, behavior and interrelationships so that they may be put into pragmatic and testable implementations. With the tools of NLP, it is possible to define and explore some specific models, principles and skills that will allow mangers to be more successful leaders; i.e., the how tos of effective leadership. One of the strengths of NLP is in the area of skill development and the creation of tools and techniques which support specific outcomes and abilities. Training programs involving NLP have been implemented in many major corporations and organizations throughout the world including Fiat, IBM, Hewlett Packard, American Express, The US Army, The State Railway of Italy, Apple Computer, Xerox, Merrill Lynch, Mercedes Benz, BMW, and many others. NLP methods and distinctions, for instance, have been applied to modeling leadership skills at Fiat, in the late 1980s. The results of this research is the basis for the books Visionary Leadership Skills (Dilts, 1996) and Modeling With NLP (Dilts, 1998). From the NLP perspective, successful leadership ability requires a variety of skills which address the overall problem space of leadershipi.e., the ability to involve others toward reaching goals within a system. This set of skills includes: self skills, relational skills and systemic thinking skills. Self skills have to do with how the leader deploys himself or herself in a particular situation. Self skills allow the leader to choose or engineer the most appropriate state,
attitude, criteria, strategy, etc. with which to enter a situation. In a way, self skills are the processes by which the leader leads himself. Relational skills have to do with the ability to understand, motivate and communicate with other people. They result in the ability to enter another persons model of the world or perceptual space and get them to recognize problems and objectives, and understand the problem space within which they and the company are operating. Strategic thinking skills are necessary in order to define and achieve specific goals and objectives. Strategic thinking involves the ability to identify a relevant desired state, assess the starting state and then establish and navigate the appropriate path of transitions states required to reach the desired state. A key element of effective strategic thinking is determining which operators and operations will most efficiently and effectively influence and move the present state in the direction of the desired state. Systemic thinking skills are used by the leader to identify and comprehend the problem space in which the leader, his or her collaborators and the company is operating. Systemic thinking is at the root of effective problem solving and the ability to create functional teams. The ability to think systemically in a practical and concrete way is probably the most definitive sign of maturity in a leader. This program focuses on the skills necessary to manage groups and teams and to effectively solve systemic problems. Participants will learn important team building skills and develop their ability to understand and adapt to cultural differences in communication, thinking styles and values. Participants will also explore models for stimulating creativity and problem solving. The goals of the seminar are to promote pragmatic systemic thinking ability and to increase the flexibility and effectiveness of ones leadership style.
How good leaders manage the economic downturn? A study by ISVOR Dilts
The economic downturn hit most businesses in 2001 with unseen brutality, with a peak after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Economists agree that growth should start again in the future, sustained by technology related productivity gains. This poses a huge challenge for company leaders. After the exuberant growth experienced in the years 1995 to 2000, they have had to make violent and drastic cuts. At the same time, they still have to motivate their people in a world where competencies are scarce. This study is one of a number of regular studies that ISVOR Dilts conducts to help the business community share best practices of leadership. The purpose of this study is to take a live measure of latest trends and ideas generated by leaders in these challenging times. An important feature of the research is its combined focus on business strategy and leadership practices. ISVOR Dilts has interviewed more than a dozen leaders from large companies (such as Hewlett Packard, Agilent, Alcatel, France Telecom, and others) about the following topics: How the economic downturn has affected their company, How they modified their business strategy , How they adapted their leadership style and practice. The purpose of this workshop is present the learning gathered during the study, which has been synthesized to develop a leading-edge understanding of effective leadership practices.
FaithAccepting the unknowable Getting outside of the boxStates of "not knowing," "uptime" and "active dreaming" Learning III and IV: Exploring identity and beyond Readiness to let go of the old world Flexible and mature survival strategies Weak signal detection In-course correction Frameworks and questions that awaken new possibilities Updating the archetypes and metaphors we live by
Transforming Beliefs
with Robert Dilts
There is an old story about a patient who was being treated by a psychiatrist. The patient wouldn't eat or take care of himself, claiming that he was a corpse. The psychiatrist spent many hours arguing with the patient trying to convince him he wasn't a corpse. Finally the psychiatrist asked the patient if corpses bled. The patient replied, Of course corpses don't bleed, all of their body functions have stopped. The psychiatrist then convinced the patient to try an experiment. The psychiatrist would carefully prick the patient with a pin and they would see if he started to bleed. The patient agreed. After all, he was a corpse. The psychiatrist gently pricked the patient's skin with a needle and, sure enough, he began to bleed. With a look of shock and amazement the patient gasped, "I'll be darned...corpses DO bleed!" Our beliefs are a very powerful force in our behavior. It is common wisdom that if someone really believes he can do something he will do it, and if he believes something is impossible no amount of effort will convince him that it can be accomplished. What is unfortunate is that many sick people, such as those with cancer or heart disease, will often present their doctors and friends with the same belief mentioned in the story above. Beliefs like "It's too late now;" "There's nothing I can do anyway;" "I'm a victim...My number came up;" can often limit the full resources of the patient. Our beliefs about ourselves and what is possible in the world around us greatly impact our day-to-day effectiveness. All of us have beliefs that serve as resources as well as beliefs that limit us. The power of beliefs was demonstrated in an enlightening study in which a group of children who were tested to have average intelligence was divided at random into two equal groups. One of the groups was assigned to a teacher who was told that the children were "gifted." The other group was given to a teacher who was told that the children were "slow learners." A year later the two groups were retested for intelligence. Not surprisingly, the majority of the group that was arbitrarily identified as "gifted" scored higher than they had previously, while the majority of the group that was labeled "slow" scored lower! The teacher's beliefs about the students effected their ability to learn. In another study, 100 cancer "survivors" (patients who had reversed their symptoms for over 10 years) were interviewed about what they had done to achieve success. The interviews showed that no one treatment method stood out as being more effective than any other. Some had taken the standard medical treatment of chemotherapy and/or radiation, some had used a nutritional approach,
others had followed a spiritual path, while others concentrated on a psychological approach and some did nothing at all. The only thing that was characteristic of the entire group was that they all believed that the approach they took would work. Certainly, these examples seem to demonstrate that our beliefs can shape, effect or even determine our degree of intelligence, health, relationships, creativity, even our degree of happiness and personal success. Yet, if indeed our beliefs are so powerful a force in our lives, how do we get control of them so they don't control us? Many of our beliefs were installed in us as children by parents, teachers, social upbringing and the media before we were aware of their impact or able to have a choice about them. Is it possible to restructure, unlearn or change old beliefs that may be limiting us and imprint new ones that can expand our potential beyond what we currently imagine? If so, how do we do it? Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) provides perhaps the most powerful and exciting model of the mind and set of behavioral tools in existence. Through the processes of NLP, beliefs and belief strategies may be explicitly mapped and directed. The three most common areas of limiting beliefs center around issues of hopelessness, helplessness and worthlessness. These three areas of belief can exert a great deal of influence with respect to a persons mental and physical health. Hopelessness occurs when someone does not believe a particular desired goal is even possible. It is characterized by a sense that, No matter what I do it won't make a difference. What I want is not possible to get. It's out of my control. I'm a victim. Helplessness occurs when, even though he or she believes that the outcome exists and is possible to achieve, a person does not believe that he or she is capable of attaining it. It produces a sense that, It's possible for others to achieve this goal but not for me. I'm not good enough or capable enough to accomplish it. Worthlessness occurs when, even though a person may believe that the desired goal is possible and that he or she even has the capability to accomplish it, that individual believes that he or she doesn't deserve to get what he/she wants. It is often characterized by a sense that, I am a fake. I don't belong. I don't deserve to be happy or healthy. There is something basically and fundamentally wrong with me as a person and I deserve the pain and suffering that I am experiencing. NLP offers specific techniques to elegantly and effectively help people to shift these types of limiting beliefs to beliefs involving hope for the future, a sense of capability and responsibility, and a sense of self-worth and belonging.
This seminar will explore the structure and dynamics of our belief systems as well as how to identify and change our beliefs and facilitate change in those around us. Some topics to be covered include:
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Belief Assessment - Evaluating Belief Systems Time Lines - Getting to the Roots of Our Beliefs The Belief Change Cycle - Working with the Natural Cycle of Belief Change Colliding and Colluding Beliefs - Dealing with Conflicting Belief Systems Sleight of Mouth - The Language of Belief Change
For information on Robert Dilts, please see Home Page. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 2000 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Alpha Leadership is a new model of leadership whose purpose is to capture and share the latest and most up-to-date knowledge about the practice of effective leadership. The Alpha Leadership model defines a set of principles, tools and skills modeled from observing and coaching world-class leaders from around the world. The Alpha Leadership model addresses three key areas of leadership: Anticipate, Align and Act. Anticipating has to do with the leaders ability to be aware of the larger system in which he or she and the team or organization are acting. Aligning has to do with the way a leader engages and interacts with othersachieving congruence in his or her own values and desires, and the values and desires of others in order to act effectively in pursuit of business goals and outcomes. Acting relates to establishing what is important to achieve the business goals, and making the commitment to persist in areas that make a difference through clarity and constancy of purpose. Each of these key aspects of leadership is supported by three core skills necessary to bring them into action. Anticipate Detecting Weak Signals: Similar to the sonar system of a bat, leaders and organizations need to be able to sense and interpret subtle cues, in order to become aware of trends and patterns in the larger system, even before they happen. Mental Agility: Having the flexibility (or requisite variety) to respond appropriately to these signals. Freeing Up Resources: Creating organizations fluid enough to respond quickly to new circumstances. Align Leading Through Embodiment: Developing personal power through congruence and personal alignment, and being aware of ones impact on others. Task Through Relationship: Establishing cooperation and rapport and encouraging self-organization through meta leadership. Creating Cultures that Can Act: Establishing the conditions in which others can win.
Act The 80/20 Rule: Being efficient, and finding the key leverage points for effective action knowing where to tap. Ready, Fire, Aim: Being proactive and at the same time sensitive to feedback in order to make in-course corrections. Dogged Pursuit: Focusing and stretching business goals, being clear about how the business creates value, and having a strong sense of connection between ones personal mission and business role. The Alpha Leadership model supplies tools for managers, consultants and coaches to develop more effective leadership ability in themselves and others. While the focus of Alpha Leadership is necessarily on business, the principles, skills and tools can be applied in other contexts in which we want to improve our performance or results. This workshop will provide: An understanding of the Alpha Leadership model A conversation with other innovative business leaders about the application of Alpha Leadership principles to their own organization A self-diagnosis of key areas for their own development and the identification of some practical next steps Feedback from the authors on ones own leadership development plan An understanding of the implications of leadership for ones own organization An exploration of some innovative dimensions of Alpha Leadership, and an actual increase in ones ability to anticipate the future
selected engineered materials in specified contexts. Authorization will relate to specific engineered material designed by Robert Dilts, Judith DeLozier and Todd Epstein and published by Dynamic Learning Publications and NLP University Press. The authorization is in the form of an agreement specifying the particular materials, type of use and the specific contexts in which the engineered material may be used, as well as an understanding that the standard copyright procedures must be utilized and honored for each use. * Dates: July 1423, 2002 * Registration: July 14 ~ Oakes Learning Center 12-2pm ~ UCSC- West Entrance ~ Oakes College, Oakes Learning Center. * July 14 ~ General Assembly 2pm- 5pm. Oakes Learning Center. * Daily class times: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm beginning July 15. * Last day: July 23 ~ Program ends 3pm. Check-out of apartments by 12 noon. * Residential package, including tuition, private accommodations and meals: $3,880. Tuition alone: $3,000. * Enrollment Form and Deposit due May 10: $2,000. Balance, $1,880 due June 10. * Please call for discounts for multiple people from one Institute. After May 10th, contact NLPU to see if class is open. teresanlp@aol.com
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Return to Robert Dilts' Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit. com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 2001 by Robert Dilts, Santa Cruz, CA.
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Releasing natural leadership abilities through the identification of your vision and mission Developing and maintaining states of personal excellence Forming effective plans Recognizing and addressing different thinking styles Understanding and managing beliefs and belief systems Enhancing personal effectiveness in communicating and in managing others Exploring and enriching personal leadership styles Giving useful feedback
This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
According to author John Bradshaw (On: the Family) an addiction is a pathological relationship to any mood-altering experience that has life damaging consequences. Addictions often involve or lead to a paradoxical situation in which a person does or takes something which that person believes he or she needs in order to survive, but the person ends up doing it to such an extent that it threatens his or her survival. [It is as if, Too much of a good thing is not enough.] People can form addictions to a variety of different behaviors and substances. Common addictions include alcohol, drugs, work, sex, cigarettes and food. Addictions and compulsions are often related to perceptions and beliefs related to identity and survival. Addictions, for instance, are frequently associated with dependence and codependence. Dependence is a function of the belief that you need something or someone for your survival and/or sense of identity, and that there are no other alternatives. Co-dependence involves a relationship based on the presupposition that both parties need the other for survival and/or sense of identity, and that there are no other alternatives. Addictions especially have been associated with the process of enmeshment. Enmeshment results from confusing some person, action or object as being an integral part of your identity or survival. Explores the relationship between compulsive behaviors and identity and provides strategies and techniques for transforming compulsions into choice. NLP has been applied with success to the treatment of addictions and compulsions. Addictions and compulsions are often related to unresolved past issues and current internal conflicts, usually at the level of identity. Treatment, from a systemic NLP perspective, involves clarifying issues at the identity level and finding ways to build in other choices to satisfy the positive intention driving the addictive or compulsive behavior. This seminar will explore a basic intervention path for treating an addictions and compulsions including: Distinguishing between behavior and identity, and exploring the positive intentions and secondary gains behind the addictive or compulsive behavior. Dealing with relevant family system issues, such as codependence and enmeshment. Identifying and resolving issues from personal history related to the establishment of the addictive or compulsive behaviors. Strengthening the motivation to change. Developing skills to deal with emotional responses which lead to the addictive or
compulsive behavior in new, more effective and ecological ways. Establishing positive alternative behaviors to those related to the addiction or compulsion. Aligning and integrating any conflicting internal parts involved with the addictive or compulsive behavior. Identifying and reanchoring both environmental and internal triggers for addictive or compulsive behaviors.
draw upon their own resources. This program explores the skills necessary to be an effective coach at all levels. The seminar will provide specific skills which help and support a person to develop and excel in order to reach desired outcomes. Participants will learn skills and tools which support effective coaching, including: * Setting Well-Formed Goals and Outcomes * Modeling Effective Performance * Mapping Across Resources * Feedback and Stretching * Learning to Learn * Managing Relationships Meta Mapping and the Meta Mirror * Reframing Criticisms and Doubts
Coaching Sponsorship
Coaching Change at deep levels of being and thinking, such as values and identity are promoted by "sponsorship". With respect to identity and values, "sponsorship" involves awakening and safeguarding potential within others. It involves the commitment to the promotion of something that is already within a person but isn't being manifested to its fullest capacity. The coach as sponsor provides a context, contacts and resources that promotes the individual's development and performance. Effective sponsoring can be one of a coaches most powerful skills. Stephen Gilligan (1997) has identified a number of principles and skills of positive or 'therapeutic sponsorship'. From Gilligan's perspective, a sponsor helps others not so much by doing anything in particular. Rather, sponsors transform others by first recognizing or seeing something latent in them, and then by being there for them as a kind of reference point. The effects of sponsorship can last many years. As an example, a coaching client identified a memory of being sponsored as one of his most powerful resources When he was three years old, his father was washing the car as he rode his little meal pedal bike around and around the car. As he rode his father watched, smiling and really seeing him. It was a non-verbal acknowledgement for him as a person. It gave him a sense of worth and was an ongoing reminder that he was approved of as a person. Later, even as an adult, when he launched a new project, this memory would flash through his mind and give him confidence. According to Gilligan, the outcomes of positive sponsorship are to "awaken awareness of self and of the world, and to introduce skills and traditions to develop 'self-in-world' and 'world-in-self'." Gilligan defines a number of specific skills associated with 'therapeutic sponsorship' these can be mapped across to the context of life coaching and executive coaching as well. Some of these skills include: Internal congruence Connecting with the other Curiosity and Receptivity Proper naming Identifying and challenging self-negating influences Effective sponsorship involves supplying other perspectives that allow people to see the positive side of their values and behavior. This involves helping the other person
recognize the needs, intention, consequences and assumptions related to a particular value. To do this a sponsor needs to stay creative and to periodically "stand in the shoes" of the other. In order to establish values and identity it is important to remember to, "Find a sponsor, and be a sponsor." Sponsorship cannot be imposed on people. People must seek and accept sponsorship to some degree. It is also possible to engage in one's own "self-sponsorship." This can be done by establishing personal and professional practices, making the commitment to allocate time to them, and then hold oneself accountable for putting them into action. Together with Gilligan, Robert Dilts has been exploring the development of a 'sponsorship toolbox', which can facilitate the development of effective sponsorship. Applying principles and methods of NLP, Dilts has explored how to apply the skills of sponsorship to coaching through techniques such as: * The Values Audit * Listening Partnerships * Reframing Self-Criticism * Generative Sponsorship and Group Sponsorship
In this workshop you will develop Genius Skills (e.g. technical brilliance, passionate work, achieving excellence, intentionality, emotional healing, integrity, sensual intelligence, self-regulation, love, core alignment) in yourself and others through a 'sponsorship toolbox'. Also see how this innovative new system can be applied to business, coaching, training, mentoring and therapy. Stephen Gilligan (PhD) and Robert Dilts were together at the beginning of NLP. They both went on to pursue excellence in their different disciplines: Robert in his development of NLP and its applications, especially in the area of business leadership and strategies of genius, and Stephen in Ericksonian Hypnosis and his own brand of psychotherapy. After twenty years apart, they have come together to develop this new system and present this unique seminar. They share a deep commitment to helping people grow at an identity level, and a fascination with creativity. Deep creativity that leads to new, unanticipated places, to something unprecedented. In other words, Genius - defined as 'the superior or divine nature which is present in everything'. It takes you past evolution, stepping beyond what already exists, on a quantum leap towards revolution. What participants will discover: "Sponsorship" is a notion that Stephen has brought out of his work in hypnosis, and been developed by Robert to apply in business leadership, coaching, teaching and therapy. Together Robert and Steve will share their "Sponsorship Toolbox" to help you explore the nature of genius and bring more of it in your work and life. The skills of Sponsorship and of Genius will help you to: * Handle diversity without polarising * Listen beyond what is said * Practically apply systemic thinking * Recognise and utilize metaphor * Integrate seeming opposites * Take risks * Reflect and Connect * Become part of the Future * Operate at multiple levels and align higher levels
To this rich seminar, Steve also brings his humour, wisdom and poetry, and Robert his grace and analytical elegance. Together they create an atmosphere of deep respect, wholeness and multidimensionality - truly magical. If you would like to bring into your own and others lives more skills that affirm life, and be able to better bridge the worlds between the analytical left brain and the deeper aesthetic right brain with new and surprising results, this seminar is for you.
Alpha Leadership is a new model of leadership whose purpose is to capture and share the latest and most up-to-date knowledge about the practice of effective leadership. The Alpha Leadership model defines a set of principles, tools and skills modeled from observing and coaching world-class leaders from around the world. The Alpha Leadership model addresses three key areas of leadership: Anticipate, Align and Act. Anticipating has to do with the leaders ability to be aware of the larger system in which he or she and the team or organization are acting. Aligning has to do with the way a leader engages and interacts with othersachieving congruence in his or her own values and desires, and the values and desires of others in order to act effectively in pursuit of business goals and outcomes. Acting relates to establishing what is important to achieve the business goals, and making the commitment to persist in areas that make a difference through clarity and constancy of purpose. Each of these key aspects of leadership is supported by three core skills necessary to bring them into action. Anticipate Detecting Weak Signals: Similar to the sonar system of a bat, leaders and organizations need to be able to sense and interpret subtle cues, in order to become aware of trends and patterns in the larger system, even before they happen. Mental Agility: Having the flexibility (or requisite variety) to respond appropriately to these signals. Freeing Up Resources: Creating organizations fluid enough to respond quickly to new circumstances. Align Leading Through Embodiment: Developing personal power through congruence and personal alignment, and being aware of ones impact on others. Task Through Relationship: Establishing cooperation and rapport and encouraging self-organization through meta leadership.
Creating Cultures that Can Act: Establishing the conditions in which others can win. Act The 80/20 Rule: Being efficient, and finding the key leverage points for effective action knowing where to tap. Ready, Fire, Aim: Being proactive and at the same time sensitive to feedback in order to make in-course corrections. Dogged Pursuit: Focusing and stretching business goals, being clear about how the business creates value, and having a strong sense of connection between ones personal mission and business role. The Alpha Leadership model supplies tools for managers, consultants and coaches to develop more effective leadership ability in themselves and others. While the focus of Alpha Leadership is necessarily on business, the principles, skills and tools can be applied in other contexts in which we want to improve our performance or results. This workshop will provide: An understanding of the Alpha Leadership model A conversation with other innovative business leaders about the application of Alpha Leadership principles to their own organization A self-diagnosis of key areas for their own development and the identification of some practical next steps Feedback from the authors on ones own leadership development plan An understanding of the implications of leadership for ones own organization An exploration of some innovative dimensions of Alpha Leadership, and an actual increase in ones ability to anticipate the future
This program will explore the principles and competences necessary for effective servant leadership. Some of the topics to be covered include: Empowering People Recognizing individuality Promoting the development of peoples potential Promoting self-esteem Developing autonomy Stimulating peoples motivation for growth Leading from behind Giving Support to Others Mentors and Mentoring Building a Second Position Perspective Sponsoring Skills of Sponsorship Awakening Establishing a culture of leadershipRecognizing that We are all leaders.
Coaching
Coaching is the process of helping another person to perform at the peak of his or her abilities. It involves drawing out another persons strengths, helping that person to overcome internal resistances and interferences, and facilitating him or her to function as a part of a team. An effective coach observes a persons behavior and gives him or her tips and guidance about how to improve in specific contexts and situations.
Teaching
Teaching relates to helping a person develop cognitive skills and capabilities. Teaching focuses on the acquisition of general skills, rather than on performance in specific situations. A teacher helps a person to develop new strategies for thinking and acting. The emphasis of teaching is more on new learning than on refining ones performance.
Mentoring
In Greek Mythology, Mentor was the wise and faithful counselor to the hero
Odysseus. Under the guise of Mentor, the goddess Athena became the guardian and teacher of Odysseus son Telemachus, while Odysseus was away on his journeys. Thus, the notion of being a mentor has come to mean the process of both (a) advising or counseling, and (b) serving as a guide or teacher. A mentor has overlaps with, but is distinct from, either a teacher or coach. A teacher instructs, and a coach provides specific behavioral feedback, in order to help a person learn or grow. Mentors, on the other hand, guide us to discover our own unconscious competences, and strengthen beliefs and values, often through their own example. Mentors are often individuals that have helped to shape or influence our lives in a positive way by resonating with, releasing, or unveiling something deeply within us.
Sponsoring
Sponsorship involves creating a context in which others can act, grow and excel. Unlike a teacher, coach or mentor, the skills and resources of the sponsor may be quite different from the person or group that is being sponsored. The sponsor is not necessarily a role model for the individual or group being sponsored. Rather the sponsor provides a context, contacts and resources that allow the group or individual being sponsored to focus on, develop and use their own abilities and skills. Sponsorship is about the development of identity and core values. Sponsorship involves awakening and safeguarding potential within others. It involves the commitment to the promotion of something that is already within a person or group, but which is not being manifested to its fullest capacity.
Awakening
Awakening goes beyond coaching, teaching, mentoring and sponsorship to include the level of vision, mission and spirit. An awakener supports another person by providing contexts and experiences which bring out the best of that persons understanding of love, self, and spirit. Like all of the other levels, the skills related to being an awakener must include but transcend all of the other levels. Thus, being an awakener requires the abilities a coach, teacher, mentor and sponsor, but has other dimensions. An awakener awakens others through his or her own integrity and congruence. An awakener puts other people in touch with their own missions and visions by being in full contact with his or her own vision and mission. This seminar will provide skills which help and support a person to develop and grow at all of these levels. Participants will learn skills and tools which facilitate each level of support.
For information on Robert Dilts, please see Home Page. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
NLP is now in its third decade as a field of study and has evolved considerably since its beginnings in the mid 1970s. As a third generation of NLP developers, trainers and practitioners move into the world, it is also time to acknowledge a third generation of NLP. First generation NLP was the original model of NLP derived by Bandler and Grinder from their study of effective therapists. These early applications of NLP were all applied one-on-one, with the focus almost entirely on the individual. First generation NLP presupposed a therapeutic relationship in which the therapist knew what was best for his or her client. NLP was considered something which one did to other people. This led to some NLP applications as seeming to be manipulative when used in non-therapeutic contexts. Most of the first generation tools and techniques (such as the meta model, anchoring, eye accessing cues, predicates, 6-step reframing, etc.) were focused on problem solving at level of behavior and capabilities. Second generation NLP began to emerge in the mid to late 1980s. At this time, NLP was expanding to embrace other issues beyond the therapeutic context. While still focused on individuals, second generation NLP emphasized the relationship between oneself and others and widened to include such areas of application as negotiation, sales, education and health. The tools of NLP also expanded to include higher level issues, such as those related to beliefs, values and meta programs. Second generation NLP techniques integrated the use of new distinctions such as time lines, submodalities and perceptual positions into formats like reimprinting, conflict integration, the Disney strategy and the Swish Pattern. Third generation NLP has been developing since the 1990s. The applications of third generation NLP are generative, systemic and focused at even higher levels of learning, interaction and developmentincluding those relating to identity, vision and mission. Third generation NLP emphasizes whole system change and can be applied to organizational and cultural development as well as to individuals and teams. The techniques of third generation NLP are field based, incorporating principles of selforganization, archetypes and what is known as fourth positiona whole system perspective. The tools of third generation NLP are founded upon alignment, a multi-level perspective and the skills of sponsorship. The assumption of third generation NLP is
that the wisdom needed for change is already in the system and can be discovered and released by creating the appropriate context. This program will focus on the applications of third generation NLP to coaching and leadership. Coaching and leadership both involve helping others to perform at the peak of their abilities. Good leaders and coaches are also skilled in team building and promoting a common culture and shared values amongst team members. This seminar will cover the knowledge, behavioral skills and personal qualities necessary for people to be effective coaches and leaders. Sponsoring Alignment for Change Creating a Win-Win Environment Applying Triple Description Working with Multiple Time Frames and Shifting the Burden Ethical Thinking Tools
Finding and clarifying our life's direction Managing boundaries between 'self' and 'others' Becoming clear about beliefs that support our identity and those which limit us Expanding our sense of self Incorporating new dimensions of being
Working at the level of identity also opens up the possibility of "evolutionary" change. Most NLP techniques focus on "remedial" or corrective change (fixing something that is broken). A few techniques focus on "generative" change (taking something good and making more of it). Still fewer address "evolutionary" change (creating something completely new). To make an analogy, remedial change is like pulling weeds; generative change is like planting new seeds; evolutionary change is like altering the landscape upon which the weeds and the seeds are growing. This program will explore how NLP can promote the development and understanding of identity and facilitate evolutionary change. Some topics to be covered include:
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Identity versus self concept The relationship of identity to role, personality and mission Developmental stages of identity The role of archetypes in forming identity Expressing identity through different senses Biological metaphors for identity and evolutionary change
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Promote deeper and more lasting change Be more of yourself more of the time Facilitate more far reaching and ecological outcomes
For information on Robert Dilts, please see Home Page. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
NLP is now in its third decade as a field of study and has evolved considerably since its beginnings in the mid 1970s. As a third generation of NLP developers, trainers and practitioners move into the world, it is also time to acknowledge a third generation of NLP. First generation NLP was the original model of NLP derived by Bandler and Grinder from their study of effective therapists. These early applications of NLP were all applied one-on-one, with the focus almost entirely on the individual. First generation NLP presupposed a therapeutic relationship in which the therapist knew what was best for his or her client. NLP was considered something which one did to other people. This led to some NLP applications as seeming to be manipulative when used in non-therapeutic contexts. Most of the first generation tools and techniques were focused on problem solving at level of behavior and capabilities. Second generation NLP began to emerge in the mid to late 1980s. At this time, NLP was expanding to embrace other issues beyond the therapeutic context. While still focused on individuals, second generation NLP emphasized the relationship between oneself and others and widened to include such areas of application as negotiation, sales, education and health. The tools of NLP also expanded to include higher level issues, such as those related to beliefs, values and meta programs. Second generation NLP techniques integrated the use of new distinctions such as time lines, submodalities and perceptual positions. Third generation NLP has been developing since the 1990s. The applications of third generation NLP are generative, systemic and focused at even higher levels of learning, interaction and developmentincluding those relating to identity, vision and mission. Third generation NLP emphasizes whole system change and can be applied to organizational and cultural development as well as to individuals and teams. The techniques of third generation NLP are field based, incorporating principles of selforganization, archetypes and what is known as fourth positiona whole system perspective. The tools of third generation NLP are founded upon alignment, a multi-level perspective and the skills of sponsorship. The assumption of third generation NLP is that the wisdom needed for change is already in the system and can be discovered and released by creating the appropriate context.
This program will focus on the applications of third generation NLP to coaching and leadership. Coaching and leadership both involve helping others to perform at the peak of their abilities. Good leaders and coaches are also skilled in team building and promoting a common culture and shared values amongst team members. This seminar will cover the knowledge, behavioral skills and personal qualities necessary for people to be effective coaches and leaders. Topics will include: Large C and Small c Coaching Levels of Support for Learning and Change Sponsorship, Non-Sponsorship and Negative Sponsorship Skills of Sponsorship Sponsoring Alignment for Change The Heros Journey Batesons Levels of Learning and Change Practicing Learning IV
In todays turbulent world, the spotlight on individual leaders and their performance grows ever brighter. Those organizations that are sustaining their value and the reputation of their leaders in these challenging times have one thing in common: leaders who pay attention to what they will leave behind them after they are gone. They ask themselves what people will say of them; will the organization they led still be there to remember them; and if so, what position will they hold in the organizations memory? The paradox at the heart of the idea of organizational leadership is that the leader must add value to the organization, but must not take it away when he or she leaves. An essential part of a leaders job is to make him or herself dispensable through creating a culture of leadership, which extends throughout the organization. When an organization becomes incapable and falls apart after the leader departs, the subsequent ruin is, in a sense, a validation of that leaders talent and evidence of the value added during his or her tenure. But it is also evidence of that leaders failure to endow the organization with the qualities needed to transcend previous achievements, the failure to nurture the conditions under which leadership can flourish. Some leaders fail to create a culture of leadership, and instead foster a personal cult. A cult is a rudimentary, incomplete, inherently ephemeral phenomenon that fades away when the personality that creates it departs. In the cult of the leader, there is typically one powerful individual who makes the decisions and determines the direction the company will take. The result is that the organizations actions and plans are controlled by a single charismatic figure. Peoples plans and actions within the organization are primarily motivated by either their fear or love of the leader. (A dictatorship, for example, is generally a fear-based leadership cult.) In this type of situation, there is only room for a few people to be leaders, and the credit for success is confined to the leader or to a few key individuals at the top. There are no plans or ongoing efforts to develop future leaders. In fact, people who try to be proactive and enact leadership are likely to be suppressed and punished. As a result, people wait to act until they are given permission by the leader or someone close to the leader, and are expected to follow orders and directives without question. Cults tend to be characterized by a lot of rhetoric. Leaders dont listen, and people are afraid to speak openly about what they think. In a leadership culture, on the other hand, everyone must develop and express key leadership actions and qualities to some degree. While there are still symbolic individuals who have key responsibilities, represent cultural values and provide an example of leadership, many others in the organization are also empowered to make decisions and encouraged to have their own visions in parallel with the larger vision driving the organization.
In a culture of leadership, the success of the organization is based on the combined energy and efforts of many people aligned toward a common vision. The organizations actions and plans are determined by the desire and efforts of people at all levels of the organization, and the credit for success is spread to many contributors. Many people are encouraged to lead and express their ideas and visions. There is a genuine and sustained effort to train and develop future leaders. People at all levels are encouraged to be proactive and take leadership. Consequently, the organization will continue to run smoothly and effectively in the absence of the leader. A culture is much more durable and robust than a cult, because its survival and power do not depend on the presence and personality of a single individual. Because culture is shared, it can remain influential long after its creator has been forgotten. These reflections point to a critical question: who will be running your company ten years from now? And what are you doing now to make sure you retain and develop your best future leaders? What will your legacy be? This presentation will cover some of the key principles and methods that leaders can use to assess their own oreganizational cultures and build effective and sustainable leadership cultures that will lead their organizations to success in the next economy.
Success Factor Modeling was developed by Robert and John Dilts as a method to identify and transfer the critical success factors necessary to promote the growth and development of new ventures, traditional companies and entrepreneurs, and to help them be maximally prepared to create, recognize and take advantage of opportunities when they arise. With nearly thirty years of combined experience in advising both multi-national corporations and emerging growth technology companies, Robert and John applied their extensive expertise in defining the necessary strategies, and in providing substantive strategic advice for success in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. Success Factor Modeling brings together these combined skills and backgrounds to create a set of principles and distinctions which are uniquely suited to analyze and identify crucial patterns of business practices and behavioral skills used by successful individuals, teams and companies. The SFM process can be used to identify the critical success factors employed by successful companies, teams and individuals so that others may learn these strategies in order to facilitate the same level of success. With Success Factor Modeling, it is possible to define specific models, tools and skills that will allow individuals, teams and companies to greatly increase their chances of success, and which stimulate and support innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. One of the strengths of the SFM process is its integration of effective business practices with important behavioral skills. Benoit Sarazin, former Marketing Manager for the Communications Solutions Services Division at Agilent Technologies, points out, Many methodologies exist to help people with effective business practices. If you go to a library or bookstore, you can find all types of resources for making business plans, forming marketing strategies, protecting intellectual property, etc. But there are no methodologies for the behavioral skills. This is what makes Success Factor Modeling totally unique. By examining successful projects and initiatives and observing the behavior of high performing individuals and teams, SFM helps individuals and organizations to quantify the factors that have created their companys legacy of success and to identify the trends necessary to extend that legacy into the future. These factors can then be baked into peoples daily activities by identifying and extending what they are already doing that is successful.
The basic steps of the process SFM are: 1. Conducting a needs analysis to determine the specific issues, contexts and skills to be addressed. The first step involves identifying success stories to determine their desired state of success and selecting the individuals and teams and individuals to be modeled. 2. Setting up and carrying out modeling interviews and procedures in order to identify the capabilities or performance to be examined and gather the necessary information. 3. Determining relevant patterns in the behavior, strategies and beliefs of the individuals and teams who have been modeled, which sets the benchmark for successful leadership in the companys future. 4. Organizing the patterns that have been discovered into a descriptive and prescriptive structure; i.e., a model. This involves constructing a customized model and defining the supporting skills and competencies. 5. Designing effective installation/intervention procedures and tools in order to transfer or apply the key elements of the model to others. This involves completing the instructional design and development of the assessment tools and competency development paths for different individuals and teams. Success Factor Modeling takes into account multiple levels of factors related to success, including environmental, behavioral, cognitive, values, beliefs, identity and spiritual. It is founded on observing and mapping the key mental and physical processes which underlie an exceptional performance of some type. The goal of the Success Factor Modeling method is to identify the essential elements of thought and action required by an individual or group to produce the desired response or outcome. It is the process of taking a complex performance or interaction and breaking it into small enough chunks so that it can be recapitulated in some way. The purpose of behavior modeling is to create a pragmatic map or model of that behavior which can be used to reproduce or simulate some aspect of that performance by anyone who is motivated to do so. Thus, it involves benchmarking behaviors and ideas, as well as business practices. The objective of the Success Factor Modeling process is not to end up with the one right or true description of a particular persons or teams performance, but rather to make an instrumental map that allows us to apply the factors that we have modeled in some useful way. In summary, SFM may be applied in order to:
Identify key factors associated with successful performance. Organize those factors into a comprehensive and comprehensible model. Define specific tools and skills which transfer the key success factors encompassed by the model to others. Support the implementation of critical success factors through a variety of development paths that serve to create a dynamic and sustainable leadership culture. Dilts Strategy Group and International Teaching Seminars are delighted to announce an unprecedented one-year training program on Success Factor Modeling, to be held in London from November 2003 to September 2004. This exclusive training is being offered for the first time anywhere in the world. The course is for success-minded individuals who have a deep commitment to personal and professional evolution and who want to learn to develop a strong entrepreneurial attitude, take charge of the factors of success in their own lives, and work in new and exciting ways collaboratively with other like-minded individuals. Full details can be found at: http://www.itsnlp.com/dilts
Spirit into our lives and to connect and participate more fully and ecologically with the larger Mind and systems of which we are a part. Join world renowned NLP Trainers Robert Dilts and Robert McDonald and be prepared for a profound journey into the mysteries of the Spirit. This seminar is a special 3-day voyage for those who wish to learn more about their relationship to something greater than themselves. Although no prior knowledge or training is required to attend this unique workshop, you will experience and learn leading edge NLP processes; not available anywhere else, including:
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The Sacred journey The Presence of Eternity Spiritual Healing Discovering The Shadow Releasing Enmeshment With The Shadow Archetypal Self-Parenting The Symbolic Rebirth Cycle Spiritual Renewal A Framework For Spirituality And much more
This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1996 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
His contributions to psychology, NLP, and Psychoteleology are intended to help resolve individual and group suffering through empowered compassion, which is the result of marrying the "Heart" (kindness) and the "Sword" (technology). In the field of psychology, Robert's brief therapy perspectives, models, methodologies and skills are summarized in his 15 day program for practicing therapists called Healing The Wounded Heart: NLP as Brief Therapy. He holds an M. S. in Counseling and Mental Health. As a contributor to NLP's body of knowledge, McDonald is a pioneer in the fields of psychotherapy, addictions, and co-dependence. He created The Releasing Emotional Enmeshment Process, the first NLP procedure to impact co-dependence and other addictions. It is featured in the Andreas' Heart of the Mind and in John Bradshaw's Homecoming. He also created a variety of NLP processes which increase selfesteem, transform limiting beliefs, clarify personal boundaries, integrate various archetypes, and resolve interpersonal conflicts. On the business front, he is a coauthor of NLP: The New Technology of Achievement and Success Mastery With NLP and Tools of the Spirit (with Robert Dilts).
Comments or Suggestions
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Today people face many cultural challenges. These challenges can be sources of conflict, misunderstanding or inefficiency, or they can be powerful sources of innovation and growth, depending on the attitudes and skills of the people involved in the interaction. To function harmoniously and perform effectively, it is necessary to acknowledge and integrate the various sub-cultures within a common cultural framework. This program is designed to present and develop some of the key trans-cultural skills necessary to work in intercultural teams and realize the advantages of cultural diversity. Trans-cultural skills have to do with the ability to understand and appreciate different cultures and cultural patterns (either social or organizational), and the capacity to interact effectively with individuals of diverse cultural backgrounds. Objectives The objectives of the program are to provide distinctions, skills and tools for: 1. Enhancing the awareness of cultural diversity 2. Identifying key variables for managing diversity 3. Exploring synergy between cultural diversity and organizational effectiveness 4. Utilizing the skills needed for acquiring cultural information 5. Developing trans-cultural competence necessary to more effectively manage situations where differences are high and conflicts occasionally exist.
of this course are to: a. identify key patterns of language and behavior within Jesus' reported works of teaching and healing. b. identify ways to put those key patterns into practice in our own lives. c. present techniques based on modeling Jesus' patterns and principles that can improve our own health and the health and well-being of others.
For information on Robert Dilts, please see Home Page. This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
A major challenge facing our current generation is that the world has changed tremendously in the past century, and even faster in the past decade. Our technology, society, interpersonal relationships and environment have transformed dramatically. Since September 11, 2001 it has become obvious that our world has crossed a threshold into a completely new territory. Such changes are bringing about fundamental alterations in our personal and collective consciousness and social patterning. Many of the deep metaphors and archetypes we live by and which guide our experiences (often at an unconscious level) are in a state of flux. The archetypes that no longer fit must be updated and adjusted; some falling away, others entering a state of transition, and still others arising for the first time. Our current generation is like a band of pioneers venturing in new territory where nobody has gone before to provide a map. Times of growth and transformation in our lives are usually accompanied by the need for evolution and awakening. To achieve this evolution, our mental maps of who we are and what is possible in the world must become broader, and we must perceive old limitations in a completely new way. We need to break through our old mind set and get outside of the box, learning at the level of what anthropologist Gregory Bateson called Learning IVevolutionary change and the creation of something completely new. This new consciousness must both transcend and include our previous knowledge and awareness. New skills and resources are needed by those who are willing to explore the unknown and face the unknowable. This seminar will combine Stephen Gilligans work in the area of self relations and the generative self and Robert Dilts developments in the area of third generation NLP in order to explore skills and methods for reflecting upon and participating in the evolution of consciousness; our and that of the larger system or field of which we are a part. Some of the topics will include: Self AwakeningCentering, aligning and connecting with the source of your resources Developing the abilities of: ConfidenceBelief in our own inner resources in times of uncertainty TrustStaying centered while venturing into the unknown FaithAccepting the unknowable
Getting outside of the boxStates of not knowing, uptime and active dreaming Learning III and IV: Exploring identity and beyond Readiness to let go of the old world Flexible and mature survival strategies Weak signal detection In-course correction Frameworks and questions that awaken new possibilities Updating the archetypes and metaphors we live by
Change at deep levels, such as values and identity, does not take place through normal methods of instruction, tutoring, mentoring or even coaching. Changes at the level of identity and values are promoted by sponsorship and practices. An organization that sponsors a particular program or research project, promotes that program or project by providing needed resources. A group that sponsors a seminar or workshop provides the space and promotional effort necessary to create the context for the workshop leader to present his or her ideas and activities, and for others to receive the benefits of these ideas and activities. From this perspective, sponsorship involves creating a context in which others can act, grow and excel. Unlike a teacher, coach or mentor, the skills and resources of the sponsor may be quite different from the person or group that is being sponsored. The sponsor is not necessarily a role model for the individual or group being sponsored. Rather the sponsor provides a context, contacts and resources that allow the group or individual being sponsored to focus on, develop and use their own abilities and skills. With respect to identity and values, then, sponsorship involves awakening and safeguarding potential within others. It involves the commitment to the promotion of something that is already within a person or group, but which is not being manifested to its fullest capacity. Stephen Gilligan (1997) has identified a number of principles and skills of positive or therapeutic sponsorship. From Gilligans perspective, a sponsor helps others not so much by doing anything in particular. Rather, sponsors transform others by first recognizing or seeing something latent in them, and then by being there for them as a kind of reference point. According to Gilligan, the outcomes of positive sponsorship are to awaken awareness of self and of the world, and to introduce skills and traditions to develop self-in-world and world-in-self. Gilligan defines a number of specific skills associated with therapeutic sponsorship. Some of these skills can be adapted to a more general application of sponsorship than therapy, including: Internal congruence Connecting with the other Curiosity and Receptivity Proper naming Identifying and challenging self-negating influences Effective sponsorship involves supplying other perspectives that allow people to see the positive side of their values and behavior. This involves helping the other person recognize the needs, intention, consequences and assumptions related to a particular
value. To do this a sponsor needs to stay creative and to periodically stand in the shoes of the other. In order to establish values and identity it is important to remember to, Find a sponsor, and be a sponsor. Sponsorship cannot be imposed on people. People must seek and accept sponsorship to some degree. It is also possible to engage in ones own self-sponsorship. This can be done by establishing personal and professional practices, making the commitment to allocate time to them, and then hold oneself accountable for putting them into action. Together with Gilligan, Robert Dilts has been exploring the development of a sponsorship toolbox, which can facilitate the development of effective sponsorship. Applying principles and methods of NLP, Dilts has explored how to apply the skills of sponsorship to training, business coaching and mentoring, as well as therapy, through techniques such as: The Values Audit Listening Partnerships Reframing Self-Criticism Generative Sponsorship and Group Sponsorship This seminar will provide these skills, and others, which help and support a person to develop and grow through the various forms of sponsorship. Participants will learn skills and tools which facilitate themselves and others to grow and evolve at many different levels.
A major challenge facing our current generation is that our world has changed tremendously in the past century, and even faster in the past decade. Our technology, society, interpersonal relationships and environment have transformed dramatically. The attempt to keep up with such changes triggers important questions relating to key issues such as: How to behave? How to think? What to take a stand for? What is non-negotiable? What to believe and how to decide what to believe? Where do we put our attention in order to get the best guidance? It has been wisely pointed out that, If you are full of an answer, you have no space for questions. Many of our old answers may not serve us any more, and we must let go of them in order create space for new answers. This can allow us to better become aware of opportunities and assess risks. In times of change, however, we can also become more susceptible to limiting beliefs and thought viruses. Thought viruses can infect our minds and belief systems just as a physical virus can infect our bodies or a computer virus can infect a computer system leading to confusion and malfunctions. We need ways to detect the assumptions and presuppositions in the messages we receive (similar to virus scanning software or a mental firewall). A key issue in order to effectively cope with change is how to find stability (and inner security) when everything is changing faster and faster (and sometimes falling apart). How, for instance, can we stay in contact with what stays untouched in us in the middle of an ever changing world? This workshop will provide tools for addressing these questions and finding the resources needed to effectively and ecologically manage times of change with confidence and wisdom. The program will cover tools for: Centering, awareness and letting go (with respect to past and present) Recognizing when you are not in awareness Getting back to awareness Breaking out of short term perception of time Releasing old fears Increasing self-acceptance
Detecting and filtering possible thought viruses Cleaning out our filters with respect to presuppositions Moving from regression to progression.
Primary Modality
Visceral
High amplitude alpha content when eyes are both open and closed.
Baseline EEG Activity for individual of primarily visceral cognitive strategies. Low amplitude beta when eyes are open; spindles of alpha of intermediate amplitude when eyes are closed.
Visual
Baseline EEG Activity for individual of primarily visual cognitive strategies. Tactile Low amplitude beta when eyes are open or closed.
Baseline EEG Activity for individual of primarily tactile cognitive strategies. Higher amplitude beta with intermittent alpha when eyes are open or closed.
Auditory
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
John Grinder As a linguist, Grinder distinguished himself in the area of syntax, working within Noam Chomsky's theories of transformational grammar. After studying with cognitive science founder George Miller at Rockefeller University, Grinder was selected as a professor of linguistics at the newly founded University of California campus at Santa Cruz. His works in the area of linguistics include Guide to Transformational Grammar (co-authored with Suzette Elgin, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1973) and On Deletion Phenomena in English (Mouton & Co., 1972) and numerous articles. At UC Santa Cruz Grinder met Richard Bandler, who was a student of psychology. Bandler began studying psychotherapy and invited Grinder to participate in his therapy groups. Grinder became fascinated with the linguistic patterns used by effective therapists, and in 1974 teamed up with Bandler to make a model, drawing from the theory of transformational grammar, of the language patterns used by Gestalt Therapy founder Fritz Perls, family therapist Virginia Satir and
Hypnotherapist Milton H. Erickson. Over the next three years Grinder and Bandler continued to model the various cognitive behavioral patterns of these thereapists, which they published in their books The Structure of Magic Volumes I & II (1975, 1976), Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, Volumes I & II (1975, 1977) and Changing With Families (1976). These books became the foundation of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Grinder is a co-author of numerous other books on NLP and its applications, including Frogs Into Princes (1979), NLP Volume I (1980), Tranceformations (1981), Reframing (1982), Precision (1980), Turtles All The Way Down (1987) and Whispering in the Wind with Carmen Bostic St. Clair (2001). In addition to his ability to identify and model complex patterns of language and behavior, Grinder is known for personal power and presence as a presenter and trainer. In recent years, Grinder has focused primarily on working as a consultant, applying NLP methods and principles in companies and organizations. John Grinder Quantum Leap 245 M Mt. Hermon Rd., #277 Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Comments or Problems
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Richard Bandler Bandler is an author and co-author of numerous other books on NLP and its applications, including Frogs Into Princes (1979), NLP Volume I (1980), Tranceformations (1981), Reframing (1982), Using Your Brain (1985), An Insider's Guide to Sub-Modalities (1988), The Adventures of Anybody (1993), Time For a Change (1993) and Persuasion Engineering(1996). Much of Bandler's later work in NLP has focused on applications of submodalities, the subtle distinctions one can make in one's sensory experience and internal representations. His background as a musician and his interest in sound theory and the neurological impact of sound lead him to develop the area of Neuro-Sonics, which utilizes qualities of music and sound to create specific internal states. Bandler is also the founder of the model and techniques of Design Human Engineering (DHE). In addition to his creative genius, Bandler is known for his sense of humor, his ability to use sophisticated language patterns, and his dynamic training style.
First Institute of NLP & DHE Richard Bandler 268 Bush Street Suite 4115 San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 882-4657 Fax: (415) 974-0353
Comments or Problems
For information on Robert Dilts products and services, please see Upcoming Seminars or Roberts Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Imagineering Strategy and Vision 2 Action are simple but powerful tools that you can use over and over again.
Everything you need to begin turning your dreams into reality is contained within the program. Instructions for use and extensive help files are provided on each disk. Each disk includes biographical information and an overview of the thinking strategies of eight of the worlds most important geniuses: Physicist and creator of the theory of relativity, Albert Einstein Artist and Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci Musician and composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Entertainment giant, Walt Disney Psychiatrist and founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud Philosopher and the father of science, Aristotle Sir Arthur Conan Doyles master detective, Sherlock Holmes Scientist and inventor, Nikola Tesla Albert Einstein pointed that imagination is more important thann knowledge. Imagineering Strategy and Vision 2 Action help you to tap your imagination and put it to work, turning dreams and visions into practical action plans. The programs can be used by individuals or groups; it can enhance team work by helping people to work together more effectively and find common values. Get Imagineering Strategy and Vision 2 Action today and experience the benefits of NLP without having to be an NLP expert. Order now and begin to: think more creatively, give structure to your dreams, and transform new ideas into workable plans.
You may also want to see the Systemic Encyclopedia of NLP Or Link to the Anchor Point Page.
Comments or Suggestions
For information on Robert Dilts, please see Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address:michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1999 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
French
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being - Croyances et Sant, 1994 Skills for the Future - Des outils pour l'avenir, 1995. Strategies of Genius Mozart et Disney, 1996. Aristotle et Einstein, 1996. Vinci et Holmes, 1997. Freud et Tesla, 1997. Publisher:
La Mridienne 14, rue du Dragon 75006, Paris France Tel. (33) 1 42 22 46 71 Fax. (33) 1 45 48 49 31
Spanish
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being - Las Creencias: Caminos hacia la salud y el bienstar, 1996. Dynamic Learning - Aprendizaje Dinmico con PNL, 1997. Visionary Leadership - Liderazgo Creativo: PNL, 1999. Modeling With NLP - Creacion de Modelos con PNL, 1999. Tools of the Spirit - Herramientas para el espritu, 2000. Sleight of Mouth - el Poder de la Palabra, 2003. Publisher: Ediciones Urano Aribau, 142, pral. 08036 Barcelona Spain Tel. 932 375 564 or 934 156 159 Fax. 934 153 796 e-mail: info@edicionesurano.com Changing Beliefs with NLP - Cmo cambiar creencias con la PNL, 1998. Publisher: Editorial Sirio c/Panaderos, 9 29005 - Mlaga Spain e-mail: edsirio@vnet.es
Italian
NLP Volume I - Programmazione Neuro Linguistica: Lo studio della struttura dell' esperienza soggettiva, 1982. Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being - Convinzioni: Forme di pensiero che
plasmano la nostra esistenza, 1998. Dynamic Learning - Apprendimento Dinamico, 2002. Modeling with NLP - due Summer 2003. Publisher: Casa Editrice Astrolobio Ubaldini Editore Via Guido d'Arezzo, 16 00198 Rome Italy Tel. (39) 6 855 2131 Fax. (39) 6 855 2756 Visionary Leadership Skills - Leadership e Visione Creativita, 1998. Publisher: Edizioni Guerini e Associati V. le Felipetti 28 20122 Milano Italy Tel. (39) 2 58 298 016 Fax. (39) 2 58 298 030 Changing Beliefs with NLP - I Livelli Di Pensiero, 2003. Sleight of Mouth - due Summer 2003. Alpha Leadership - due Fall 2003. Publisher: Dr. Alessio Roberti NLP ITALY SRL Via Don Carlo Gnocchi, 3 24059 Urgnano Bg, Italy Tel: (39) 0543 405 214 Fax: (39) 0543 415 273 Email:
Portugese
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being - Crenas_Caminhos para a sade e o bem-estar, 1995.
Effective Presentation Skills - Enfentando a Audncia, 1997. Strategies of Genius, Volume I - A estratgia da genialidade, Vol. I, 1998. Strategies of Genius, Volume II - A estratgia da genialidade, Vol. II, 2000. Dynamic Learning - Aprendizagem Dinmica Vols. 1 & 2, 1999. Publisher: Summus Editorial Rua Cardoso de Almeida, 1287 05013 _ Sao Paulo, SP Brazil Tel. (55) 11 872-3322 Fax. (55) 11 872-7976
Danish
Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well-Being - Sunde Overbevisniger, 1994. Changing Belief Systems with NLP, 1999. Publisher: Jorge Paludan Forlag Copenhagen Denmark Fax. (45) 33 15 06 75
Japanese
Tools of the Spirit - 1999. For the Japanese translation of Tools, you may contact: Andrew Matsuo Homecoming, Inc. Purecity Yokohama III 605 2-2-10 Hiranuma Nishi-ku Yokohama Kanagawa-Ken Japan 220 Fax: (81) 45 313 3284
Russian
Changing Belief Systems with NLP, 1997. Strategies of Genius, Volumes I, II & III, 1998. Publisher: Leonid Kroll a/ya 85 103104 Moscow Russia Tel. & Fax. 7 095 917 8291, 8020, 8028 e-mail: kroll@aha.ru website: http://www.igisp-klass.aha.ru Modeling With NLP, 2000. Sleight of Mouth, 2000. Visionary Leadership Skills, 2002. Effective Presentation Skills, 2002. Skills for the Future, 2002. Publisher: Piter Publishing House Viborgskaya nab. 27/6 194044 St. Petersburg, Russia Fax: 7 (812) 327 13 15 Email: Vinokurov@piter.com website: http://www.piter.com
Dynamic Learning, 2000. Tools of the Spirit, 2002. Publisher: Dmitry V. Plutes Modek Publishing House P/b 179, Voronezh 394000, Russia Coach to Awakener, due Fall 2003 Publisher:
Prime-Evroznak Ltd. Co, Office 419, 41 Komsomola Str., 195009 St. Petersburg, Russia Email: zaytsev@pe.sp.ru
For information on Robert Dilts' products and services, please see Robert's Product Page or return to Home Page. If you have problems or comments concerning our WWW service, please send e-mail to the following address: michaelp@bowsprit. com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright (C) 2003 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.
Tim Hallbom
In addition to providing over 150,000 person contact hours of communication and behavioral change related training to individuals, business and government organizations in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, Tim has spent thousands of hours researching stress, health, lifestyle and personal productivity. He has also maintained a private psychotherapy practice and worked with many individuals with health related problems. Tim is a Certified Trainer in the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming and is also a clinical Social Worker. He received his MSW from the University of Utah in 1972. He is past president of the National Association of Neuro Linguistic Programming.
address: michaelp@bowsprit.com. This page, and all contents, are Copyright 1998 by Robert Dilts., Santa Cruz, CA.