Having it all with Neuro Linguistic Programming

My friend Sandra sighed.

• "It's my audition on Saturday. I' wish I could just stay home!
• "So stay home, what's the problem?" I asked
• "Because I want to sing!" She laughed, "I know I'm crazy!

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) has great techniques generally called "parts integration" to help us find the perfect answer to these decisions where we want two things that appear to be mutually exclusive. We teach this pattern in our NLP Practitoner Course in New York.

The Visual Squash pattern of NLP can be used to help us help our clients get what they realy want, and make decisions which are fully aligned with their desires.

1. The first step of the visual squash is to identify two conflicting desires in ourselves.
2. Secondly we visualize images (in the visual representational system) to represent each of these parts. These are normally an image of the part of me that wants the first outcome and an image of the part of me that wants the second.
3. We place each picture in one of our hands. Allow the unconscious mind to decide which hand should hold which image. This allows us to "feel" the conflicting parts using the kinesthetic representational system. Anchor each of the states or desires using the image and the client's description of the image.
4. Ask the image or part on your right hand what it wants for you, or what its positive intention is? By speaking we bring in our self-talk or inner voice, the so-called auditory digital representational system of NLP.
5. For each positive intention that each part or image gives us, we ask "and what is the positive intention of THAT?" In this way we ultimately reach the highest positive intention.
6. Turn to the other hand and ask that part for it positive intention. Continue to ask until you find the highest positive intention.
7. During the pattern make sure that the two parts come to appreciate each other. We might ask "what can you learn from the other part?" or similar questions to build this appreciation.
8. As we continue the exercise we often see the client's hands begin to move together as the two parts become closer in intention
9. When the positive intention of each part reaches a level such that the positive intentions are the same, we can expect the parts to reintegrate and they can be brought back inside the body by moving the hands toward the heart.
   

The NLP coach requires good hypnosis skills to fully involve the client's unconscious mind in this highly symbolic process.

In our NLP training in New York, we focus on these hypnosis skills to allow the NLP practitioner to engage the client's conscious and unconscious mind.

Because we are relying on the client's unconscious mind, we want the client to be able to access their unconscious resources. We do this through trance induction.

One way of leading the client into trance which may be particularly appropriate would be the arm catalepsy induction, or arm levitation.

The NLP coach will notice from the movement of the arms when they are actually being controlled by the unconscious mind, as the movements become more jerky.

The involvement of the unconscious mind leads to more lasting and powerful change.

Take our NLP course in New York to fully learn the Visual Squash pattern.

Call Shawn Carson 212 714 3574 email iphnewyork@aol.com. www.nlptrainingnewyork.com for NLP training, hypnosis, coaching.

Kinesthetic submodalities

In NLP, submodalities are the finer distinctions of our visual, auditory and kinesthetic representational systems.

So when we refer to kinesthetic submodalities, we are referring to distinctions that can be made about our feelings.

In NLP we do not make a specific distinction between emotional "feelings" and actual feelings in our body, on our skin, etc. This is because we believe that our experience is coded in a sensory manner. What this means is that when we have an emotional feeling, we likely actually feel this somewhere in our body, perhaps in our chest, or stomach.

So what are the specific submodalities of the kinesthetic representational system? These submodalities include:

• Location. Where precisely is the feeling? Is it inside the body or outside the body? Usually we find that feelings are inside the body, perhaps not surprisingly! Assuming it is inside, where precisely is it? Perhaps it is in or around the heart, or the stomach or some other area.
• Size. Does the feeling have a particular size? Is it large or small?
• Shape. What is the shape of the feeling? Is it round? Does it have sharp edges? Does it conform to the shape of the body around it?
• Metaphor. What is the feeling like? Is it like a warm glow? Or maybe like a sharp spike inside us? Or like a heavy weight?
• Texture. Is it rough or smooth?
• Temperature. Is it warm or cool? Hot or cold?
• Color. While color is a visual submodality, sometimes feelings appear to have a certain color associated with them, so we include it here.
• Movement. Does the feeling move? Perhaps it expands or contracts, moves out or in, or spins or rotates in a certain direction?
• Direction. If the feeling moves, what is the direction of the movement?
• Weight. What is the weight of the feeling? Is it heavy or light?

Warmly 

Shawn Carson

NLP training in New York

Auditory Submodalities

The auditory representational system is the things that we hear. We may hear things inside our head, such as sounds, or voices.

The submodalities of the auditory representational system include the following:

• Location. Where is the sound? Is it coming from the left or the right? From above or below? In front or behind?
• Distance. How far away is the sound or voice? Is it close or far away?
• Volume. How load is the sound?
• Tone. Is there a particular tone associated with the sound or voice? What is that tone?  
• Identity. If the sound is a voice, whose voice is it? Is it your voice? Is it another person's? If so whose voice is it?
• Duration. How long is the duration of the sound? 
• Repetition. Does the sound or voice repeat or does it play once then stop? If it repeats, what is the cycle of repetition?

As always, identifying the key submodalities, the so called driving submodalities, allows us to make changes in our experience and the emotional content of our experiences. A key example which we hear about all the time deals with our internal voice.

Our internal voice, or critic, is the voice inside our head that tells us when we are doing the wrong thing, or when we have messed up, or when we are going to mess up in the future.

By playing with the driving submodalities of the internal critic we can change the emotional impact of the critical voice. For example we could:

• Move the location of the voice, perhaps down to the ground.
• Change the tone, say to a sexy or funny tone.
• Change the identity of the voice. Was it your mother? Make it into Donald Duck.

By changing driving submodalities we can change the associated emotional content.

Harmoniously

Shawn Carson

NLP Training in New York

Visual Submodalities

We have talked recently about submodalities and their role in NLP.

Each representational system has its own set of submodalities, and depending on the individual, its own driving submodalities.

Visual submodalities include the following:

• Location. If we see a picture in our mind, where is it? And yes, I know it is inside your head. But if it was outside your head where would it be? Would it be on the left of the right? Would it be up or down? How far away would it be?
• Size. How big is the picture? Is it large or small?
• Framing. Is the picture framed? If so, what is the frame like? Does it have a particular style or color? If it is not framed, is it wrap around? Or does it end? If it ends, how does this happen?
• 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional. Is the picture three dimensional or two dimensional like a photo?
• Movie or still. Is the picture still like a photo? Is it more like a movie? Sometimes it is in-between, it moves but only a little, essentially it stays as the same scene, but has some movement.
• Associated or dissociated. Does the client see themselves in the movie, or are they seeing out of their own eyes?
• Color or black and white. Is the picture in color or in black and white? 
• Brightness. How bright is the picture? Is it bright or dim? 
• Contrast. What other aspects of the picture are key? For example is there a particular degree of contrast between the various aspects of the picture, for example foreground and background?

Shawn Carson

NLP Training in New York

Submodalities

Representational systems is the term we use in NLP to refer to our sensory systems.

So we talk about our visual (V), auditory (A), including our self talk (Auditory digital or Ad) and kinesthetic (K), systems or VAK.

Let's take a moment and consider how we think of a happy memory. Perhaps a picture comes to mind of a favorite vacation, a dear friend, a beloved family member...

Focus on that picture for a moment: 

• Now make it brighter. How does that impact on the emotional impact of the memory?
  
• Move the picture closer. How does that change your feelings?
• Make the picture bigger. How does that affect it?

The brightness, location and size of a picture are known as the submodalities of the picture. 

Each representational system (VAK) has its own set of submodalities. 

In NLP we believe that our brains code information according to certain submodalities. For example, we may code experiences as pictures of the events. We may then keep pictures relating to memories, or past events, on one side of our body, and pictures relating to goals or other future events on the other side of our body.

The most important of these submodalities are known as the driving submodalities. Driving submodalities are the submodalities that our brain uses to code information. By changing these submodalities we can change the meaning or the intensity of the experience.

For example, if we move the picture of a memory further away, we may decrease the emotional intensity of the memory.

We will explore the submodalities of each representational system in other postings.

Shawn

NLP training in New York

Kinesthetic Representational System

The representational systems of NLP include the kinesthetic system, or feelings.

When we talk about kinesthetic in NLP we include any feelings, both sensory (touch, weight, temperature, balance etc) as well as emotional (happiness, sadness, confidence fear etc).

We include both sensory and emotional feelings in the same category as we believe that the two are closely linked. What we mean by this is that we know we are feeling confident because, well because of how we feel.

So confidence has a particular set of sensory feelings associated with it. As does fear, as does happiness or sadness.

When we realize the truth of this, we can begin to change our emotional state by changing the way we feel on a sensory level.

Shawn

NLP training NYC

Visual Representational System

The representational systems of NLP are Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic VAK.

The visual representational system includes the things we see around us, the visual memories we have of things we have seen, and other pictures that we make up or fantasize in our minds.

When we "see" the real world around us we are actually taking in visual data through our eyes and converting that data into meaningful representations in the visual cortex and other areas of the brain. So when we are looking at the face of a loved one, light enters our eye and triggers receptors in the eye. Data from these receptors travels along the optical nerve to the brain.

Once the data reaches our brain we begin to spot patterns and recognize that this is the face of a loved one. We also begin to make associations, remembering other times that we have seen that face, and we see what we see as a representation including all the memories and associations that we have.

Try a thought experiment now. 

• Think of a person you love, think of their face, and notice how you feel as you look at it.
• Now think of a person you dislike, think of their face. Notice how you feel as you do so.

The chances are you felt good when thinking of the face of the person you love, and not so good when thinking of the face of the person you dislike. There are emotional states attached to the simple visual image you see.

Shawn

NYC NLP training

Auditory Representational System

NLP representational systems include visual, auditory and kinesthetic VAK.

The auditory representational system refers to the sounds that we hear. These may be actual sounds in the world around us, memories of sounds that we have heard, or imaginary sounds that we can hear.

There is a special type of auditory experience and that is words which we refer to as auditory digital or Ad. Ad is special because it includes words that may themselves have emotional meaning for us, as well as the normal submodalities of the auditory channel.

Shawn

NLP training in New York

Representational Systems

A representational system is simply the NLP term for a sensory system

The five representational systems are:

• Visual (seeing pictures)
• Auditory (hearing sounds)
• Kinesthetic (feelings)
• Olfactory (smell)
• Gustatory (taste)

The representational systems are sometimes referred to as VAKOG (i.e. the first letter of each system).

The three systems which are used most in NLP are visual, auditory and kinesthetic systems, sometimes called VAK.

Many NLP patterns are based on changing how we represent the world around us in VAK.

Shawn

New York NLP