001-sistemarepresentacional_magic of nlp demystified - a pragmatic guide to communication & change

8/13/2019 001-SistemaRepresentacional_Magic of NLP Demystified - A Pragmatic Guide to Communication & Change

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"An especially readable and visually stimulating addition to theliterature in the field of NLP."

Robert Dilts

COauthor ofBelief's: Pathways to Health & Well-beingcoauthor ofNeuroLinguguistic Programming, Vol !

"A delightfully illustrated presentation of the basic precepts ofNeurolinguistic Programming. One of the concepts they teach isthe importance of being fle!ible in your communicative output.his boo# embodies that fle!ibility."

$edges Capers% Ph.D.

&orldreno'ned ransactional Analysis lecturer and educator

(his is truly )agic of NLP "emystifie# &ritten in an informaland entertaining style% this boo# 'ill introduce the reader to aremar#able ne' approach to the study of human communicationsand therapeutic change. )anagers% sales people% consultants%therapists% parents% educators anyone interested in or involved

'ith influential communications and personal change 'ill benefitfrom reading this unusual boo#.

*+,N -/0-10


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)A2*C ofNLPD3)4+*5*3D

$ Pragmatic %ui#e o ommunication & hange

,yron Le'is 6 5ran# Puceli#


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PREFACE

his 'or# represents the culmination of several years of trainingand selfe!ploration 'ithin the confines of a specific sphere ofstudy. *t 'as in the early -710(s that * 'as led through a po'erfultherapeutic e!perience by t'o important people in my life% 5ran#Puceli# and Leslie Cameron 8no' ,andler9. hat session had a

profound and lasting effect on me. +oon after the e!perience *found myself thin#ing% "* 'ant to learn ho' to do that #ind ofmagic:" And so * did. &ith the help of Leslie and 5ran#% * became

a member of a small e!perimentalresearch therapy group in +antaCru;% California. hus * became one of a gro'ing number of

people 'ho 'ere actually studying the magic of therapeutic gro'thand change. his e!tremely creative and generative group of

people centered around t'o e!citing and charismatic individualsust as often it 'as alsoshrun#% crushed% pierced% and mutilated. * 'as ama;ed. *t 'asduring a moment of ?uiet desperation that * created a symbolic

representation of the 'onderful contradictions confronting me. *trepresents both the confusion * 'as feeling 8don(t get me 'rong *thoroughly en>oyed it:9 and recognition of the trap from 'hich *'as escaping% the trap of thin#ing that there is only one reliable%accurate% and successful path to therapeutic gro'th and change.he symbol has held an important place tac#ed to the 'all abovemy type'riter. *t loo(s li(e this:

< ONE WAY >

)y goal 'ith this boo# is to present models of basic )etaprinciples 'hich underlie the "magic" of effective change oriented communication. $o'ever% it is essential to #eep %nmind ho' important it is to remain open to e!perience inorder to prevent becoming trapped or limited by a model.

o'ards that end * have structured parts of thispresentation to emphasi;e that there are al'aysalternatives. &e need only learn ho' to recogni;e them.


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December 27, 1979

Byron A. Lew!

"N#ROD$C#"ON

. . . 'e must learn to understand the "outofa'areness" aspects ofcommunication. &e must never assume that 'e are fully a'are of 'hat 'ecommunicate to someone else. here e!ists in the 'orld today tremendousdistortions in meaning as men try to communicate 'ith one another. 8p. /79

3d'ard . $all

he +ilentLanguage

*n his boo# Persuasion an# Healing, =erome 5ran# identified the ma>orgoals of various approaches to psychotherapy. hese include efforts toreduce the client(s distress% increase his selfesteem% help him to function

better at 'or# and in his relationships% and ". . heighten his sense of controlover himself and his environment." 8p. /009 *t is important to note that% as'e become a'are of some of those "outofa'areness" aspects ofcommunication referred to by $all% 'e enhance the sense of control that5ran# has identified as a ma>or goal of psychotherapy. his boo# is

dedicated to improving our ability to perceive% identify% and utili;e certainaspects of the communicative process that are not normally in our consciousa'areness.

his is also a hun# about change. *t is a collection of effective tools forassisting in the resolution of problems


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found in many settings. he patterns discussed can assist anyone to more

fully participate in and control the gro'th e!perience of positive change.

he )eta principles presented in this boo# encompass many schools ofpsychological thought. hey include elements from each of the follo'ingareas of psychology< beha)ioralpsychology% 'hich emphasi;es observable

behavior and stimulusresponse connections@ humanistic psychology% 'hichstresses free 'ill and sub>ective e!perience@ cognitive theory% 'hich coversthe transformation of sensory stimulation in terms of coding% storing in

memory% and retrieval systems@ tra#itional *sychothera*y, 'hich deals 'ithconscious and unconscious distinctions of thoughts% fears% and 'ishes that

may or may not manifest themselves in a'areness@ and information dra'nfrom various neurological studies% especially studies of changes 'hichoccur in the nervous system. he term "meta" is used because the model'hich is developed is about rather than a part of all of these% and theemphasis is on the processes of change.

his boo# does not propose a ne' approach to psychotherapy% a ne'"philosophy of life%" or a ne' 'ay to get "*." &hat it does offer is the

opportunity to e!perience personality and communication as processes. hete!t presents a blend of research% theory% and relevant portions of transcriptsfrom therapeutic sessions and educational seminars. he emphasis is onmodels% for it is through them that 'e can share a 'ide range of comple!e!periences. he medium of study is the process of communication% andspecial attention is paid to areas generally thought to be unconscious oruna'are communicative behavior.


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*t has been my e!perience that% 'ith the help of a teacher% counselor% ortherapist% people are able to resolve many of their problems. here is often acertain degree of change in personality as a result of insight gained or

behavioral modifications programmed into the individual during thesessions. his change assists the individual in "coping" 'ith particulardifficulties. &hat these therapeutic e!periences usually do not do% ho'ever%is systematically create a reference structure a set of e!periences that

'ould

enable a person to change his coping patterns in response to ne'difficulties. *n my 'or# 'ith people% * have found that by presentinginformation to them in specific 'ays% that is% by being e!plicit about the

processes involved in change and positive gro'th% clients can learn to havemany of the same resources the teacher and therapist have for solving

problems. his systematic demystification of normally outofa'arenessaspects of communication gives the client a heightened sense of controlover himself and his environment. Although this is not true for every client%the patterns used to obtain the information about a client(s communicative

behavior remain the same. arious 'ays of utili;ing this information arepresented in the te!t.

hroughout the te!t% a variety of techni?ues are provided as pragmaticapplications of the material. hey also dra' the reader(s attention to the

processes involved in personality development and maintenance. Bse ofthese processes may assist you in helping those you 'or# and live 'ith todiscover more choices about ho' they perceive the 'orld and themselvesand 'hat they might do to lead more comfortable and productive lives. hemethods covered in this boo# may be learned ?uite rapidly. hey are not

meant% ho'ever% to ta#e the place of any currentlyinuse psychotherapeuticmethodologies. hey are offered as an ad>unct to e!isting techni?ues and asa perceptual paradigm for the serious student of human behavior%communication% and personality.

hroughout this boo# * interchange the terms "model of the 'orld%" (map%"and "model of reality." hey all stand for the same concept in this boo#.


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here are also places 'here * have shortened the term "representationalsystem" to simply "system." *n these cases% the meaning of the 'ord 'ill beobvious from its conte!t.

&ith some practice% you may soon find many of the techni?ues and theperceptual acuity presented here coming into use in your everyday patternsof communication% as 'ell as in the professional setting. * invite you to use

this boo# as an opportunity to e!plore the variables of both internalcommunication processes and the behavior called communication that 'ee!perience continuously as social beings.

AC%NOWLED&E'EN#(

2ratitude is e!pressed to the follo'ing individualsudge or the originator of the belief. 8-0E--09

mapping< a process by 'hich you can determine a person(s accessing cues schematic% hispreferred representational system% and his representational system hierarchy. 8-/-/9


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the )eta )odel< a linguistic tool for using portions of . person(s spo#en or 'rittenbehavior to determine 'here he has generali;ed% deleted% or distorted e!periences in hismodel of the 'orld. *t includes specific ")eta )odel responses" to these ")eta )odelviolations" 'hich aid in obtaining a more complete representation from the person(sdeep structure. Certain responses also help to reconnect the spea#er 'ith his deep

structure in 'ays 'hich can e!pand his perceptions and give him more choices aboutho' to feel and behave. 81/19

meta perspective< #ill a'areness of the patterns involved in the processes ofconmnmication as 'ell as the content. 8-0E9-FFhe numbers in parentheses follo'ing the definitions indicate the page or pages in thete!t 'here amore complete o!plaaanon of the term may be found.

obstruct noun< see "Nominali;iuions." rid9

accessing cues< movements of the eyes 'hich are symptomatic of cerebral processes ofretrieving thoughts and other e!periences stored in the brain. 8---//9

APP3ND*W *9 2LO++AR4 O5 3R)+-F

tational systems"9. (these patterns include predicate preference% posture and body type%breathing% lip si;e% voice tonality% eye elevation% rules for loo#ing% +atir categories% )eta)odel violations% )eta )odel illformed meanings% and accessing cues. A complete chartof these behaviors for each system is included in Appendi! C. 8FE09comple! e?uivalents< the relationship bet'een a 'ord or action and the meurung attachedto it by the observer. *t is called "comple!%" because the e?uivalent verbal description ismuch more detailed than the 'ord or action being defined 8"a picture is 'orth a thousand'ords"9. A person(s comple! e?uivalent is a more accurate representation of his deepstructure associations to the particular 'ord or action. 8/1/E9analog< any form of output 8behavior9 e!clusive of 'ordsymbols. 871-9

auditory tape loops< thoughts% e!pressions% and persistent ideas stored in short% oftentuneful or rhythmic auditory patterns.8--79

calibrated communication< sometimes called a "calibrated loop%" these are unconsciouspatterns of communication in 'hich a loo#% gesture% or e!pression unintentionally triggersa response from another person. Often based on subliminal cues minimal gestures thatoperate outside the a'areness of the individuals involved these calibratedcommunication loops can be the source of painproducing miscommunication bet'eencouples% family members% and co'or#ers. 8-0/9

cause and effect< u )eta )odel violation in 'hich the spea#er indicates a belief that oneperson can directly cause another person to have it particular emotion. 8-0.-0E9

communication categories model< hased on the four representational systems% this modelincludes the behavioral patterns associated 'ith each of the systems 8see "represem

concrete nouns< see "Nominali;ations." 8EF9consensus reality< due ftsimilarities in the neurological mechanisms 'ithin each of usand shared social and cultural e!periences 'e are able to create similar representations ofthe 'orld called consensus reality. 8F9constraints< filters on the modelbuilding processes. Neurological% social% and individual


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constraints affect our models of the 'orld by providing e!periences to be generali;ed%deleted% and distorted. 8-/19deep structure 8D+9< the most complete linguistic representation of an e!perience. Aperson(s D+ is a linguistic model of his model of the 'orld. 819deletion< the universal human modeling process 'hich screens out or prevents the

a'areness of e!periences. A primary function of the brain and central nervous system isto filter out most sensory input so that 'e can attend to our various activitiesuninterrupted. *n language% deletion is the process of simplifying deep structurerepresentations by leaving things out in the surface structure. 819-F/-F

Pattern

Predicates whichpresuppose repreenttlnnal systemPosters

Rod%y "tGpu( and aye G%laLip stse

,reathing

oice tonality% 3pee% volume5


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lo'% airy%%sla'% and ft

belo' others"onal" "Digital" Pattern

tbell% soy r%%ring% * #e%a sl-Nstlcally spea# Predicates 'hich

XharmonioGino(.relsonnble% prneuppose a repre

o( gmal% # se tlionl system

"telephone" posture% arms folded% hcad tilted to side head up

sistent body@ soft% full@ ,ody o"amen and

bet'een tight 6 loose r gtdv

vanes thin% tight lip i!%%full range restricted bresthingmelodic% rhythmic, * monotone voice tonality%

riable Sclipped% consistent * speed% and volumeoften diverted "ga;es" over

r3yo elevation in

doto lists %there( heads -Y>atton to others "don(t loo# to * Rule far loo#ing listen"

o eye contact 'hile listening S"distracter" computer"* +atir category

g * ia%d g.. * - d .

d * t d referential --0-8r- f . t )et.% )odel

Srte * -i. turns mint nlost perfarmative lost porforn%ative * )eta )odel .

l * * ftd iumrmd meanings*. . lev * l n d

r gl l 8-* ft. ht 8: * ftm A cc s% t c.the

t * and do'n9 alt - t -ton9 s."loo# to listen" 'ould rather touch than loo#

"blamer" "placalet(

-

sad f.......... p%f l Kur

model op t f rood al p. t ra ul ac msit possrbilay

mind readingup *rft and tight do'n left or rightcause and effect-F0Note< Obviously% a test as brief as this 'ill not give absolutely accurate data on anindividual. $o'ever% as a ?uic# and easy tool for identifying potential problems%strengths% and 'ea#nesses bet'een individuals% it has proven ?uite useful in severalsettings including analysis of business management styles and in marriage and family


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counseling sessions. he immediate feedbac# and the ability to compare scores promoteshealthy and productive discussion bet'een participants.

APP3ND*W C

$3 CO))BN*CA*ON CA32OR*3+ )OD3L

he chart on the follo'ing pages is organi;ed around four preferred representationalsystems. hese are the visual system% the #inesthetic system% the auditory system% and thedigital system. his chart is an abbreviated visual representation of the model as it ispresented in the te!t. itis a highly generali;ed format meant to be a guide to your o'nobser)ations As you gro' accustomed to the distinctions presented here% you 'ill alsodiscover and become familiar 'ith the "interpretations" re?uired in its use. Remember%'e are all highly comple! individuals% and this is only a model of certain communicativebehaviors. *t is a generali;ed% deleted% and distorted representation of those behaviors.-E. - am very attuned to the sounds in my surroundings.

* am very adept at ma#ing sense of ne' facts and data.* am very sensitive to the 'ay articles of clothing feel on my body.* have a strong response to colors and the 'ay a room loo#s.

(corn )e Re+re!en*on*/ (y!em B*! #e!

(e+ -< Copy the ans'ers from the test onto the lines belo'.

+tep /< Add the numbers associated 'ith each letter. here 'ill be five entries for eachletter.

A *9+tep < he comparison of the totaled scores above give the relative preference

8hierarchy9 for eachof the representational systems.

-7

+!smoa) 1o2y

4

APP3ND*W ,$3 R3PR3+3NA*ONAL +4+3) ,*A+ 3+

5or each of the follo'ing statements% place the number F ne!t to the phrase that bestdescribes you% a ne!t to the phrase that 'ould ne!t beat describe you% and so on% ending'ith a * ne!t to the phrase that least describes you. Do this for each of the five statements.+coring information follo's the test.-1&*) ZZ

'O' 8'( *Ncu?itei CooGnruie+OBND+2r+)un+ &muumous

*. * ma#e important decisions based on< gut level feelings. 'hich 'ay sounds the best. 'hat loo#s best to me.


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precise diligent study of the issues./. During an argument% * am most li#ely to be influenced by< the other person(s tone ofvoice.

'hether or not * can see the other person(s point of vie'.

the logic of the other person(s argument.

'hether or not - feel * am in touch 'ith the other person(s true feelings.. - most easily communicate 'hat is going on 'ith me by< the 'ay * dress.

the feelings * share. the 'ords * choose. my tone of voice.

F. *t is easy for me toect.

select superbly comfortable furniture. . select rich color combinations.*Fcolor of your first carT"

People access all the time. Once you get used to the concept and its uses% you 'ill findthat it is usually unnecessary to go through the formal mapping process. )any people 'illgive you all the information you need during the course of a normal conversation.APP3ND*W ACON+RA*N+ ON OBR )OD3L+ O5 $3 &ORLD-.

he diagram 'hich follo's illustrates the three constraints 'hich affect the constructionof our models of the 'orld. As discussed in Chapter -% 'e start 'ith the "ra' materials"of e!perience. hese are channeled via our sensory organs through our neurologicalfilters. At any moment in time% 'e have available to us one complete Fuple 'hichincludes an e!perience of sight% feeling% sound% taste and smell.

5rom there% our e!perience is further modified by language and other social filters'hich either enhance our perception or diminish it.

5inally% our great body of stored memories create an in#i)i#ual filter 'hich furthermodifies our perception% sometimes by heightening and other times by obscuring theoriginal sensory data. his internally generated e!perience can ta#e the place of any of thefour parameters of the F at any moment in time. he completed F 'ith itscombination of e!periences of e!ternal and internal origins is then shuttled into memory%'here it may be called upon to modify future e!periences as they arise.-/

Of course% this hierarchy testing leaves out the digital representational system. A"digital" 'ill be more li#ely to score auditory and visual over #inesthetic. $o'ever% a

"digital" 'ill also tend to score visual over auditory% 'hile an "auditory" 'ill tend toscore auditory over visual. *n any event% it is important to ta#e into consideration allaspects of a person(s communicative output. he mapping s#ills described above are onlyone of the 'ays to facilitate understanding and determine 'hich system of communication to use in order to obtain the rapport and trust necessary for influential

communication. 5or more on identifying a person(s hierarchy% see A++en B.he isual )odel provides us 'ith a format for seeing% understanding and utili;ingconsistent patterns of observe able behavior. ,ased in part on research and pragmatic


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applications of the ,andler2rinder model% these techni?ues provide ?uic# and efficientmeans for determining the representational system being used by an individual at anyparticular moment.Pupil response is a very accurate indicator of interest or arousal. &ith good light% pupilresponse can be seen from as far a'ay as five feet or more. Close observation of a

person(s eyes during the uttering of #ey 'ords or phrases can assist you in determininghis areas of concern and interest. As hot[( the >ade dealers and the Arabs have reali;ed%this response

+ay< "ell me 'hat you are a'are of as * do this 8see Do belo'9.Do< As you say the 'ord "this%" 'ith one hand gently touch the person% 'hile 'ith the

other hand "scribe an arc" across the person(s field of vision.Again% this 'ill indicate 'here the person(s attention is dra'n. he person(s response

'ill let you #no' ho' to score.

(0mm*ry-

cannot be controlled% since it is governed by the sympathetic nervous system.

3yescanning patterns or accessing cues also provide information about ho' anindividual is thin#ing. Combined 'ith breathing and postural shifts% they can prove tobe e!tremely useful in assisting people to discover and change limiting and painproducing behaviors. As in the e!ample 'here =oe creates uncomfortable feelings froman unconscious eidetic image 8see page -/9 these behaviors usually operate outside aperson(s a'areness and control.

he mapping process can assist you in determining the meaning of certain patterns ofbehavior. Part A is designed to help you identify the specific eye motion associated 'itheach type of thin#ing. +ections - and / of Part - give you information about 'hatrepresentational system8s9 a person habitually uses 8the preferred representationalsystem9% and +ection sho's you ho' to e!amine a person(s representational system

hierarchy.,y #no'ing a person(s preferred system% you can more easily facilitate the rapport andtrust important to effective communication. Uno'ing a person(s representational systemhierarchy can help you to understand ho' people systematically delete certain aspects ofe!perience from their a'areness and 'hat those aspects of the environment are mostli#ely to be. &ith this information% you can help people become alert to situations in'hich they consistently stop themselves from seeing% feeling or hearing input. As 'asdemonstrated by +haron in Chapter * 8page --9 and the fire victim in Chapter ** 8pageF9% the deletion of portions of e!perience from a person(s model of the 'orld ispotentially harmful and limiting to a positive and healthy life.hese mapping techni?ues can be used at any time during the course of an intervie'%

therapy session or any setting 'here verbal communication is ta#ing place. heimportant thing to remember is to maintain continuity and rapport. o suddenly turn tosomeone and say% "Can you tell me the color of your first carT" may be much lesseffective than casually% during the course of a conversation% mentioning an anecdoteabout your first car. hen you can say% "4ou #no'% * don(t even remember 'hat color it'as.... Do you remember the-0

(econ 11. 2ive these instructions prior to the ne!t t'o steps< "*(m going to as# you tothin# about some things you may have e!perienced or you might e!perience% but * 'on(t


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as# you to describe them to me. =ust thin# about them. ReadyT"

(econ """. his final section re?uires some spontaneity on your part% as 'ell as attentionto 'hat you do and to 'hat you say< they 'ill be different: 4our goal 'ill be to determine'hich of t'o simultaneously presented% incongruent 8different9 niessages is received bythe person you are

li#e% "termonacar" or "frucerah" 8be inventive9% then pause and 'ait for the response. histechni?ue is particularly effective because in order to ma#e sense of 'hat he has heard%the person must dra' upon information from his o'n model of the 'orld. 4ou havedisrupted his e!pectations by saying a 'ord that doesn(t ma#e sense% and the confusionthat results from the surprise nonsense syllables creates a mildly stressful situation in'hich he 'ill most li#ely retreat to his preferred system in order to ma#e sense of 'hat hehas >ust e!perienced.

-. Past event. "Can you remember your last 8birthday% vacation% fun 'ee#end9T" ,yas#ing the person to dra' on his e!perience in a general 'ay using the unspecified verb%"remember"% you allo' him to recall the e!perience in the 'ay that is most comfortable tohim% usually his preferred representational system. Again% allo' time for the person to

fully respond before going on the ne!t ?uestion./. 5uture event. "&here do you thin# you 'ill be hying ten years from no'T" Notice theuse of the nonsensoryspecific 'ord "thin#." Observe 'hich system the person uses inorder to create the response to this ?uestion.'or#ing 'ith ""9*s 'ill give 4OB the person(s represcntatiunal system hierK.cchy. +tudythese e!amples closely tmd practice them before trying them out. Notice tlott each stephas t'o parts% "+ay" and "Do%" 'hich overlap as indicated.

-. Auditory% (i.suJl incnngrucnce

+ay< "*(nr going to as# you to pay attention to your internal e!perience 'hile 'e do8scr Do belo'9 t'o things."

Do< As you say the 'ord "t'o" above% hold up three fingers for >ust amoment% then put them clo'n. Do this casually% and after a fell moments% as#the person% "&hat 'as the first thing you 'ere a'are of as * spo#e. a momentagoT"

he person(s response to the ?uestion 'ill indicate 'hether he 'as more alert tothe audit8"% portion of the esperiencc or to the visual portion. *f he. points out theincongruity bet'een 'hat you said and 'hat 4en did% he scores visual overauditory.

/.6esthetlc,$u#aory int8 ngruencc.

+ay< "Pay attention to your thoughts as - touch you em your right 8see Do belo'9#nee."

Do< As you say the 'ord K(righthove% retch nut and gently touch the personon his left #nee. his is especially effective if you maintain the person(s visualcontact 'ith your face% rather than 'ith your hand. *9o this by 'otelling theperson(s face ns yrni to% spea#ing and reaching tKr io touch his #nee. &hen youor% hrough% as# % "&hat 'ere you a'tce of as * tnurhed you a nvoncut ago(T" ifthe person detects if%%. incongruity% he scores #imKsthetic over auditory.

/. fut.6inesthc7ic in urnre.-/E


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*t is important to note that people 'ill often lead 'ith the accessing pattern 'hich ismost comfortable to them. A "visual%" for e!ample% may first access 'ith a visualaccessing pattern 'hen as#ed to say 'hat letter comes before the letter "p" in thealphabet. &hat he is doing is using a visual lead system to create an image of the alphabetin order to ans'er the ?uestion. &hen a person persists in using one of the accessing

patterns as the initial step in gaining the information% it may ta#e several ?uestions of thesame type before you can observe the accessing cue for 'hich you are testing.One thing 'hich can assist you in eliciting the pattern you are testing for is to model the

posture% tonality% and other minimal cues 'hich match the communication category andrepresentational system presupposed by the ?uestion you are as#ing. 5or e!ample% 'henas#ing a #inesthetic ?uestion% rounding your shoulders slightly% bending for'ard%spea#ing some'hat lo'er% and using a "placating" palmup hand gesture may help directthe person(s attention at an unconscious level to that accessing pattern.

Part ,< )apping the

Pre5erre (y!em *n :er*rc)y

*n the follo'ing sections you 'ill again be 'atching for accessing cues eyemovements% shifts in breathing and posture% and other indications of systematic use ofinforma tion retrievel behaviors. +ince it is important in the sections 'hich follo' to#no' 'hat a person(s typical accessing patterns are 'hether do'n left or do'n right forfeelings% for e!ample it is necessary to have already mapped the person(s accessing cuesschematic 8see Part. A9. As you observe ho' a person responds in each of the sectionsbelo'%. *nternal dialog. Often the most difficult to detect% this cue is best observed as itnaturally occurs% usually 'hen a person is not being re?uired to interact 'ith others.+ometimes this cue can be elicited by as#ing ?uestions such as% "During the ?uietermoments in your life% 'hat do you find yourself thin#ing aboutT"

-/74ou 'ill be able to identify both his preferred representational system and hisrepresentational system hierarchy. As in Part A% the 'ording of the instructions given areonly representative of 'hat could be said. Bse your o'n ideas in creating the instructionsand ?uestions that 'ill be most compatible 'ith your normal 'ay of communicating.+ection *. 2ive these instructions before proceeding 'ith the three steps belo'< "*(mgoing to say a fe' 'ords% and * 'ant you to listen to them% thin# about them% and be surethat you #no' 'hat they mean. 4ou don(t have to tell me anything. =ust listen andunderstand. Are you readyT"

*. Concrete noun +ay a concrete noun li#e "dog%" "tree%" or "boat%" then pause andobserve the nonverbal response as the person hears and ma#es sense of 'hat he

has heard. hese responses 'ill be so fast and subtle that it 'ill re?uire yourutmost attention.&hat you are 'atching for is an accessing pattern. 5or e!ample% upon hearing the'ord "dog%" a "#in." might loo# do'n and to the right as he accesses thefeelingsassociated 'ith his un#erstan#ing of 'hat the 'ord "dog" represents to him. A"visual" might glance up and to the left% creating an image of a dog associated'ith his un#erstan#ing, 'hile a "tonal" or "digital" may glance from one side tothe other% repeating the 'ord "dog" and associating it 'ith other auditory


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elements. &atch for consistent use of one of these patterns as you continue belo'./. Abstract noun +ay an abstract noun a nominali;ation li#e "friendship" or"manifestation%" then 'ait for the nonverbal response. he reponses 'ill usuallybe almost immediate.

-.Nonsense syllables. +ay -- nonsense 'ord

-/constructed imaging. Once you #no' this information% you 'ill find that it remains fairlyconstant for any individual. hough accessing patterns seem to remain stable in adults%children belo' the age of si! or seven do not demonstrate patterns as consistent aschildren 'ho are older. his may occur due to the development of hemisphericdominance 'hich theoretically doesn(t develop before that age.

Part , of the mapping process demonstrates ho' a person is responding to theenvironment at that particular moment and may also indicate habitual patterns ofinformation accessing. &ith this information% you can discern a person(s preferredrepresentational system and representational system hierarchy. Remember% ho'ever% thatthese can change depending on such variables as setting% amount of stress the individual

is e!periencing% and his or her internal response to you.)apping may be used to simply verify the meaning of one small piece of behavior orinformation. *n the e!ample 'here =oe e!hibited the analog behavior of glancing up andto the left% the therapist could verify that he 'as "seeing" an siditic image by simplyas#ing the appropriate mapping ?uestion. Or you can map a person completely prior to aformal counseling session. )apping can be done overtly% or the ?uestions can beembedded in the course of an ordinary intervie'. 3ventually% as you "tune" yourself to thepeople around you% you may find that the process of mapping people becomes anautomatic part of your o'n communicative behavior. Done in this 'ay% almostunconsciously% it can be a tremendously useful means of both gathering importantinformation and gaining rapport.

Part A< '*++n )e Acce!!n C0e (c)em*cAs you as# the ?uestions 'hich follo'% pay attention to the person(s eyes as 'ell as to

shifts in posture and breathing +ometimes the response is so minimal it is hard to detect.*f you fail to get a satisfactory response% go on to the ne!t ?uestion and come bac# to itlater. he ?uestions given here are only e!amples. 4ou can be creative and generate?uestions of your o'n% but pay attention to the predicates

-/1

4ou use. *f they presuppose a representational system 'hich is different from the one youare testing% the person may be led into the accessing pattern associated 'ith that system.

-. Con!r0ce m*e!. As# a visual ?uestion about the future% li#e% "&hat do youimagine 8*% this to'n% that tree9 'ill loo# li#e ten years from no'T" his re?uires the

person to construct an image of something he has not yet e!perienced./. 3idetic images. As# a visual ?uestion about the past li#e% "&hat color 'as yourfirst carT" or about specific information li#e% "$o' many 'indo's are there onthe front of your houseT" his calls to mind some previously e!perienced image.

. Con!r0ce !+eec). As# for a comple! verbal response li#e% "&hat does itmean to be predisposed(T" *f you preface this ?uestion 'ith the directions% "=ustthin# about 'hat you 'ould say 'ithout ans'ering%" you allo' for the "rehearsal"of speech.


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F. Remembere !o0n!. As# for auditory recall from the recent past or from a'ellrehearsed "tape loop" li#e% "&hat 'as the first ?uestion * as#ed youT" or(

"&hat letter comes before (p( in the alphabetT". 5eelings. As# a ?uestion 'hich presupposes the #inesthetic system% especiallyderived feelings li#e% "$o' did you feel on the day before your last birthdayT" or

"&hat 'as the most 8e!citing% scary% happy9 e!perience you have ever hadT"Again% as#ing the person to simply thin# of the e!perience 'ithout verballyresponding may give you a better analog response.

your 'ife again% and as you do% * 'ould li#e you to do t'o things< * 'ant you tocontinue to loo# at her rather than loo#ing a'ay% and% as you loo# at her * 'antyou to ta#e several slo' deep breaths. &ill you do that(T"

=oe< "Bh% sure% * guess so." As he carries out the therapist(s instructions% =oee!periences a moment of confusion% but as it passes% he comments< "+ay% you#no' * didn(t feel that 'ay this time:"

A portion of the remaining session 'as devoted to instructing =oe on ho' and'hen he could use this "ne' behavior" to help him achieve his goal of "better

communication" 'ith his 'ife.,ody Posture

Bo#yposture can also be a good indicator of ho' a person is accessing information. *t ismuch easier to "visuali;e" 'hen you assume a "visual(s" posture< bac# staight and erect%chin raised and for'ard% eyes loo#ing up% and breathing shallo'. o access feelings%round the shoulders and bac#% lean for'ard% and breathe deeper into the abdomen.a#ing the "telephone" posture 'ith the head tilted to one side 'e can facilitate tonalinformation accessing% 'hile the armsfolded% head bac# posture of the "digital" is agood 'ay to become digitali;ed.

'nm*/ C0e!

Often people 'ill e!hibit very slight shifts or variations from their "normal" stature.hese behaviors are minimal cues. ,y training yourself to be alert to these slight shifts%you can often catch subtle nuances of communication that pass most people by at theconscious level.Auditory accessing is often simply a slight tilt of the head as the person recalls "tapeloops" or tries to remember 'hat someone has said. Deep thought utili;ing internal dialogloo#s much li#e Rodin(s famous sculpture of "he hin#er%( 'ith various personalmodifications. A slight stiffening of-/.the spine or tensing of the shoulders can indicate visual processing% 'hile the oppositeminimal cues rounded shoulders and curved spine can indicate that a person is "getting

in touch" 'ith the information.

&on #)ro0) )e 'oon!$ave you ever 'al#ed into a room and then% having forgotten 'hat it 'as that you

'ere after% found yourself retracing your steps in order to rememberT &hat you aredoing is literally placing your body bac# into physical positions 'hich 'ill help youremember. 8Of course% visual and other cues along the 'ay also help.9 Often% in orderto accurately describe a particular% comple! motion li#e a golf s'ing or tennis serve%


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the person giving the description 'ill find himself literally going through themotions. hese are both e!amples of a special case of #inesthetic accessing involvingmovement. As you become more alert to minimal cues people give as theycommunicate% you 'ill notice people(s muscles involuntarily responding 'ith subtlemovements as they recall the gross motor movements of the actions they are

accessing.'*++n

)apping is a process by 'hich you can determine both an individual(s preferredrepresentational system and also that person(s eyescanning accessing patterns. 5ore!ample% 'ith Part A that follo's% you can determine 'hether a person systematicallyloo#s do'n left for feelings or for internal dialog. +ince accessing cues may be reversedin some l

efthand%%%% it can be important to determine 'hich side of the visual iye

scanning pattern is eidetic imaging and 'hich is-//LOOU*N2 DO&N AND LOOU*N2 DO&N AND

O $3 R*2$< O $3 L35ust get the idea...."9

*f this is true% then it is not actually his 'ife(s loo#ing at him that "certain 'ay" that isupsetting him. *t is% rather% some visually coded memory that is elicited or brought to


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mind by that loo#. *n effect% =oe is responding to an internally generate# e!perience 8seepages /F /9 rather than to the e!ternally presented stimuli. After determining from=oe that his 'ife is still loo#ing at him "that 'ay%" the therapist(s interventiondemonstrates ho' a slight change in =oe(s behavior can have a dramatic effect on hise!perience.

herapist< ".=oe% * 'onder if you coded loo# at*/


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the 'ord "loo#ing" refers to the movement of a person(s eyes in the direction indicated."Left" means to'ards that person(s left% and "right" means to'ards his right. *t is helpfulto #eep in mind that this accessing behavior represents "loo#ing" internally. hat is%during the moment of information retrieval% people arc generally not conscious ofe!ternal visual stimuli. Rather% they are concentrating on internally stored or internally

generated images% sounds% 'ords% and feelings. Please notice also that the italici;ed 'ordsbelo' indicate the #ind of information being accessed.

Loo;n 0+ *n o )e r)- onstructe# images. (these are visual images orpictures 'hich are created by the individual. hey can be recombinations ofpieces of previously e!perienced visual input 8see "eidetic images"9 into ne' ornovel forms or se?uences% or they can be created images 'hich are constructed inresponse to other sensory stimuli. Constructed images are usually characteri;ed byflatness or lac# of depth and sometimes by a lac# of color.

Loo#ing up and to the left< i#etic images. hese are stored visual images orpictures of past events and other previously e!perienced

visual stimuli. his includes dreams and constructed images that have already been

e!perienced. (these images are usually characteri;ed by having both depth and motion asin u movie as 'ell as color.Loo#ing level and to the right< Constructeds*eech his pattern is usually associated 'iththe process of creating spo#en language. *n this position% the person is "putting into'ords" 'hat he 'ants to say ne!t.

Loo;n /ee/ *n o )e /e5- Rememberedsoun# his includes such tonalrepresentation as the "alphabet tune" unit letters% advertisement >ingles% phone numbers%and collo?uialisms li#e slang and s'earing. his is also 'here a person often moves theeyes 'hen remembering auditory tape loops< messages stored in short% often tuneful orrhythmic patterns 'hich have been so often repeated that the person has lost consciousa'areness of their e!istence. One e!ample of this is the "Remembertogetthemil#onthe

'ayhomefrom'or#" line that is recited so often during the course of the morning that it eventuallydrops from conscious a'areness.Note< he ne!t t'o eyescanning patterns are often reversed in both right and lefthanded people. *t is important to determine 'hich pattern is being used by an individual8see ")apping"9 before you can use the information gained from observing these eyemovements.Loo#ing do'n and to the rightust as infonnativc as the'ords< 'hat he is doing 'ith his eyes.*n the mid-010(s ,undle% and 2rinder hegan to study the patterns of movements ofpeople(s eyes it% people thought and spo#e.(fhey discovered that these movementscorrelated fairly 'ell 'ith fertain types of information rctrievel behaviors. (Chestsystematic patterns of behavior 'ere eventually formali;ed into @ model called accessing


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eae!.Rye+canning Patterns

&hen people arc thin#ing and tal#ing% they tnHrve their eyes in 'hat is #no'n as eye%forming pattern.%. hese movements appear to be symptomatic of their attempts to gainaccess to internally stored or internally generated inf(ortnation. his information is

encoded in our minds in one or more of the representational systems 8see Chapter **9.&hen a person "goes inside" to retrieve a memory or to create a ne' thought% he e!hibitscertain behaviors indicative of the representational system he is accessing at the moment.he t'o e!amples given above dernonstratc these accessing behaviors in action.+plit,rain heory< 'oinOne"+plit brain studies at the California *nstitute of echnology during the 0(s and 0(sopened up a 'hole ne' field of brain research. Bnder the direction of linger +perry% n Calech group conducted research on patients 'hose epileptic sei;ures had been controlledby tai operation 'hich severed the corpus eallosutn and rehited cummissures. his*"ocedure isolated one

cerebral hemisphere from the other by severing the communication path'ays

bet'een them.%)a>or results of the research indicated a hemis*heric speciali;ation.3ach hemisphere of the brain apparently employs different modes of processinginformation 8see diagram belo'9. *t is possible that this speciali;ation of brainfunction is being emulated by a person(s eyescanning movements 'hen he isthin#ing and calling upon different portions of the brain to process information.he follo'ing list of 'ords from =. 3. ,ogenli indicates parallel 'ays of "#no'ing."he dra'ing represents the t'o hemispheres of the brain and the bilateral crossover'hich is most obvious as "handedness." A righthanded person has a dominant lefthemisphere@ a lefthanded person has a dominant righthemisphere.

LEF# :E'"(P:EREintellect convergent digital secondary abstract directed propositional analytic linear

rational se?uential ob>ective successive

R"&:# :E'"(P:EREintuition divergent analogic primary concrete freeimaginative holisticnonlinear intuitive multiple sub>ective simultaneous

response is an "emotional indicator." +ays $all% "+ince people can(t control the responseof their eyes% 'hich is a dead givea'ay% many Arabs ... 'ear dar# glasses% even indoors."(

Desmond )orris also addresses this phenomena in his boo# .antuatching, saying%"...the >ade dealers of preRevolutionary China...too# to 'earing dar# glasses e!pressly inorder to hide their e!cited pupil dilations 'hen they 'ere handed a particularly valuablespecimen of >ade."(; 3specially important in &estern cultures 'here the "loo#tolisten"

rule is so 'idespread% our eyes play a critical part in communicative processes.on the eyeball and electric stimulation of certain parts of the brain.

*t is the sympathetic division of the Autonomic Nervous +ystem 8AN+9 'hich acts tochange pupil si;e in response to emotional stimulation. 3ven conditions of mild arousalor interest 'ill systematically affect the pupil. Uno'ing 'hat emotional states elicit thesesystematic changes can give the astute observer a special #ind of "insight" into a person(sinternal state.


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#)e 6!0*/ (y!em

his diagram of the visual system sho's ho' visual input is transmitted by the opticnerve to the brain. Notice ho' input from the right and left fields of vision go to oppositesides of the brain. his crossover occurs at a >unction called the Optic chiasma.Lcia( *+BAL 5*3LD R*2$ *+BAL 5*3LD

OU N3R3

Or" -- 2$*A+)Aisual sensations may be generated by stimulation other than light% such as pressure

Occ+*/ CoreR3*NAnrl($( rancrs

$ALA)B+ R3LA4 AR3A3c#hard $ess began to study pupil dilations as a psychologist at the Bniversity of

Chicago. $is research stimulated a great deal of interest in "e!pressive eyes%"(( sho'ingthat pupil dilation or constriction is an e!tremely accurate indicator of that person(sresponse to stimulation. Results demonstrated that 'hen a person is interested or aroused%

the pupil dilates. &hen confronted 'ith unpleasant or no!ious stimuli% the pupilconstricts.

Oc0/*r Acce!!n C0e!&hen someone is trying to "remember" something% part of 'hat you see% if you 'atchclosely% are specific patterns of movement and changes in the person(s physiology relatedto the process of remembering. As ydescribed you read the follo'ing e!amples% imagine that you are closely'atching the people .Rita told us that she 'as confused. +he sat for a long moment 'ith her head bo'ed% andshe shoo# it slo'ly from side to side. 5inally% ga;ing do'n at the floor to her left% shemuttered% "+omeho'% it>ustdoesn(tfeel right."

5rom Rita(s 'ords% you can easily guess that she is very much into her feelings. $o'ever%there is another piece of important information given by >ust her eyes Won,9How #o they 7you5 ma(e you 7them5 feel that way;se: When the s*ea(er e2*resses causeeffect relationshi*s with others' emotions2am*le: When s*ea(er says,


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he youth searche# for the answer in the #irection first in#icate# by the ol# man Butnothing was there $n# when she returne# her ga?e bac( to his face, she reali?e# that heha# not #irecte# her attention out o)er the lan#sca*e, but rather inwar# into the )astreaches of her being

Pupil Response

8n the early !@9A's there a**eare# on the mar(et a uni3ue ty*eoor:f tshuenwglassesearercohey coul#weremfor )ertaby much li(e a

mone-way mirrly see out, uch

li(e or#inary sha#e# glasses, but no one coul# see in through their mirror-li(e reflectionhey 3uic(ly gaine# in *o*ularity an# soon were gi)en the collo3uial name


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Bse< &hen the spea#er indicates the belief that there are oo e!ceptions.3!ample< &hen spea#er says% "3veryone thin#s *(m stupid%" as#% "Can you tell meone person 'ho doesn(tT 4ou mean everyone thin#s you(re stupid% even your petroc#T"

3!ample< &hen spea#er says% "*(m al'ays late%" as#% "Can you thin# of. time 'hen

you 'eren(t lateT"Changing )eanings flow #o you (now

Bse< &hen the spea#er is mind reading. 3!ample< &hen spea#er says% "* #no' hedoesn(t love me%" as#% "$o' do you #no'T" 3!ample< &hen spea#er says% "$eshould #no' better%" as#% "flo' should he #no'T"

important to bring into their conscious a'areness the specific behaviors 'hichthey believe to be the cause of the emotional states. -y maintaining a metaperspective an a'areness of the *attern involved you can effectively lead thespea#ers to an understanding of the concept in 'ays that are more relevant tothem personally. *n this 'ay you 'ould not deal directly 'ith the more abstract

ideology that underlies their belief system but 'ould concentrate on morepragmatic% practical implications of the pattern.

One mista#en notion sometimes arises during the teaching of the concept of cause andeffect to groups. +ome people thin# it implies that a person may do 'hatever he li#esregardless of others. * 'ould li#e to stress that a person 'ho is behaving in a responsiblemanner is cogni;ant enough of others to ta#e into account ho' they may choose torespond to his behaviors. )ost individuals do not care to spend time 'ith someone 'hobehaves in a 'ay 'hich is unpleasant to them. People learn early 'hat #inds of behavior'ill get them 'hat they 'ant% and these are incorporated into their models of the 'orld.3veryone is al'ays acting in accordance 'ith these models.

Only too often% these generali;ed statements about the 'orld come from the spea#er(so'n model. ,y linguistically leaving himself out as the evaluator or >udge% the spea#erindicates the possibility that there are limits 'ithin his model that he doesn(t recogni;e asbeing selfimposed. -y re?uesting the spea#er to identify the ">udge" 'ho is ma#ingthese value >udgements% you can assist him in confronting those limits or rules in hismodel of the 'orld. Once they have been identified% they can be challenged for theirvalidity% especially if they are preventing the spea#er from e!periencing a fuller% richerlife.+ome e!amples of this violation that are often indicative of unconscious% limiting rulesare

Lost performative. Lost performative refers to >udgments% beliefs% or standards e!pressedby a person in such a 'ay that the individual 'ho is ma#ing the >udgment or setting thestandard is not identified in the spea#er(s ++. (these statements usually come out asgenerali;ations about the 'orld% and they have no apparent connection 'ith the spea#er.*n the illustration belo'% it is hard to tell 'hether the girl is simply "parroting" somethingshe has heard or actually believes 'hat she is saying. Of course% the hm(s response to herinitial statement indicates 'hat he thin#s about the matter:

+pea#er< "hat(s a stupid thing to do." Response< "hat(s stupid according to


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'homT"+pea#er< "Oh% it(s not important any'ay." Response< "*t(s not important to'homT"+pea#er< "*Cs not good to be strict." Response< "Not good to 'homT"

,4 getting the spea#er to use such phrases as "* thin#..." or ")y belief is...%" the spea#er

is able to identify himself as thes*ecificC performer of the >udgment% thought% belief oraction.-0premise that one person cannot ta#e the responsibility as the causal 'ent for another(semotions. he follo'ing transcript from that seminar gives one possible response to thiscause and effect belief system.,.L.ust 'herethose "buttons" are and 'hether you believe they are on the inside or on the outside. *fthey(re on the outside% see# professional help immediately: *f they(re on the inside%

'ell% then% than# goodness. At least you #no' 'ho pushes them no'% don(tyou(T:

,y challenging this belief system 'hen it is being counterproductive or causing unduepain% you can assist the spea#er in having more choices about ho' to feel and operate in

the 'orld. here are t'o 'ays to challenge this violation. As# the spea#er to tell youho'% specifically% he caused the other person to feel that 'ay. Or as# ho' the otherperson ma#es the spea#er feel a particular 'ay. his 'ill give you a great deal ofinformation about ho' the spea#er ma#es sense of the 'orld and ho' he perceiveshimself in relation to others. his information may be invaluable in the ongoing processes of positive change and gro'th.his pattern is typical of the person acting from the #inesthetic communication

category. 2enerally% it comes out as "4ou hurt me 'hen you say those things 8* have nocontrol over my feelings9%" or "*(m sorry if *(ve hurt your feelings 8* don(t deserve thispo'er over you@ * feel guilty for using it9." +ome e!amples and )eta )odal responsesareust a (bum( to you. Oh. * #no' you 'on(t;tdmit it% but - eau tell."

* 0*

+omeho'% =ac# has decided that he already #no's 'hat is in each person(s head% 'hat

their thoughts and feelings are. $aving arrived late to the session% these ideas of his arenot based on any "concrete" evidence. his is coming from his o'n e!pectations% fromhis o'n model of the 'orld. his is easily demonstrated by the responses of the otherfamily members to his verbal "outbrea#" as he 'al#ed into the rocnn. $is 'ife% =oan%spea#s first% then their t1yearold daughter +usanust(#ept staring @it the floor% you#no'% li#e people do 'hen they(re pissed off. * #no' that loo#: +usfe% there% she>ust fro'ned @it me% li#e * 'as some #ind of loon% you #no'% some stranger. =(vedone a lot of things * shouldn(t have@ it 'ould serve me right if nobody li#edme:"

7EOn )e L)er (e

$umor can have an important place in the therapeutic setting. &hen the client comesin and is under a great deal of stress and pain% the seriousness of the situation may attimes pervade the session. $o'ever% humor is an important part of our e!perience% and'hen 'e can laugh at ourselves% it is sometimes easier to accept and change ourfoibles and failings. he therapist 'ho can utili;e humor to lighten% 'ithout ma#inglight of% the process of change and discovery can often use this talent to ?uic#ly gain


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and maintain positive rapport 'ith his client.

One interesting and useful aspect of universal ?uantifiers is that they often have builtin%therapeutic% double bin#s, (these can be used to assist the spea#er in rapidly e!panding theimplied limit as in the follo'ing e!amplesob itself. he follo'ing is an e!ample ofthis generali;ation.

*f you have ever listened to t'o la'yers arguing a case% you may have noticed some

specific linguistic patterns. One very common means of e!pression is the deletion ofthemselves 8deleted referential inde!9 from the conversations and replacing the "spaces"'ith

can be: * tell you% *(m >ust tired of having all this responsibility shoved in myface...

here are t'o easy 'ays to determine 'hether or not a 'ord is a nominali;ation. One'ay is to say the phrase< "An ongoing " in your head% filling in the blan# 'ith thesuspected noun. *f the phrase ma#es sense% then it is a nominali;ation. Bsing the firstunderlined 'ord in the above e!cerrt% the phrase "An ongoing relationshi*< ma#es sense.he 'ord "relationship" is a nominali;ation. *f 'e use the 'ord "des#%" as in the phrase"An ongoing #es(, "the phrase doesn(t ma#e sense. he noun "des#" is not a nominali;ation.

he second 'ay to determine if a noun is a nominali;ation involves visuali;ing a'heelbarro'. *t is easy to imagine placing a noun li#e "des#%" "person%" or "apple" intothis imaginary 'heelbarro'. hese are all concrete nouns Nominali;ations% ho'ever%don(t "fit" in our imaginary 'heelbarro'. his is because they are distorted forms ofverbs called abstract nouns. 5rom the e!ample above% they are the 'ords "relationship%""obligations%" "pain%" and "responsibility."

&hen responding to a nominali;ation% it is important to assist the spea#er inreconnecting 'ith his e!perience so that he recogni;es the role he plays in the processinvolved. ,y changing the noun bac# into a verb 'ith its actively participating elements%you assist the spea#er in understanding his roll as an active participant. his enables himto more easily perceive his full range of choices and the control he can e!ercise.

*n dealing 'ith the "nominali;ed" client from above% the follo'ing responses couldeffectively be utili;edection. hus a statementsuch as (Nancy is a gossip( 'as to be rephrased as (* am a gossip.( " +he goes on to saythat% as people begin to ta#e responsibility for themselves this 'ay% ". . they have thepossibility of having an (Aha" e!perience% in 'hich there is the recognition (his is me:(his is referred to as oeuning pro>ections."E

,y re?uiring his clients to reverse positions and become the "active" agent in thesentence% 5rit; Perls 'ould put the clients bac# in charge of the processes of their o'ne!istence. his transformed perception of themselves often produced some surprisinginsights into the modelbuilding behaviors of his clients.

Other e!amples of this reversal techni?ue areudge behavior by its appearance% attaching a name orlabel to it and more or less "reifying"it. his tends to halt or at least limit futureobservations of the behavior(s effects. Dr. Pala;;oli tal#s about this problem in the boo#


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Parado! an# Coanlerparado!. &hat she and her team of researchers discovered 'or#ing'ith schi;ophrenic families 'as that appearance is not necessarily a valid indication ofthe meaning of a behavior. hey 'riteust a fe' of the 'ays in 'hich this information can be utili;ed. As you learnand e!perience the subtle patterns of communication covered in this boo#% you may findyourself generating more and more innovative applications in many different situations.A complete chart of all the behavioral characteristics associated 'ith each of thecommunication categories is given in Appendi! C.sa&here(s the 2uideT"

+atir points out that there is often a difference bet'een 'hat the person(s body appears


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to communicate and 'hat is actually "going on inside." &here the "computer" stance

seems to e!press "calm% cool% and collected%" says (en, this person may actually befeeling very vulnerable. he "Placater" says "*(m helpless" 'ith his posture 'hile insidehe is feeling completely 'orthless. he "blamer" 'ho is communicating "* am the bossaround here" 'ith his stance is feeling lonely and unsuccessful% 'hile the constantly

irrelevant "distracter" 'ith his unbalanced stance may be feeling that nobody cares.3ach of the +atir stances can also be e!hibited in less obvious 'ays. $and gestures oftenindicate one of the postures. he pointing of a finger or an upturned hand may indicatethe blaming and placating postures respectively. 3specially 'hen combined 'ith #eyphrases li#e "4ou al'ays. . " and "*(m sorry. . %" these gestures can be importantindications about ho' a person is relating to the 'orld and to others around him.Detection of such patterns can assist you in gaining rapport 'ith the people you live and'or# 'ith 'hile aiding you in understanding ho' people get "stuc#" in communicativepatterns that consistently fail to give them 'hat they 'ant and need.

Ano)er W*rnn

(0mm*ry

*n this chapter% stress 'as mentioned in relation to a person(s preferred representationalsystem. &hat ma#es it so important is the effect it has on an individual(s perceptions andbehavior. As demonstrated 'ith the story about the panicstric#en man% individuals understress tend to turn to the representational system in 'hich they ma#e the mostdistinctions. his coping behavior% li#ely learned early in life% proved itself useful inenough situations to 'arrant its being maintained. he insidious thing about this #ind ofstrategy for coping is that it is during stressful situations that people should have thegreatest number of distinctions% as much information about their environment as possible.*ronically% it is during these very times of need that people choose 8unconsciously9 toadopt the limiting patterns of their preferred systems% often to the e!clusion of the othersystems.

&hen people 'al# into a therapist(s office for counseling% it is usually because they haveonly very limited resources at their disposal. People often see# counseling because theyare suffering the stresses associated 'ith emotional pain or 'ith the problems of dealing'ith a comple! society. Recogni;ing People(s limitations can be the first step in assistingthem in discovering alternatives% ne' choices of perception and behavior. his is true inmany different settings% from the classroom to the business office.4our ability to identify and use the same representational system being used by those you'or# and live 'ith 'ill assist you in developing and maintaining a high level of effectivecommunication. Determining the communication categories that these people use invarious situations can help you gain their trust 'hile enabling you to obtain theinformation necessary in order to assist them in ma#ing changes they 'ant and need. hisis truly the "magic" of po'erful and effective communication.&hen a person communicates 'ith you% he presents you 'ith information about ho' hehas created his model of the 'orld. his includes data about ho' and 'here some of theshe previous generali;ations are not to be considered universally applicable. hey arepresented as useful tools for describing patterns in people(s behavior. &hen a behavior isidentified as fitting in 'ith several other patterns% it can be used to help you understandthat person(s model of the 'orld and can assist you in gaining the trust and rapportnecessary for effective communication. hese generali;ations are only models and as


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such contain all the limitations inherent in any model. Bse them 'hen and 'here theyapply% and discard them 'henever they don(t fit.

attention from the representational system in 'hich they ma#e the most distinctions.he other systems simply fail to provide information in 'ays that are as easily utili;ed

by them as the information 'hich matches their preferred system.here is another difficulty 'hich arises 'hen someone 'ith the loo#tolisten rule alsobelieves that if someone loo#s a'ay 'hile spea#ing% it means that he is lying.(]*n thesituation illustrated above% if the child is not operating out of the visual system% he mayfind it difficult to tal# 'hile loo#ing directly at the adult. Again% due to the visualdistraction% the child might have trouble "thin#ing" in his habitual system 'ithoutloo#ing a'ay." his could create dire conse?uences if the adult thin#s the child is lyingbecause he #eeps loo#ing a'ay.

*n Chapter * a some'hat different eyecontact rule 'as discussed regarding socialconstraints 8see page F9. *n that e!ample% it 'as demonstrated ho' a lac# of #no'ledgeor understanding of the social rule governing direct eye contact could lead to conflictbet'een individuals from different social bac#grounds. *t is important to recogni;e thatdifferences also e!ist bet'een individuals in a homogeneous social group. his isbecause people tend to orient themselves to aspects of e!perience that correlate to theirpreferred representational systems. &hen you can identify these differences bet'eenpeople% you can more easily "tune in to%" "see clearly%" and "connect" 'ith other people(smodels of the 'orld. his is one of those "magical" ?ualities of very effectivecommunicators. ,y identifying and then using these differences% you 'ill run less of aris# of ma#ing the mista#e of >udging another(s behavior solely by the stand ards of youro'n model. 4ou can more easily "bridge the gap" bet'een yourself and your clients%students% co'or#ers% and anyone else 'ith 'hom it is important for you tocommunicate./

(*r C*eore!

he follo'ing behavioral patterns come from an unusually gifted people helper%irginia +atin *n her boo#% Peoplema#

ing% +atir identities four "postural stances" that people often ta#e during thecommunication process.( i *n their e!aggerated form% says +atir% ". . . so e!aggerated thatnobody could miss it%" 8p. 9 these stances form the +atir Categories% so called after the'or#s of ,andler and 2rinder.%( hese postures are associated 'ith the communicationcategories as follo's.

Bnder stress% visual representers tend to ta#e on the postural characteristics of +atir(s"blamer." hat is% they ta#e on an aggressive stance% pointing their fingers at the person

they are tal#ing to and using e!pressions li#e< "4ou al'ays do that. &hy can(t you doanything rightT" 8A more complete presentation of 'ordpatterns used by each of the

communication categories is given in the ne!t chapter.9People 'ho are operating as "#inos" assume the "placeter" stance% especially under

stress. +atir pictures a person do'n on one #nee% hands turned palmsup as if "begging forforgiveness." Phrases associated 'ith this posture are< "* feel so bad about ma#ing youmad at me. * >ust can(t do anything right. Please forgive me."


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"lligitals" ta#e the "computer" posture. Crossing their arms and avoiding eye contact byloo#ing over everyone(s head% it is easy to become lost in their superlogical nonsensorybased language. Again% particularly in stressful situations% these individuals usee!pressions li#e< "(Phe correct. procedure in such cases% especially if one concurs 'ith thecurrent arguments% might be suggested as being statistically more appropriate to the

former rather than the latter rcmtar#s."Although the "tonal" person sometimes ta#es on the "computer" characteristics% he ismore li#ely to assume the role of +atir(s "distracter." *f he overhears t'o people tal#ing'ho are >ust on the verge of getting angry 8remember% he is e!tremely sensitive to theirtonal cues% so his "timing" is e!?uisite(.9 he may suddenly interrupt them by as#ing for thetime of clay% by turning on the or radio too loud% or by some other distracting action.Bnder stress% as in the above situation% the "tonal" is li#ely to say such things as% "*t(sgood that people li#e you can #eep such a harmonious relationship. *t must be nice to#no' you(re being thought of.0

R0/e! 5or L!enn

here appear to be certain rules for listening associated 'ith each of the communicationcategories. hough these rules vary from one culture to another%-s for each category theyremain consistent 'ithin the culture. he rules deal 'ith direct eye contact and aredescribed belo'. Once learned% these rules can provide you 'ith more understand ing ofand control over the communication process.

A person operating out of the visual system must be able to see the spea#er in order toeasily understand 'hat is being said. his need is then generali;ed or "pro>ected" ontoothers 'ith 'hom the "visual" is communicating. he "loo#to listen" rule can be statedthuser#y. $abitual "visuals" 'ill often have a smaller ribe!tension than individuals from the other categories% and they tend to breathe more intothe upper portion of the chest. *t is not uncommon for the "visual" to spea# in a fast% clear

or distinct 'ay 'ith a higher pitch than people operating from the other categories.5igure / * is an illustration of some of the physical characteristics described above.+ome of these postural and tonal behaviors can be observed in individuals operating outof the visual system even though their preferred system is not visual. his 'ould includebreathing and movement% although the visual body type and rib cage e!tension 'ouldmost li#ely be demonstrated only by a habitual "visual."FE

Predicate preference is only one indication of ho' people are representing ore!periencing the 'orld. *n this section 'e 'ill e!plore other 'ays people indicate theirpreferred systems% many of 'hich can be observed before they even open their mouths.

Person A(s least valued system 8the visual system9 is person ,(s*referre# system

and vice versa. *n terms of being able to "spea# the same language%" theirrepresentational system hierarchies already pose a formidable obstacle to effectivecommunication:

#)e Comm0nc*on C*eore! 'oe/

Caution< &ener*/@*on A)e*

*n the discussion about human modeling processes% one of the primary areas discussed


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'as the process of generali;ation 'hich is important to ourability to learn a great comple!ity of information and ne' behaviors. $o'ever%generali;ations may also become a source of pain for an individual by limiting bothbehavior and percep a

EN5PAs"A/ON(

lion in nonproductive 'ays. G A!5no he meta principles of communication andchangepresented in this handboo# are based on generali;ations behavioral patterns 'ithin anindividual(s sphere of activity as 'ell as consistencies of interaction bet'een members ofa society. ,ut these are only generali;ations@ they are only models of behavior.

-7*t is important to remember a point road% earlier< 3veryone has a different map

or model of reality. &e are all #ifferent &hat is presented on the follo'ingpages are generali;ations about. people that are only useful 'hen they assist itsin more efficient and effective communication. ,e teary of the potential tobecome limited by these same generali;ations. *t is better to trust 'hat 4ou see%

hear% and feel than to rely on a highly generali;ed model of behavior.Remember< *f the model doesn(t fit% don(t use it.

,ased in part on the 'or# of family therapist irginia +atir" and the human behaviormodelers ,undler and 2rinder% * have consolidated into a model four basiccotnrnunlcation categories. his model is organi;ed around the tour preferredrepresentational systems. hese are the visual system% the #inesthetic system% theauditory tonal system% and the digital system.(there is an efficient shorthand that 'ill be used throughout this boo# to identify each of

the communication categories. ,ecause the model is organi;ed around the fourrepresentational systems% the follo'ing labels 'ill be used. A person demonstratingcharacterisites associated 'ith the visual communication category 'ill be called a

"visual." One 'ho is operating 'ithin the #inesthmtic modality 'ill be called a "#ino."+omeone e!hibiting behaviors associated 'ith the auditory system 'ill be called it"tonal%" and e person operating out ut the digital system 'ill be called a "digil


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fold. 5irst% the person begins to feel more at ease 'ith you and is more li#ely to trust youust seems that everything * do is 'rong. hings >ust aren(tF

'hat * pictured they 'ould be 'hen * got married% and my husband doesn(t even seem tocare:"

he #ey to this interaction is in the 'oman(s response to the counselor. +he is being veryhonest 'ith him 'hen she says she really doesn(t #no' 'hat he means. 5or him to persistin as#ing her to "contact those feelings" or to "get in touch 'ith her emotions" may leadto a counterproductive session. his is a situation 'here using the same "language" as theclient could prove invaluable. Once he gains rapport 'ith the 'oman% once she has thesense that he really "understands" her% then he can begin to systematically alter hislanguage% "translating" the language of one system into another in order to effectivelycommunicate 'ith both her and her husband. he ne!t step is to teach the couple to spea#and understand each other(s language. his can be done either overtly by tal#ing about the

use of predicates or through e!ample% by simply continuing to "translate" 'heneverappropriate.

F0ncon*/ D55erence!

" is perhaps the "mismatching" of predicates that accounts in part for theconfounding fact that "great" therapists can 'or# miracles 'ith some clients butare almost totally ineffective 'ith others. Preferred representational systems mayalso play an important role in a therapist(s choice of 'hich psychotherapeutic


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techni?ues to study. 5or e!ample% the more traditional psychotherapies relyheavily on the client(s ability to digitali;e to tal# aboutand to visuali;e variouse!periences. +ome of the humanistic approaches% on the other hand% identifyingfeelings or emotions as the medium through 'hich to achieve change. hese arefunctional #ifferences, differences 'hich% on the positive side% enable individuals

'ith different models of the 'orld to see# out and 'or# 'ithin a system that bestsuits their o'n.a;spea# to a person using his o'n "language%" you heighten the sense of rapport bet'eenyou and pave the 'ay for the trust that is so important to any close relationship.%Another

'ay to thin# about predicate preference is to imagine ho' a blind person might perceive

an elephant in comparison to a sighted person. 4ou can be sure that their linguisticdescriptions 'ould demonstrate the differences.3ven though a person demonstrates a preference for one of the representational systems%it does not mean that he does not use the other systems too. On the contrary% 'e all use allof the systems all of the time. *t has been my observation% ho'ever% that 'hether out of

habit% in response to stressful situations% or in other areas of interaction% people tend todepend on their preferred system% the system in 'hich they can ma#e the mostdistinctions about the 'orld. *t also appears that% in some people% this system changesdepending on the specific situation confronting them.her% trying to visuali;e 'here he had seen an escape route. *n his fren;y% he ne)er evenfelt the touch nor #i# lie hear the 'ords from behind him:ds+tress

5ire engines clanged and 'ailed in the streets belo'% and people screamed unintelligible'ords from the buildings across the boulevard. he smell of smo#e 'as getting moreintense that 'as probably 'hat 'o#e him up. 5ire:he image of burning buildings% flaming stair'ells% and smo#eclogged hall'ays set himinto a panic. lie ran into the main hall'ay and started cho#ing from the smo#e he thoughthe could see there. *le began loo#ing frantically for a 'ay out% trying to visuali;e 'herethe fire escapes 'ere.

+omeone came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder% saying% "3veryone(sgone do'n the bac# 'ay. 5ollo' me.:" hen he ran off% leading the 'ay% assuming he'as being follo'ed. ,ut the panicstruc# man didn(t turn and follo'. lie 'as still busytrying to remem

Often people under stress 'ill turn to the representational system they trust the most.hey may even delete other systems from their conscious a'areness% thereby limitingtheir ability to respond. *t is tragic because during >ust those times they need all thesensory input and all the a'areness they can get: People coming into therapy 'ho are

under great stress in their lives are often e!tremely limited in their a'areness of theirproblems and in their choices concerning ho' to behave. *t is possible they are bloc#edby their inability to create ne' choices or to even perceive alternatives because thechoices and perceptions lie outside the range of the system into 'hich they have retreated.he language of the representation systems can 'or# for you in t'o 'ays. ,esidesindicating ho' a person is ma#ing sense of his e!perience% it can also provide ane!tremely effective method for gaining rapport 'ith that person. his can bedemonstrated by using the follo'ing illustration of a married couple 'ho have come for


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counseling. Notice the linguistic patterns being used by the couple as they try to describethe "problem."

change in the tone of the scenery 'as being echoed by our voices. * li#e days li#ethis@ it reminds me of a tune my father used to play on the guitar. . . .

Auditory predicates characteri;e )ar#(s description. hey include verbs li#e "echoed%"

and "play" 8the guitar9 and adverbs li#e "?uieter." Other 'ords auditory in nature are"voice" and "tone." +omeone 'ith a highly developed auditory representational systemmay ma#e statements li#e< "hat shirt is too loud for me%" and% "Does that sound good toyou(T"

Leading by a NoseBse of representational systems is one of the 'ays people change their sensory input

from the 'orld into a model or a representation of the 'orld. Representational systemsnot only indicate the process by 'hich individuals formally create their models but alsoprovide us 'ith a format by 'hich 'e can understand ho' and 'hat they e!perience. ,ylistening carefully to the 'ords people use% it is possible to identify patterns in theirlanguage 'hich indicate preference for one representational system over the others.

Preferred representational systems are one of the most systematic 'ays in 'hich people(smodels of the 'orld differ. As 'e continue to demystify the processes of communication'e 'ill attend to these differences.

*n animals li#e dogs and cats% the olfactory system is crucial for their survival. *nhumans% ho'ever% it is less important. hough 'e probably ma#e fe'er distinctions inthis system than in the others% it is very li#ely our most efficient lead system. A leadsystem is the representational system that is used to gain access to information stored inour minds. 5or e!ample% 'e can search through our memories visually% li#e flippingthrough a series of slides@ 'e can grope around% trying to get a feel for the ans'er to ahard ?uestion@ or 'e can stammer as 'e desperately try to remember the name of animportant person by going through a series of% "*t sounds li#e % and rhymes 'ith

,ecause olfactory input does not go through the same neurological processing on the'ay to the brain as the other systems%s it tends to operate more efficiently as a leadsystem. his system has also not escaped linguistic modeling. +everal common phrases'hich utili;ed the olfactory system are< "*t(s bitter cold outside%" and "(that 'astastefully done."

Bsing the Language of the Representational +ystems

*n Chapter * it 'as suggested that everyone creates a model of the 'orld and that due todifferences in neurological% social% and individual constraints% everyone(s model isdifferent. *ndividual language patterns can assist us in determining 'hat some of thosedifferences are. +omeone 'ho occasionally says% "4es% * see 'hat you mean%" is givingyou a marvelous piece of information about ho' this person is ma#ing sense of 'hat youare saying. Uno'ing this% you can frame your o'n language in such a 'ay that you matchthat person(s model. ,y using more visual predicates% you can help him to "see" evenmore "clearly" 'hat you are tal#ing about. ,y the same to#en% someone 'ho says% "* don(t?uite grasp your meaning%" may respond positively to a different linguistic pattern. Ratherthan trying to "paint a picture" for him 'ith your 'ords% it might be more effective to"grapple 'ith the concepts" and "put them into piece@" that are "easier to get a handle on."

One 'ay to thin# about preferred representational systems is to consider that each


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system has its o'n "language." his means that there are several different languages thatare "foreign" to one another. ,y being able to understand andEdescriptive 'ords and phrases primarily verbs% adverbs and ad>ectives oftenpresuppose one of the representational systems. As you listen to a person tal# over a

period of time% you may discover that there are times 'hen a ma>ority of the predicates heuses refer to one system more often than any of the others. his person is choosing%usually at an unconscious level% to isolate one system from his ongoing "stream" of F(s.hen% using the digital system% he identifies that system by the 'ords he selects tocommunicate 'ith. his is important% because it indicates to you ho' that person isma#ing sense of his e!perience. *t is a clue to the person(s model of the 'orld% and it alsoindicates 'hat type of sensory e!perience he is most li#ely to notice.

Pre5erre Re+re!en*on*/ (y!em!

his more fre?uent use of one system over the others is called a person(s preferredrepresentational system.( *ts use can be thought of as habitual% and it often becomesparticularly evident during situations 'hich are stressful for the individual. his system is

usually the one a person ma#es the most distinctions in. *t is the system used most oftenby him to consciously and unconsciously represent and understand his e!periences. Onee!cellent e!ample of ho' the preferred systems operate is given by Roger +hepard% aProfessor of Psychology at +tanford Bniversity. *n describing his "creative thin#ingprocesses%" +hepard statesust 'ent do'n and ho' clearly they reflect in the 'ater over there....

*n the above e!ample% +usan(s predicates consistently reflect the visual representationalsystem. +pecifically% the visual predicates are< verbs "Loo#%" "reflect"@ adverbs "clearly"@ ad>ectives "red%" "purple." Also nouns li#e "vie'" and "colors" indicate thevisual system. his person(s description of the moment can create a "picture" in thelistener(s mind. *t is an important indication of the part of the e!perience that is mostimportant to +usan. People 'ho consistently use this mode of e!pression 'ill often usephrases li#e< "* see 'hat you mean%" and% "Let me see if l can remember."Right no' *(m feeling very 'arm% almost radiant% to'ards all of you. * feel as though *(vebeen in touch 'ith each of you today in a special 'ay% and sitting here 'ith you all soclose enhances that feeling.

his person places a great deal of emphasis on feelings% emotions and other #inestheticaspects of the e!perience. he #inesthetic predicates are< verbs"feeling%" "feel%" "been intouch%" "sitting"@ adverbs"'arm%" "radiant%" "close." Common phrases used by people'ho spea# from this system are< "Can you handle it(T" and% "* feel pretty comfortable 'ith


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the situation no'."+usan

#)om*!)ar#7

* 'as noticing ho'% as the sun 'ent do'n% everyone(s voice got ?uieter% almost as if thehe third sentence in the numbered e!amples elicits e!periences associated 'ith theauditory system% and the fourth the olfactorygustatory system. hough taste and smell aret'o distinct sensory mechanisms% they are grouped together for simplicity. 2enerally%unless you are a gourmet. chef or 'ine connoisseur% your model of the 'orld probablydoes not contain as many distinctions in the olfactory representational system as in theother systems. *n fact% the visual and #inesthetic appear to be t'o of the most often usedsystems in &estern cultures.he last of the numbered sentences is uni?ue because none of the 'ords presuppose anyof the sensorybased systems. his is an e2am*le of purely digital information. *n such


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he goal of this boo# is to increase your ability to detect and utili;e patterns of behaviorthat occur both 'ithin an individual and bet'een people as they interact. Language% thedigital representational system% is able to represent all of the systems used by people tocreate and communicate their e!periences of the 'orld. ,ecause of this% it provides anespecially effective tool for alerting an attentive listener to important information about a

spea#er(s model of the 'orld. Differing patterns of 'ord usage are demonstrated in thefollo'ing five sentences. a#e a moment to read each one carefully. Pay particularattention to ho' each one elicits a some'hat different sub>ective e!perience.

(enence *ee#ad %* pungent% sulferous earth 'hich #ept threatening to spoil an other'isesavory a-*ofnoun.

+entence

*t is ?uite possible that the current situation could be improved% if not bymoderating% then perhaps by rearticulating the response argument in order topreclude less desirable results.

3ach of the above sentences utili;es one of the representational systems. hrough the

consistent use of certain 'ords and phrases in each sentence% the reader is led into ane!perience an "understanding" 'hich taps portions of his model of the 'orldassociated 'ith his sensory systems. his is true e!cept% of course% for the last sentence.he first sentence% for e!ample% illustrates the visual representational system. )anyreaders find that they can actually "see" the table% the faces% and the thoughts. ,y goingthrough their o'n personal history the collection of all past e!periences stored in themind they create for themselves internal e!periences similar to the one described. *nthe same 'ay% most people are able to create "feelings" from the second sentence% 'hiche!emplifies the #inesthetic system. his ereative construction of internal e!periences inresponsiK to 'ords plays a crucial role in the process of conunuoL8ion.

hat rings a bell 'ith me% too@ it 'ould be good if 'e could tune ourselves into your

program 'ithout altering our tempo and thus create more harmonious relationships 'ithinthe group.

+entence F

he salty sea bree;es mi!ed 'ith the s'eet scent of delicate flo'ers% but the nearbymarsh

3motions

he #inesthetic representational system includes several important distinctions. +ensoryinputs from the body are classed as somatic sensations. hese include the e!teroceptiuesensations of temperature% touch% and pain@ proprioceptiue sensations from deeper in ourmuscles% tendons% and >oints 'hich #eep us

* loo#ed do'n from 'here * sat at the head of the long% dar#% oa# table% and it seemed tome that they should all #no' better than to thin# the thoughts * sa' clearly reflected ontheir bright% smiling faces.

(enence /* 'as suddenly a'are of that helpless feeling again% that gna'ing sensation in my belly%and% lo'ering my eyes% * #nelt do'n gripping at the smooth% comforting folds of my robe.+entence and taste. 3ach one of these sensory inputs has physical places in our brains to 'hich the


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e!perience is sent% processed% and recorded. his assimilation of the initial inputtransforms the e!perience into something d

001-sistemarepresentacional_magic of nlp demystified - a pragmatic guide to communication & change

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