Body Language

      The way we communicate with our body, without words or sounds.  For example, our posture, gesture, facial expressions, how we look and accessing cues.

Break State

      Changing one’s own or another’s internal state.  Particularly useful if someone is becoming unresourceful.  Achievable in a thousand ways; for example, changing physiology, cracking a joke, shifting environment.

Calibration     

      Accurately recognising another person’ state and internal VAKOG operations by reading predominanatly non verbal signals.

Capability

      A successful strategy for carrying out a task. A useful skill.  One of the logical levels.

Cause and Effect

      A link between one event and another through time.  A Meta Model distinction.

Chaining

     Sequencing a series of states.

Chunking

      The process of grouping and classifying data, perceptions, thinking and experience into chunks of information.  The Meta Model chunks down by asking specific instances.   The Milton Model chunks up by including a number of possible specific instances in a general phrase structure.

Collapse Anchors

      The simultaneous firing of two of more anchors to make both states simultaneously present.  Often used to promote integration.

 Compelling Future

       A representation of the future the submodalities of which motivate you to take action in order to make it happen and bring it into being.

Congruence

      Alignment of indentity, beliefs and values, capabilities and behaviour.  Being in rapport with oneself.

Conscious

      Anything in present moment awareness.

Contrastive Analysis

      Comparing one state or behaviour with another in order to ascertain differences.

Conversational Postulates

      Indirect conditional openers.  "Can you go inside and make the connection?”  “I’m wondering if we could begin now…”

Cross-over matching

      Matching a person’ body language with a different but analogous type of movement.  For example, tapping your foot in time to their speech rhythm.

Cybernetics

      From the Greek for “Steersman” – systems with self regulating feedback loops.

Deletion

      In speech or thought, missing out a portion of an experience.

Digital Language

      Abstract words and language that have no sensory component.

Dissociated State

      Being at one, removed from an experience. Seeing or hearing yourself from the outside.

Distortion

     Changing the meaning of someone elses’s experience, according to your map of the world.

Double blind

      A situation in which no matter what a person does they “ can’t win”, “ damned if you do, damned if you don’t”.

Dovetailing

      The process of fitting together-or dovetailing- different outcomes and optimising solutioins.  The basis of a win-win situation.

Ecology

     The total system, as distinct from only a part of it.

Ecology Check

      Checking the consequences of any change to ensure that it is something that is desirable for all concerned.  A check on the total system implications of any course of action. What you really want.

Elicitation

      Drawing out or evoking some given human behaviour such as a state or a strategy.

Embedded Command

      An indirect form of giving instructions, by embedding direct commands into a larger sentence structure.  For example, “As you begin to relax now, you may find it easier if you close your eyes”. 

Environment

      Context: the where and the when: also the people we are with.  One of the Logical levels.

Epistemology

      The theory of knowledge.  How we know what we know.

Ericksonian

       Based on the work of the hypnotherapist Milton Erickson (1901-1980)

Everyday Trance

      Trance is an everyday occurrence.  It happens naturally in our waking life, and like dreaming is essential for our mental health, well being and creativity.  The various phenomena identified and elicited by hypnosis are present in our lives anyway though not usually recognised as such.

Evidence Procedure

      The sensory information that will let you know you have achieved your outcome.

 Eye Accessing Cues

      Movements of the eyes in certain directions which indicate visual, auditory or kinaesthetic thinking.

False Memory Syndrome

      It is possible to create or install “false memories” in someone else’s memory especially if you are in a position of power, are using leading questions or making compelling suggestions.  If you are congruent and what you are saying is meeting a need of the other person then they may be willing to create such a false memory.

Four Pillars of NLP

      Rapport, Outcome, Sensory Acuity, Flexibility

First Position

      Perceiving the world from your own reality, your own point of view only.  Being aware of your own inner reality.  One of the different perceptual positions.

Frame

      A metaphorical construction that influences the way we pay attention and what we pay attention to.  For example, what is inside the frame is noticed: whereas what is outside of the frame is not looked at all.

Future Pace   

      To generalise change to future situations and contexts.

Generalisation

       The process by which one specific experience comes to represent a whole class of experiences.

Generative Change

      Making changes in the structure of experience that will generalise too many contexts.

Gestalt Therapy

      A therapy developed by Fritz Perls (1893-1970) which focuses on the here and now experience of the subject and therapist.

Go Meta

      To move or stand outside, either literally or figuratively: to be a neutral observer of a situation rather than being directly involved.

Gustatory

      The sense of taste.

Identity

      Your self-image or self concept.  Your sense of self.  Who you take yourself to be.  One of the Logical Levels.

Immune System

      The body/mind’s identity.

Imprinting

      An imprint experience is a significant event in which a strong belief or beliefs are formed.  These maybe either positive experiences that give rise to resourceful beliefs, or negative experiences which lead to limiting beliefs.

In Time

      Having a time line where the past is behind you and the future in front, with the now part passing through your body in your minds eye.

Incongruence

      State of being out of rapport with oneself, having internal conflict expressed in behaviour.  Incongruence maybe: Sequential: one action followed by another that contradicts it. Simultaneous: agreement in words but with a doubtful voice tone.

Isomorphic Metaphor

      An isomorphic metaphor is one that has the same basic structure as the story or experience you wish to parallel.   

Kinesthetic

      The feeling sense, tactile sensations and internal feeling such as remembered sensations, emotions and the sense of balance.

Leading

      Changing what you do with enough rapport for the other person to follow.

Lead System.

      The representational system you use to lead you to stored information: for example for some people a mental picture of a holiday scene will bring back the whole experience.

Limiting Belief

      A belief that reduces the possibility of performing certain actions, adopting certain strategies, being a certain way, or conceiving or yourself in more complete and fulfilling ways.

Logical Level

      Different levels of experience: environment, behaviour, capability, belief, identity and spiritual.

Loop

      A sequence of actions in which the last action leads back to the first sequence, this creating a loop.

Magic

      A term used in NLP to indicate a process which appears to be magical.  Its import is typified by Arthur C Clarke’s remark in Profiles of the future that: “Any sufficiently high level of technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Map of Reality

      Each person’s unique representation of the world they live in built from his or hers individual perceptions and experiences.  Also referred to as Model of the World.

Matching

      Approximating aspects of another person’s behaviour, skills, beliefs or values for the purpose of enhancing rapport.

Mentor

      Some person, either real or fictional or even a place or object, that acts as a source of guidance, inspirational or wisdom for you.

Mesmer

      Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) was an Austrian physician who developed a system of animal magnetism which is frequently equated with hypnosis.

Meta

      From the Greek: a prefix or term used to indicate a sense of beyond or above.  As a prefix in NLP it may mean that you are structuring information and experience from a bigger chunk or higher level of organisation.

Meta Model

      A model of language which is based on the use of universal modelling principles. A set of language patterns and questions that link language with experience.

Meta-outcome

A higher level outcome-what you really want.

 Metaphor

      Indirect communication by a story or figure of speech implying a comparison.  In NLP metaphor covers similes, stories, parable and allegories.

Meta-position

      A position outside of a situation, either literally or figuratively, that allows a person to disengage from direct involvement, and access any needed resources.

Meta-program

      An organising filter and behavioural determinant at a deep structure level.    A program that is content free, which filters a person’s response.  "Thought habits"  How we think about what we think.

Milton model

      The inverse of the Meta Model, using artfully vague language patterns to pace another person’s experience and access unconscious resources.

Mismatching

     Adopting different states or patterns of behaviour to another person you are with for the purpose of redirecting, interrupting or ending either your interaction with them, (as in a meeting or a conversation), or their way of relating to themselves.

Modality

      Any one of the five senses. VAKOG

Modeling

     The process of discerning the sequence of ideas and behaviours that enables someone to accomplish a task.  The basis of NLP

Multiple Description

      Having different points of view of the same event using a number of different perceptual positions.  Having first, second and third positions together is called a triple description.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming

     The study of excellence - a model of how individuals structure their experience and the study of the structure of subjective experience.  People programme their neurology through the language they use.

Neurological Levels

      Another term for Logical Levels, which is used to emphasise that each level involves and invokes our neurology.  The higher the logical level the more neurologically we are engaged.

Nominalisation

      Lingusitic term for the process of turning a verb into an abstract noun and the word for the noun so formed.  For example, relating becomes the relationship: a process has become a thing.  A verb that's been frozen into a noun.

Olfactory

      The sense of smell

Other than conscious mind

      Another term for unconscious mind that avoids any sense of location or negativity.

Outcome

      A specific, sensory based, desired goal.  You know what you will, see, hear and feel when you have it.

Overlapping

      Moving from one sensory modality to another by a phased transition. E.g starting in visual, moving into auditory, ending in kinesthetic

Pacing

      Gaining and maintaining rapport with another person over a period of time by meeting them in their model of the world.

Parts Work

     Making changes based on the metaphor that we have inside us a number of different parts that are responsible for certain states and behaviours, each of which has a positive intention.

Perceptual History

     Your point of view of a situation.  Usually identified as First, Second, Third or Meta position.

Personal History

      An individual’s total store of memories and experience.  Everything that has happened to you.

 Phobia

      A fully associated, uncontrollable extreme negative kinaesthetic experience that is involuntarily triggered by some kind of anchor.

Polarity Response

      Doing the opposite of what is requested.

Positive Intention

      The positive purpose underlying any action or belief.  The real desire that is driving the particular behaviour.  NLP presupposes that every behaviour has a positive intention, even though the behaviour may seem to be self defeating.

Predicates

      Sensory based words that indicate the use of one of more representational systems.

Preferred Representational System

      The representational system that an individual typically uses most to think consciously and organise their experience.

Presuppositions

      Idea or beliefs that are presupposed, i.e. taken for granted and acted upon.

Rapport

      A relationship of trust and responsiveness with self or others.  The naturally occurring ”dance” that happens when people meet.  A harmonising of values, energies and natural rhythms that creates a sense of mutual acknowledgment.

Reference Experience

      A significant experience that is a basis of learning, and to which you can refer thereafter

Relevancy Challenge

      An intervention used to keep people focused on a specific outcome, especially during the course of a meeting.

Representational Systems

      The different channels whereby we re-present information on the inside, using our senses: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory.

Resources

      Anything that can help one achieve an outcome, e.g. Physoiology, states, thoughts, beliefs, strategies, experiences, people, events, places, possessions, procedures, techniques, stories, etc.

Satir, Virginia

       One of the founders of Family therapy (1916-1988).  Modelled by Bandler and Grinder.  See: Richard Bandler, John Grinder and Virginia Satir (1976)”Changing with Steve Andreas (1991)” Virginia Satir: The Patterns of her Magic” Science and Behaviour Books Palo Alto.

Second Position

       Perceiving things from another person’s point of view.  Putting yourself “in their shoes”.

Self Modeling

      Modeling your own states of excellence as resources.

Self-Organisation Theory

      Self organisation Theory is a branch of systems theory that relates to the spontaneous formation of order in a complex dynamic system.

Sensory Acuity

      The process of learning to make finer and more useful distinctions from the sense information we get from the world.

Sensory-based Description

      Using predicates in any of the five sense to describe a situation.

Solution Space

      The larger frame in which you are able to access more resources in order to deal with a problem.  There is a presupposition that “You are more than this particular problem.”  By moving to a larger space you change your relationship to the problem.

Spiritual

      The logical level ”Beyond Identity.”  That level of experience where you have a sense of “something other” or a sense of being more than you are, or feel bigger in some way.  A feeling of connection with a larger universe.  A higher level of being.

State

      The way we are organised physiologically at any moment.  The sum of our thoughts feelings, emotions, physical and mental energies.

Strategy

      A repeatable sequence of thought and behaviour which consistently produces a particular outcome.

Submodalities

      The sub-components of each modality. The qualitative distinctions we make within each representational system@ the qualities of our internal representations; the building blocks of our thoughts.

Surface Structure

      Linguistic term for the spoken or written communication, the actual words, that has been derived from the deep structure by deletion, generalisation or distortion.

Synesthesia

      From the Greek:syn=together, similarily, alike’ aisthetikos=things perceptible by the senses.  Thus a “feeling together” of sensory experience in tow or more modalities.  For example, perceiving words or sounds as coloured.

Syntax

      What goes where, and in what order.  The way behaviour or language is sequenced. (The sequence in which activites are carried out will affect the outcome.

Teach Me

       Part of the modelling process.  Getting the other person to teach you how to have their state, skills, etc.  For example:  “If I had to stand in for you for the day, what would I need to know and do?”

Third Position

      Looking at a situation from a place on non-involvement.  This does not mean that you are dissociated.  You are just not ”hooked” in the way you are in first position.

Through Time

      Having a time line where both past, present and future are in front of you.  For example, time can be spatially represented as in a year planner.

Time Line

       The metaphorical line that connects your past with your future.  The way we store pictures, sounds and feelings or our past, present and future.

Trance

      An altered state resulting from a temporarily fixed, narrowed and inward focus of attention

Transderivational Search

       “T D Search”.  The process of searching across contexts through one’s feelings, memories, and mental representations to find key experiences – for instances, from which a current behaviour or response is derived.

Unconscious

      Everything that is not in your present moment awareness.

Universal Quantifier

      Making a generalisation from a sample to the whole population.  Make a statement that allows for no exceptions.  For example: “You never talk to me.”  “I always do this.”

Unspecified Noun

      Nouns that do not specify to whom or to what they refer.  “This is a bit of a surprise.”  “That technique allowed us to make a change.”

Unspecified Verb

      Verbs that are of a general nature, where the specific activity is not specifed.”He made a mess of it.”  “ I’m getting some new ideas on this.”

Utilise

      To make use of whatever another person or the environment offers to you, be it language, metaphor, unexpected circumstances, etc.  To work from another person’s map of reality, rather than imposing your map on them.

VAKOG

      The five sensory modalities:  Visual – see: Auditory – Hear; Kinesthetic – Feel: Olfactory – Smell: Gustatory – Taste

Values

      What we deem as important.  Usually associated with the same logical level as Belief.

Visual Squash

     The original term given to a type of parts integration in which the hands come together to create the squash.