While NLP is pseudoscience, and disproven in many ways, it's not useless. If you think of it as a tool or abstract framework there's a chance you'll find it useful, and likely catch on to it's bullshit, too.
The explanations are down to earth, and the chapter summaries are a treat to help you remember everything. I've enjoyed hearing about the antics and history of NLP's development in Sleepingirl's words. This has been a practical and fun read so far.
Binaural Histolog mentioned in a podcast, as I paraphrase heavily... "While NLP is bullshit, people say it's still useful. But... people really don't miss the bullshit when it's gone, do they?" They suggested that there are better ways to handle making suggestions, and NLP is outdated.
#todo (A reminder to me! Write up a brief history of NLP, using this book as a starting point, and perhaps pulling in sources from cosmic pancakes and whatever else comes up.)
You don't really need to know this, but it's a nice way to lay out where the break is between the 'Meta Model' and the 'Milton Model.'
The Structure of Magic 1 and 2 was written by Bandler (publisher of therapy and psychology books, had a knack for emulating speech patterns), Grinder (a linguistics professor, asked questions and observed responses to language patterns), and Pucelik (A student of psychology and pol-sci, met Bandler and did seminars on Gestalt therapy together.)
The three 'wizards' were Fritz Perls (Gestalt therapy), Virginia Satir (family therapist,) and Milton Erickson (hypnotist.) Strangely, Pucelik was not invited to meet Erickson with Bandler and Grinder, and was booted off the team.
Cosmic Pancakes has a neat writeup on how the forward of a later Bandler and Grinder book likely has a fake forward allegedly written by Erickson. In some of Erickson's own writings, the tips he'd give on hypnosis would be more focused on "learn your client" than using any sort of language patterns. I haven't read many of Erickson's papers, but they were more focused on the intent of what he was trying to get his subject to do, than any sort of fancy structure.
Read more at Cosmic Pancakes - Methods in Madness
From a quick read, a map is just a teaching tool to explain that you and the person you're working with likely have a different understanding of everything. They would also go further to suggest that a lot of the client's problems could be 'errors in the map.' This pretty much just ties into avoiding assumptions about your client's thoughts, as well as why you would use their language directly.
Here's some NLP lingo for things that happen to our 'map':
None of these behaviors are inherently 'bad,' just something to be aware of (or tinker with.)
Working with a map - NLP provides labels for language structures where something could be happening. I could run through the examples, but I think if you're digging into something with intent, you could just look for generalizations, deletions, and distortions, and dig in asking about that for more specifics. A lot of this boils down to "Really, are you sure?" or picking part any assumptions in there. I'll scribble down some of the more novel ones...
NLP eye accessing cues are just BS. A primary VAKog sense is also unlikely, but using someone's language to discern a primary modality, if they have one, is extra useless.
You somehow made it here without knowing what VAKog is? No problem, I got you.
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic - (Combines touch and emotion)
Olfactory
Gustatory
Sometimes, this is just called the VAK system for short. The OG's never get enough attention. O:)
(This chapter wasn't terribly meaty, so here's some pointers. As usual with NLP, take it with a grain of salt.)
TIL that this saying allegedly came from a 77 AD Latin set of 37 books of almost encyclopedic size. In one of the books, a grain of salt is an ingredient in a recipe for a cure for poison. Therefore, take poisoned thoughts with a grain of salt.
Look, I just got distracted.
A note to kick this off with a mix of my thoughts...
A few tips and thoughts:
[utilization] was meant to describe when a subject hears something that they need to process by going internally to understand its meaning.
sleepingirl. Kinky NLP: Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Erotic Hypnosis (p. 85). Independent Publisher. Kindle Edition.
A gradient of suggestions:
Consider the intent of the 'packaging' of the suggestion:
Thoughts in general:
The 'Milton' method of trance is:
According to the Milton model, the key to hypnotic language is to lean towards generalizations, deletions, and distortions (see previous) - this will require more processing, which, according to it's own model, is naturally conducive to trance. Or in more reasonable terms, be ambiguous so the subject will find their own meaning, and do the work for you.
Use presuppositions to your advantage with phrases like "How deep do you want to go?" (This reinforces that they do want to go into trance.) I'm personally not sure if this has any effect, but I like the idea of more skillfully using language.
While NLP feels like a careless cash grab, and it very well could be, sleepingirl reminded me that despite it's (financially oriented) perversions, NLP generally has good intentions. This quote made me stop and think.
"NLP wants to help people, or when it’s convoluted it wants to manipulate people."
Continuing this - if you just go by NLP suggestions to structure what you're saying - you're missing out on the intent. This is supposed to be a tool to help you communicate with your partner / client. Use it this way, not as a cookbook.
sleepingirl. Kinky NLP: Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Erotic Hypnosis (p. 107). Independent Publisher. Kindle Edition.
Presuppositions require an inference to be made by parsing the sentence.
Names, pronouns, descriptors (my friend)
(Foo) told me that they really like reading this.
Nouns
I love magical amulets that send my subjects down, deeply and efficiently.
(Supposes magical amulets exist.)
Quantifiers (some, each, every, few)
(Foo) of the things you're feeling may seem very odd to you right now.
Subordinate clauses of time (before, after, when, during, while, as)
You don't need to finish eating that sandwich before you go into trance.
Change of time verbs/adverbs (start, continue, begin, end, stop, yet, still, anymore)
I wonder if you can even stop yourself from going under.
Cleft sentences: it is <x> that... it was <x> that...
It's the way that your eyelids become heavy so easily that makes you my favorite subject.
Ordinal markers: First, second, lastly
The first thing you need to do to go into trance is put that sandwich down.
(There is more than one thing to do before going into trance.)
Repetitive cue words: Return, repeat, restore
Can you feel that instruction restore itself in your mind, time and time again, you subby little toaster?
Relative clauses: <x> (that, who) <y>
Many of the feelings that you're experiencing right now are just signs that you're letting go already.
Comparatives: more, less, -er
Do you think that your phantom touch is even stronger, now?
(They already had phantom touch.)
Comparative as: as <x> as...
If it's as quick as snapping my fingers and dropping you, I'm sure we'll be able to improve that phantom sense in no time.
(They could be easily dropped by a finger snap.)
Qualifiers: only, just, except
Do you think the only way to improve your phantom sense is with trance?
(Phantom sense can be improved.)
Change of place verbs: come, go, left, arrived
And all of your thoughts and feelings have come right to this little compressed point in the middle of your forehead, ready for me to pluck out.
(Thoughts now have a position.)
Change of state verbs/adverbs: transform, changed, become
You aren't becoming more of a fox than a wolf, are you?
(They previously weren't a fox.)
Awareness adjectives/adverbs: realize, notice, aware
Are you aware of just how far your head has fallen forward already?
(Their head has already started to fall forward. )
Commentary adjectives/adverbs: Interesting, happily, slowly, easy
Have you noticed how easy it's been for me to help you relax and listen to my words?
(They are already relaxing.)
Keeping all this in your head is going to be a mess - sleepingirl suggests being aware of existence, timing, or quality presuppositions in conversation or reading will help you. Or....
Feel free to stack these. EG "When you realize that feeling of that transformation taking place inside... beginning to form.... you'll know that at this point - it's too far to go back." This creates a presupposition that at some point they'll realize a transformation is taking place, linking it to a feeling that they'll notice. This gives your suggestion two entry points.
All this aside, sleepingirl makes a point to keep in mind:
There should be no rules about how to conceptualize what makes up a suggestion; more so, you should take the techniques that are helpful and make sense to you.
Interestingly - the chapter starts out by describing Bateson's Double Bind - providing background information on uncomfortable double binds as situations, outside of the scope of hypnosis, and more in the area of therapy.
Here's the 'hypnotically applicable' double bind...
“Are you ready for me to fuck up your mind, now, or do you need a break?”
“Don’t go into trance…” while swinging a pocket watch...
A Bateson bind is a scenario where there is no perceived correct response, and an NLP bind is a scenario where all perceived responses are correct.
(Don't do this... This is a real example of shit behavior. ) “If you loved me, I wouldn’t have to ask you to do this.”
sleepingirl. Kinky NLP: Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Erotic Hypnosis (p. 141). Independent Publisher. Kindle Edition.
You know what tag questions are, right?
A few bits 'n bobs on tag questions:
Some typical components of NLP frames include...
An example of this would be "you are hot" vs "what you did was hot."
Robert Dilts breaks the hierarchy/levels:
A. Who I Am: Who are you? (Identity)
B. My Beliefs: Why did you do x? (Values)
C. My Capabilities: How did you do x? (Abilities and Methods)
D. What I Do: What do you/did you do? (Just actions)
E: My Environment: Where/When do you/did you feel x? (What happened)
When working with NLP metaphors - loosen your definition of your metaphor up. It doesn't matter if it's a simile or an allegory, just roll with it.
You can use this to spice up your language. Instead of 'down' into trance (lower, deeper, falling) you can go for floating, suspended, flying, weightless. Or - if you say "your brain feels fuzzy," what else feels fuzzy? Like it's becoming stuffing, filled with cotton candy, like TV static, soft like polyfill. Or less kinesthetic - out of focus, hard to make out.
(As a footnote - don't be dumb and fall into the trap of believing your own metaphors. Minds aren't suggestion-accepting machines.)
Therapeutic hypnotic metaphors work trying to solve a specific issue - you might suggest a car needs to be refueled and maintained, and it'd be silly to expect the car to just maintain itself for someone that doesn't accept emotional support.
Some guidelines for picking out and using metaphors:
Future pacing, as a therapeutic tool, is for preparing for a situation in the future.
I feel like submodalities are a little lost in their own BS, especially with therapeutic applications of NLP. I'm breezing through this a bit, as well as bringing in some extra NLP flavor from Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy. (I spent cash on it, I might as well get something out of it, damnit.)
Submodalities are just the qualia of a VAK experience. If you're willing to try the sauce, you can give this exercise a spin.
This can be a talking tool asking someone about an interest they have, suggesting it become 'sharper' or 'brighter,' and check what changes they 'see' or experience.
How "present" are you in this experience, or VAK component? In this context, this is all it means. An 'associated' imagination would be imagining yourself riding a bicycle. A 'dissociated' view of this would be watching yourself ride that same bicycle from a distance, maybe from a bench, or in third person.
Basic:
Belief modification:
In NLP, the 'swish pattern' is a set of steps to modify an 'anchor,' habit, or state.
(I'll be snipping out the tasty bits from this chapter.)
While I wouldn't define someone as an 'asker' or a 'guesser,' I would say there is a direct and indirect ask. There's a "dude can I eat the rest of your frys" vs "man... I'm so hungry (staring intently at the rest of your tasty fries.)"
A neat tip you can do to escalate or deescalate an interaction is give the option for a "Yes" answer, instead of pushing them into the discomfort of saying no. For example - if someone's eating your fries, you could either say "stop eating my damn fries" or you could try a "Would you like go up to the counter with me and get some fries?" It's... contextually bitingly direct, but it's a tactful tool I should start employing.
Provide two options - one to escalate, and one to de-escalate. "We could try out this new induction, or we could just chat a bit." Or extending this with a "... or we can each go off and check out the rest of the event. Anything's good with me!"
A few quick pointers on this - if you go slow with state change, your partner will be less likely to recognize it. You can roleplay covert hypnosis, or agree to it beforehand. Physical cues to go into trance are also an option (a gentle tap on the shoulders and a soft voice.)
Another neat option is to negotiate something, then use hypnotic amnesia to wipe away the memory of negotiating it.