In Hemispheric Integration and Neuro-linguistic Programming we refer to each of the major sensory representational systems as a “modality.” For example: The eyes are the organs which receive light, convert the light to nerve impulses, which are then interpreted by the brain into what we call “pictures.” Your brain is what makes the pictures, not your eyes. We call this the “visual system or visual modality.”
Becoming an expert communicator requires precise information gathering and linguistic skills. Learning distinctions of language and how to create clarity will prevent, or at least lesson, the slippage of meaning that occurs with assumptions and over-generalizations.
Having knowledge of the Meta-Model language skills in this chapter, combined with the awareness of non-verbal communication learned in earlier chapters, will give you the awareness to be a good pattern detector and to more effectively get your point across. Another benefit is that when others are being vague, you will be able to ask just enough questions to bring specificity to the conversation or written document.
For many people, being aware of their internal images and voices is a simple matter of fact. For others, this skill is not so readily in their awareness. Being able to create a rapport with the unconscious mind to allow an awareness of inner thoughts is crucial for healing limitations from the past. We have identified several reasons for a person not having conscious access to their internal world:
Hyper-vigilance for safety.
Previous emotional trauma.
Not even knowing to “look for it.”
Habit or other familial patterning.
Not using both hemispheres of the brain in balance.
The purpose of future pacing or attaching new learning to events in the future is to give us an opportunity to move forward into new adventures easily and with a deep sense of centeredness. A tangible example would be a dress rehearsal for an event, like a wedding or performance, so that the event will be well-practiced and familiar when it actually occurs. Mental future pacing is done in the imagination with visual imagery predicting success.
Anchors are the triggers or cues that create the meaning and/or response we give to circumstances and events. An anchor can be established in any of the modalities. Our purpose in this course for studying this phenomenon is to:
An anchor can elicit either a resourceful response that is appropriate for the situation, or it can elicit an unresourceful response, often out of the person’s awareness or control and at the extreme becomes a phobic reaction.
Anchors are the super glue that stick experiences together – behavioral habits and routines, sleep postures, that special “our song,” smells, even words are just anchors for certain ways of thinking based on our history and experiences.
One of the key ways to understand the sequence of how someone is thinking is by watching where a person glances when they are thinking or responding.
As you will see by the following chart: when we think in pictures our eyes will be above the eye line or straight ahead and defocused; the eyes will be moving side to side and ear level for processing in words and sounds; and when our eyes are looking down we are processing in our emotions and feelings.
Hemispheric Integration is a revolutionary technology discovered and developed by Allen C. Sargent, author of The Other Mind’s Eye: The Gateway to the Hidden Treasures of Your Mind. This book is included FREE when you enroll in the Life Strategies Coach Training Program and Certification.
Hemispheric Integration with neuro-linguistics is founded on the scientific principles of how the brain processes information and influences thinking patterns. Once we understand this structure – limiting beliefs, phobias, and traumas can be resolved, and the client is then free to create lasting change, now and in the future. These tools and techniques can be used as a valuable adjunct in psychotherapy, and stand alone at the cutting edge in the evolution of personal growth. [Read more…]
Pacing and leading is the concept of aligning and establishing rapport, then leading the interaction in a more useful direction or towards a particular goal. We do this by using the skills of mirroring/ matching, aligning with breathing and rhythm, using our listening skills for honoring another person’s experience of reality, then leading the conversation and interaction to the intended outcome using our precise language skills. [Read more…]