robert dilts - cognitive patterns of jesus of nazareth
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Cognitive Pattems ofJesus of Nazareth:
Tools of The Spirit
byRobert B. Dilts
Dynamic Learning Publications
Cognitive Patterns of Jesus of Nazareth:
Tools of The SPirit'
Contents
lntroductlon
A. PrinciPles of NLP
B. Basic Principles and Structures of Modeling
C. Levels of Modeling
D. Source Material for the StudY
Part l: ExPloring the Mind of Jesus
l. Some Basic Elements of Human Experience
A. The Nervous SYstem
1. RePresentational SYstems
2. Synesthesia - Overlap Between the Senses
B. LanguageC. Cognitive Strategies
ll. A Neuro'Linguistic Analysis of Jesus' Language Patterns'
A. General Analysis of Jesus' Predicates
B. Micro Analysis of Jesus' Predicates in Context
1. The Word
2. The Heart
3. The Light
4. The SPirit and The Life
l lt. Analysis of Jesus'Accessing Cues
lV. Jesus' Macro StrategY
V. Summary of Jesus' Cognitive Patterns
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Part l l : lmptementing Jesus' Cognit ive Patterns
l. Operationalizing the Integration of Long Term and Short Term Goals
Exercise: Integrating Time FramesAn NLP Interpretation of The Sign of the Cross
ll. Operationalizing the Great CommandmentsA. Aligning Neuro-Logical Levels: lmplementing the
First Commandment 47Transcript: Demonstration of the Logical Level Alignment Process 48Summary of the Logical Level Alignment Process 55
B. Logical Level Co-Alignment Process 57Summary of Logical Level Co-Alignment Process 59
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l l l. Taking Multiple perceptual Positions - Loving Your NeighborAs Yourself
The Meta MirrorTranscript: Demonstration of The Meta-MirrorSummary of the Meta Mirror Process'Mind of The Heart' Exercise
lV. Summary of lmplementation StrategiesThe Resonance Pattern
Transcript: Demonstration of the Resonance Pattern
Summary of the Resonance PatternNeural Network Analogy
V. Conclusion
Bibl iography
Appendix A: Overview of Neuro-Linguist ic Programming
Cognit ive Patterns of Jesus of Nazareth:Tools of the spir i t .
byRobert B. Dilts
INTROD UCTION
The words and ideas of Jesus of Nazareth have had a major influence on the
thinking of Western civilization for almost two thousand years now. "Christianity" of
some form is the primary religion of almost every Western nation. The story of the life
and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth has been translated into every major language and
has been spread around the world by the various missionaries and churches that
were spawned by his teachings. For centuries he has been hailed as the ultimate role
model for Western Man. Millions of words have been written about his actions,
sayings and ideology (and it is estimated that more has been written about Jesus in
the last twenty years than the previous two thousand years).
Through the years Jesus has been viewed as many different things by many
different people: a teacher, a miracle worker, a charismatic healer, a magician, a
charlatan, a political and religious leader, a blasphemer, a paranoid schizophrenic, the
son of God, a myth. Whatever one's opinion, however, there cenainly seems to bemuch that can be learned from the remarkable accounts of the life, words and actions
of Jesus of Nazareth. The purpose of this monograph is to take yet another look at thereported deeds and teachings of Jesus. Using the modern psychological modeling
tools ol Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) | wish to examine the structure behind
the extraordinary deeds and capabilities reported in the accounts of his life.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a psychological model which, among other
things, provides a set of tools that allow us to map out the cognitive processes
underlying the works of creative and exceptional people (see Appendix A). Rather
than concern itself with the content of the work of the particular individual to bemodeled, NLP looks for the deeper structures that produced those results. Inparlicular, NLP searches for the way in which someone uses such basic neurologicalprocesses as the senses (i.e., seerng, hearing, feeling, smelling and tastingl, howthese processes are shaped and reflected by language, and how the two combine toproduce a particular program or strategy. According the NLP model it is the way inwhich we organize our sensory and linguistic functions into a programmed sequenceof mental activity that determines to a large degree how we will perceive and respond
to the world around us.
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A. Principles of NLp
In essence, all of NLP is founded on two fundamental premises:1. The Map is Not the Territory. As human beings, we can never know reality. We
can only know our perceptions of reality. We experience and respond to the worldaround us primarily through our sensory representational systems. lt is our,neuro-linguistic' maps of reality that determine how we behave and that give those behaviorsmeaning, not reality itself. lt is generally not reality that limits us or empowers us, butrather our map of reality.
2. Life and 'Mind' are Systemic Processes. The processes that take place within ahuman being and between human beings and their environment are systemic. Ourbodies, our societies, and our universe form an ecology of complex systems and sub-systems all of which interact with and mutually influence each other. lt is not possibleto completely isolate any part of the system from the rest of the system. Such systemsare based on certain 'self-organizing'principles and naturally seek optimal states ofbalance or homeostasis.
All of the models and techniques of NLP are based on the combination of thesetwo principles. In the belief system of NLP it is not possible for human beings to knowobjective reality - that is the realm of what men call 'God'. Wisdom, ethics and ecologydo not derive from having the one 'right' or'correct' map of the world, because humanbeings would not be capable of making one. Rather, the goal is to create the richestmap possible that respects the systemic nature and ecology of ourselves and theworld in which we live.
The modeling tools of NLP allow us to identify specific, reproducible patterns inthe language and behavior of effective role models. While most NLP analysis is doneby actually watching and listening to the role model in action, much valuableinformation can be gleaned from written records as well.
B. some Basic Principtes and structures of Model ing
The purpose of modeling is not to make the one ,real' map or model ofsomething, but rather to enrich our perceptions in a way that allows us to be bothmore effective and more ecological in how we interact with reality. A model is notintended to be reality, but instead to represent certain aspects of that reality in apractical and concrete way.
The status of Christianity as an influence in the world is in many ways a result of
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its success in representing and programming a fundamental strategy for thinking and a
set of assumptions and beliefs. This is a process that has a structure, and recognizing
and defining that structure can help us to enrich our understanding of the effects of that
process on ourselves and our world" The kind of strategy Jesus seems to embody is a
strategy for forming and organizing fundamental beliefs about the world into a way of
being and living that has deep implications both personally and socially.
The purpose of this monograph is to identify patterns in how Jesus organized his
experience of the world around him and then acted in that world so that we may gain
some new insight into his remarkable life and abilities and the impact that they have
had on modern society. By analyzing the words and reported deeds of Jesus as they
have been passed down to us through the gospels, perhaps we can find what
structures of mind lie hidden beneath their content. Even though so much has been
written about Jesus, analyzing many different aspects of his life and ministry, no one
has had the tools of NLP before to analyze the gospels lor what they might tell us
about the specific neuro-linguistic processes underlying the mind and works of Jesus.
C. Levels of Model ing
ln modeling an individual, such as Jesus, there are a number of different aspects,
or levels, of the various systems and sub-systems in which he operated that we may
explore. We can look at the historical and geographical environment in which he lived
- i.e., when and where Jesus performed his teachings and works. We can examine his
specific behaviors and actions - i.e., what he did in that environment. We may also
look at the intellectual and cognitive strategies and capabilities by which he selected
and guided his act ions in his environment - i .e., howhe generated these behaviors in
that context. We could further explore the beliefs and values that motivated and
shaped the thinking strategies and capabilities that Jesus developed to accomplish
his behavioral goals in his environment - i.e. , why he did things the way he did them in
those times and places. We could look deeper to investigate Jesus' perception of the
self or identity he was manifesting through that set of beliefs, capabilit ies and actions
in that environment - i.e., the who behind the why, how, what, where and when.We might also want to examine the way in which that identity manifested itself in
relationship to his family, his disciples, his contemporaries, Western Society andCulture, the planet, God - i.e., who he was in relation to who else. In other words, howdid the behaviors, abilit ies, beliefs, values and identity of Jesus influence and interactwith larger systems of which he was a part in a personal, social and ultimatelyspiritualway?
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One way to visualize the relationships between these elements is as a network ofgenerative systems that focus or converge on the identity of the individual as lhe core
of the modeling process.
Universe
Profession/Community
FamilySpir i tual "Trans.Mission"
Who Else?
ldent i ty MissionWho?
Bel iefs/Values Permission/Mot ivat ionwhy?
Capabi l i t ies Direct ionHow?
Network of Logical Levels
or Actions
at?
Environment ConstraintsWhere? When?
Clearly the task of model ing Jesus on al l of these levels would be anoverwhelming undertaking (one that has been going now for almost two millennia).
While, to a cefiain degree, each level is so interconnected to the others that it is notpossible to examine one independently of the others, the goal of my study has been tofocus into some key areas in which NLP will be able to provide the most amount ofinsight.
This monograph, Cognitive Patterns of Jesus of Nazareth, will explore the
structure of the cognitive strategies employed by Jesus in his various works and
teachings and how we might apply Jesus' strategic thinking abilit ies to our own lives.
It is intended as the beginning of a larger work composed of two other sections. Thesecond section, The Epistemology of Jesus, wifl explore the beliefs, values andassumptions that lie behind the words and actions of Jesus as viewed from theperspective of NLP and systems theory. The final section, The TherapeuticTechniques of Jesus. will explore the structure behind the numerous and often
astonishing acts of healing reportedly performed by Jesus.
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D. Source Material lor the Study
The objection, of course, may be raised that, because of their fragmentary nature,
and the fact that they have undergone numerous translations, the gospels will notprovide an accurate enough representation of Jesus to be valid in such a study of his
psychological processes. Obviously, with perhaps the exception of some kind of
divine inspiration, one cannot know the actual historical Jesus. What have influenced
hislory, however, are the gospels. And even though I will be working from lranslations
of accounts that were made decades after Jesus'death, it is through these accounts
that people throughout history have come to know Jesus of Nazareth. For this reason I
have chosen to analyze the King James version of gospels since it has probably had
the most influence in the English speaking world for the past three centuries.According to scholars, the historical Jesus would have spoken in Aramaic, a
dialect of ancient Hebrew. The written sources for the New Testament (and some ofthe Old Testament), however, were originally recorded in a common dialect of Greekused by scholars of the time called 'Koine' - a legacy of the empire of Alexander theGreat. The King James version (or Authorized Version) of the Bible was published in
1611 after a massive undertaking under the auspices of James I of England. 54scholars were commissioned to work individually and in groups, util izing previous
English translations and texts in the original languages. While I will be primarily
working from this text, for the reasons cited, there are sometimes interesting insights orclarifications that come from considering the history and meaning of the original Greeklerms from which the translations were made.
There are also several relevant texts that have only been recently discovered andare not a part of the traditional documents of the New Testament which can provide
additional insights and richness into the understanding of Jesus'teachings andthought process. Of particular interest is the Gospel of Thomas. The gospel ofThomas is one of a number of fragmentary, non-canonical records of Jesus' l ife andteachings that were written in approximately the same time period as the gospels ofMatthew Mark, Luke and John (i.e., the middle-to-second half of the first century). TheGospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings rather than a story of Jesus' life like thefour gospels of the New Testament. While the gospel of Thomas is not generallyaccepted as a theological document by the existing Christian churches, the sayings doprovide an interesting and ancient additional view into the life, teaching and thoughtprocesses of Jesus of Nazareth. Ron Cameron, editor of The Other Gospels, pointsout:
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"Most of the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas have parallels in the'synoptic' gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke in the New Testament.Analysis of each of these sayings reveals that the sayings in the Gospel ofThomas are either preserved in forms more primitive than those in the parallelsayings in the New Testament or are developments of more primitive forms ofsuch sayings. The particular editorial changes which the synoptic gospelsmake, including the addition of a narrative structure and the inclusion oftraditional sayings and stories within a biographical framework, are totallyabsent from the Gospel of Thomas. All of this suggests that the Gospel ofThomas is based on a tradition of sayings which is closely related to that ofthe canonical gospels but which has experienced a separate process oftransmission. The composition of lhe Gospel of Thomas, therefore, is parallelto that of the canonical gospels. lts sources are collections of sayings andparables contemporary with the sources of the canonical gospels. In thisrespect, the Gospel of Thomas can be profitably compared with the SynopticSayings Source, common to Matthew, Mark and Luke, generally referred toas Q (from the first letter of the German word Quelle, meaning 'source').
It is probable that many of the sayings in the Gospel of Thomas whichare not preserved elsewhere else also derive from early traditions of sayingsof Jesus. This document is, therefore, an important source of as well aswitness to Jesus' sayings."
In a way, the somewhat fragmentary and synoptic nature of the gospels and thepathway of translations they went through to reach their English manifestation canactually serve as a useful filter so that only the most robust parts of Jesus strategyemerge;and those are the aspects that are of most interest here. From the NLP pointof view, the appeal and longevity of the words of the Bible lie in the way that theyaccess and organize fundamental neurological processes into a strategy forinteracting with the world. Such a strategy is a generative process that may beapplied independently of the content with which it was initially expressed.
I should point out here that this analysis is not intended to address or passjudgment on matters of faith, but rather to examine the works of Jesus in the light ofmodern psychological discoveries to add yet another dimension to what can belearned from them. My goal is to identify specific verbal and behavioral patterns in thewords and actions of Jesus that can illuminate us more as to how and why Jesusthought what he thought, said what he said and did what he did. Whether or not Jesuswas the son of God is not at issue here, and whether or not you believe he was does
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not change the value of the information.lf you are a believer and feel that Jesus'teaching and healing powers came from
a supernatural source, you must still accept that his actions and teachings wereintended to operate on many different levels. According to Christian doctrine, Jesuswas'God made Man.'As a man among other men, Jesus would have had to manifesthis spiritual mission through a man's nervous system. This process of manifestationwould have a structure - perhaps a very important structure. An analysis of thisstruclure would be neither irrelevant nor disrespectful. Jesus' reported mission was toenlighten through his words and deeds. The more one understands about the manylevels of knowledge and information provided by Jesus, the more rich one'sexperience of his message will be.
lf you are a non-believer you must still accept that Jesus, as portrayed in the NewTestament, is a representation of an exceptionally successful healer and influentialleader that has shaped our modern world. Whatever can be gleaned from the specificmethods described about how Jesus produced his remarkable results can still ofbenefit in our modern world.
Jesus may have a great deal to contribute to the practice of modern psychology,psychotherapy, health and leadership as well as religion.
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PART I . EXPLORING THE MIND OF JESUS
Gregory Bateson - an anthropologist, systems theorist and one of the mostimportant influences in the early development of NLP - thought of 'mind' as beingimmanent in any system with a complex enough set of connections and interactions.Groups, societies, lower organisms, almost any system can show certain properties ofmental process if they have enough complexity of interaction. 'Mind' itself is not athing, but rather a process resulting from and governing the relationships andinterac{ions in a system.
The human mind is primarily a product of our miraculous nervous system - which
is truly one of the wonders of the universe. Our mind is manifested and expressedthrough a number of complexty interacting systems in the hemispheres of our cerebralcortex and other brain structures, and in nerve structures that extend throughout ourbodies. NLP views the activity within these structures, in the form of language andinner'programs,' as the primary source of human intelligence and experience (see
Appendix A).
l . Some Basic Elements of Human Experience
A. The Nervous System
The nervous system has to do with the "neuro" part of Neuro-LinguisticProgramming. lt is through our nervous system that we coordinate our behavior and
organize our experience of the world. The human nervous system may be divided into
three primary subsystems: 1) the Central Nervous System 2) the Peripheral Nervous
System and 3) the Autonomic Nervous System.The Central Neruous System is made up of the brain and spinal cord. lt controls
our muscles and movement and is associated with conscious thought and action.The Peripheral Neruous System is made up of the branches of the spinal cord and
the sense organs. lt relays information about the environment from the organs,muscles and glands to the central nervous system and back again.
The Autonomic Nervous Sysfem deals with a network of nerves outside of thespinal cord that deals with many unconscious activities such as temperatureregulation, circulation, salivation, the initiation of the "fight-flight" reaction and otheremotional and attentional states.
The Central Nervous System executes mental programs, plans and strategies via
the Peripheral Nervous System. The Autonomic Nervous System determines the state
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of the biological 'hardware" within which those programs are carried out.
Sensat ionInput-Output
Cognit ionTlnught - Progranuning
Conscious
Unconscious
Regulat ionInterral State
While most people are consciously aware of their sensations, thoughts andactions, the functions of the Autonomic Nervous System generally take place outsideof conscious awareness.
Whether it be teaching, learning, thinking, healing, praying, eating, understanding,loving or hating; all human action and experiences are mediated and manifestedthrough the interplay of these three parts of our nervous system.
1. Representational Systems
"The senses are the ministers of the Soul." - Leonardo da Vinci
Representational systems relate to the nervous system structures which operatethe five senses - Visual (sight), Auditory $ound), Kinesthetic (feeling), Otfactory(smell) and Gustatory ftaste). Each representational system is designed to perceiveand represent certain basic qualities of the part of the world it senses through theinteraction between the peripheral and central nervous systems. These perceptionsand representations include characteristics such as color, bightness, tone, loudness,temperature, pressure, elc. These qualities are called "sub-modalities" in NLp sincethey are sub-components of each of the representational systems.
We build our individual models of the world and guide our lives based on how wecombine our memories and constructs of the future in order to respond to what we are
PeripheralNervous
AutonomicNervousSystem
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able to perceive in the ongoing external world around us. The emphasis placed onthese various modes of using the senses, the way in which they are balanced andcombined together, etc., will greatly influence the way in which we perceive andrespond to our environment.
People differ in their abilit ies to use their representational systems. This ofteneffects their ability to think and act and even shapes the development of theirpersonality. The different senses highlight different aspects of our perceptions ofevents and situations. A person who primarily responds through feeling and intuitionmay react to a crisis situation quite differently than a person who is looking at it andapptying logic.
As a manifestation in the world of the "flesh" Jesus needed to interact with thatworld and the people in it through these senses. They were the medium for contactwith those around him, and it was through these sensory channels that he gave hismessage and performed his earthly works. In many cases he was actually quite
explicit about his emphasis of certain sensory channels that he himself used and thatpeople should use in perceiving and organizing their experience of the world.
2. Synesthesia - Overlap Between the Senses
Not all of our mental experiences are clearly distinguishable into one particular
sensory category. This is because our sensory experiences become mixed togetherin our nervous systems. lt is this connecting together of information from the differentsenses that makes learning possible. Sometimes experiences become connectedand overlapped so completely that it is not possible to easily distinguish one from theother in a causal relationship - they are both there simultaneously but each needs theother in order to be there. Feeling moved by a piece of music or art would be anexample of this. The feeling could not exist without the ar1 and the art could not existwithout the feeling. Certainly, many of the most powerful experiences in our lives(such as 'religious' or'spiritual' experiences) involve an integrating together of thevarious senses.
fn NLP, such a connection is called a synesthesra. The term literally means "a
synthesizing of the senses." Synesthesias are usually more rich and powerful thanperceiving something through a single sense alone. Synesthesia patterns can also
be a very important factor in determining the ease or effectiveness in which certainmental functions are performed. As with the development of the senses themselves,the strength of the various synesthesia relationships vary for different people.
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B. Language
Language relates to the'linguistic" aspect of Neuro-Linguistic Programming.
While the spoken word is pan of the auditory representational system, its function is to
organize and connect information from the other senses as opposed to simply registerqualities of an experience, as the more purely tonal elements of the auditory system
do. Since language is actually represented differently in the brain than pure sounds,
NLP considers language to function as another representational system - a kind of'meta' representational syste m.
For example, the word "caf" does not physically sound like a cat, feel furry nor do
the sounds or letters attempt to indicate four legs, whiskers, a tail etc. The word is
rather a point of convergence which unites multiple sensory representations in theform of mental pictures, sounds, feelings, etc. The meaning and significance of a word
to a particular individual is a function of the amount of neurology it mobilizes.l-anguage, of course, is one of the most fundamental features of human thought
and communication - an8 Jesus was a master at using it. Linguistic patterns can alsoprovide us with clues to other thought processes that go on behind a person's use oflanguage.
Linguist ic Clues to Thinking Patterns.
Perhaps one of the biggest difficulties in modeling the mental strategies of
exceptional people comes from the fact that the more one develops the ability toactually do something, the less one is aware of how specitically one is doing it.
Most etfective behavior is characterized by'unconscious competence.' While thisreduces the amount of conscious effort one has to put into achieving a goal, it makes it
difficult to describe to others how to develop the same degree of competence. Mostpeople focus on what they are doing and tend to ignore the subtle but essential mentalprocesses by which they are doing it.
The goal of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and of this study, is to explicitlyidentify the mental strategies that lie behind exceptional achievements so that thesedeeper processes may be made more fully understandable and transferable.Accomplishing this goal, however, involves a significant amount of detective work. Wemust follow the subtle traces that have been left behind by our model, as one mightfollow footprints in the sand hoping to eventually discover the individual who has leftthem. Like Sherlock Holmes, we collect together the clues (especially those whichmay have escaped the notice of our fellow detectives) hoping to piece them together
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into their underlying pattern from which we may derive some insight into the great
mystery of Jesus' mind.Fofiunately, because language is so linked with all of the functions of the brain,
the words people use offer many important clues to how they are thinking. A primarymethod of Neuro-Linguistic analysis is to search for particular linguistic patterns, suchas'predicates', which indicate a particular representational system or sub-modality,and how that system or quality is being used in the person's overall thought process.
Predicates are words, such as verbs, adverbs and adjectives, which indicate
actions, relationships or qualities as opposed to persons, places or things. This typeof language is typically selected at an unconscious level and thus reflects theunderlying unconscious structure which produced them. For example, when someone
says, "f see what you are saying," 'That doesn't feelnghl," or "You sound upset," NLPwould take these as literal references to the pafl of the nervous system the person is
using to represent the experience (see Appendix A for a more complete listing).
These kind of sensory based words play an important role in the modeling process.
C. Cognit ive Strategies
Cognitive strategies relate to the "programming" part of Neuro-Linguistic
Programming. People do not act effectively in the world through random, haphazard
associations or reflexes. Jesus, for example, was certainly not random in the way that
he used his senses, his language, nor in the way he organized his experiences to
operate in the world around him. Effective people develop consistent step-by-stepprocedures for solving problems, making decisions, creating plans, etc. These
specific sequences of mental steps are called a'strategy'in NLP. Like a computerprogram, a strategy defines a process that is independent of the data or content being
processed. For instance, the sequence of sensory functions used in a memory
strategy may be applied to remember things of many different contents (phone
numbers, names, spellings, faces, etc.). Likewise, the sequence of mental steps used
in a decision making strategy may be applied to decisions of many different types.
The way each mental step is linked to the step that comes before it and the one
that comes after it is an important feature of thought and learning. Using the exact
same elements in a different sequence can completely change the resulting meaning.
For example, the two phrases "He who is not with us is againsl us," and "He who is
not againsf us is with us," use the same words but the sequence makes their
meanings quite different. The same holds true for the sensory sequences involved in
thought.
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In the course of our lives, our representational systems, synesthesia patterns andlanguage processes become organized together into the consistent sequences orstrategies that make up our capabilities and personality. Even though we all start withbasically the same potential in our brains, these potentials are shaped into differentcombinations and sequences. Strategy sequences are generally organized in a waythat reflects the feedback loop through which information typically flows through asystem. lnformation is 1) input to the system through 2) some interface mechanismthat 3) passes information to the core of the system. Information is organized andprocessed and then 4) transformed into 5) the system's output. This output effects theenvironment around the system in a way that produces feedback which reenters thesystem as new input.
According to NLP, the great minds and leaders of history have achieved theirgreatness because they have managed to form pafiicularly elegant and compellingstrategies for operating effectively in the world. Let us now begin to explore whatJesus' language might unveil to us about his own inner strategy for making sense outof the world around him.
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l l . Neuro-Linguist ic Analysis of Jesus Language Patterns.
As an archeologist might decipher with excitement a set of precious hieroglyphics
in the mysterious tomb of an ancient pharaoh, let's apply the linguistic fi lters of NLP tothe language of Jesus of Nazareth to see what kind of structure they can help usuncover about a thought process that has shaped history.
A. General Analysis of Jesus' Predicates
As a starting point, let us begin by examining Jesus' use of the most basic
sensory predicates such as "see,""heaf' and "feel". Searching through the gospel
texts we find that Jesus uses the word "see" in I2 verses of the four gospels and'saw' in 10 verses. The predicale " hear" he uses in 6 0 of the verses and "heard" in
1 7 of the verses. lt is interesting to note that the words "feel" and "feft" do not even
occur once! At first glance, this would seem to indicate that the primary emphasis of
Jesus' message was on the visual and auditory aspects of experience, with somewhat
of a focus on the visual. In fact, Jesus has often been interpreted as de-emphasizing
feelings and the 'ways of the flesh', the implication being that they interfered with the
ability to receive and keep his message.
Analyzing further, we can examine the gospels for sensory predicates indicating
output relating to a particular sensory system as opposed to the input or receipt of
information through it. In this case, we find that Jesus uses the word "shew" (show) in
2 1 verses and the word "tell" in 4 4 verses. Here the scales tilt definitely in the
direction of the auditory predicate. As with the first set of predicates analyzed above,
the kinesthetic counterparts to these words, "touch" or "move", do not appear in Jesus'
language. We are, however, told that Jesus "touched" people in at least 1 2 instances,
and that he "laid" his "hands" on people in at least another 1 4, indicating his use of the
kinesthetic system in his work. We are also told on several occasions, 4 to be more
exacl, that Jesus was "moved" to compassion, which would indicate a response or
output on an internally kinesthetic level.
ln reference to the particular sense organs themselves - the means by which we
interface with our external reality - we find Jesus referring to the eyes 16 times, theearsl3times, the mouth 1 2times and the body 17 times. There is, however, another
organ of the body that Jesus also refers to quite often: the heart. ln fact, he mentions it
in 32 verses of the four gospels. This is important as an indicator of internal
kinesthetic sensations - certainly the heart is an organ often associated with emotional
states. So here, for the first time, we find a greater emphasis on the kinesthetic system.
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A final general analysis may be made of the more metaphorical terms referring toa specific sense, such as "light" (visual), "word" (auditory), "flesh" (kinesthetic). Thisanafysis shows Jesus referring to the "word" in 4 0 verses [he refers lo "words" in themore non-metaphorical sense in another 21 versesl,lo "light" in 3 0 verses, lhe'flesh" in 1 9 verses. Once again, we find a significant leaning in favor of the auditorydigital (verbal) function.
*Life" and "Spirit" are two other significant terms that Jesus refers to quite often inhis teachings and sayings. Both words could be considered as a reference to somevitaf internal feeling state. While Jesus uses the word "life" 5 9 times in the fourgospels, however, it is not always in the sense of an active, felt state. For instance, 'life'may be used to stand for "existence" in the broader sense as opposed to vital energy,so it is not necessarily a good consistent indicator of Jesus strategy. The term " spirit,'which is used by Jesus 2 2 times in the gospels, is perhaps a better indicator of this vitalkinesthetic state. The term "spirit", of course, does not refer to any specific sense butrather to an internal state that is probably a synthesis or synesthesia of all the sensestogether. This state, however, is very much associated with feelings. For example,when Jesus was upset, we are told, "he sighed deeply in his spirit" (Mark 8:12), andwhen he was inspired, he is described as being full of "the power of the Spirit" (Lukea14).. Such descriptions indicate a strong relationship with internal feelings.
Let us reflect for a moment on the implications of this data. Below is a summary ofthe basic representational system predicales used by Jesus in the four gospels.
SI.JMMARY OF PREDICATES USED BY JESUS
ORIENTATION VISUAL AUDITORY KINESTHETIC
Input/Perception "SgettttSawtt
82l0
"Hgar":"Hgard":
60t7
"Fegl"l"Felt":
00
Output "Shew": 21 "Tell": 44 {"Touched"}:{"Laid Hands"}
{"Moved"}:
l2t44
Interface Organs "Eyes":"Eye":
124
"Ears": 13"Mouth": 12
"Body": l7"Heart": 32
Metaphorical "Light": 30 "Word": 40["words": 2l]
"Flesh": 19
TSTAL t59 2W 98
INTERNALFEELING STATE
"Life": 59"Spirit": 22
TOTAL 8I
While a look at the totals of the sensory specific predicates examined shows afairly definite preference for the auditory (particularly verbal) representational system,we must keep in mind that our primary concern in regard to the strategy that Jesus
Jesus-Page15
used is the sequence and function of each of the representational systems. Forexample, one plausible way of interpreting the information above is that the auditorypredicates seem to dominate the input and output functions - "Hear" and *Tell" the'Word(s)'. The visual predicates seem to dominate the perceptual/organizationalfunclions - "See" lhe "Light". Kinesthetic references -- Body", "Heatt", Life" and'Spirit" -- seem to dominate the interface functions relating to reactions to input fromboth the external world and inner perceptions.
We could postulate that Jesus 1) "hears"lhe "Word" of God which 2) triggers aninternal feeling state of "life" and "spirit'. These responses 3) generate visual imageryin which he sees the meaning of lhe "Word" (the "Light" ). This 4) stimulates feelingsin his 'heart"which then causes him to respond with his "body" and 5)tell the ̂ Word".In the language of NLP, we would say that, for Jesus, information is input through theauditory representational system and organized visually under the influence of aninternal feeling state. These images provoke kinesthetic reactions in the heart andbody which ultimately express themselves as words that are output into the worldaround him, completing the feedback loop.
Interface Representation InerfaceInput
Hear Words - Transform W.ords ._>Through Feelings ------_
Auditory Kinesthet ic
Inner Images Emotions andStimulated by + Actions Triggered
Feelings BY ImagerY
Visual Kinesthet ic
Output
Words Expressing+ InnerVisualand
Kinesthetic Responses
Auditory
+ (Synesthesia)
I Feedback
Let's lake a closer look at how Jesus used some of these words in context to seeif we can verify or refine this first approximation of his cognitive process.
Jesus-Page16
B. Micro Analysis of Jesus' Predicates in Context
1. "The Wotrd".
In Jesus'teachings and sayings, auditory predicates do seem to be primarily
associated with input and output. When Jesus used the word "hear" it was typicallyrelated to the transfer of information relating to his message. For example, the phrase
'He that hath ears to heaf let him hear," was probably one of Jesus' most commonslatements. Other examples, like the following, tend to further confirm that hearingwas Jesus' most highly valued representational system for receiving information.
'And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethrenare these which hear the word of God, and do it." Luke 8:21
Because Jesus perceived words as being the primary medium for transferringinformation, he also considered auditory representations as the most significant outputsystem. This is supported by statements such as:
"For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thoushalt be condemned." Matthew 12:37
"And he called multitude, and said unto them, Hear, andunderstand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man; butthat which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man."
Matthew 15:10-11
These examples would appear to confirm our earlier hypothesis that the auditorycomponent in Jesus' strategy comes both at the beginning and the end of the process.
ln the fast example, for instance, Jesus'statement "Hear, and understand:" indicatesthat hearing is to be used for receiving his message. The phrase,"that which comethout of the mouth, this defileth a rnan," indicates that verbal representations are themost important sensory output relating to an individual's character.
The importance of language to Jesus as the primary medium with which to enacthis mission is emphasized by accounts of his skill as a public speaker and teacher,and especially by reports of his unique ability to heal through his words.
Yet, while Jesus obviously valued words highly as an evidence of the innerorganization of a person, he also perceived that, at times, words were merely symbolsand clues of other processes. While Jesus believed that what the words stood for was
Jesus - Page 17
important, the words had to be congruent with other inner representations, as heindicated in statements such as:
'But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: forthey think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."Matthew 6:7'He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not,because ye are not of God." John 8:47
Jesus'comments seem to indicate that there are different levels of 'hearing'and'speaking'. In fact, in the original Greek texts, from which the English translations were
made, there are two types of "words": 1) rhema (pnpa) meaning a saying or words as
things and 2) logos (l.o1os) meaning words associated with the manifestation ofreason. In ancient Greek philosophy 'logos'was thought to constitute the controllingand unifying principle in the universe. For example, Heraclitus (540-480 BC) defined'logos' as the universal principle through which all things are interrelated and allnatural events occur - indicating a remarkably systemic view of the universe. Hebelieved that, while there was an element in man through which this principle could beperceived, most people failed to comprehend the'logos'and thus lived like dreamerswith a false view of the world. According to the stoics, ' logos'was a cosmic governingor generating principle that is immanent and active in all reality and that pervades allreality. According to Philo, a Greek speaking Jewish philosopher and contempo rary otJesus, ' logos'was the intermediate between ultimate reality and the sensible world.
Clearly, the implications ol logosstrike to the core of the 'neuro-linguistic'process. In fact, in their first book, The Structure of Magic, Richard Bandler andJohn Grinder - the co-creators of NLP - make a distinction in the use of languagesimilar to the rhema/logos distinction:
"All the accomplishments of the human race, both positive and negative,have involved the use of language. we as human beings use ourlanguage in two ways. we use it first of all to represent our experience -we calf this activity reasoning, thinking, fantasying, rehearsing. when weuse language as a representational system, we are creating a model ofour experience. This model of the world which we create by ourrepresentat ional use of language is based upon our perceptions of theworld. our perceptions are also partially determined by our model orrepresentat ion.. .Secondly, we use our language to communicate our
Jesus - Page 18
model or representation of the world to each other. When we usefanguage to communicate, we call it talking, discussing, writing,lecturing, singing." (pp. 21-22)
Perhaps the power of the word to either heal or defile comes from the fact that itnot only represents our perceptions of the world, but also shapes them. As Bandlerand Grinder maintain:
"The nervous system which is responsible for producing therepresentational system of language is the same nervous system bywhich humans produce every other model of the world - visual,kinesthetic, etc...The same principles of structure are operating in eachof these systems.'
For Jesus, then, language is a multi-level process. At one level, words operate asbehavioral cues and symbols (rhema) used to transmit information between people.At another level, words constitute the intermediate between a larger reality and thesensible world, representing fundamental principles in the universe (/ogos). There arewords of the "Flesh" (rhema) and words of the "Spirit" (logos). A similar distinction
shows up in the Greek words for "speak". Laleo (Icrl.eco) means to talk or verbalize -
that is, speaking as a behavior; for example "l speak to them in parables" or "'thou
shaft be dumb, and not able to speak". The word eipon (ernov) means to tell ordeclare - speaking as an expression of a person's deeper perceptions and beliefs; asin, "God spake unto him saying..." or "this spake he of the spirit". lt seems clear thatJesus was cognizant of the distinction, and actually spent quite a bit effort trying to getothers to perceive and recognize the difference themselves.
Thus, one can input or output something through words on a behavioral level oron some higher level. lt would seem that the difference between which level wasaccessed would be a function of which neural circuitry is mobilized or committed inorder to perceive or express the words. Rhema and laleo seem to relate to activity
locused in the peripheral nervous system (Aoe)while eiponand logoswould appear
to be associated with deeper activity within the central nervous system (AOi).
Jesus-Page19
2. "The Heart".
Jesus considered the 'heart' as the 'element' in a person through which the thegenerative principles of language as'logos'was perceived. He indicated that people"see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their
heart" (Matthew 1 3:1 5).In Jesus' model, the primary source of verbal output was the heart, and he
perceived words as echoing the deeper emotional life of the speaker. For instance, he
claimed:
'A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bingeth forth that
which is good; and an evil man out of the eviltreasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of his heart his
mouth speakest " Luke 6:45
'Whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is
cast out in the draught. But those things which proceed of the mouth
come forth from the heart, and they defile the man." Matthew 15:16-17
lf words were not connected to the 'heart'then they are simply "vain repetitions",
'l ip service'or even hypocrisy.
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied ofyou hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their |ips,
but their heart is far from me." Mark 7:6
Clearly, for Jesus, the heart is the seat of a person's internal values and
individual motives. The heart determines the degree and quality of emotionalpadicipation that motivates one's words and actions. We can speculate that it the
degree to which one's heart was involved in one's language that makes the difference
between whether is was at the level of rhemaor logos.
Physiologically, the heart - kardia (rcrp6rcr) in Greek - is the center of the body's
circulatory system and plays an important role in the 'autonomic' regulatory functions
which are necessary for the body's survival. While the regularily of the heart beat is
maintained by a conducting system within the heart itself, nerves to the heart from the
central nervous system can quicken or slow the beat. Thus, the heart is responsive to
impulses from both body and 'mind'- i.€., the heart adjusts its beating rate to bothphysical and psychological changes. Heart rate, for example, increases with
Jesus - Page 20
emotional responses such as anxiety and fear or excitement and passion. Heart rate
slows in response to relaxation and confidence.
From both a scientific and metaphoric perspective, the cardiovascular system has
long been considered the seat of emotional expression and the heart has been the
organ most associated with emotions and beliefs.
Jesus himself explicitly relates the heart to beliefs when he states:
"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be
thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt In his
heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass;
he shall have whatsoever he saith." Mark 11.,23
CI course, not all ideas and thoughts effect heart rate. Only some cognitiveprocesses mobilize deep enough neurology to involve the heart. Therefore the heartmakes a powerful filter for evaluating the commitment of the nervous system to different
psychological processes. The kinesthetic sensations associated with the heart (Ki)
come from a different level of processing in the nervous system (the autonomic system)
than the kinesthetic sensations associated with touch - haptomai (arropot) in Greek -
which are produced by the peripheral nervous system (Ke).
As part of our survival system, the heart and the neurological mechanisms whichoperate it have been around much longer than language, which probably appearedaround a hundred thousand years ago (at the very earliest a mill ion years ago). Thusthe system supporting the heart is associated with more fundamental biologicalprocesses. When words engage our heart they are drawing a much greater and deepercommitment of our total neurology (and thus total 'mind').
Jesus - Page 21
3. The Light
Jesus saw the heart as a key element in an even larger system. He seems tohave perceived the heart as a filter or transducer for influences coming from otherparts of the system, in particular from the visual sense:
'The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is
single, thy whole body also is fullof light; but when thine eye is evil,thy body also is full of darkness." Luke 1'1:33
Jesus viewed the visual representational system as a primary guide for behavior- i.e., lhe'eye" leads the body. Vision is a pivotal element in Jesus' strategy, and oneon which he placed a lot of emphasis. In fact, of all the senses, Jesus seemed toidentify himself most with the visual. One of the most common ways Jesus had ofdescribing himself was as the "light of the world."
"l am the Iight of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but have the light of lite." John 8:12
The kind of "light" and vision Jesus is referring to is clearly not directly related to
external reality. The Greek word used in the Gospels was phos (Qols), which means
radiance or'something that makes vision possible.' One implication of this is that it is
a process that is generated from within as opposed to taken in from the outside.Another implication is that, since light is the process through which images are
rendered, it is on a different level than the content of the image. Consider thefollowing quotes from the Gospel of Thomas:
"Jesus said, 'lf they say to you,'Where did you come from?', say to
them,'We came from the light, the place where the light came into
being on its own accord and established itself and became manifest
through their lmage. " Thomas (50)
"Jesus said, 'The images are manifest to man, but the light in them
remains concealed in the image of the light of the Father. He will
become manifest, but his image will remain concealed by the light."'
Thomas (83)
Jesus - Page 22
It would seem that, as with language, Jesus distinguished between different
levefs of vision. Concrete, observable images - eikon (errrov) in Greek - were like
rherna. 'Light" (phos) was like logos.It seems significant that when Jesus spoke of "hearing" he was generally
referring to the expression or transfer of specific verbal information in the form of
words. When Jesus used the word "see" it was most often oriented towards the
internal perception of larger and more abstract patterns of information.
The word for'heai used in the early Greek texts is akauo (arcruol), which
translates as'to give eaf'or "hearken." This clearly relates to the act of listening orinputting information. The English word "see", however, was used as a translation for
three ditferent Greek words: eidon (er6ov) - to know, be acquainted, as in "he sawthe
multitudes" or'bring me a penny that I may see il"; blepo (pX,erot) - to look, perceive or
understand, as in, "having eyes, see ye not?" or "l was blind now I see"; and horao
(opaco) - to discern, take head, as in "see a vision", "see salvation", "see the glory of
God". None of these words mean simply "input by the eye". They all seem to involvemore representation and comprehension than input. Obviously, the range ofexperience referred to by useeing" was much more broad and abstract than thatindicated by "hearing".
Eidon appears to refer to the process of seeing as sensory perception directed
toward the concrete environment through the peripheral nervous system (Ye). etepo
refers more to seeing as the capability to receive and then internally register visual
representations within the central nervous system 1Vi7. tlorao refers to the process of
vision relating to deeper and less sensory based levels of experience that does notnecessarily have its roots in the external world but is rather generated from an internal
source (V1. This kind of vision was often metaphorical and typically about events
relating to the future rather than the present or the past. For example, consider theway "seeing" is intended in the following statements.
'And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Luke 3:6
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannotsee the kingdom of God." John 3:3
"Verily, veily, I say unto you, lf a man keep my saying, he shall neversee death." John 8:51
Jesus - Page 23
Clearly, these statements all refer to more abstract classes of events in the future.They are also more oriented toward seeing causes and connections between things in
some larger system of organization - i.e., "see the salvation," "see the kingdom,""see death.' To understand what is meant by each of these requires one to imaginea much bigger picture than what can be seen in one's immediate surroundings. ForJesus, it was this type of larger more abstract, metaphorical vision that stimulated theheart.
One important implication of the multi-dimensional nature of the 'Word' and the'Light' is that the two levels co-exist simultaneously, but different neurological circuitsmust be mobilized in order to perceive the different levels. ln fact, it would seem that agreat deal of Jesus'teaching was about how to strategically organize one's behaviorand nervous system in order to be able to share his multi-level perception. This samedistinction is reflected in the Gospel of Thomas:
His disciples said to Him, "When willthe Kingdom come?" Jesus
said, "lt will not come by waiting for it. lt will not be a mafter of saying'Here it is' or'There it is.' Ratheri the Kingdom of the Father is spread
out upon the earth, and men do not see it."Thomas (113)
Jesus said, "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which ishidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing hiddenwhich will not become manifest." Thomas (5)
Logos (the word) may have been the medium for Jesus' message, and kardia(the heail) may be the means through which words are connected to the deepest parts
of a person, but horao (vision) seems to be the channel through which the intended
message is processed and represented.
Jesus - Page 24
4. The Spirit and The Life
These internal visions of the "kingdom" and "salvation" were inspired in Jesus byan interaction of lhe"Word" with lhe "Spirit" and "Life", "Spirit" and "life" represent thepart of Jesus' strategy that is the least tied to a specific sense. Rather, "spirit" and "life"represent a powerfully generative state that operates on a different level from normalexperience.
'lt is the spirit that quickeneth [i.e., gives life or energy - R.D.]; tneflesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they aresplrit, and they are life." John 6:62-63
In this statement, Jesus is indicating that, to him, spiritinvolves the release ofenergy. While the kind of energy released by "Spirit" would seem to involve strongkinesthetic elements, they are on a different level than the kinesthetics of the "fleshn.
'The flesh 'lsarx (ocrp() in Greekl would seem to be more indicative of the physical
body and activity within the peripheral nervous system (Ke) while the generation of
energy and life would be more related to the autonomic nervous system 1Xi;. fne
'flesh', then, is the channel for the manifestation of the energy released by 'spirit '.The implication is that'spirit 'and 'l ife' can somehow become embodied through
language (a central nervous system process). Thus, 'spirit' seems to be indicative of asynesthesia between the central and autonomic nervous systems that reteases specialcapabilities. These two processes seem to have become joined and consotidated inJesus after his baptism by John. By all accounts, the two most significant events thatseem to have taken place at that time are that 1) John the Baptist declared Jesus to belhe 'Lamb of God" and 2) after his baptism Jesus had a visionary experience:
'And straightaway coming out of the water, he saw the heavensopened, and the Spirit like a dove descended upon him: And therecame a voice from heaven, saying, thou art my beloved son in whomI am well pleased." Mark 1 :10-11
From that time onward Jesus is reported to have been fil led with lhe "HolySpirit", a state of consciousness from which his revelations would come. lt would seemthat John's verbal proclamation or "Word' released or awakened a powerful state of'synesthesia' between the visual, kinesthetic and auditory senses. In an attempt to
Jesus - Page 25
describe this state to his disciples Jesus explained:
'Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you intoalltruth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13
'Spirit ', then, is indicative of a special process that releases visionarycapabilities which extend beyond the typical perceptual space of the individual. Jesusindicates that the representations it stimulates do not come merely from the content ofone's own external life experiences. The type of experiences associated with "spirit"
extend beyond one's identity, personal history and immediate sensory environment.
"But when they deliver you up, take no thought of how or what ye
shall speak: for it shall be given to you in that same hour what ye shallspeak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which
speaketh inyou." Matthew 10:19-20
"But the Comfortef which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring allthings toyour remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26
'Spirit' provides the individual with information that comes from a larger system
or'mind' (the "Fathef') that is beyond one's personal conscious identity or sensory
experience. Jesus seems to be implying that we are all part of a kind of larger
'holographic' process - such that any part of the system can have access to
information from any other part of the system.A hologram is a kind of optical process which produces a three dimensional
image that appears to float in space. In a holographic recording, all of the information
for each part of the image is contained in every part of the recording. Each piece of the
hologram, no matter how small, contains all of the information for the whole image.
Jesus is implying that it is possible for us to have access to a kind of holographic
knowledge about our universe.
This analogy of a hologram can potentially provide some further insight into the
nature of the kind of neurological processes Jesus might have been referring to with
the terms 'Spirit 'and 'Light'. A true hologram is produced through the application of a
coherent light source in the form of a laser. A laser has only one specific frequency of
light waves as opposed to the mixture of waves that make up the 'white light'through
Jesus - Page 26
which we normally see reality. The holographic image is recorded on a piece of glass
as a complex interference pattern that looks like a chaotic set of smears and smudges
in normal light. The image may only be sensed by the human eye in the presence of
the laser light used to record it initially.
Perhaps Jesus' reference to "Spirit" indicates a special state synthesizing the
central and autonomic systems that would be like the laser light source in the
holographic process. In this state people are able to produce the 'Light' which allows
them to experience the world on a different level - to decode the seemingly chaotic swirls
and smudges of the sensible world and see a deeper multi-dimensional representation.
In this state, one would be able to perceive the entire 'hologram'of which he or she was
a part and gain local access to the information embodied within the larger image.
The English word 'spirit'was translated from the Greek word pneuma (nveupcr)
which means wind or air. In ancient Greek philosophy 'pneuma'was an ethereal fiery
stuff, believed to be a cosmic, life-giving principle in organisms. Jesus clearly
connects it with the Word or 'logos' when he says, "the words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit, and they are life." The implication of this statement in Greek would
be that the /ogos, the principle by which all things are connected in the universe, is a
stimufus for or an embodiment ol pneuma, the vital principle in living creatures. In
other words, that we are not simply isolated physical creatures ('flesh") we are a part of
a larger system, a larger'mind', a larger life - a hologram.
The English word 'l ife' in the Gospels was used a translation for two different
Greek terms: 1) uzoe" ((cq) meaning motion or activity, and 2) "psyche" (nur(q)
meaning animal life and "breath". Jesus used the lerm 'zoe'to refer to the more
generaf or abstract implications of life - i.e., "eternal life". He used, 'psyche'to refer to
the more personal experience of life - i.e., "he who shalltry to save his life shall lose it."
In the statement "the words that l speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are
llfe.", the word "life" was translated lrom "zoe", indicating that certain words are a kind
of trigger for a deep level of motion or activity.
Perhaps, then, 'Spirit ' represents a state of consciousness that allows one access
to information that is typically not available to the conscious mind but is always around
us at an unconscious level - information that is generated by a kind of 'group mind'
immanent in the system. 'Life' represents the neurological process through which thatinformation is set into motion and becomes embodied in physical reality.
On a physical level, air, wind and breath are mechanisms through which words
are formed and transmitted. In fact, the term "spirit" comes from the Latin 'Epirifus",
which literally means'breath'. In the same way that light makes seeing and vision
Jesus -Page27
possible; air, breath and wind make speaking and hearing words possible. And, onanother level, breathing keeps our physical body alive. Like heart rate, breathing ismediated by both the autonomic and central nervous systems and could serve as apoint of overlap and integration between the two systems. Breath literally creates theenergy and movement that gives life to both word and body.
" Spirit"Central
Nervous System -
/ :
- - ' \ \ - -
I Synesthesia II Aurono*i. /
-r'Nervous System J
Motion Express Words
EnergyPsyche
Zoe -.2
(Lasts Beyond Life
Breattr of Individual)
Pnewtu \Support Physical Life
One interpretation of Jesus' use of the terms 'spirit' and 'life', then, could be that"spirit" indicates the neural mechanism that expresses and represents the "word," and"life" represents the mechanism that manifests it.
I mentioned earlier that, neurologically, language serves as a point ofconvergence or confluence for other neural circuits. These circuits may extendbeyond the sensory representations stored in the cerebral cortex to deeper nervousstructures related to the autonomic nervous system. Minimally, language couldmobilize higher level structures which could in turn activate the deeper autonomicstructures. lf this is indeed the case, it becomes possible to imagine how words mightplay a deeper role than simply as a medium to send signals between people. Forexample, if an individual is in the appropriate state, words might indeed be able toheal by facilitating the convergence of the right combination of neural structures toactivate the self healing and regulating capabilities of the autonomic nervous system.
It should also be noted that the signals that pass through the nervous system donot do so in a linear, mechanical fashion like one billiard bill hitting another or likeelectricity passing through wires. In mechanical systems such as these, the initialimpulse of energy that activates the chain of responses in the system graduallybecomes weaker as it is diffused by mechanical chains of events. In contrast, everynerve cell in the nervous system generates its own energy. The cell 'fires' in responseto the signals it receives. The energy produced by the cell is often greater than thesignal it has received. Neural networks can actually escalate or amplify the intensity ofthe initial signal. In this way, words may indeed be able to 'give life' or to 'heal' byreleasing energy in vast circuits of of neurons.
Jesus - Page 28
l l l . Analysis of Jesus' Accessing Cues.
Our modeling of Jesus has thus far explored the clues his language has left us
about his model of the world. NLP, however, has identified another set of clues that
can help us gain additional insight into Jesus' accomplishments and personality.
In order to function effectively, mental programs need the help of certain subtle
bodily and physiological processes called'accessing cues' in NLP (see Appendix
A). One of the most influential and important of these accessing cues is eye position.
It has often been said that the 'the eyes are the windows to the soul.' In NLP the eyesare considered windows into the invisible functioning of the nervous system as well. Inthe model of NLP, the position of a person's eyes at times of internal thought give anindication of which representational system the person is using. These eye positions
also help to direct and strengthen these sensory processes. For example, upward eyemovements indicate internal visualization; eye movement to the left or right horizonindicate listening for or remembering sounds; eye movements down and to the leftindicate internal self talk; and eye movements down and to the right indicate access tofeeling states.
Ucronltructed Ur.emqmbered
A88|l'"tff A['JllB?]P""d
Kinesthet ic
In the previous section, I mentioned that Jesus identified himself most stronglywith the visual representational system. This tends to be confirmed by the fact that atmany key times in his life Jesus is reported to be looking up - the visual accessingposition in NLP.
For instance, when he was healing a deaf person, we are given the followingaccount:
"And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him,Ephphatha, that is, Be opened." Mark 7:34
NLP Eye Movement Chart
Jesus - Page 29
The fact that Jesus is described as having sighed is also significant. In additionlo its implications with reference lo 'spirit', pneumaand psyche, a deep breath is anaccessing cue associated with the activation of feelings in the model of NLp. Theindication of the above description is that Jesus was deriving an internal feeling at thesame time he was accessing the internal visualization. This woutd indicate a strongvisual-kinesthetic overlap or'synesthesia' in which the feelings (and the stimulation ofthe autonomic nervous system) were being linked to and strengthened by the imaging(representations generated within the central nervous system). lt is only after he looksup (vi) and sighs 1xi; tnat Jesus is abte to give his word (A6) ,power,.
In fact, the important phenomenon of 'blessing'- in which a verbal utterance isgiven spiritual significance - seems to be associated with this same kind of V->K->Asynesthesia. When standing before the crowd of five thousand, for instance, we aretold that Jesus, "looked up to heaven, and blessed and brake the loaves,, (Mark 6:41).Again the upward eye movement precedes the verbal output.
At another critical moment, the raising of Lazarus - the last and most significant ofJesus works of healing - it is reported:
"Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead waslaid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee thatthou hast heard me.,, John 11:41
A significant indication of this description is that this eye position is an importantpart of the way in which Jesus accessed and communicated with "the Father." lf this isso, this eye position is obviously a very key element of his strategy and an importantclue for our understanding of him.
Eye position indicates the representational system a person is most tuned in to ata particular time, and we are given numerous descriptions that Jesus specificallymoved his eyes in an upward direction during important events in his life. In fact, atprobably the most significant decision point in his life, we again find Jesus accessingupwards. Just before he turns himself over to the authorities for arrest and crucifixion,we are told:
"These words spake Jesus, and tifted up his eyes to heaven, andsaid, Father, the hour is come; gtorify thy son, that thy son also mayglorify thee:" John 17:1
Jesus - Page 30
That Jesus looked up at this significant moment is a very important indicator of hisstrategy, and perhaps gives us a clue as to how he was able to hold onto his beliefsand goals so strongly. This was the time that, for Jesus, the "spirit" (pneuma) and the"flesh' (san) were to seemingly come most to a conflict of purposes. He was either toproceed with his vision of the larger lite (zoe) or change course in order to benefit hisown personal existence (psyche). By moving his eyes to the visual accessing positionhe presumably mobilized the commitment of neurology necessary to strengthen theconnection to the higher level vision and the broader time frame within which he wasto fulfill his mission.
It is interesting to note that this same eye position is reported to have alsoaccompanied the inspiration of Jesus'apostles as well. For instance, atter hiscrucifixion, Jesus is reported to have appeared to his apostles to give theminstructions. When he is finished we are told lhal'\hey looked steadfastly towardheaven as he went up" (Acts 1 :10).
We are also told that the martyr Stephan, prior to being stoned, maintained hislaith by utilizing the same eye position.
'But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly intoheaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right handof God," Acts 7:55
fn this description the upward eye position occurs at the same time as being "fultof the Holy GhosL " This would seem to confirm the close relationship between visionand the experience of the "Spirit."
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lV. Jesus' Macro Strategy
With the information we have gathered about Jesus' micro strategy, we can
begin to define and some of his higher level processes and create ways tooperationalize them.
It seems to me that one of Jesus' major outcomes for his teaching was to provide
the vision and the strategy necessary to help people develop the ability to perceive thelarger system of which they are a member and to concentrate on and respond to more
distant goals relating to that system as a whole - an ability that has many uses in non-
religious as well as religious contexts. Gonsider the neuro-linguistic structure implied
the following statement. lt i l lustrates and reviews some of the most important elements
of the strategy I believe Jesus used and sought to transfer to his followers.
"And then shallthey see the Son of man coming in a cloud withpower and great gloty.
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and
litt up your head; for your redemption is nigh.
"And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and allthe
trees;When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves
that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these
things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God in nigh at hand.
"Veily lsay unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all befulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall notpass away.
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be
overcharged with surteiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and
so that day come upon you unawares."
Luke 21 :27-34
In this statement, Jesus first makes verbal reference to the visual representational
system, directing it to an image of a dramatic future event. Cenainly, this vision
becomes the pivotal element to which the rest of the communication refers. lt is
interesting that he then tetls people lo "look up, and lift up your head." According to
NLP this would be leading them to an internal visual accessing position which would
help to reinforce and reaccess the vision he is verbally describing.
Jesus follows this description with a parable. Jesus often used parables as a
verbal device to accomplish the development of a metaphorical internal picture that
Jesus - Page 32
i l lustrated the deeper level principle he was trying to convey. ln this case the parable
relates to the ability to derive evidence relating to long term, internally represented,
future outcomes from observations made of the external environment in the present.
His statement that, "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall notpass away," reiterates the importance of language, the dependence of the whole
strategy on the 'word" and the broader implications ol 'logos'. He is clearly placing the
highest value on words, implying that the processes and relationships defined through
those words are more fundamental and pervasive than the physical content (i.e.,
'heaven and earth) that they encompass. Jesus is saying that the physical world will
change but the core principles and values that support l ife will stay constant. The
challenge is to continually adapt these deep principles to changing contexts in a
changing system.
He then warns of the possibility of conflicts coming from the content of ourpresent, ongoing experience ("this life") that can occur in the "heart" and interfere with
the awareness and accomplishment of the longer term goals and deeper principles
represented by the "word."
The overall strategy implied here reflects the patterns we uncovered during ourmicro analysis of his language. lts function is to align a series of different logical levelsof experience in which 1) words (logos) embody a larger spiritual mind; 2) it is throughvision (horao) that the individual identity is able to comprehend the larger mind andrelate it to our personal existence; 3) the heart (kardia) is the mechanism throughwhich vision is translated into the specific beliefs and values that guide one's actionsand behaviors.
On a macro level, the structure of his strategy seems to center around theprocess of moving lrom visionto action through the processes of language andemotion.
The organizational vision that drives the strategy comes from "spirit" which gives
one access to generative experience beyond the confines of one's individual identity,personal history and immediate surroundings.
This is an important and powerful strategy. As the great psychologist andphilosopher William James pointed out:
"ln all ages the man whose determinations are swayed by referenceto the most distant ends has been held to posses the highestintelligence." (Principles ot Psychology, p. 15)
ln orderto be "swayed by reference to the most distant ends"one must have 1) a
Jesus - Page 33
way of perceiving and building a representation of those ends, 2) an evidence
procedure for determining progress toward those ends and 3) the awareness,
flexibility, motivation and energy to keep after those ends until they are reached. In
other words, one needs a way to fix a future goal, detect progress toward the goal and
a range of possible means to achieve that goal in a changing world.
The strengths of Jesus' strategic thinking abilit ies seem to me to be in the areas
of creativity and leadership - manifesting the expression of deeper principles and
values into different specific contexts and situations. That is, of bringing the details of
life into congruence with fundamental higher level principles for living. This seems to
be a strategy that Jesus perfected, but that does not come naturally to most.
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V. Summary of Jesus' Cognitive Patterns
It would seem that our neuro-linguistic excavation has lead us to discover anintriguing set of cognitive and neurological patterns through which Jesus may haveperceived and interacted with the external world. lt appears to be a process in whichmultiple levels of human experience are able to be perceived and organized into aharmonious structure from which coordinated actions in the world can be taken.
Our micro analysis of Jesus' language patterns and accessing cues uncoveredan intenreaving of cognitive and neurological elements in which;
1) certain forms of language (the word as Logos) serve as a point ofconvergence for neural activity within both the central and autonomicnervous system which can create a special state (Spirit or pneuma) thatmakes it possible to perceive deep principles within a larger system.
2) The language in combination with the spiritual state releases untappedenergy inherent in the system (Life or zoe).
3) Channeled via the appropriate accessing cues, this energy acts as a kind ofLight (phos) which reveals and represents the structure and implications ofthese principles within the larger system (like the reference beam in ahologram) through a special kind of vision (horao).
4) Other structures within the autonomic nervous system (Heart or kardia'1respond to these deep level visions enhancing and expanding the personalemotional significance of the words and principles, mobilizing the neurologythat allows one to be able to see (blepo) and connect these deeper levels toa more concrete level of experience.
5) Breath (life as psyche) activates the flesh (sarx) in order to embody anddeclare (eipon) our deeper experience into the concrete sensory world ofimages (eikon), touch (haptomar) and spoken words (rhema).
Logos', pneuma -> zoe -> phos -> horao -> kardia -> blepo -> psyche -> eipon -> satx -> haptomai -> eikon -> rhemaWord '> Spirit -> Lile -> Light -> Visbn -> Heart -> sight -> breath -> declare -> flesh -> touch -> image -> words
In the model of NLP, each of these elements can be related (directly ormetaphorically) to specific cognitive and, more importantly, neurological processesthat can give us a way to not only better understand the mind of Jesus from ourmodern models of the world, but also to incorporate useful elements of thoseprocesses into our own experience.
We can summarize the basic cognitive elements of Jesus' process as asequence which very much resembles our initial approximation of his strategy. Jesus
Jesus - Page 35
"hears' lhe 'Word" which accesses or mobilizes an internal state ol "life" and "spirit" .This state serves as an interface for the Word which is transformed and organized (via
lhe 'Light" ) into visual imagery in which Jesus "sees" the meaning. Theses visionsare connected to his 'heart" which transforms what he sees into feelings andstimulates him to respond with his "body" and mouth to act according to the internalvisual map and tell the "Word".
ln the language of NLP, we would infer that information is input into Jesus'neurology through the auditory representational system internally via an interfaceconsisting of a synesthesia process accessed by a special internal feeling state. Theauditory representations are organized visually and transformed through an outputinterface, the heart. which produces the feelings that drive his physical and ultimatelyhis verbalbehavior in the world.
Words (eOi) -r'spiritual'State (Synesthesia) --> Vision (Vc)-t Heart 1ri1-> Actions (Ke) -r words (A,6e)
Even at this simple level of cognitive structure, our model of Jesus' strategy hasimportant implications, which begin to become clearer if we compare it with otherstrategies. lt is important to keep in mind, for instance, that the sequence,combinations and functions of the representational systems is a crucial element of thestrategy. For instance, if the strategy began with external visual input instead of 'theWord'we would probably have a resulting belief structure closer to science thanreligion, for the whole process would be based on external visual observation. In fact,it seems that Jesus'strategy is probably more suited and designed to deal with thatwhich cannot be externally seen or measured. This is probably why the "word" is suchan important element of the strategy.
One interesting way to view the major divisions of human endeavor is bycategorizing them as a function of the fundamental differences in the basic strategiesthey employ and require.
Most of the sciences, as I indicated above, seem to be based upon visualexternal input. The output system of science is also visual external in that the 'proof'ofits belief system is provided by experimental demonstrations that one can see.Religion and philosophy, on the other hand, primarily input language, and their outputsystem is also language. Their goal is to deal with the function and purpose of whatwe see around us rather than its structure.
In contrast to both science and religion, most art tends to be an expression offeeling - that is, they begin with an internal feeling which is translated into expressionthrough one of the various artistic mediums (V=painting, At=rnusic, A6=po€try,
Jesus - Page 36
Ke=dance, etc.), the purpose of which is to create a similar feeling in the observer.
Athletics, of course, begins with external bodily actions (Ke) and produces
external bodily actions.
Input. . .Output
ve...wAo...Aoxl . . .x i
Ke.. .Ke
Field of Endeavor
Science
Philosophy & Religion
Art
Athlet ics
While I am admittedly presenting only a very simplified view of these variousfields, the point remains that what distinguishes science from art or religion, andreligion from art, etc., is that they are different ways of thinking and perceiving theworld. An artist, a scientist and a philosopher can experience the same external eventbut perceive it differently because of the way it is processed through the strategies or'neuro-linguistic programs' that define their profession.
At a deeper level, my belief is that a large part of Jesus' influence through historycomes from the fact that the description of his tife, actions and words unconsciouslyembodies a particularly powerful and fundamental strategy for perceiving andoperating in the world - a strategy that could produce the kinds of acts of healing,religious experiences, and the Judeo-Christian values and culture that have sprungfrom the dissemination of the Gospels. In other words, the type of strategy laid out inthe Gospels is a description of a fundamental and unconscious neurological programthat allows a person to perceive and respond to the world on multiple levels. Thestrategy is an operational process that can be applied on an ongoing basis by anindividual to produce actions in the concrete world that are congruent to deeper levelvalues and beliefs.
In the next section I would like to demonstrate how Jesus' strategy can be appliedto personal and pragmatic situations in our own lives today.
Jesus - Page 37
PART l l : IMPLEMENTING JESUS' COGNITIVE PATTERNS
One objection that might be raised at this point is that the analysis we have made
of Jesus' mental process thus far is essentially irrelevant to the meaning that Jesusreported message was aclually trying to convey.
Obviously, Jesus'teachings were not intended to simply specify a cognitive strategy.They were most often messages directed at the higher levels of beliefs, values, identityand spiritual issues. However, we are only able to manifest our knowledge andrepresentations of these higher level processes through the specific skills and capabilitieswe have acquired. In a way, our internal cognitive strategies are the linking pin between
the spirit and the flesh. lf we know what to do but don't know how to do it we willjust
become frustrated. Understanding and wanting to do something is not enough. We need
specific maps and strategies to successfully manifest the deeper levels of our experience.
One of the advantages of knowing about Jesus' cognitive strategy, at the level of
detail we are able to achieve through NLP, is that we can begin to fil l in missing links in
relationship to how Jesus was able to do things on a larger level. lt allows us to uncover
the basic building blocks out of which meaningful behavior is manifested. The value of
NLP is that it chunks a process down to a level so that it may be applied pragmatically
and replicated by the average person. When we have the smaller pieces, we can then
assemble them to more consistently achieve the larger pieces.
With regard to this claim, and in contrast to the objection raised above, other
readers might feelthat concepts like "Light", "Logos", "Spirit", "Life", etc., are too
abstract and distant from any actual concrete life experiences to be of any practical
value. The objection might be raised that the amount of detail we are able to derive
from the Gospels is not specific enough to tell us exactly "how to" think like Jesus or to
apply his cognitive patterns to anything pragmatic.
Certainly the Gospels provide only very broad hints about an undoubtedly very
complex and sophisticated process. There are many missing links to be fil led in to
apply the structure we have uncovered to specific situations. At the same time, it is
important to keep in mind that NLP begins from the assumption that the map is not the
territory. Even if Jesus were alive today and could be interviewed in great detail, his
actual neurological process would stil l be unconscious, invisible and so immensely
complex that it would not be possible to exhaustively describe. Furthermore, in terms
of transferability, it is not even necessarily desirable that such generative processes be
described in too much detail. In order for them to be adapted to the many different
possible types of situations and nervous systems possible for human beings, a certain
amount of flexibility must be allowed.
Jesus - Page 38
The ultimate purpose of modeling in NLP is to produce a map that is rich enough,
strustured enough and flexible enough to be of practical value to those who choose to useit. Once you have identified enough of the key elements of the micro and macro strategy
of your model, you can start to fi l l in the missing pieces by inference. In other words, if oneknows that one has to go from point A to point B, one may use other tools to fi l l in the thepathway to get there. Once we have identified the general framework employed by an
individual like Jesus, we can fil l in missing links and define the more mechanical aspects
of the process. Through the technology of NLP we can piece together strategic details
derived from other sources with what has been uncovered in Jesus in order to li l l in the
blanks and create something that has very practical applications.
A third objection may be whether the kinds of mental processes we are
ascribing to Jesus are even possible to acquire or transfer. lt could be contended that
the ability to achieve the types of states, form the types of synesthesias and create thetypes of abstract visualizations, especially those that embody his spiritual experience,
are completely unique capabilities or talents that are not possible for the averageperson to develop.
Obviously, there will never be another being exactly like Jesus. There were
many influences at work to produce him as a specific phenomenon and specialindividual. Our goal is not to make an exact "clone" of Jesus who would produce theexact same specific actions and words, but rather to extract key elements that cansignificantly enhance the lives and experience of ourselves and other people. Thebelief system of NLP is that the fundamental neurological capabilities that form thebasis of Jesus's strategy are latent in every human being. And that while one's ownunique life experiences on the one hand, and physiological make up on the other,certainly influence the limit to which such abilit ies may be developed, these kinds ofskills can be released in people of average ability in a way that greatly enhances theircompetence and personal experience.
Jesus - Page 39
l. Operationalizing the Integration of Long Term and Short Term Goals
In Jesus' macro strategy, the word is the trigger, the light is the map and the spiritis the force that allow him to accomplish his mission. Yet, as with any organization ofelements, the chain is no stronger than its weakest link. As I said earlier, perceivingand wanting something in not enough. We need tools and methodologies to achievethem in the concrete world.
certainly, in many aspects of life one encounters the conflict between goals thatwill benefit us in the long run and the pains and pleasures of our immediate sensoryexperience. The 'flesh" (our body's responses) can be influenced by a variety ofinputs. While the payoffs of a longer term orientation are often quite large, the strategyrequired to attain them is not always easy. Just think of how difficult is for people to eathealthily, exercise consistently, develop good study habits, concentrate on their work,etc. Everyone has no doubt experienced the struggle between luture goals andimmediate needs or desires. As Jesus pointed out:
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spiritindeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41
Operationally speaking, Jesus is implying that even though the spirit (long termfuture goals related to the 'larger mind' of the whole system) provides the guidance, its'influence can be overridden by other factors in the immediate environment relating tothe level of the 'flesh' (short term needs related to the individual 'psyche'). Toeffeclively address this kind of conflict one needs specific tools - what we might call'tools of the spirit '. Jesus seems to suggest that one method for keeping focused onlong term goals consists of using the visual ("watch") and verbal ("pray")
representational systems to reinforce the internal state of the "spirit". An example ofwhat Jesus' means by "praying" is given by his'Lord's Prayet' (Matthew 6:9-13):
'After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, asit is in heaven."
In the model of NLP, a prayer is a kind of neuro-linguistic program. lt is a
specifically organized set of words whose purpose is to stimulate and mobilizeneurology in a consistent fashion. ln the terms of NLP, the neural circuitry mobilized inorder to represent the system of elements defined by the verbal references to a 'Father
Jesus - Page 40
in heaven', a 'Hallowed name', a'coming kingdom' and 'earth and heaven', creates aconfluence of representations that open up a kind of neurological space. These words
trigger representations that are very broad and deep in terms of space and time. Thefact that Jesus follows these words with, €ive us this day our daily bread," suddenlyanchors these very high level representations to a much more immediate frame ofreference.
The Lord's Prayer is an embodiment of one of the most essential elements ofJesus' macro strategy: his ability to entertain multiple time frames - integrating theawareness of very long term processes with the immediate moment. I mentionedearlier that once key strategic elements of goal or pathway are defined, NLPtechnology may be used to fill in missing links and create new tools for accomplishingthose goals. NLP has developed an extensive technology for managing andcoordinating many issues relating to the perception of time. As an example, try theexercise described below that I developed with my colleague Todd Epstein as ameans to create a personal reference experience for the integration of long terms andshort term time perception.
Erercise: lntegrating Time Frames
1. Find a partner and stand or sit facing each other and within arms reach.2. Look at the other person's face and experience yourself in the immediate moment (i.e.
be completely aware of what you are seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smellingright now - uptime).
3. When you are able to experience yourself fully present, reach out your right hand andtouch the shoulder of the person in front of you.
4. Remove your hand, close your eyes, take a deep breath and turn around.5. Facing your partner again, extend your perception of time from the immediate moment
to the context of this activity, to the time frame of the program, to the phase of life thatyou are in, to your whole life, to a time frame larger than your whole life, extending intoyour past and future.
6. When you are able to experience a sense of time approaching eternity or timelessness,reach out your left hand and touch the other shoulder of the person in front of you.
7. Remove your hand, close your eyes, take a deep breath and turn around.8. Face your partner again. Look into each others eyes and take a breath together at the
same time, then reach out with both arms and touch both of your partner's shoulders.
This process employs a process called 'anchoring' in NLP, in the form of a touch
Jesus - Page 41
on the shoulder. The term "anchoring" refers to the establishment of stabilizing links
between our experiences. Anchoring is a process that on the surface is similar to the'conditioning" technique used by Pavlov to create a link between the hearing of a bell
and salivation in dogs. By associating the sound of a bell with the act of giving food tohis dogs, Pavlov found he could eventually just ring the bell and the dogs would startsalivating, even though no food was given. !n the behaviorist's stimulus-responseconditioning formula, however, the stimulus is always an environmental cue and theresponse is always a specific behavioral action. The association is consideredreflexive and not a matter of choice.
In NLP the process has been expanded to include other levels thanenvironment and behavior. A remembered picture may become an anchor for aparticular internal feeling, for instance. A touch on the leg may become an anchorfor a visual fantasy or even a belief. A voice tone may become an anchor for a
state of excitement or confidence. A person may consciously choose to establishand retrigger these associations for himself. Rather than being a mindless knee-jerk reflex, an anchor becomes a tool for self and interpersonal empowerment.
In this exercise, anchors for long term and immediate time perception are
established and then activated simultaneously to create a neurological state in
which both modes of perception may be experienced in an integrated fashion.
An NLP Interpretation of the Sign of the Cross
Incidentally, NLP type processes such as anchoring and accessing cues have
already been organically incorporated as spiritual tools in many religious rituals.
Consider the age old Christian custom of making the "sign of the cross." The sign of
the cross is customarily made by Christians at the beginning and ending of prayer orjust prior to important or trying events. lt consists of touching parts of the body with the
hand in a motion that outlines a cross - the forehead, the chest, the left shoulder and
finally the right shoulder. The general interpretation of the movement is that it
symbolizes Jesus' crucifixion. Yet, just like Jesus' own strategy, it may embody several
levels of process simultaneously. From the point of view of NLP the movement and the
touch of the hands both guide the movement of the eyes and touch off anchors lhatserve as an unconscious reminder and rehearsal of a particular mental sequence.
The words that are said along with making the sign of the cross tend to support this
hypothesis. The words go, "ln the name of the Father (touch forehead) and the Son(touch chest) and the Holy (touch left shoulder) Spirit (touch right shoulder). Amen.'
According to the model of NLP, these gestures would promote the activation of
Jesus - Page 42
two fundamental synesthesias, stimulate the sensory systems to be mobilized in order
to represent each of these concepts, and establish the sequence in which they are
connected. Specifically, it would indicate that the "Father" provides the vision or the
Light gl;. fne 'Son" is the bodily manifestation of the Light through the heart and the
flesh (Ke). The "Holy Spirit" is the joining of internal words (A6) and emotions (Kl)
that stand in between the Light and its physical expression.
-The Light" [the big picture]"The kingdom of heaven"
"Father"
"The Word""Holy"
fo
While this is not necessarily a direct expression of Jesus' strategy, it does fit inwith the general strategy elements that have been emerging from our study. The"Father in heaven" seems to be associated with the internal vision of the larger systemof which we are a part, and the "Son of man" with the earthly, kinesthetic manifestationand expression of that vision. The fact that the movement connecting the "Father" andthe "Son" goes from up to down is consistent with the visual-to-kinesthetic overlapidentified earlier. That the "Holy Spirit" is indicated by a movement from the verbal tokinesthetic positions is also consistent with auditory-to-kinesthetic state describedearlier. The "Holy Spirit" gives access to the word and inspires a special feeling state.
On a cognitive level, 'the sign of the cross' indicates the reinforcement of anunconscious but explicit strategy in which language (communication) and emotionprovide the mediating processes necessary to move from vision to action. On aneurological level, lhe sign of the cross' implies the integration of the central andautonomic nervous systems (head and heart), and the left and right hemispheres ofthe brain (language and feeling).
2ke
"Son""The Flesh""The Heart"
Jesus - Page 43
l l . Operat ional izing the Great Gommandments
Perhaps the clearest and most direct statement of Jesus' macro strategy isexpressed through the following account:
"And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, andperceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the firstcommandment of all?"And Jesus answered him, The first of allthe commandments is, Hear O tsraet;The Lord our God is One Lord: And thou shalt tove the Lord thy God with all thyheart, and with allthy soul, and with altthy mind and with all thy strength:fhts ts the first commandment.'And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor asthyselt. There is none other commandment greater than these.,,
Mark 12:28-31
From the NLP point of view, the first commandment above states the principle ofcongruence - that all parts of the system are aligned towards its highest purpose. lf anypart of a system is left out, ignored or suppressed the system cannot function fully orecologically. The second commandment extends that principle beyond the experience ofthe individual to the other members of the system. Each part of the system is perceivedand treated as if it were as important and special as any other part of the system.
Basically, when Jesus was challenged to answer what the greatest Commandmentwas, he shifted to a higher logical level. He did not name one of the,"Thou shall not..."commandments. He did not name a specific rule, he described the deeper process bywhich such rules are generated (he shifted the conversation lrom rhemato togos).
It is interesting to note that, from a strategic perspective, there is an inherent difficultyin the "Thou shalt not..." form of commandment. This kind of linguistic formulation wouldbe classified as a goal stated as a'negation'; a rule about what nof to do as opposed towhat to do. The problem with such negations is that they plant the suggestion of what youare not supposed to do. lt is difficult, if not impossible, to make sense out of the statement,"Thou shalt not imagine a person in a bikini," without having to engage in the activity thatis being forbidden to some degree. I can remember being rather confused by the dilemmathis posed as a boy. !n order to know what you were not supposed to do, you had to thinkof what you were not supposed to; but the sin was the thinking itl
Jesus' declaration is a description of what to do. " Love your God with all your heart,your soul, your mind, and your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. "
Jesus - Page 44
Once you are aligned and congruent within yourself - once you do in fact love
yourself - then you will be able to truly love people around you as you would yourself. But
if you are not aligned within yourself, if you are torn by conflicts and hate yourself, thenyou probably will treat your neighbor exactly as you treat yourself, with hatred and
incongruity.
Ukewise if you only have internal congruence and alignrirent but are not able to
understand and respect another person's model of the world, you can abuse them and
not even notice - you can 'trespass against them'. This seems to be the kind of thing that
happened during the Crusades and the inquisition. Everybody was serving their God with
their heart and soul and mind and strength ... and kill ing their neighbors.
Jesus'commandments are a statement of a very deep philosophy for life that goes
beyond any particular religious structure. lt is rather a description of a strategy for
approaching life - a strategy for insuring that the entire space of human experience is
brought into the consideration of any decision. I can remember being struck by the
wisdom of these words even as a child. Yet, the question that I always had was "HoW
specifically, does one go about loving one's God with one's heart, soul, mind and
strength?" And "How, exactly, does one love one's neighbor as oneself?" lt is here that
NLP can provide some very powerful insights and tools.
Throughout this monograph we have referred to the different levels that make up our
human experience. The multi-level model provides a very powerful framework for
systematically operationalizing the strategy implied by Jesus'commandments.
Our identity is like the trunk of a tree - it is the core of our being. The trunk of a treeunfolds organically from a seed by growing a support network of unseen roots that reach
deeply into the ground to provide strength and nourishment. lt has another network of"roots" that reach into the light and air to provide nourishment of a different kind. The roots
and branches of a tree both shape and are shaped by the ecology in which they exist.
Similarly our identities are suppoiled by internal, invisible "roots" in the form of neural
networks which process our perception of our personal values, beliefs and capabilities aswell as physical being and environment. Externally, identity is expressed through ourparticipation in the larger systems in which we participate: our family, professional
relationships, community and the global system of which we are a member. Phenomena
such as "healing," 'Joy," "compassion," "commitment" and "love" are "fruits" of lhe spirit asmanifested through our identity and are expressed and strengthened throughdevelopment, enrichment and growth of these two systems of "roots" - the unseen systemof our neurology which grows in the soil of our bodies, and the leaves and branches of thelarger family, community and global networks of which we are a part.
Jesus - Page 45
Global System
Community
System of Limbs, branchesand leaves connecting to thelarger systems of which one is a part.
'Fruits'of the spirit =love, compassion,healing, joy, peace.
System of inner rootsconnecting to the strengthand nourishment of thebody and Tlesh'.
Family
ProfessionLight (Phos)
Ai (Pneuma)
Breath (Psyche)
Hearl (Kardia)
ldent i ty
Bel iefs/Values
Capabi l i t ies
Behavior
Environment
I can remember holding each of my two children for the first time in the first momentsafter their birth. Rather than being 'blank slates' that were to be mechanically shaped byreflexive reactions to their environment. lt was clear lo me that they already possessed acomplete identity - they were their own special and unique embodiment of spirit. ltseemed to me that their journey through life would be search for how many ways theycould release their specialness and that spirit out into the systems of which they wereparticipants through building different levels of links through their environment via theirbeliefs, capabilities and actions. lt could be through music, through language, dance,healing, playing or any of an infinite number of possibilities. The key would be howstrongly and richly they were able to grow their systems of roots and branches.
Jesus'first commandment seems to be outlining the strategy to align yourself
towards your highest spiritual purpose (your God), through your beliefs and values (your
heart), your sense of self or identity (your soul), your capabilities (your mind) and your
behavior (your strength). This has to do with developing our inner network of 'roots'. Oncethis is done, we are free to 'love our neighbors'through growing an ever increasing
network of limbs, branches and leaves - starting with the people closest to us we extend
our sense of wholeness, compassion and love through vaster and vaster systems ofpeople, creatures and eventually all of the global or universal system that we are able tocomprehend.
Jesus - Page 46
A. Al lgning Neuro-Logical Levels: lmplementing the First Commandment
By synthesizing the concept of these different logical levels with the micro-analysiswe made earlier of Jesus' language and accessing cues, we are provided with a powerfulroad map for aligning heaft, soul, mind and strength. ln the model of NLP, each of thesedifferent levels is embodied through successively deeper and broader organizations ofneural circuitry. As one moves from the simple perception of the environment to theactivation of behavior within that environment, more commitment of neurology must bemobilized. Capabilities call into play longer term plans and maps and require theinvolvement of even deeper levels of neurology. Beliefs and values are represented andmanifested through the mobilization of neurotogy that calls into play structures as deep asthe autonomic nervous system (such as the heart). ldentity involves the total commitmentof our nervous system. Spiritual experiences involve the resonance between our ownmind and nervous system with the larger systems of which we are a part.
Logos
pneuma
phos
zoe
horao
kardia
eipon
blepo
psyche
laleo
sarx
haptomai
eikon
rhema
Word
Spir i t
Light
Life
Vision
Heart
declare
sight
breath
speak
flesh
touch
image
word
Larger SystemHologram
Synesthesia
AutonomicNervous System
CentralNervous System
PeripheralNervous System
Ad
Ki
vi
Ki
VC
Ki
ai9o
vie
Kie
AE
KE
KE
VE
A:
Beliefs & ValuesYour Heart
Jesus - Page 47
Through NLP methods it is possible to systematically access and connect
experiences and neural processes associated with each of these different levels. Using
the cognitive patterns we have uncovered as a strategic guide, and the neuro-logical
levels specified by NLP as an interactive guide, l have developed a process throughwhich a person can bring all levels of themselves into alignment. The process usesspatial anchoring and accessing cues to activate and integrate these different levels ofexperience. lt has proved to be a very powerful experience and an tool for people to
address issues ranging from personal conflicts, to learning, to health.
Transcript: Demonstrat ion of the Logical Level Al ignment Process
RBD: I would like to demonstrate the logical level alignment process with W. The first stepis to physically lay out six spaces for each of the different levels; one for environment,
behavior, capabilit ies, beliefs and values, identity and spiritual. You can place them
right next to each other.
W: OK. I've done that.
RBD: And what I'm going to ask you to do first, W is to stand in the environment space and
think about the environment in which you would like to be more personally aligned.
W: Well, I 'm a trainer, and I would like be more aligned in training situations.
RBD: I agree with you that it is very important to be congruent and aligned as a teacher.
Can you describe some of the environments that you are in as a trainer? Thequestion being, "Where and when you do training?" Describe some specific times andplaces that you do your trainings,
W: Usually a room, like this one, sometimes a little bit smaller. A number of people -between fifteen and thirty five. Sometimes in the middle of the week, sometimes at theweekend. And, on a larger level, the where is in Berlin, in West Germany.
RBD:O.K. Very good. (To Audience) Notice how W. described these in a very matter of
fact way - which is very appropriate for environmental level descriptions. Your
environment is simply what you see and hear around you. People are often temptedto make judgments or interpretations about their environments as opposed to describe
Jesus - Page 48
just what they see and hear. lf someone said, "l work in a hostile environment," thatwould be a judgment about their environment. For this process, at this level, it is
important to describe only what you sense externally, as W. did.
Cfo W.) Now, I'd like to have you step into the behavior space and describe the kinds of
things that you do when you are training in those places and at those times. Thequestion is, nVhat do you do in those wheres and whens?" What are the actions and
behaviors that you engage in, in those times and places?
W: Sometimes I sit; sometimes I'm standing; sometimes I'm walking around. SometimesI'm presenting, sometimes I'm demonstrating, sometimes I'm just watching what'sgoing on if it's a large group. ln a little group I'm trying to support them by askingquestions and saying things to them. l 'm often walking around. Going to the flip chart,writing things down. Listening, hearing, trying to make sense out of what people aresaying and doing, and responding.
RBD: Good. (To Audience) Again, notice how W. is simply describing a set of behaviors -not making interpretations. lf he had said, "l behave well or poorly," these would bejudgments about behaviors. For this exercise, at this level, 'behaviors' would beactions that a video camera would be able to record if it was in the environment.Video cameras don't judge or interpret, they just record.
Oo W.) Now I'd like you to step into the capabilities space. And the question here is,"What is the know-how or the mental strategies and skills you need in order to sit,stand, walk around, listen, write on the flip chaft and respond as you are training inthose rooms in Berlin?" In other words, "How are you able to do those 'whats' in those'wheres' and 'whens'?
W: Well, I use my capability to structure things and to structure information. I use thecapability to make sense of what I see, hear and feel. I use my knowledge ofinstructional design to put that structure into words, action and behavior. I use mycapability also in a more broad range to structure over time, and I use my capability togo into the perceptual position of the group members and see things from theirperspective. And, not as often as I would like, I use my ability to go to 'third' position,seeing the relationship between myself and the others. I also use my capability tomake pictures of what I'm going to do.
RBD: O.K. |Io audience) Notice how W.'s physiology changes as he steps into each newspace. The amount of gestures and movements increases. He literally involves more
Jesus - Page 49
of himself, more of his neurology, at each level. In the environment space he hardlymoved at all. In the behavior space he began to gesture with his arms and movearound a little. In the capability space, you could see his eyes moving and searchingaround more as he accessed his skills and abilit ies. Also as he describes the differentlevels, there is a change in his tone of voice. He speaks a bit more deeply and slowly.The kinds of words he uses changes. They indicate more broad reaching andpersonal processes.
Cfo W.) Now, I'd like to have you step into the betief space. The question here is, "Why doyou use those particular capabilities to act in those ways in those environments?"Why do you chose to use your abilit ies to structure, to put things into words, to look atthings from other perceptual positions and picture what you are going to do? Whatsort of beliefs and values lead you to use that know-how and take those actions inthose times and places?
W: Well, I 'm believing in respect, respect for other people. Respecting the way they arel iv ing their own l ives. I 'm bel ieving in having good relat ionships. I 'm bel ieving insupport for other people and myself, in order to enrich what we can do here. I'mbelieving in love. And I believe it 's good to have a lot of skills to do things.
RBD: So you value respect, relationships, support, skill and love. Can you say anythingabout why you've chosen to manifest those values through training in particular?
W: Well, I was thinking about that the other day, and the answer I have at the moment isjust that I love to do it.
RBD: That's as good a belief as any. ffo audience) The question we are exploring hereis "What beliefs do you have about yourself, about people, and about doing what youdo?" What beliefs guide you? Notice how W.s voice became even more deep. lt isalmost as if you hear even more of him speaking. He is speaking from his heart.(Fo W.) I'd like to have you step into the identity space and answer the question "Whoam I that, in my heart, I would respect the lives of others, want good relationships,support people, value lots of skills and believe in love?" "Who am I that I would use mymind to structure, to put things into words, to take multiple perspectives and visualizethe future?" "Who am I that I have developed the strengths to demonstrate, to sit,stand, walk around, listen, write on a flip chart and respond to people in those roomsduring the week and on the weekends on that part of this planet people callGermany?" "Who am I as a trainer?" What kind of a trainer are you? What kind of a
Jesus - Page 50
person are you? What kind of 'soul' are you?
W: (Pause) lt's difficult.
RBD: Yes it is difficult to search your soul and even more difficult to share your soul. Whatare you willing to say about yourself? Even if it's not the right answer? Try using arnetaphor or an analogy.
W: (Pause) Well, one metaphor would be that I am like a drop in the ocean and kind ofgoing with the flow. Another metaphor would be that I am like a lighthouse...tt hassomething to do with tight.
RBD: So, you are like water and you are a channelfor light.I'd like to have you take final a step beyond being a light house, beyond being a dropin the ocean, into a space that transcends yourself - into a spiritual space. Raise yourhead and your eyes so you are looking up and imagine you could see beyond yourown life and your own identity for a moment. What is your purpose? What are youserving in this identity as a light house? What does it mean to be a drop of water in theflow of life? A light house for what? A drop in what kind of ocean? What is your visionand mission as atrainer? The question here is 'What is the vision that I'm pursuing orrepresenting as a light house, as the drop in the ocean, as a trainer that valuesrespect, support, skill and love; and who structures and verbalizes and takes differentperspectives and visualizes in his mind; and who sits and walks and listens and talksand responds with his body to groups of fifteen to thirty five people in those rooms inBerl in?"
W: (Long pause) lt has something to do with love, but I don't know how to put it intowords.
RBD: Take your time. These words are impodant words; perhaps even sacred words.what is important here is to not talk about it, but rather to talk "it". Let yourself be in thepresence of this "larger mind". The words don't even have to be 'your'words. Let thememerge or flow from your neurology. Just describe what's going on as you experienceit. Maybe it's just colors, maybe it's just feelings.
W: (Pause) I'm experiencing that everything is perfect;that nothing needs to be changed.It's like light going all over. There are lot's of paradoxes...l ike it is timeless...and yet
Jesus - Page 51
time is llowing, all at once.
RBD: (To Audience) This is obviously a very powerful level of experience for W. Justnotice how much his breathing has changed. These are experiences that we don'toften open ourselves up to - except perhaps when we are near death or someone welove is near death. And yet the space for them is always there in our neurology. We get
so caught up in the immediacy of 'conducting'our lives that we forget life is also full oflight;that life is perfect but at the same time full of paradoxes, that it is timeless, buttime is flowing, both at the same time. Each of us has probably had experiences suchas this, but find it hard to hold on to them or perceive their relevance in 'day-to-dayliving'. Yet, this is the level of experience that gives 'day-to-day' experience meaning
and purpose. I believe it is possible to bring this kind of awareness into our dailyexperience.
Oo W.) W, what I'd like to ask you to do is to take a moment and just fully be in this
state of light, of paradox of timelessness and love. Honor it, hold it, anchor it. And then
step into your identity space and bring it with you. That's right, physically move back toyour identity space and bring this vision and those words with you. Keep your eyes
raised, take a full breath and just notice how it enriches your experience of who you
are. lf you wish, you can restate or add to your description, your metaphors, of whoyou are as a trainer, as person, as a soul.
W: I can feel it but, it 's hard for me to put into words. lt 's like adding a kind of excitementto it all, and the awareness of being part of something bigger.
RBD: So you're not just a drop in the ocean, there's an awareness that you are an
embodiment of that ocean. You're not just a light house, there's an awareness thatyou are part of that light, that larger system, that larger mind. And there's a feeling ofexcitement that emerges out of those words and that vision when you bring them intoyou.
W: lt 's also a sense of being thankful...experiencing gratitude. And at that same time, it 'sgetting much more energy.
RBD: That vision and those words can mobilize your neurology in a powerful way. They
can bring it alive, fi l l it with spirit.l 'd now like to ask you to take that sense of energy and thankfulness; of being animportant part of that vast ocean and that light; of being timeless and yet in time, and
Jesus - Page 52
physically move back into your belief space. Keeping your eyes up and your
breathing full and deep, bring the sense of vision and your mission into your heart.
How are your beliefs and values solidified or enriched? Would any new beliefs
emerge from your heart?
W: Well, on one level, I am able to concretely feel the belief that we are all one. There is
also the the belief that growing is good, without needing any further purpose than to
grow. lt can have a purpose, but there is a sense that growing is good even without
having any purpose. That's one thing. And there is also a realization that I am
supposed to be here in this time. That I can relax and enjoy it and appreciate it,
wonder after wonder.
RBD: I'd like to now ask you to take that sense of light, of love, of the paradoxes of life, of
timelessness and timeliness, of being part of the light and part of the vast ocean; of
believing in respect, supporl, skill and love; of feeling that we are all one, that growing
is good even if it serves no purpose that we can perceive and that you belong here
and can appreciate the wonders around you; and I'd like you take all of that into your
capabilities space. Raise your eyes and as you take a full breath connect your vision,
your mission, your spirit and your heart to your mind. Realize that your skills and
capabilities are a reflection and expression of those beliefs and values, of your identity
and soul, and of your vision and mission. Your mind is the way in which you manifest
these deep structures. As you fully sense all of these levels of yourself, how does it
solidify or enrich your perception of the capabilities you have for manifesting your
values, beliefs, identify and vision?
W: I have more of a capability of being in first position - of respecting my own point of
view. Also, it 's easy to see other points of view and take wider and wider perspectives.
It's easier to understand other maps of the world, other ways of being, of living...this
sounds a bit funny to say, but even easy to understand trees, plants and other forms oflife. And it's easier to 'let it flow' without having time constraints, or whatever the wordis - fewer'boundaries'. I would have more of the capability of flowing and also giving
direction to the flow.
RBD: Now l'd like to have you stand in the behavior space and re-experience thosespecific actions that you take; teaching, going to the blackboard, talking, listening,looking, responding. Take this total sense of your capabilities, beliefs, identity andspirit into those behaviors. Lift your eyes, take a deep breath and connect your
Jesus - Page 53
strengths as a trainer to your mind and to your hean and to your mission and to yourvision. How might you experience these activities differently? How would having thishologram of your total being enrich these very specific, concrete actions that you take?Perhaps it changes the quality of what you do.
W: Well, it changes a lot. The metaphor I have for allthe changes is that it would be morelike a dance. For example, if I would go to the flip chail, it would be more like dancingand being aware of all that's going on around me, of what I'm doing, and hearing andlistening and being there. lf I would explain something, I would have the'why' ofdoing it. And there are many more pictures. I could add all of the words. lt's kind oflike hearing music while I'm doing things.
RBD: Finally, t'd like to have you move back into the environment space, back to thosespecific wheres and whens;the little groups, the little rooms, the big rooms, fitteen tothirty five people. Look up, take a full deep breath and align your highest spiritualpurpose with your identity, your heart and your mind with your strengths in thisenvironment. How would you re-perceive, re-experience and restate your sense ofyour environment if you brought this light, the paradoxes, the sense of timelessnessbut also the flow of time, your sense of being a lighthouse and a part of a vast ocean,your belief that growth is good in and of itself, your realization that you belong, that youcan appreciate life wonder after wonder. Your valuing of respect, support, skill andlove. Take your ability to understand othei maps and take a wider view, to have fewerboundaries and direct the flow of your experience. Also bring the dance the pictures,
the words,lhe music. Notice how your experience of your environment changes andenriches.
W: The best way I can answer that is its pretty much the same environment but I wouldperceive it really dilferently. As if it is fi l led with light, or more music. And onedifference I experience is it would be much less of doing a job. The word whichcomes to my mind is that it would be a special place - a sacred place - even though itis the same room, place and city.
RBD: So, even though the places and the people and the times stay the same, you'd be
able to perceive the light that fi l ls them and the vast ocean that flows through them.These rooms in Berlin would become a sacred place. They are not only a place forrespect, suppott, skill and love, they are places of wider perspectives, of wonder afterwonder where different maps are understood and where growth is valued whether it
Jesus - Page 54
has an obvious purpose or not. There are the rooms and the flip charts, but atso theparadoxes. They are places where change is taking place but where nothing needs tobe changed. lt takes place in time but it also timeless. lt is a sacred space where youbelong and where constraints and boundaries are transcended. lt is a place of visionand belief and wonder where you can do your job and to manifest your highestspiritual purpose. lt is a place for sitting and walking around and talking anddemonstrating and listening and responding, but it is also a place for for music anddancing and gratitude.
W: lt is beautiful.
RBD: And perhaps that beauty does not even have to be limited to those rooms in Berlinwhere you do your training. Perhaps the light and the ocean fil l the whote world, andour whole planet is a sacred place for vision, for respect, for growth, for dancing, formusic, for the transcendence of boundaries, for wider perspectives, for love. you onlyneed to lift your eyes and take a deep breath to see it.
W: I think it can be. Thank you.
I l ike to think that W.'s experience provides a glimpse of how Jesus must haveexperienced the world in an ongoing way: a sacred space, fi l led with light. Flowing in timebut also timeless. Transcending boundaries through support, skill, wider perspectives andlove.
The level alignment process is a way to mobilize very deep levels of neurology, andthen, through a process of successive approximations, release it into a specific situation. Imyself use this process all the time in order to prepare for seminars and other contexts inwhich I want to have full access to all levels of myself. The following is a summary of thesteps of the process.
Summary of the Logicat Level Al ignment process
1. Physically lay out one space for each of the six logical levels.
| 'd*- I F-ry I l--'*"*l f;-"-*lF*;l f.^,'"^**lStand in the "Environment" space and answer the question: "When and where do twant to be more aligned?"Stand in the "Behaviot' ' space and answer the question: "What do I need to do when
2.
3.
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am in those times and places?" "What strengths do I have?" ,'4. Stand in the "Capabilities" space and answer the questions: "How do I need to use my
mind to carry out those behaviors?" 'What capabilities do I have or need in order to do ;those actions in those times and places?"
5. Stand in the "BeliefsA/alues" space and answer the questions: "Why do I want to usethose particular capabilities to accomplish those activities?" "What values areimportant to me when I am involved in those activities?" 'What beliefs do I have orneed to guide me in my heart when I am doing them?"
6. Stand in the "ldentity" space and answer the questions: "Who am I if I have those beliefs Iand values and use those capabilities to accomplish those behaviors in thatenvironment.?" 'What kind of soul are those beliefs, values, capabilities and behaviors ,an expression of?" "What is a metaphor for my mission?"
7. Stand in the "spiritual" space and answer the questions: "Who and what else is that :person who has that identity serving?" "What is the vision beyond me that I amparticipating in?"
8.Anchorthestatethatyouenteredintointhespir i tualspace.Takethatphysio|ogyandinner experience and step back into the identity space so you experience both at thesame time. Notice how it enhances or enriches your initial representation of the identity i
experience. i
9. Take you experience of both your vision and your identity and bring them into your i
belief space. Again notice how it enhances or enriches your initial representation ofyour beliefs and values.
10. Bring Your vision, identity, beliefs and values into the capabilities space. Experience
how they strengthen, change or enrich the capabilities you experience within yoursetf. t,
11. Bring your vision, identity, beliefs, values and capabilities into the behavior space.Notice how even the most insignificant seeming behaviors are reflections and
imanifestations of all of the higher levels within you.
12. Bring all levels of yourself into the environment space and experience how it is :transformed and enriched.
I
The process is best done in conjunction with a partner, or'Guardian Anget,' who i
serves as a kind of witness to your words. The 'Guardian Angel' helps to keep you on Itrack by asking the questions and continually 'backtracking' or reviewing what you havesaid at each of the levels (it sometimes helps to write down key words and phrases).
Jesus - Page 56
B. Logical Level Co-Al ignment Process
Jesus made the statement that, "For where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). The implication of this is that the
aligning two or more hearts, souls, minds and sets of strengths together within the
framework of a shared vision can create something that is greater than the sum of theparts on a higher level. According to the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make
the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above
like the below and when you make the male and the female one and the
same, so that the male not be male nor the female female; and when you
fashion eyes in place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a footin place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness;then willyou enter
[the Kngdoml." Thomas (22)
The logical level alignment process may be broadened to allow you to co-alignyourself with others.
As an example, I used this process together with my wife, Anita, as a preparation
for childbirth. Rather than simply be a breathing coach, this process allowed me tootfer her support on many different levels.
We started by sharing our perceptions of the environments in which the birthwould take place: our home and the birthing room at the hospital. We visited thehospital so we could identify specific external cues and details.
Then we defined to one another how we wanted to be able to act in thoseenvironments. Anita verbalized and demonstrated how she wanted various parts ofher body to be relaxed and active during the different parts of the labor process; howshe wanted her breathing to be and how she wanted to act toward others. I in turndescribed and demonstrated the tone of voice I wanted to use when I talked to her,the qualities of movement I would have in touching her and the kind of flexibility ofbehavior I wanted to have in order to respond appropriately to changes oruncertainties in the hospital environment and the medical staff.
We then described to each other the skills and capabilities we would need to actthe ways we had defined in the birthing environment. Anita brought up the importanceof the ability to remember key things even under difficult experiences, her ability toconcentrate and focus, to handle pain in di{ferent ways and her ability to be aware ofher body. I wanted my abilities to communicate, to respond creatively, to be acutely
Jesus - Page 57
aware of her physiology and to recognize and manage multiple perspectives. i
Next, we shared to each other beliefs and values that we would need in order to
be able to activate those capabilities and produce those behaviors in the ienvironments we had defined. She identified the beliefs that she could trust her body;that the experience of labor would unfold in the most appropriate way; that even
though she could not control what was happening, there was a benevolent outsideforce at work; that she had many choices about how to respond; that she could trust
those that were supporting her; and that she was bringing a new life into the world that
shewou|d|ove. |sharedmybel ief thatwehadoperatedwel |asateammanyt imes
before;that if I was able to approach the situation with a pure intention that anyguidance I would need would come to me; that I had many skills that would be there to
support me as unconscious competences. We also shared our values of respect, of
making use of all the choices available to us and of love. ,After this, we shared our perceptions of who we would be if we were able to
manifest our beliefs and values through our capabilities into the birth environment.
Anita perceived herself as a kind of nautilus shell, spiraling open onto the world. I
perceived myself as a kind of light shining out into the room to keep everything clear
and in focus.
At the spiritual level, Anita envisioned a universe of shells within shells within
shells; each one becoming successively larger. She saw herself as one of the shells i
in this vast chain. I saw myself as a kind magnate in a larger system of many
magnates, each effecting each other through the invisible lines of force emanating
from them. In this vision the position of one of the magnates could effect the alignment
andorderofal lof theothers.Thefunct ionwaStocont inua| |yadjust tokeepthe
balance and harmony of the forces.
We explored the ways in which our visions fit together. The united vision was of
the universe of shells within shells all of which were like magnates and interconnected j
through their invisible l ines of force. IWhile Anita had been married for over thirteen years, we had never really talked
to each other about our visions for our identities and our perceptions of the larger 1spiritual systems in which we participated. lt can be quite moving to share such a level
of experience with someone you love, and think you know.
In bringing our shared vision into our sense of identity we felt that we were like a t
pair of interlocking nautilus shells. The shells were made of a kind of light or energy
that could be more or less focused or dense, being either very concrete and hard like
a shell, or very light and diffuse like a light spreading through the room. ln our
metaphor for our mutual identity, we would both be more concrete or diffuse at various
Jesus - Page 58
points depending on the situation. Through this coordinated dance a particular point ol
density would form, around which the interaction was taking place. This new point of
density represented the baby who would first form out of our dance as a point of focus,gaining density until she became another shell, and finally enter the dance as another
interlocking shel l .
Within the frame of our common vision and identity we reviewed the beliefs that
we had shared earlier. They seemed to be much more present and unified, almost as il
they were a single belief that could be expressed simply as 'Life', 'Love' and 'Trust'.
In reviewing our capabilities, we felt that that there was a special capability we
had as a team through the combination of skills that we possessed, that neither of us
could do independently. This was the ability to create a space for life to form andgrow; to create a context in which another being could thrive and bloom.
As we thought about the specific actions and behaviors we had defined earlier, itno longer seemed like we were two separate people reacting to an external situationor reacting to each other. Rathel our behavior seemed to be an integrated action from
a single being, like the eyes, arms, hands, legs and feet of a dancer. Anita's breathingpractice no longer seemed like a kind of mechanical programming, but rather a means
to actually breathe spirit and life into the experience.Finally, we brought the totality of our shared vision, identity, beliefs and values,
capabilities and behaviors into our map of the birthing environment. Similar to W.'sexperience, it took on the sense of a sacred place; a place where momentous thingswould occur; a focal point around which many elements spun. Our experience was
that it was a place of challenges but, at the same time, a place of choices. Our feeling
was that, come what may, it would be the appropriate thing, and that we would be ableto handle it as a team.
I can testify that our joint multi-level map allowed us to meet the challenges oflabor and birth in harmonious and coordinated fashion. Our beautiful daughter hasbeen thriving and blossoming in a co-created context of light, l ife, love and trust eversince.
Summary of Logical Level Co-Al ignment Process
1. Physically lay out two spaces for each of the six logical levels.
I rrr"* I t *"iry lf-r,r"*l t-."r"'--lFffil t.^,r"""'"",ISpiritual
Jesus - Page 59
2. Both stand in the "Environment" spaces and identify an environment (a place and
time) that you share. Describe your perception of that environment to each other. i3. Stand in the "Behaviof space and answer the question: 'What do I want do when I
am in that time and place?" Describe to each other some specific behaviors and :
actions that you wanl to manifest in your shared environment.4. Stand in the "Capabilities" space and describe to each other the capabilities you
have or need in order to manifest those actions in that environment.5. Stand in the "BeliefsA/alues" space and answer the question: "Why do I want to use
those particular capabilities to accomplish those activities?" Disclose to each otherthe values and beliefs that motivate and are reflected in the capabilities and
behaviors you want to manifest in your shared environment.6. Stand in the "ldentity" space and answer the question: "Who am I that I have these
motivations and capabilities to manifest those behaviors in that environment?" i
Using a metaphor verbalize your perception of yourself in relation to the beliefs,valueS,capabi | i t iesandbehaviorsyouhaveident i f ied.
7. Stand in the 'Spiritual" space and answer the question: "What is the vision I ampursuing or representing?" Describe to each other your visions of the larger
system in which you are participating.
B.Exploreinwhichwaysthetwovis ionsf i t togetherorcomplementeachother.Together,
take that physiology and inner experience and step back into the identity space so you
experience both at the same time.Answer the questions, "Who are we together?" nVhat
is our joint identity?" '
9. Take your shared experience of both your vision and your identity and bring them into :your belief spaces. Answer the question, "What are our shared beliefs and values?"
10. Bring Your vision, identity, beliefs and values into the capabilities space. Answer thequestion, 'What capabilities do we have as a team that are beyond our individual
capabilities?" :
11. Bring your vision, identi ty, bel iefs, values and capabi l i t ies into the behavior space.
Notice how even the most insignificant seeming behaviors are reflections andmanifestations of all of the higher levels within you. Answer the question, "What will be :
our joint actions together?12. Bring all levels of yourself into the environment space and experience how it is l
transformed and enriched.
Jesus - Page 60
l l l . Taking Mult iple Perceptual Posit ions - Loving Your Neighbor As yourself
The co-alignment process can certainly be a powerful tool to take steps toward'loving your neighbor as yourself'. Understanding someone else's map of the world on alllevels certainly deepens the sense of connection and relationship one has with another.
Yet, Jesus seemed to have something even broader in mind when he spoke of'loving your neighbor as yourself'. He maintained:
"For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinnersalso love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good toyou, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if yelend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinnersalso lend to sinners, to receive as much again.,,
Luke 6:32-34
Jesus clearly seems to imply that loving one's neighbors extends to all of humanity;and in particular those whom it would seem the most difficult to love.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shatt tove thy neighbour;and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless themthat curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them thatdespitefully use you, and persecute you;That ye may be the children ofyour Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the eviland on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.,,
Matthew 5:43-45
The ability to love one's enemies, "bless them that curse you, do good to them thathate you, and pray for them that despitefulty use you, and persecute you'would certainlyseem to require special skills. For most people, Jesus'comments seems tike a nice, loftysentiment, but difficult, unpragmatic and even dangerous to attempt in ,real life'. yet, itseems that Jesus did not intend it as simply an admirable put impractical ideal. Inaddition to continually encouraging it in his teachings, Jesus often demonstrated it in hisactions.
Perhaps the most significant indication of his commitment to this principle is theresponse he had to those responsible for his own crucifixion and death:
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34
Jesus - Page 61
Of all of the things he could have said, Jesus chose these words as his 'logos'.
Obviously, to Jesus, his message of forgiveness, mercy and love was more than simply a
bunch of nice words easily said to a group of adoring fans when everything was going hisway. In the moment when it would have been completely justifiable for Jesus to be
thinking only of himself - in the moment when Jesus had the most reason and right tohate, condemn and curse his 'neighbors' - he implores forgiveness for them. Jesus'moving and stunning statement demonstrates a remarkable ability to congruently believe
that his own persecutors and killers were not inherently bad or malicious, but rather acting
out of blindness and ignorance.It might be easy for some to say that it was only because Jesus was 'superhuman'
that he could think this way. But this is evidently not Jesus' perspective. His constant
urging and encouragement for this way of thinking and acting indicate that he believed
that this ability was potentially latent in everyone.
I mentioned at the beginning of this monograph that NLP is based on the two primary
presuppositions that 1) the map is not the territory, and 2) lite and mind are systernicprocesses that naturally seek optimal states of health and balance. One implication of
these two presuppositions taken together is that the actions and behavior of all organisms
is essentially positively intended - that is, it is an attempt by the organism to correcl or
optimize its own state or the state of the system of which the organism perceives itself a
member. In other words, the belief system of NLP is that everyone makes the best choices
that they perceive available to them given their model of the world in that moment. In NLP,
evil actions and behaviors arise because of a narrow, incomplete or impoverished model
of the world rather than out of evil intent. Jesus' dying statement on the cross indicates
that he shared this belief on a deep and personal level.
Usually people only purposefully hurt others when they feel threatened and perceive
no other alternatives, or when they do not perceive others as in fact 'human' or like
themselves. For example, when my wife and I first brought our new baby daughter home,
our three year old son would sometimes do things that would either scare her or hurt her -
not because he was a "bad boy" but rather because either 1) he didn't realize it would bepainful or frightening from her point of view, or 2) it was the only alternative he
experienced at a particular moment to to express frustration, respond to a perceived threat
or get attention.
In the NLP model, for instance, when somebody acts selfishly, they are perceived as
stil l having a positive intent but are unable to identify with the system beyond themselves.
People often harm others or act in unproductive ways in an attempt protect themselvesbecause they perceive no other choices or cannot comprehend the other person's
Jesus - Page 62
perspective.
The key in NLP is to separate a person's intention from his or her behavior, and then
validate the intention while offering other behavioral alternatives that would satisfy thepositive purpose of the intention more ecologically. Thus, identity is always validated.
Jesus echoed this approach in parables like the prodigal son and statements such as:
"Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man." John 8:15
The implication of this statement is that most people simply judge the behaviors (fhe
flesh) of others without looking at the deeper levels behind a person's actions.While NLP seeks to separate intentions from behaviors, it is important to state that
the positive intention does not justify the behavior nor its repercussions. lt has beenpointed out that the "road to hell is paved with positive intentions." Obviously, my wife andI did not allow our son to continue to hurt or scare our daughter because he was positively
intended and didn't know any better. We had to demonstrate other choices and help himto discover other alternatives. Similarly, Jesus' mission was to bring about change, not tosay, "Oh well, because people are blind and ignorant, its OK for them to continue hurtingand persecuting others." The significance of the principle of 'positive intent' comes fromunderstanding the deeper motives for behaviors, and thus the ways to direct and changethem to other choices which are more appropriate but still satisfy the positive intent.
In NLP, they key to ecological behavior comes from having a rich model of the worldthat takes into account multiple perspectives, levels and time frames. Even the mostpositive of intentions, when pursued from a single point of view can be unecological anddangerous. The inquisition, the crusades, the burning of witches and heretics, the 'holywars', etc., are good examples of positive intentions expressed through a limitedperspective.
The ability to act and promote ecological change from the belief in positive intentobviously requires great skill and wisdom. Like any other belief or value, it is only as validas the skills and capabilities that support and manifest it. Certainly the abilit ies to perceive
different time frames and recognize different logical levels are crucial to support thisprinciple. Actions that seem totally evil or incomprehensible at one level and in one timeframe begin to make sense when considered in the context of another logical level or adifferent time frame.
Perhaps the most important skill necessary to love one's neighbor as oneself is thatof taking different'perceptual positions'(Grinder, Delozier, 1989; Dilts, 1990). In NLP,thenotion of perceptual positions acknowledges that any interaction within a systemnecessarily involves multiple maps and perspectives of the same event. For example, in
Jesus - Page 63
the most basic interaction between oneself and one's neighbor, there are minimally three I
perspectives that may be taken: 1) First Position - one's own point of view; 2) SecondPosition - the point of view of one's neighbor; and 3) Meta Position - the point of view of an Iobserver looking at the interaction between oneself and one's neighbor. There is alsowhat is known as 'Third Position'which is a kind of an 'enlightened' meta position - the i
point of view of a wise observer who has access to the points of view of both the first andsecond position.
It seems obvious that ' loving your neighbor as yourself' presupposes the ability totake the perspective of your neighbor. Thus, in NLP language, the first step towardfollowing the second commandment would minimally involve taking "second position."
That is, to put yourself into another's model of the world andvalue it as much as your own.
Clearly, Jesus himself must have had a highly developed ability to take secondposition. His sensitivity to the feelings and thoughts of others were referred to quite often.On numerous occasions Jesus was said to have 'perceived' or'known'the thoughts of I
others (Matt.9:4, Matt. 12:25,Luke5:22, Luke 6:8, Luke 9:47, Luke 11:17). His parable of
the good Samaritan and the reports of his own compassion and equanimity certainly i
imply the ability to empathize with others.
This process of shifting perceptual positions seems to be at the heart of many of '
Jesus'teachings and act ions. For example, he maintained:
"Therefore allthings whatsoever ye would that men should do toyou, do ye even so to them." Matthew 7:12
Jesus is essentially saying to integrate one's own first position perspective with the :second position perspective of another in determining how to act toward them. Certainly, a
deep presupposition of this statement is the ability to consider the subjective experience
of another person. tt also seems to imply a kind of meta position to oneself, in which oneis looking at one's own actions with respect to someone else.
Jesus makes the impofiance of taking a meta position with respect to oneself even
more clear in statements such as:
"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, butconsiderest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say
to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a
beam is in thine own eye...first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out thy brothels
eye." Matthew 7:3-5
Jesus - Page 64
Perhaps the most powerful and dramatic example of Jesus' use of Meta Position is
represented in the following account:
"Then the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in
adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,They say unto him,
Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the
law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus
stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he
heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto
them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went
out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus wasleft alone, and the woman standing in the midst.When Jesus had lifted himself, and saw none but the woman, he said untoher, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned
thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus sard unto her, Neither do Icondemn thee: go, and sin no more." John 8:3-11
This particular account demonstrates Jesus' masterful ability to sort logical levelsand to track and integrate multiple perspectives. His comment, "He that is without sinamong you, let him cast the first stone at her," is a direct statement to the crowd to go to ameta position with respect to themselves. Jesus' statement to the woman, "Neither do Icondemn thee: go, and sin no more," is a clear example of how he separated identity frombehavior. He validates her identity without condoning nor justifying the continuation of theparticular behavior.
fncidentally, the English word "sin" was translated from the Greek word hamartano
(crpoptcrvol) which simply means to 'err'or'miss the mark' as opposed to 'transgress
against God.' This is clearly implies something at a behavioral level, not at an identity orspiritual level. Thus, Jesus'statement to the woman to "go, and sin no more," could beinterpreted as "go, and learn from your mistakes." The same interpretation could beapplied to his statement, "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone ather." He would be saying, "He that has never made a mistake, or missed the mark, let hirncast the first stone."
Jesus - Page 65
Jesus is implying that, whether it is from first position, second position or metaposition, we should never devalue our own perspective or model of the world nor anyoneelses. Jesus' encouragement to take other perspectives was not in order to weaken ornegate one's own perspective but rather to make one wiser. And, in fact, we can onlybegin to truly understand other perspectives when we have solidified our own - when wehave aligned heart, soul, mind and strength. Sometimes people want to take otherperceptual positions because their own is weak or unclear. As I pointed out earlier, if ourown first position is weak or unclear, we will most likely just project our own incongruencyand lack of self worth onto others. In the words of the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said, "lf those who lead you say to you,'See, the Kingdom is in
the sky,'then the birds of the sky will proceed you. lf they say to you, 'lt isin the sea,'then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside ofyou, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, thenyou will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sonsof the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell inpovefty and it is you who are that poverty." Thomas (3)
Jesus himself certainly did not represent someone with a poor self concept or lowself esteem. He was sure of himself and his mission as an individual and encouraged hisfollowers to acknowledge and pursue their own missions, even in the face of resistanceand persecution. In his words:
' No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place ,neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in
may see the light." Luke 11 :33
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
Jesus' continual references to his 'Father' bespeaks another important perceptualposition - a third position or'enlightened meta position'. The "Father in heaven" made the"sun to ise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.'The Fathe/s perspective is clearly very wide and impartial - all models of the world are
treated equally. And even though it was not Jesus'own first position perspective in hisrole as a human being, it was a perspective that he was clearly able to take andencouraged others to take as well. Consider the following statement:
Jesus - Page 66
"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing
again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the
Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore
merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not bejudged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall
be forgiven." Luke 6:35-37
Jesus clearly intends to portray, and urge others to to assume, the broad and
benevofent point of view of the 'Father'who is'merciful" and "kind unto the unthankful
and to the evil." This is a perceptual position outside of one's own individual perspective.
The ability to take such a point of view also seems essential to 'loving your neighbor asyourself. '
Because "the map is not the territory," there will never be "one right map." Jesus isarguing that wisdom and truth come from taking multiple persepectives. The mainmessage of his statements to "judge not" and "condemn not" seems to me to be that noone has the right to impose their model of the world on anyone else. The basis for allinjustice, oppression, abuse and prejudice, even if it is positively intended, stems fromeither a) the confusion of one's own personal map for the territory; b) the belief that one isin possession of lhe right ffiap;' or c) the inability to perceive and value another's modelof the world. There is no one right perspective. 'Truth' is the intersection of manyperspectives. Therefore, the more rich one's map is, the more chance one has toapproach some kind of "Truth".
In summary, in addition to perceiving multiple time frames and multiple logicallevels, Jesus'cognitive strategy involves the ability to integrate multiple perceptualpositions. Rather than simply spewing out hard and fast rules about 'good' and 'bad'behaviors, Jesus advises us to guide our actions and make our decisions in this life byconstantly assessing multiple perceptual positions. This is clearly expressed instatements such as:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye
shall be judged..." Matthew 7;1-2
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Matthew G:12
To make sense out of these declarations, we must go to a meta position andconsider a relationship made up of three perceptual positions: our'Fathef , ourselves,our neighbor.
Jesus - Page 67
Meta Position
The Meta Mirror
To love your neighbor as yourself, then, requires the ability to perceive and integratea number of different perceptual positions.
NLP offers some simple but powerful and pragmatic ways to develop the abilities totake and coordinate multiple perspectives. For example, I have developed a process that Icallthe Meta Mirrorthat uses an NLP process called'spatial sorting'to develop the abilityto assume and co-value multiple perceptual positions, specifically in situations where itseems difficult to 'love your neighbor'. I believe that it reflects many of the principles thatJesus sought to convey, and provides a concrete way to manifest them.
The following is a transcript of the Meta Mirror process taken from my bookChanging Belief Systems with NLP (1990). In this particular transcript the term "MetaFourth" position is used to denote what I have been calling the 'enlightened third"posit ion.
Transcript: Demonstration of The Meta-Mirror
R: Think of somebody you have a hard time getting along with. Does anybody have sucha problem? Why don't you come up, B.? (B. comes up.)
Step 1: Naming the Othels Behavior
R: lmagine this person is r ight here in front of you.Give a name to the behavior that really makes it difficult when you are around thatperson. What is it that he does? What would you call it? How does he act? ls heinsensitive? ls he rigid?
Jesus - Page 68
B: Indifferent.
Step 2: Naming Your Own Behavior
R: Now physically move to meta-position and observe your own response in relation to
[the] other person when he is indifferent. What would you call your own behavior?
B: Rigidity, maybe. Inflexibility would suit better.
R: So there is indifference in him and inflexibility in you. I would like you to consider this:could he stil l be indifferent if you were not inflexible? Would it be possible for him to beindifferent if you were something other than inflexible? The point is this: in any humansystem what you do determines how other people act as much as what they dodetermines how you act.
INNEROBSER\ER
Meta Position
Diagram of Unsupportive Relationship
ls this person indifferent to your behavior or to your identity?
B:To my identity.
R: And what are you inflexible about?
B: About what's important for me in this relationship.
lndifferent
lnf lexible
Jesus - Page 69
R: Your values?
B: Yes.
R: fro audience) | want you to notice that the people that you probably have the mostditficult times with are the ones that you allow to affect your identity...[Io B.): Maybe you are giving too much of yourserf to this person?
B: Yes.
R: And your rigidity about your values hasn't made him any less indifferent to you?
B: No, because lwas sucked into his system. And now I'm stuck, lcan't get out.
Step 3: The Relation between the Two Me's
Now I want you to physically move to a fourth position over here. When you look athow your inner meta-position self is trying to change your outer first position self, andthe way you are communicating with that person, what is this relationship like? (Robertpoints successively at 1 and 3.)
B: Between me and me?
R: Yes. We want to explore the question, "How do t relate to myself in reference to theother person?"
B: The inner me thinks that nothing the outer me does is going to have any effect on thatother person anyway.
R: In a way, you are doing to yourself what he is doing to you. The inner you also seemsindifferent to the you stuck in that relationship. I call this process the meta mirror,because often the way the person is treating you is a reflection of how you treatyourself. The problem is not only the other person or even how I react to the otherperson, the problem is also here, in the system between the two me's. That is animportant part of how the total system works.How does the outer you react to that inner indifference.
Jesus - Page 70
B: She is very tense. She is afraid she will lose her identity.
R: No wonder the outer you is rigid. She's stuck between a rock and a hard place.
4th Position
lndiff erent
Diagram of Total Relational System
I think it might be interesting to switch these positions (the inner you and the outer you)
around. For example, what if you had switched the places of the first-position outeryou with the inner position you, so that you were indifferent to the other person and
inflexible about your values with yourself! Perhaps the more inflexible I am about my
values with me, the more creative I can be in my behavior with him.
4th Posit ion
?2?
a*Fn\K.
Position
Indiff erent
INNEROBSERVER
Meta Position
/ \
\ Ible
/"no\SELF
q-t"'"?
Inllexi
Switching Perceptual Posil ions In the Unsupportive Relalionship
lndiff erent
l st Positionlnf lexible
Jesus - Page 71
The nice thing about working systematically like this is that you don,t have to changethe elements of the system to find a solution. You only need to change the relationshipbetween the elements. what if you do that? Just take these two and physically shiftthem around?
B: lt seems easy that way. (Laughing)
R: What happens? ls the relationship the same?
B: I think there is none now.
R: And if there is no more retationship, then you can start a new one even if it,s with thesame person?
B: Yes.
R: Now let's come look at these two: this parl that is in meta-position now, that is beinginffexible about your vales with yourself. Do you want to have a relationship with thisperson now?
B: No, not at all.
R: what kind of relationship would you make sure that you had here if you ever talked tothat person in the future?
B: The trouble now is that I don't want to communicate anymore.
R: What would make you want to communicate?
B: A more sincere person, a bit more authentic.
R: oK' Now, put yourself into this other person's position for a moment; into secondposition' lf you are experiencing the world as this person, what would make you amore sincere and authenlic person?
[B' physically moves into the position of the other person. For a moment she is very deepin thought.J
I
I
{
;t
I1
Jesus - Page72
B: Self-confidence.
R: Now come all the way out of this system to the fourth position. I want you to notice
something important here.
lf you bring confidence out of this other person, if you act in a way that makes him
confident, then he is going to be more authentic. Here is the big question: How wouldyou act to make him more confident that would stil l be in line with your own values?
B: Certainly not by being inflexible?
R: What way would it be?
B: By being open and listening, at least.
R: But also making sure that you keep your inflexibility about your values out here in themeta-position, because I want you to notice that "open and listening" is not indifferentto who I am and what is important to me. Open and listening is not going to be getting
sucked in, especially if I am inflexible out here in third position.
So I can be more open and listening with that person because I have support frommyself.
4th Position
SupportSelf-Confidence
Diagram of the New Functional Support System
Self-Confident
1st Posi t ion
OTHER2nd Position
Jesus - Page 73
Step 4: Entering the New Relationship
R: From fourth position visualize the you in first position in this new relationship beingopen and listening to the other person-but supported by the meta-position you whoknows who you are and is inflexible about your values and identity-step into the firstposition and look at that other person.(8. steps to first position and laughs.)
R: (To the audience): Look at that physiology. lt is an interesting combination of all of theother ones.
[Fo B.): What happens with that person?
B: lt is more comfortable.
R: How do you feet?
B: Much better. lt is completely different.
R: Thank you.
Very otten the place that you have difficulty communicating with another person is amirror image of how you are relating to yourself. lt is not really the other person who iseither the problem or the solution.
lf I can step back to see how it is really a reflection of my retation with myseff, then Ican restructure the system so that I am supporting myserf. This will often transform thewhole relationship. The meta mirror technique creates a context in which we can keepshifting perceptual positions inside and outside the problematic relationship until we findthe most appropriate and ecological arrangement of elements in the relational molecule.
Jesus - Pagel4
Summary of the Meta Mirror Process
1. ldentity a person you have difficulty with. Visualize that person from first position
(associated) and name the trait that makes that person so difficult, €.g., "rigid,"
"insensitive,' "incongruent, "denial," etc.
2, Step back to meta position (dissociated from the relationship) and visualize yourself in
the interaction. Name your own behavior in relation to the other person, e.9.,"judgmental," "irritated," "helpful," "scared," etc.
3. Notice how the way you are acting actually reinforces or triggers the behavior of theother person in the system. (lf you were not there, how would the other person acl?
Could the other person continue his or her responses?)4. Think of what other ways you could respond to that person. Perhaps you have tried to
change your own reactions already. What makes you continue to act the way you doon this relat ionship?
5. Now take a step to the side (the "metaphof'position) and look at how you treat yourselfin this interaction, i.e., "pushy," "angry," "judgmental," "creative," etc. Notice at whichlogical levels (behavior, capability, belief, identity) the different responses areoperating.ln what way is your response to yourself a mirror for what the other person is doing?
6. From the "meta-foufih" position, switch the two positions associated with yourself. Thatis, put your third-position reactions (the way you have been treating yourself) into thefirst position so you have that level of response to the other person. Put your formerfirst-position responses into the third-position location.Notice how the switch changes the system and transforms the expression of theresponses.
7. Put yourself into the other person's shoes (second position). View yourself from theother person's eyes. How does your behavior appear from that perspective? From thisother person's perspective, what do you need or want from yourself.
8. Reassociate into the revised first-position location (i..e., the one that has beenreplaced by the former third-position level reactions). Notice how your reactions andpoint of view have changed.
L Continue to switch perspectives and add choices of responses (at appropriate level)until you feel the relationship is more balanced and functional.
Jesus - Page 75
The process of taking multiple perceptual positions can be relatively simple but very |powerful. The three basic perceptual positions can also be broadened to incorporatesome of the deeper level process that we explored in the level alignment process. In a .seminar that we developed called Tools of the Spirit, my colleague Robert McDonald andI have people expand these basic perceptual positions to a higher level by extending the itime frame associated with position and bringing in higher levels of vision and spirit. Forinstance, if one expands one's frame of perception within first position, one begins to jexperience everything as and extension of oneself. lf one expands one's frame ofpercept ionwithinsecondposi t ion,oneexper iencesbecoming.onewith ' theother
individual (or object). Expanding one's frame of perception within third position, leadsone to the experience of both oneself and the other person being part a much largersystem. The following is a brief description of an exercise, the we call 'The Mind of theHeart', that uses anchoring to apply these broadened perceptual positions
i
'Mind ol The Heart' Process ;
1. Think of a person or an situation involving another person that causes problems ordifficulties. Acknowledge what it feels like from your own point of view (1st position)in that experience.
2. From an observer point of view (meta position) access a state of being aligned itoward your highest spiritual purpose with your heart, soul, mind and strength and jphysically touch the center of your own chest.
3. Keeping your hand on your heart, put yourself into the perspective of the otherperson (2nd position) deepen your sense of being in that person's perceptualposition until you feel 'one with' him or her.
4. With your hand still touching your heart, move to a position in between yourself andthe other person (3rd position). Broaden your perception until you can experiencethat both of you are a part of much larger and vaster system or'mind'.
5. Still touching your heart, return to your own perspective (1st position) in thesituation. Widen your frame of awareness until you are able to perceive everythingaround you as an extension of yourself.
ilf you are able to do this with a partner (or Guardian Angel), have him or her also
access an aligned state and help to anchor you by touching your heart area just below :your hand and placing his or her other hand in the center of your back (thus supportingandbackingyouup).TheGuardianAngel istocont inuetomaintainhisorherownstateof alignment, and continue to touch your heart and back as you take the expanded 2nd,3rd and 1st position perspectives in the difficult situation
Jesus - Page 76
lV. Summary of lmplementat ion Strategies
This section has explored some ways in which we might use NLP tools and skills, in
conjunction with our understanding of Jesus'cognitive patterns, in an attempt to
implement some aspects of Jesus' profound abilit ies to integrate and align multiple time
frames, multiple levels of experience and multiple perceptual positions in our daily lives.
Jesus' micro and macro strategies clearly have important implications for problem
solving, leadership, healing and personal and social change. Ultimately however, it
seems to me that Jesus'strategy is one that produces wisCom.
I have always maintained that excellence comes from a passionate commitment to a
single perspective. ln order to become good at something, one must stay associated in
one's own first position and focus. This is an important way to learn and progress, but it is
not necessarily wise. In fact, sometimes it produces unecological repercussions.
Genius comes from a passionate commitment to the integration of multipleperspectives. J. Bronowski, the author of the the book The Ascent of Man, claimed that "agenius is a person who has two great ideas" and spends the rest of his life trying to get
them to fit together. When one has become excellent in several different areas and then is
able to synthesize them, one begins to approach genius.
Wisdom comes from a passionate commitment to the constant process of takingmultiple perspectives. Since the world is in constant change, we cannot rely onyesterday's answers as being true for tomorrow. Wisdom is not something you do or get,
rather, it is something you participate in an ongoing way. In the words of Gregory Bateson:
"[Wisdom comes from] sitting together and truthfully discussing our
differences - without the intent to change them,"
The intent to change someone else's model of the world implies a judgment of thatmodel. None of us are omniscient enough to know the 'right' map or take in all of thesystems within systems within systems that might be etfected by our actions. Wise andecological change comes from discovering, creating and offeiing alternatives - fromconstantly widening and enriching our maps by:
1) Taking all perspectives relevant to the system in which one is interacting.2) Considering and aligning all of levels experience in relation to the system on is in.3) Respecting all time frames necessary to ecologically incorporate change within that
system.
Jesus - Page77
Of course, wisdom can only become manifested as actions by first synthesizing themany perspectives one has taken and then finally bringing them into one's own firstposition perspective. The ability to consistently and appropriately manifest deep levelprinciples and values in concrete experience requires the mapping of those principlesand values through successive levels of representation. Each level of representation anddescription involves different combinations of time frames, perceptual positions andcognitive processes as shown in the table below.
Level
Spiritual
ldenlity
Beliefs & Values
Capabilily
Behavior
Environment
Time Frame
Beyond one's lifeEtemal- Timeless
One's Whole Life
Signilicant period of one's life
Time frame of the context
ln the moment
lmmediate
Perceptual Posilion(s)
First - Mela - Second - Third
First - Meta - Second - Third
First-Meta-Second
First - Meta
First (aware ol sell)
First (extemally aware)
Cognilive Processes
Word-Spiri l-Light
Vision - Life
Heart (emotion)
see - hear- declare
rnove-breathe-speak
image-word-touch
According to NLP the combinations of these various dimensions of our subjectiveexperience are embodied in the form of neurological circuits which may be activated andmobilized through patterns of language, cognitive strategies and accessing cues.
It is interesting to note that the process of multiple description seems to have beenembedded in Christian doctrine by early Christian leaders in the form of the Holy Trinity.ln the concept of the Holy Trinity there is one God in three different forms: God the Father,God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. In the interpretation we have been developinghere, we can describe the notion of the 'three person's in one God' as the processes ofLogos, Light and Spirit expressed through the three fundamental perceptual positions.God the Father represents Spirit as manifested through an expanded third positionperspective characterized by a very broad, timeless and benevolent perspective ofhumanity as part of a much vaster system. God the Son represents Spirit as embodiedthrough the expanded first position perspective of an individual human being in whicheverything seems like an extension of him/herself. This is expressed in the form ofpersonal mission and vision. God the Holy Ghost represents the Spirit in the form of akind of expanded second position perspective who "speaks not of himself" but 'teachesallthings", "brings all things to remembrance" and "shows you things to come" - that is,who becomes'one with' the larger mind or hologram.
The "One God" would not be any one of the individual perceptual positions nor the
Jesus - Page 78
'persons', but would rather be the deeper principles that are meta to, but expressed in,
the three different perspectives - the resonance of allthree perspectives.
I would like to present a final process that integrates the tools and skills of NLP
together with the principles and strategies we have been modeling from Jesus in order to
produce the kind of 'resonance' implied by the concept of the 'Holy Trinity'.
The Resonance Pattern
The term 'resonance' refers to a kind of non-linear influence that two vibrating
objects or systems have on one another. For example, if one has two guitars that are
similarly tuned and plucks a string on one of the guitars, the corresponding string on the
other guitar will begin to vibrate. The same kind of resonance can occur between
corresponding notes on a piano and a tuning fork, etc. In mechanical and eleclrical
systems, resonance refers to the process by which vibrations of large intensity and
amplitude may be produced by a relatively small periodic stimulus whose frequency is
the same or nearly the same as the natural vibration period of the system. Resonance is
also defined as "the complex of internal body processes that occur in emotional states
such as rapport or empathy"(Webster).It seems to me that what Jesus referred to as "Spirit" was something that operated
similarly to the process of resonance - a state that gave him access to knowledge and
wisdom beyond the confines of his own personal conscious experience.
Fulfil l ing our individual missions often seems like it requires us to 'move mountains.'
This involves a great deal of wisdom and commitment. According to Jesus, in order to
move mountains, we have to say the word, not doubt it ' in our hearts'and 'believe that it
will come to pass'. The purpose of the Flesonance process is to help util ize theperspectives and perceptual positions of key individuals in our lives as a way to develop
our inner wisdom and support. I will refer to these key individuals as 'mentors'. Mentors
are individuals or phenomena who do not teach us or instruct us the typical consciousway, but rather release or amplify knowledge and wisdom that is already inherent within
us, and the systems in which we are participating, through their relationship with us.
Jesus - Page 79
Transcript: Demonstrat ion of the Resonance Pattern
R: B. would you like to help out with this demonstration?
B: Yes. Sure. (B. comes up.)
R: Can you think of a situation in which you experience or anticipate experiencingdoubt about your beliefs or mission?
B:Yes. I'm trying to bring about some big changes in my organization, and I think I'mgoing to have some real difficulty with resistance from a number of key people.
Because they don't understand what I'm trying to do, they will be threatened and
throw up road blocks. I'm not sure I' l l have the wherewithal to deal with all of it.
R: As Albert Einstein said, "Great Spirits have always been opposed by mediocre :minds." What I would like you to do is to create a space, a kind of physical 'problem :space', step into it and put yogrself as fully as you can into that situation, that
moment of doubt.
B: OK. (8. steps forward. His breathing shallows and his body tenses noticeably.)
R: That's enough. That looks like a tough situation. Now step back and leave thatexperience over there for the moment, anchored to the floor.Now, from out here in Meta Position, I would like to have you identify three'mentors'. Mentors can be people that you've met, people that you know throughtheir writings or creations, people that you've only read about but who haveinfluenced you, animals, even inanimate objects or physical places. They may beliving or deceased. What is important is that these mentors have brought out or !
released something deep, important and powerful in you simply through whateverform of 'presence' they take for you. For example, my wife used to go surfing a lot. 1When she was preparing for and going through labor, she chose the ocean asmentor. She had a personal relationship with the ocean. At one time in her life shehad been afraid of the waves that could crush you like a toothpick. She took it as apersonal challenge to learn to serf, and befriended this vast mysterious'creature'. ,She still goes down to be near the ocean when she needs to make importantdecisions or reaffirm herself.So B. choose the mentors you'd like to have around you in that situation. Generally
Jesus - Page 80
I like to have people pick one relating to their beliefs and values, one related to
their identity and one related to their perception of the spiritual...Have you selected
them?
B: Yes. One is a kind of professional mentor. A person that helped me out a lot when I
was a young man and at a pivotal point in my life. Another is my father. He has
passed away now, but we were really close when he was alive. And the third is my
three year old son.
R: Good. Now, staying in Meta Position, I would like you to arrange these mentors
around the you who is in that difficult situation. Where would you place them with
respect to you? In front of you? Behind you? Above you? In your arms?
B: Well, I think I would place my son next to me, on my left side. I'd put my professional
mentor behind me...sort of over my right shoulder. And I would place my father outin front of me...and maybe a little above me.
R: OK. Now, I'd like to have you pick one of the mentors and put yourself into hisperspective. Go to second position with him. And as much as possible, assume thekind of physiology that most represents that mentor to you.
B: Alright. l'll start with my professional mentor. (8. moves into the physical space just
behind where he was standing when he was experiencing the difficult situation. Hisposture becomes erect and confident, and he folds his arms.)
R: From the perceptual position of this mentor, what message would you send to the B.in that difficult situation? Send it through what ever channel is most appropriate. ltcan be words, a touch, a look...whatever is the most congruent to this mentor.
B: (ln role of professional mentor.) | would say, "Just do it. Your as good as anyoneelse. Who else is going to try? lt doesn't matter what they think. Do it."
R: Good. Now step out of that mentor's position and move into the perceptual positionof one of your other mentors.
B: I'd like to go to my son next. (B. steps into a location next to where he was standingwhile experiencing the difl icult situation. His body moves and sways. His breathing
Jesus - Page 81
relaxes and a smile comes to his face.)
R: What message would you send to that B. in that situation?
B: There are no words really...
R: That's OK just send in whatever way is most appropriate.
(8. reaches out his hand as if to touch the hand of the B. who'is in the ditficult situation.After a moment, he nods and steps back from where he has been standing.)
R: Good. Now let's go to your third mentor.
(8. walks to a position in front of where he had been standing in the difficultexperience. He folds his hands and stands in silence for a period of time breathingregularly but deeply. Then he walks back to his meta position.)
R: lt looks like that was an imporlant space for you.
B: Yes. l 'm kind of stil l processing it.
R:Take your time. And in a moment I'd like you to review each of the messages thatyour mentors sent to that you in the difficult situation and see if you can verbalize
what would be the meta message or assumption behind each message. That is,each of these messages come from deeper presuppositions or messages. I'd likeyou to find the higher level message that would go with each individual message.For instance, your professional mentors message was "Just do it. Your as good asanyone else. Who else will if you won't? Do it." What would be the meta messageor deeper level message behind that?
B: The message behind that is something like, "You are like me. You know how tomake things happen." "What you are doing is important." And "l believe in you.'
R: So, "You are like me, you know how to get things done, what you are doing is
important, and I believe in you." Believing in someone, even when they don't, canbe a very powerful thing. What about your other mentors? What was the messageand meta message of your little son?
Jesus - Page 82
B: (Grinning) Well, he was just sort of touching my hand, as if to say, "Relax and just
De. Whatever happens will be the right thing. Let's just explore."
R: That's nice. Pretty wise advice from a three year old. What is the meta message?
B: Well the meta message would be something like, "l love you and ltrust you." And
"The universe is a friendly place."
R: Alright. What was the message and meta message of your father?
B: When I went to my father's position, it was as if there was just this kind of light going
myself in that situation. A light and a feeling. lt was like a sense of being totally
aware and engaged but happy and proud at the same time.
R: And the meta message?
B: The meta message was, "lt doesn't really matter how it turns out. That's not what isimportant. What is important is that you commit to it and that you act with integrity. lt
doesn't matter who they are or what they think, people will recognize integrity, andthey will respect you. That's how you really change things anyway."
R: There is clearly a lot of wisdom in your neurology. Take a moment now and find
what kind of common message 'resonates' between all three of these messages
and meta messages. What sort of message seems to be inherent in all three ofyour mentor's messages?
B: lt 's something like, "Be who you are, commit to what you believe in and theguidance and support will be there."
R: So the guidance and support will be there if you just be who your and commit towhat you believe in. Now I'd like to have you revisit each of these mentor'spositions one more time and just communicate that common message from each oftheir perspectives. Notice in what ways it changes or enriches, if any.
B: (Stands in professional mentor's location. Holds body erect and folds arms.) Here, itbecomes kind of, "Of course. What else are you going to do. lt 's not even a matter of
Jesus - Page 83
believing or doubting. lt 's destined."
R: OK. Next mentor.
B: (B stands in son's location. He smiles as he moves and relaxes his body.) From myson's position, there's another piece that gets added that is something like, "lt canbe enjoyable. lt doesn't have to be difficult. Your attitude and your interpretationsare something that you choose."
R: Out of the mouth of babes...Sage advice again. Now send that common messagefrom your father's perspective.
B: (Moves to father's location. Stands calmly and silently.) From this point of view itseems like I am part of something that is beyond me. That we are both part ofsomething that has been going on forever. That we are not just us as B.s father or8., but we are the embodiment of everyone who has ever believed in making theworld a better place. lt just seems so deep and so strong and so obvious.
R: OK B. come back to meta position. (8. moves to his meta position location.)In a way each of these mentors represents a kind of neural circuitry in yourself.When you go into each perceptual position you access the circuit that is resonantwith that mentor. As you send information through it, the circuit amplifies andenhances certain aspects of it, or enriches it by processing the situation throughparts of your nervous system that have not been mobilized or utilized with respectto it before.Now what I would like you to do is to stand in a location that is just behind whereyou initially stood when you were experiencing this difficult situation. (8. Moves to aplace a step behind where he initially stood). And here I'd like you to imagine thatall three of your mentors are around you. Your professional mentor is behind you,telling you to do it and that he believes in you; your son is next to you holding yourhand; and your father is in front of you and above you sending that kind of glow.
(B.s physiology is centered, flexible and aligned. He takes a deep breath and looksaround to the locations of his mentors.)
R: lmagine that these mentors are each communicating their messages to you. Andthat they are sending you this deep common message, "Be who you are, commit to
Jesus - Page 84
what you believe in and the guidance and support will be there." lmagine this
common message was a special kind of light that could enter your eyes, ears, and
the pores of your skin, and fil l you with its guidance and wisdom.
Then seeing, hearing, feeling and resonating with your mentors and their common
message, associate fully back into that difficult situation.
(Breathing deeply and comfortably, B. steps with confidence and ease into the location
associated with the difficult experience.)
R: Notice how your perception of the situation changes.
B: lts almost as if the people I was worried about become part of the plan instead of a
resistance. They need to be doing what they do in order for me to do what I have to
do. They give me the opportunity to demonstrate my commitment and my integrity.
Rather than throwing me off my path, their actions help to define it; whether they are
in agreement with the way I see things or not. And another thing is, I can enjoy
them. I can smile at them, even when they think something is very serious. But it is
not a smile of disrespect. lts as if my heart and my vision becomes so big and so
strong I can see their resistance like a frightened child that I want to comfort. The
whole thing is so different. Thank you!
R: Thank you. May your light help show them some more choices and alternatives!
The resonance pattern is a way to open ourselves up the wisdom that is within
each of us by virtue of the fact that we have a nervous system. Our nervous systems
can have access to information that does not necessarily come from direct sensory
stimuli and behavioral reactions to the outside world. Spontaneous insights can occur
through a kind of resonance. The state of resonance can open us up to wisdom that is
inherent within own our nervous systems and the larger systems around us.
Summary of Resonance Pattern
1. ldentify a situation in which you experience doubt about your beliefs or mission.
Rel ive a key example of the experience (1st posit ion - associated).
2. Go to'meta posit ion'and identi fy three impofiant mentors that helped to shape or
inf luence your l i fe in a posit ive way by 'resonating'with, releasing or unvei l ing
Jesus - Page 85
something deeply within you. Choose one relating to your beliefs and values, one i
related to your identity and one related to your perception of the spiritual.
[Note: Mentors can include children, teachers, pets, people you've never met buthave read about, phenomena in nature (such as the ocean, mountains, etc.) andeven yourself.l
3. From meta position arrange the mentors around the you in the situation in whichyou experience the doubt.
4. Physically associate into (i.e., go to 2nd position with) each of the mentors, one ata time, and send a message to the you who is in doubt. The message does notneed to be verbal. lt may be sent through whatever channel is most appropriatefor that mentor.
5. Go to 'meta position' and identify the 'meta message' or presupposition behindthe messages of each of the mentors
6. Find the 'common message'that resonates within the messages from all threementors.
7. Once again, associate into each mentor (2nd position) and communicate thecommon message in the way most appropriate for that mentor.
8. Stand in a position just behind the you who is experiencing the doubt.Experience your mentors surrounding you communicating their individualmessages and then the common message in a single common voice.
Visualize and feel the message coming in through your ears and flowing
through your body as light.
9. Hearing, seeing and feeling your mentors' and their common message associateback into the problem experience. Notice how your perception of the situationchanges.
Jesus - Page 86
Neural Network Analogy
A fascinating analogy with which to think about Jesus' strategy is provided by the
most recent artificial intelligence techniques utilizing what are called "neural
networks". Neural networks are modeled after the functioning of the nervous system.
Each element in the network has its own source of energy and is connected to many
other neurons in the system. The energy within an individual neuron is released bypatterns of collective signals coming to it from other'neurons' in the system to which itis linked. Thus, each neuron is both an individual and a member of the system as awhole.
Individual neurons respond differently to input from the system based upon thestrength of their connections to other neurons. Neurons strengthen or weaken theirconnections to other neurons in response to signals flowing through the systemaccording to a particular learning rule. Each neuron starts off with equal potential toall of the others and develops its individual 'personality' or'identity' as a function of thenumber of other neurons to which it is connected and the learning rule to which itchanges the strength of connections to others. Depending on the number ofconnections a neuron has, and the strength of those connections it may respond toonly very narrow local information, or it may respond to information in very distantareas of the network.
Jesus - Page 87
|nformat ioninaneuralnetworkisstoredcol lect ive|ybythewholenetworkaspatterns of activity in the neurons. The system's knowledge cannot be separated fromthe circuitry as a whole. The intelligence of the network is inherent in the system asfunction of the number and quality of connections between the elements. Intelligentbehavior emerges organically in the network through learning as the network isexposed to experience. Different patterns of experience change the strength ofconnections between 'neurons' in the network.
lf we appfy the neural network model as an analogy to make sense out Jesus' ,
strategy we find some interesting parallels. lf we envision humanity as a kind ofgigantic neural network, "God" may be considered to represent the 'mind' or i
intelligence of the network as a whole. The "Word" as logos is the learning rule ithrough which the strength of responses between neurons are changed and evolved."Spirit" is like the patterns of energy that propagate and flow within the system. 'Life"
is the potential energy within each individual neuron. The "Heaft" represents the core t,
of the neuron itself. Combined with breath (psyche), it expresses or releases the
energy of the individual neuron in response to the information it is receiving and .
processing from the other neurons it is connected to. Heart and breath are what makes
the neuron 'fire'. Words as rhemaare impulses that emanate from the neuron, ,stimulating activities in others. "Light" is like the resonance patterns that form between
the neurons in the network which become the specific embodiments of the intelligence f
within the whole network.
In this analogy we may view Jesus as a neuron that is connected to both the vast
reaches of the system as a whole, but also with a rich number of local connections.
Jesus - Page 88
V. Conclusion
One of my own personal symbols for what NLP is all is about is represented byMichelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The painting showsAdam lying on the Earth reaching up toward heaven and the hand of God extending downfrom the sky. Their fingers are outstretched toward one another, just ready to touch. To
me, the miracle is in that spak in between the two fingers - the spark that links the spiritualto the sensual. That spark is what NLP and modeling are all about. This is what I havesought to explore in this monograph - that interaction between the sacred and theprofane; the map and the territory; dream and reality; vision and action.
Vision
Gregory Bateson tells a story about Bedrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead, the
co-authors of great mathematical treatise Principia Mathmatica (which first established thenotion of logical levels, in relation to mathematical theory). The two worked together in
England, where Russell was a student of Whitehead, until Whitehead came to the UnitedStates to teach at Harvard University. At one point, Whitehead invited Russell to come to
Harvard to give a lecture on a new and intriguing theory by an unknown but aspiringyoung scientist named Albert Einstein. The lecture was apparently not terribly successful.
It was a hot, stuffy evening and everybody struggled follow Russell's explanation of
Einstein's theory of relativity. Russell closed to scattered applause and a fair amount ofdisquieting silence. Whitehead finally retook the podium, cleared his throat and said,"Well...l would like to thank my colleague Befirand Russell for leaving so totallyunobscured the vast darkness of the subject."
Bateson claims that, while some might see the comment as a kind of poke at hisformer student, Whitehead's comment was actually quite a compliment. He points out thatmost text books, presentations and theories do precisely the opposite - they obscure thevast darkness of the subject. People act as if they actually know what is going on.
In matters that are sacred and profound, the 'vast darkness of the subject' needs tobe acknowledged, as we try to shine aray of light into it. I have personally gazed into thatvast darkness in the eyes of my children in the moments after their birth, and in the eyes ofmy father in the moment of his death. I hope that this attempt to understand more about
Jesus - Page 89
the the mind of Jesus of Nazareth has not obscured that vastness but instead has beenable to cast some small light onto it.
Calling upon three of my own personal mentors - Gregory Bateson, AbrahamLincoln, and Albert Einstein - | would like to review some of the key points of thismonograph.
First and foremost is the fundamental presupposition that'the map is not theterritory." No map of Jesus' life, his cognitive patterns, nor the meaning of his message willever be the one right map - the wisest and most ecological maps are those whichintegrate together the broadest and richest number of perspectives, time frames andlevels. My goal has been to attempt to enrich our modern maps of Jesus, and thus ofourselves and our world, by applying some of the new filters, models and perspectivesthat are part of our current state of human intellectual evolution.
Secondly, and equally as important, is the presupposition that all l ife and mentalprocesses take place within an ecology of systems within systems within systems. All ofthese systems mutually interact with one another and co-influence one another. In thewords of Gregory Bateson:
"The individual mind is immanent, but not only in the body. tt isimmanent in pathways and messages outside the body; and there is alarger Mind of which the individual mind is onty a sub-system. Thislarger Mind is comparable to God and is perhaps what people mean by'God,'but it is still immanent in the total interconnected social systemand planetary ecology.,,
Within this framework, Jesus' abilit ies as a leader and a healer, and the fulfi l lment ofhis spiritual mission, would have been manifested in the concrete world through hisnervous system - a process that has structure. By applying some of the modelingprinciples and distinctions of NLP we have made an approximation of some of thecognitive and neurological structures implied by the reports of Jesus' words and actions inthe Gospels. Jesus' cognitive patterns seem to represent a state of the nervous system inwhich principles relating to the "larger Mind" may be somehow accessed - perhaps via akind of mechanism similar to an optical hologram - and then embodied within in a specificcontext through the activation and mobilization of successive levels of neural circuitry.This process allows one to perceive and effectively manage multiple levels of experience,time frames and perceptual positions within a system as one participates in the tasks andrelationships that make up one's identity and mission.
This kind of multi-dimensional process is essential in order to take wise and
Jesus - Page 90
ecological actions in a world where lhe map is not the territoty", and thus impossible for
any one person to have the one right map. As Abraham Lincoln pointed out:
"ln great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will
of God. Both may be, but one must be wrong. God cannot be for and
against the same thing at the same time...it is quite possible that God's
purpose is something different from the purpose of either party...Since
man is finite he can never be absolutely sure that he rightly senses the
will of the infinite God."
In the second part of this monograph we explored how NLP tools, skills and methods
could be applied to implement the patterns we had uncovered relating to Jesus'strategy
in a pragmatic way in our daily lives by exploring how we might operationalize his twogreat commandments. I presented some ways in which NLP tools such as anchoring,
accessing cues, language patterns, spatial sorting, time frames, logical levels andperceptual positions could be employed to enrich our own personal maps of ourselves
and the people and systems around us to incorporate and align all levels of our
experience.Rather than imposing rigid rules about which particular kinds of behavior are 'good'
or 'bad'; ' r ight ' or 'wrong', 'ethical ' or 'unethical ' , Jesus' two great commandments
describe a process through which appropriate actions may be generated and selectedwithin a changing world. No particular action can be evaluated outside of the context and
system within which it is occurring. A behavior that is appropriate in one situation or
context can be inappropriate and even destructive in another. What seems right on onelevel can seem wrong on another. What appears to be good in one time frame can appearbad in another. What seems ethical from one perspective can seem unethicalfrorn
another. ln the terms of NLP, the question is not whether a particular behavior in and ofitself is good, bad, right, wrong, ethical or unethical but rather whether the outcome of aparticular behavior is "aligned" and "ecological" with respect to all the systems it effects.
The two core presuppositions of NLP lead to the conclusion that all actions springfrom the positive intent of an organism to optimize its state and the state of the system inwhich it perceives itself as a member - within the confines of its model of the world. Theecology of an organism's actions is a result of its ability to perceive and represent theimplications of its behavior on the systems within systems of which it is a part, and on thekinds of choices and alternatives it perceives as being available to it. Even the mostaltruistic individual can act selfishly or unecologically if he or she perceives no otheralternative or is unaware of the impact his or her actions are having on the surrounding
Jesus - Page 91
system.To truly align ourselves toward our highest spiritual purpose with our hearts, souls,
minds and strength we need more than faith; we also need specific skills and tools. Withthe appropriate kinds of tools it becomes easier to manifest our own vision and missionand to truly ' love our neighbors as olrselves'.
Perhaps it has been the evolution of some of these abilit ies that have brought downthe Berlin Wall and the lron Curtain. Perhaps it is due to the lack of some of these skillsand tools that we still persecute and harm one another out of fear and anger and fightwars to settle disputes between nations. My hope is that this study has cast some morelight on how we might continue to enrich our maps and our abilit ies to understand andmanifest the 'larger mind' of which we are a part.
I can personally say that I often drawn upon the processes I have described here,
especially in situations that are difficult or challenging. For instance, I have been in thesituation of having to decide whether or not to remove someone that I dearly loved from
the medical life support system that was sustaining his physical existence. ln moments
such as these, one cannot look at one's watch, one's checkbook or one's past
accomplishments to make the decision. One must make one's best attempt to face the
vast darkness and peer into it to see whatever light or wisdom may be present in thatlarger hologram and, as a finite being, try to understand something of the infinite.
According to Albert Einstein:
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us'universe'...a part
limited in time and space. He experiences his thoughts and feelings as
separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal
desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to
free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to
embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
Those who have the ears to hear, let them hear.
Jesus - Page 92
Bibl iography
The Holy Bible, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN, 1976.
The Holy Bible: From the Ancient Eastern Manuscriplg George Lamsa, Harper &Row, San Francisco, CA, 1981.
The New Testament - King James Version, Gideons lnternational, Nashville, TN, 1975,1 986.
The New Testament - Revised Berkeley Version, Gideons International, Nashville,TN,1974.
The New Testament: A New Translation together with the Authorized Versionin Parallel Columns, James Moffatt, Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York, NewYork, 1935.
The Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha, Oxford University Press, Oxford,England, 1989.
New Testament Concordance - King James Version, Mark Haney, Midwest Software,Farmington, Ml, 1987.
Young's Analytical Concordance to The Bible, Robert Young, W.B. EerdmansPublishing Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1974.
The Other Gospels: Non-Canonical Gospel Texts, Ron Cameron (editor), TheWestminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1982
Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I, Dilts, R., Grinder, J., Bandler, R., Delozier, J.;Meta Publications, Cupertino, California, 1980.
Changing Beliefs With NLP, Dilts, R.;Meta Publications, Cupertino, California, 1990.
Beliefs; Pathways to Health and Well-Being, Dilts, R., Halbom, T. Smith, S.;Metamorphous Press, Portland, OR, 1990
Angels Fear: Towards an Epistemology of the Sacred, Gregory and Mary CatherineBateson, Bantam Books, New York, N.Y., 1988.
Mind and Nature, Bateson, Gregory; E. P. Dutton, New York, NY, 1979.
Sfeps To an Ecology of Mind, Bateson, Gregory; Ballantine Books, New York, N. Y.,1972.
The Structure of Magic Vol. I & //, Grinder, J. and Bandler, R.; Science and BehaviorBooks, Palo Alto, California, 1975,
Tools for Dreamers; Dilts, R. 8., Epstein, T., Dilts, R.W.; Meta Publications, Cupertino,Cal i fornia, 1991.
Frogs into Princes, Bandler, R. and Grinder, J.; Real People Press, Moab, Utah, 1984.
Jesus - Page 93
Plans and the Structure of Behavior, Miller, G., Galanter, E., and Pribraffi, K., Henry Holt& Co., Inc., 1960.
Principles of Psychology, William James, Britannica Great Books, EncyclopediaBritannica Inc., Chicago ll l., 1979.
Albert Einstein: Neuro-Linguistic Analysis of a Genius, Dilts, R., Dynamic LearningPublications, Ben Lomond, CA, 1990.
Turtles AII The Way Down: Prerequisifes to Personal Genius,J. DeLozier & John Grinder, Grinder Delozier & Associates, Santa Cruz, CA, 1987.
Rools of Neuro-Lingutstic Programming, Dilts, R.; Meta Publications, Cupertino,California, 1983.
Applications of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Dilts, R.; Meta Publications,Cupertino, California, 1 983.
THE SECOND CYBERNETICS: Deviation-Amplifying Mutual CausalProcesses, M. Maruyama, American Scientist, Vol. 51 , pp. 1 64-178, 1963.
JESUS; The Evidence, Wilson,lan; Harper & Row, San Francisco, CA, 1984.
The Psychiatric Study of Jesus, Albert Schweitzer, Beacon Press, Boston, Mass., 1948.
The Power Tactics of Jesus Christ, Jay Haley,W.W. Norton & Co., lnc., New York, N.Y.,1 986.
Luther's Meditations on the Gospels, Bainton, Roland (translator);The WestminsterPress, Philadelphia, PA, 1962.
Jesus Through the Centuries, Pelikan, Jaroslav; Yale University Press, New Haven,Connecticut, 1985.
The Historlcal Jesus, Cornfeld, G. (Ed.), Macmillan Publishing Co., lnc., New York, NY,1982.
The Miracles of Christ, Reading, D.; Fleming H. Revell Company, Westwood, NJ, 1964.
Jesus the Magician, Morton Smith, Harper & Row, San Francisco, CA, 1978.
The New Man: An lnterpretation of Some Parables and Miracles of Christ,Maurice Nicoll, Penguin Books, Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1967.
JESUS: An Historian's Review of the Gospels, Michael Grant, Charles ScribnersSons, New York, New York, 1977.
The Protestant Ethic And The Spirit ol Capitalism, Weber, Max; Charles Scribner'sSons, New York, N. Y., 1958.
The Variet ies of Rel igious Experience, James, Wil l iam;The New American Library Inc.,New Yourk, New York, 1958.
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Appendix A: Overview of NLP
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that encompasses the three mostinfluential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language andprogamming. The neurological system regulates how otu bodies function, language determines howwe interface and communicate with other people and our progamming determines the kinds of modelsof the world we create. Neuro-Linguistic Programming describes the fundamental dynamics benveenmind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how their interplay effects our body and behavior(programming).
NLP was originated by John Grinder (whose background was in linguistics) and Richard Bandler(whose background was in mathematics and gestalt therapy) for the purpose of making explicit modelsof human excellence. Their fust work The Strucrure of Magic Vol. I & II (1975,I976) identified theverbal and behavioral patterns of therapists Fritz Perls (the creator of gestalt therapy) and Virginia Satir(internationally renowned family therapist). Their next work Panerns of the Hypnortc Techniques ofMilton H. Erickson, MD.Vol.I & II (1975,1976) examined the verbal and behavioral panerns ofMilton Erickson, founder of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and one of the most widelyacknowledged and clinically successful psychiatrists of our times. As a result of this earlier work,Grinder and Bandler formalized their modeling techniques and their own individual contributionsunder the name "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" to symbolize the relationship between the brain,language and the body. The basics of this model has been described in a series of books includingFrogs Into Princes (Bandler & Grinder, 1979 ) , Neuro-Linguistic Progrananing Vol. / (Dila,Grinder,Bandler,Delozier, 1980), Refrarning @andler&Grinder, 1982) andUsingYourBrain(Bandler, 1985).
I. Basic Presuppositions of NLP
1, The Map Is Not The Territory.
As human beings, we can never know reality. We can only know ourperceptions of realiry. Weexperience and respond to the world around us primarily through our sensory representationalsystems. It is our'neuro-linguistic' maps of reality that determine how we behave and that give thosebehaviors meaning, not reality itself. It is generally not external reality that limits us or empowers us,but rather our map of reality.
2. Ltfe And 'Mind' Are Systemic Processes.
The processes that take place within a human being, and between human beings and theirenvironment, are systemic. Our bodies, our societies and our universe form an ecology of systems andsub-systems all of which interact with and mutually influence each other. It is not possible tocompletely isolate any part of the system from the rest of the system. Such systems are based uponcertain 'self organizing' principles and narurally seek optimal states of balance or homeostasis.
II. The T.O.T.E. Model
"The pursuance of funre ends and tlte choice of means for their anainment are the mark andcriterion of tle presence of rnentality in a phenomenon"
William James - Principles of Psychology
A mental strategy is typically organized into a basic feedback loop called a T.O.T.E. (Miller, et al,1960). The leners T.O.T.E. stand forTest-Operate-Test-Exit. TheT.O.T.E. conceptmaintains thatall mental and behavioral programs revolve around having afixed goal and avariable mcars toachieve tlnt goal. This model indicates that, as we think, we set goals in our mind (consciously orunconsciously) and develop a TEST for when that goal has been achieved. If that goal is not achievedwe OPERATE to change something or do something to get closer to our goal. When our TEST criteriahave been satisfied we then EXIT on to the next step. So the function of any particular part of abehavioral program could be to (T)est information from the senses in order to check progress towardsthe goal o: to (O)perate to change some part of the ongoing experience so that it can satisfy the (f)estand (E)xit on to the next part of the progpm.
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TEST
OPERATIONS
Flxed Future
Evidence forAchievementof the Goal
Flexibi l i ty of Meansto Accomplish Goals
E.x
EXIT
For example, one TEST for creativity might be that an idea is "unique". If the concept you havecome up with is not unique enough you will OPERAIE or go through a procedure to make the ideamore ufuque or to come up with a better concept. Individuals will have different ways to TEST forsomething like "uniqueneis" based on personal representational system preferences or proclivities.
III. Levels of Processing and Organization
People often talk about responding to things on different "levels". For instance, someone mightsay that some experience was negative on one level but positive on another level. In our brainstructure, language, and perceptual systems there are natural hierarchies or levels of experience. Theeffect of each level is to organize and control the information on the level below it. Changingsomething on an upper level would necessarily change things on the lower levels; changing somethingon a lower level could but would not necessarily effect the upper levels. Anthropologist GregoryBateson identified four basic levels of learning and change - each level more abstract than the levelbelow it but each having a greater degree of impact on the individual. These levels roughly correspondto:
SpirimalA. Who I Am - IdcntiryB . My Belief system - Valucs and MeaningsC . My Capabilities - Strategies and StatesD . What I Do or have Done - Specific BehaviorsE. My Environment- Exterral Corutraints
I
t
T. O. T.epesestr t
ate
Msion & Purpose Who Else?Mission Who?Permission & Motivation V/hy?Maps &Plans How?Actions & Reactions What?Consraints & Oppornrnities Wherc? When?
The environment level involves the qpecific external external conditions in which our behaviortakes place. Behaviors wittrout any inner map, plan or strategy to guide them, however, are like kneejerk reactions, habis or rituals. Arthe level of capability we ilre able to select, alter and adapt a class ofbehaviors to a wider set of external situations. At the level of beliefs and values we may encourage,inhibit or generalize a particular strategy, plan or way of thinking. Identity, of course, consolidateswhole systems of beliefs and values into a sense of self. While each level becomes more absractedfrom the specifics of behavior and sensory experience, it acrually has more and more widespread effecton our behavior and experience.
* Environtnental factors determine the extemal opportunities or constraints a person has to react to.Answer to the questions where? and when?
* Beluvior is made up of the specific actions or reactions taken within the environment. Answer tothe question what?
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* Capabiltties-guide a3d grve direction to behavioral actions through a mental map, plan or strategy.Answer to the question how?
* Beliefs,.Tndvalucs provide the reinforcement (motivation and permission) that supports or deniescapabilities. Answer to the question why?
* Identity _fa91o1s determine overall purpose (mission) and shape beliefs and values through oursense of self. Answer to the question wh o?
* Spiitwl issues relate to the fact that we are a pan of a larger system that reaches beyond ourselvesas individuals to our family, community and global systems. Answer to rhe questio; who else?
- Each 9{theqe processes involves a different level of organization and mobilizes successivelydeeper mobilization and commitment of neurological 'circuitry'.
Universe
Planet
Family
Network of Logical Levels
Spir i tual 'Trans-Mlsslon"
Who Else?
Mlsslon
Bel iefs/Values Pe rm lss lo n/M ot lvat lo nwhv?
Capabi l i t ies Dlrect lonHow?
Behavior Act lons
What?
Environment ConstralnlsWhere? When?
IV. The R.O.L.E. Model
. . The goal of the R..O.L.E. modeling process is to identify_ the essential elemenrs of thinking andbehavior used to produce a particular response or outcome.-This involves identifyine the critiial steosof the Tenl{ sqategy- and the-role-each step plays in the overall neurological "pr6grim". This rote i{etermingj !y tle-folowing four.factors which are indicated by the leneis whibh irat<e up name of theR. O . L. E . Model - R eprese ntatioral sy stems ; O ientabn ; L inks ; Effe c t.
.[epresentational Systems have to do with which of the five senses are most dominant for theparticular mental step in the strategy: Visual (sight), Auditory (sound), Kinesthetic (feeling), Olfactory(smell), Gustatory (taste).
Each repres-entational system is designed t-o pe-rceiye certain basic qualities of the experiences itsenses. These include characteristics such a; color, brightness, tone, lotiness, temperautre,preyufet etc. These qualities are called "sub-modalities" in NLP since they are sub-components ofeach of the representational systems.
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Representational Systems
SightVisrcl
v
Outside WorldExterrnl
e
":.T"? which
o
Recall ImaginationRemembered ConstructedOeft brain)
r
Ve-* l -a j
(right brain)c
v e,rr..Generatesa Feel ing
@
which Trigge.rs a which(JUESIION
Stimulatesa Fantasy
@@
Sequent la l L lnks
Simultaneous links occur as what are called synesthesia.r. Synesthesia links have to do with theongoing overlap between sensory representations. Certain qualities of feelings may be linked tocertain qualities of imagery - for example, visualizing the shape of a sound or hearing a color.
lmage
brightness -f f-* coU, af f f- movement - | I
l lL bcat ionJl lI
t temperature - ' 'I inbnsity
- I
Feel ing
Synesthesla Llnks
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zHSound Feeling Smell Taste
Audttory Kinesthertc Ofactory GwtatoryAKOG
Qrientation has to do with whether a particular sensory representation is focused (e)xternallytoward the ouside world or (i)nternally toward either (r)emembered or (c)onstructed experiences.For instance, when you are seeing something, is it in the ouside world, in memory or in yourimagination?
Inner ExperienceInternal
-/>-
3. Links have to do with how a particular step or sensory representation is linked to the otherrepresentations. For example, is something seen in the external environment linked to internalfeelings, remembered images, words? Is a particular feeling linked to constructed pictures, memoriesof sounds or other feelings?
There are two basic kinds of ways that representations can be linked together: sequentially andsimultaneously. Sequential links act as anclnrs or triggers such that one representation followsanother in a linear chain of events.
Orientation
Certainly, both of these kinds of links are essential to thinking, learning, creativity and the generalorganization of our experiences.
Links
. / \Sequential Simultaneous
AnclorslTriggers Synesthesias
A+ 11
eg. Sound or Wordis Followed by
a Feeling
/o\\* ,
eg. Feels a Sound orHears a Feeling
4. fffect has to do with the result, effect or purpose of each step in the thought process. Forinstance, the function of the step could be to generate or input a sensory representation, to test orevaluate a particular sensory representation or to operate to change some part of an experience orbehavior in relationship to a sensory representation.
GenerateInput
Evaluate
Test
Change
Oprue
V. Physiological Clues: Making the R.O.L.E. into a B.A.G.E.L.
The R.O.L.E. model elements deal primarily with cognitive processes. In order to function,however, these mental programs need the help of certain bodily and physiological processes forconsolidation and expression. These physical reactions are important for the teaching or developmentof certain mental processes as well as for the external observation and confirmation of them. Theprimary behavioral elements involved in R.O.L.E. modeling are:
Eody Posture.[ccessing cuesQestures.P;le movements.laanguage Patterns.
1 . Eody Posture
People often assume systematic, habitual postures when deep in thought. These postures canindicate a great deal about the representational system the person is using. The following are sometypical examples:
a. Visual: lzaning back with head and slnulders up or rounded, slnllow breathing.b. Auditory: Body leantng forward, head cocked, shoulders back, arms folded.c. Kinesthetic: Head and shoulders down, deep breathing.
Effect
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2. Accessing Cues
-. -- When people are thinking, they cue or trigger certain types of representations in a number ofdifferent ways inclgding: breathing rate, non-verbal "gruns and grodns", facial expressions, snappingthei{ fin-gen, s_cratching their heads, and so on. Somebf these are idiosyncratic to ihe individual-dndneed to be 'calibrated' to the particular person. Many of these cues, however, are associated toparticular sensory processes"
a. Visu3l: High shallow breathing, squintilg eyes, voice higher pitch and faster tempo.b. Audito-ry:. Dilphragmatic breathing, knitted brow, flucrualng voice tone and tempb.c. Kinesthetic: Deep abdominal breathing, deep breathy voice-in a slower tempo.
3. Qestures.
. . . People will often tolch, point to or use gestures indicating the the sense organ they are using tothink with. Some typical examples include: -
a. Visg.al: Torcling or pointing to the eyes; gestures nade above eye level.b. Auditory: ^ Pointing towardor gesruing iear the ears; touching the mouth or jaw.c. Kinestheticz Touching the cluit and siomach area; gestures iade below the-neck.
4. Eye movements
- Automatic, unconscious eye movements often accompany particular thought processes indicatingthe- accessing of one of the reprbsentational systems. NLP has'citegorized thes6 cues into thefollowing pattern:
vr€mgmbered
A[JI]8nlu"d
H?dlta
5. language Patterns
. Aprimary ry9qtd of Neuro-Linguistic analysis is to search for particular linguistic patterns, suchas 'predicates', which in-dicate a particular neurological representational system or sub-midality, andhow that system or qgality is being used in the overall program of thought. hedicates are woids, suchas verbs, adverbs and adjectives, which indicate actioni oiqualities as opposed to things. This type oflanguage is.tlpically selected at an unconscious level and thus reflects thl underlying uiconscioui'structure which produced them. Below is a list of common sensory based pred.iiates:
VIST]AL"see""look""sight""clear""bright""picture""hazy""brings to light""show"
AUDITORY"hear""listen""sound""resonant""lortd""word"'noisy""rings a bell""tell"
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KINESTHETIC"grasp""touch""feeling""solid""heavy""harl.dle""rough"" connects""move"
vcson?tructed
Kin est het ic