For most people who are not familiar with NLP, this combination of letters is associated with hypnosis, manipulation of consciousness, and zombification. In fact, neurolinguistic programming? it is just a technology for setting and achieving goals, a way of learning something new and enjoying life.
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WikiReference: Presuppositions in NLP are axiomatic beliefs used as a tool to facilitate the achievement of the desired effects from techniques.
Nowadays, many people study NLP, receive certificates as practitioners and masters, and they do this, first of all, in order to make their own lives more harmonious and happy. The philosophy of NLP is based on several main presuppositions, axioms, universal rules of perception and interaction with this world and the people around us. Even if you are not going to study NLP, knowledge of these basic rules can help him understand the world and himself better, and, therefore, become more successful and happier.
You need to reach deep thoughts. Stanislav Jerzy Lec
So, here they are, the basic presuppositions of NLP:
The map is not the territory
How a person perceives the world around him and what this world really is? two different things. Everything is subjective.
If we think we know something or someone, then in reality we only know our personal idea of that thing or person. Here, for example, is our good friend. We are convinced that we know him very well, that he is a wonderful person. And suddenly we find out that he committed a terrible act. Often we simply refuse to believe it, saying to ourselves: “How could I be so wrong?”
If the map is not the territory, then we always remember that we can make mistakes and draw hasty conclusions. In order to understand this world better, and to always be ready for changes, we try not to judge categorically and constantly observe, receive maximum objective information about the outside world, on the basis of which we can then try to draw conclusions.
Sherlock Holmes followed this principle: while the police and Dr. Watson were making assumptions on the basis of which they committed rash actions, Holmes collected maximum objective information. Therefore, his “map” was most often one-to-one similar to reality.
Basic presuppositions: 20 NLP rules for every day (part 1)
Author:
Baryshev Artyom Nikolaevich – Trainer, Psychiatrist-Narcologist, NLP Trainer, Hypnotherapist.
Yakubovsky Evgeniy Sergeevich – Trainee, NLP Master.
Currently, there is a tendency to judge NLP superficially, having become familiar with a couple of technologies... More and more often, you come across those who have heard something about adjustments and reframing and think that they have already mastered NLP. There are also those who think that NLP is manipulation, zombification, pick-up...
It’s not enough to just become familiar with the technologies and tools. Without understanding how they work and what they are based on, their use will be ineffective and, as a result, useless. And before drawing any conclusions regarding one of the most effective areas of practical psychology, it is important to get acquainted with the foundation on which it is based. We will talk about the basic presuppositions of NLP.
Basic presuppositions of NLP are axiomatic beliefs on which the entire methodology and principles of work in NLP are based. The significance of presuppositions lies not in the fact that they are true, but in the fact that they represent a more flexible way of thinking, the use of which is most effective for performing any task in NLP and in life in general.
Basic presuppositions are often compared with a certain philosophy, worldview, set of rules and regulations, on the basis of which all techniques work.
But we would like to focus not on techniques, but on life itself and all its manifestations. After all, when you read these presuppositions, you will understand that the world can be looked at from a different angle and through different filters. And by introducing presuppositions into your life, you will quickly feel changes in those life contexts in which stagnation was noted.
Popular posts on social networks include: “20 rules for being a millionaire... 10 commandments for a happy life... 33 tips that will make you healthy...”. Usually, after quickly viewing a post, users repost it or simply like it, conveniently forgetting about the content of the post amid the information noise.
Read this article slowly. Stop at each presupposition. Try them on for yourself and think about how they are reflected in your life and what meaning they carry for you.
No. 1. The map is not the territory.
When we look at a map of the area, we are clearly aware that this is only a diagram of reality. And reality is often different from what is on the map. This is very easy to check: take a map from 3-5 years ago and check the territory - you will find a large number of inaccuracies. When a map is compiled, information undergoes a number of metamorphoses: generalization (every tree in the forest is not drawn, but is marked with a conventional “forest” icon), omission (individual small objects are not plotted on the map as unnecessary) and distortion (the most obvious is the scale, proportions of the map and reality). And we, knowing all this, use the map and are prepared for the inaccuracies that we may discover.
Likewise, there is no objective experience in a person’s head. Any of his experiences is subjective: passed through internal filters and peculiarly distorted. Therefore, perception of a situation is not a situation. Attitude towards a person does not describe his personality. Thoughts about yourself are not you. Your model of the world is not the world itself.
If a person does not follow this presupposition, then he begins to measure everyone and everything, relying solely on his point of view, his “correct” map.
Point 1: The boss is always right.
Point 2: If the boss is wrong, then see point 1.
- What is it like to live/work/communicate with such a person? What if this person is you?
No. 2. All people are different.
All people are different - this is an indisputable fact. There are rich and poor, healthy and sick, beautiful and scary, hardworking and lazy, old and young, small and big... Oh yes... There are also women and men! It would be easy if our life was divided into black and white... But we have a combination of colors! And this is wonderful!
There is no need to judge everyone based on your own preferences. Worry that a person is not what you want him to be. It is the understanding and acceptance of the diversity of this world that makes a person flexible and happy. Agree that it is stupid to wait for the blue color to suddenly turn red.
What happens if you ignore this presupposition? Imagine a young girl who has come to the conclusion that “all men are assholes” based on 3-5 cases of unsuccessful relationships... The situation will most likely be such that either she will remain “to be a girl” for the rest of her life, or she will while away the evenings with another “goat”, complaining about it at every corner. Men are all different... And goats are also different...
No. 3. Life and thinking are systemic processes.
Our life is made up of events that happen to us and that we create. Any action that a person performs is controlled to one degree or another by his thinking. One system (life) is closely connected with the second system (thinking). This means that a systemic relationship is being built, where “a way of thinking = a way of living .
If you throw a stone into the water, you will see circles running across the water surface. It’s the same in life... If we influence one element of the system, it inevitably affects all the others. For example, many people cannot understand the relationship between stress at work, smoking, excess weight and problems with high blood pressure.
No. 4. Consciousness and body are part of one biocybernetic system.
How we feel greatly influences our thinking. Conversely, our thoughts and psychological problems quite often affect our overall well-being.
The principle is very clearly traced in such phenomena as psychosomatics (the influence of mental and emotional status on health and body) and somatopsychics (the opposite phenomenon, reflecting the influence of diseases on the functioning of the brain). You can learn more about scientific discoveries in this area in Mark Hyman’s book “Brain Feedback,” which once again emphasizes the inextricable connection between consciousness and body.
No. 5. The system is controlled by the one who is most flexible. The thinnest element of a system determines its stability.
It is the one who has the greatest flexibility in interacting with others who determines the course of events in the system. And this applies to any context and system (from business negotiations to relationships).
And at the same time, the stability of the system will be determined by the stability of its weakest part. This principle is very close to the physical principle: the strength of a body is equal to the strength of its weakest part.
Imagine that when communicating with loved ones you are constantly waiting for someone else to give in, offer, help, say, etc.
- Is there flexibility in this situation? Are you in control of the situation? Or does it all depend on the other person...
No. 6. The system cannot know itself from the inside. To describe a system it is necessary to go beyond its boundaries.
The principle was formulated by Einstein: “The brain that created the problem cannot find its solution.” Therefore, now there are a number of professions that work according to this principle: mediators (professionals for resolving conflicts), business auditors (outside professionals who delve into a business, find its weaknesses and help optimize them), psychotherapists (sort out the personal problems of people with whom they are unable to cope on their own).
Man is also a system. If he has talents, then, having gotten used to them, he does not consider them something special. And when he is praised, he does not always understand why he is worthy of praise, hence the widespread lack of faith in his own abilities. Often, only an outside perspective can help you understand this. The same rules apply when a person cannot find a way out of a situation: often only outside help can really change the course of things.
No. 7. Changes can be immediate
We are talking mainly about internal changes. And this is only the first step (see presupposition No. 3), since internal changes inevitably lead to external changes. When considering this presupposition of NLP, the main thing is to realize that in order to effectively work on oneself, it is important, first of all, to take care of creating all the necessary conditions for changes (the necessary context, updating values, inducing a certain emotional state, key actions, etc.), which will help make these changes natural and fast. The physiological basis for these changes is the natural plasticity of the brain: if a person, for example, can learn to be afraid of something in an instant, why should it take years to reverse learning?
All this reflects the key principle of the NLP approach:
maximum effect in minimum time, but not faster than quality!
You can't change your life in one night... But in one night you can change thoughts that will change your life forever.
Omar Khayyam
Each person can find confirmation of this presupposition in his own experience: when our idea of something changed in seconds, when we firmly made decisions and our behavior instantly changed. And then it turns out that the time required for change is an instant. And you don’t have to wait years to notice these changes and feel the results for yourself. But there are also those who believe that it is impossible to change quickly, so they continue to delve into the same problems for years and decades.
No. 8. Having a choice is always better than not having it.
A large part of basic NLP skills is learning to recognize stuck situations and how new options can be seen, in line with the aphorism that choice begins where there are three options. The more options a person can choose, the more freedom in his actions and, accordingly, the more different results he can get.
Many people prefer to bury their nose in any one option and shout at every step that “I have no choice” or “I don’t want to, but I have to”! Also, many, after several attempts, “choose” to stop - “I tried everything.” Is that all true? Another example is the common phrase: “Some things we wish we didn’t know.” By limiting ourselves to information, we limit our ability to make the best choice. Finding obstacles that force you to retreat or focus on finding opportunities is also a choice. Elections surround us everywhere; many, even life-changing ones, we may not notice at all. The task of NLP is to expand the number of life choices: in behavior, reactions to something, methods of communication, self-realization, etc.
No. 9. Subjective experience consists of sights, sounds, sensations, tastes and smells.
All subjective experience is processed by the five senses only. Any memory you take will be described only through images, sounds, sensations, taste and smell. There are no other options. Anyone who knows how to change the characteristics of internal images knows how to change their attitude towards memories and life itself.
No. 10. People strive to find meaning in everything.
Human nature is such that the brain tries to find an explanation for almost any event. “Why, why, what if...?”
The search for meaning and deeper intention has always puzzled human minds. And even if we don’t take global things, such as the meaning of existence and life, then each of us tries to understand the meaning of actions, actions, phrases, etc. And then, based on the found meaning, a map is formed (see presupposition No. 1) and the personality itself. Therefore, how many people there are, so many personalities and meanings of life. At the same time, the meanings that we see when we are in any situation do not always correspond to the truth.
Curious to know what's next?
In the next article we will reveal 10 more presuppositions, and also propose various ways to implement them in life. Change your life for the better!
Series of articles: “20 NLP rules for every day”:
- Part one (Basic presuppositions No. 1-10)
- Part two (Basic presuppositions No. 11-20)
Other articles
Algorithm for working with childhood experiences and traumas
Basic presuppositions: 20 NLP rules for every day (part 1)
Basic presuppositions: 20 NLP rules for every day (part 2)
Consciousness and body are parts of a single cybernetic system
Our body and mind are inextricably linked. If we imagine a certain sensation well, we will soon experience it. The condition of our body depends 80 percent on what we think about it.
Example
For example, a person who concentrates on pain suffers, and when distracted from it, he seems to forget about its existence. Even in the case of a serious illness, imagining your recovery and good health allows you to recover much faster.
Exactly, ? imagining yourself being able to move, ? NLP founder Milton Erickson rose from a wheelchair after suffering from polio.
Presupposition No. 2. Mind and body are elements of one system
In a wretched body the mind withers. (c) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
And a poor mind dooms the body.
The state of the body affects the state of the mind, and vice versa. Pay attention to how you show up in a physical sense. How do you feel, how do you move, what is your posture, what is your facial expression? All this directly affects not only your internal state, but also the perception of you by other people.
Energy, straightened chest, wide open eyes, light smile, clear clear voice, smooth movements - and voila! They like you, captivate you, inspire respect, even trust. This causes an even greater dopamine release, which activates your thought processes and motivation to work, create and communicate.
The happy circle closes, and it is difficult to understand what came first - the mind or the body. But this doesn’t matter, the main thing here is different: by improving one thing, the other improves.
What does this presupposition teach us?
- The body depends on the mind just as the mind depends on the body. Put one thing in order, and another will come into order.
The meaning of a message is the behavioral response it evokes.
The main goal of any speech is to change behavior.
If we say something, or are told something, this is not done in order to convey information, but with the aim of inducing some kind of action. Directly or indirectly.
For example, if we want a child to wash his hands before eating, we can tell him directly: “Go and wash your hands!”, or we can tell him about the dangerous germs that crawl on his hands. Then the child will run to the bathroom himself. In any case, the ultimate goal of our speech will be his behavior. It follows from this that before communication it is always necessary to set a specific goal - what behavior we want to achieve from a person. If there are no specific goals yet, then the goal should at least be to form a good attitude and trust in us. So that later it will be easier to achieve your goal.
Characteristics of basic presuppositions in NLP
First you need to believe in the truth of the presuppositions, and then begin to build your life based on them. There is no complete and only correct list of presuppositions. But there are several that are used most often. English NLP trainer Jane Revell calls them assumptions.
The map is not the territory
This postulate belongs to international researcher Alfred Korzybski. Discussions on this topic are found in many journalistic and artistic texts. According to this statement, the structure of the map is only similar to the territory that is displayed on it. The map here generally refers to personal beliefs, and the territory the whole world. The subjective experiences of an individual never touch objective reality; his perception cannot cover it.
A person can always make mistakes in his ideas about other people and objects, because he often sees them from one side, which is convenient for him. It turns out that reality and a person’s beliefs are too far from each other. In the process of communication, it is impossible to fully understand the interlocutor due to the fact that it is unclear how he perceives the words spoken. They can mean something completely different to different people.
It's normal that a map can never turn into a world. There are a great variety of maps as terrain diagrams. Each of them displays only a specific area and is not suitable for another. A specific individual has his own map of the world, which is significantly different from the map of the world of another, even a close person. A person’s perception of the world is a unique thing.
Body and consciousness are one system
This presupposition is based on the assertion that the processes occurring in the body, in a certain group of people and in the world are closely interconnected with each other. They are all included in so-called complex systems, which are divided into subsystems. If you track the principles by which they operate, you can significantly improve your existence by coordinating your behavior with the operating principles of other subsystems.
The perception of systems and subsystems is heterogeneous. This applies to specialists from different fields of knowledge: their understanding of the world around them varies.
Perception occurs comprehensively - at the physical, mental and mental levels. If the body changes, then changes occur in the consciousness. When mental processes change, it sends a signal to the body. So, thanks to positive thoughts, a person begins to smile.
Also, mental conviction of something can lead to real sensations of it. In practice, this presupposition is used when it is necessary to copy the preferred behavior of a successful person.
The basis of any action is a positive intention
Any action always has a positive end goal, even if it is not visible at first. An individual’s behavior may be perceived by others as negative, because they do not see all the true goals. For the individual himself, this is the most suitable option of all possible at the moment. To move towards your goal, you need to adopt new behavior patterns.
Often a second part of the presupposition is added - the positive intention is associated with the original environment. The man behaved this way before, and it benefited him.
This presupposition helps to establish the true causes of neuroses, identifying secondary benefits. A clear example is when a child falls on the street not because of clumsiness, but because he wants to attract the attention of his parents.
It is also useful in the fight against various kinds of addictions and manipulations. It is important to learn to identify and share people's intentions and goals.
There are no mistakes, only feedback
If you did something and it didn't work out, it doesn't mean you lost. This means that you have eliminated one of the wrong options from the ways to achieve your goal, thereby getting closer to the result.
Example
Imagine that you were given a gun and 10 rounds of ammunition. Your goal is to hit the target. You aim exactly at the center of the target and shoot, but the bullet hits a few centimeters to the left of the target. What are you doing? You just move the sight to the right and hit the target the second time.
The main quality of a successful person is the understanding that failures correct the path to the goal . Therefore, if something doesn’t work out, try to do it in a new way, analyzing the experience of the previous action, and very soon you will achieve your goal.
Types of NLP presuppositions
Different authors identify different settings that they consider basic. The lists of basic presuppositions compiled by R. Bandler, R. Dilts, S. Andreas and other researchers do not coincide in everything, but they are invariably associated with one of the following categories, and may combine two or even all three parameters:
- efficiency
– achieving the goal with the most successful results; - permission
– the right or opportunity to perform an action; - ecology
– acceptability of consequences.
Positive intention underlies all behavior
Whatever a person does, he does it in order to achieve something, to get something.
From an NLP perspective, action always has a purpose. This means that if you do not understand a person’s behavior, then, first of all, you must think about what he wants to achieve for himself. It is very important to understand that, in the end, a person achieves something exclusively for himself. Even holy people who selflessly help the suffering do this to save their own souls.
By the way, compliance with this rule is the best protection against all kinds of manipulation, fraud and deception. If you constantly ask yourself the question: “Why is he offering me this (saying, convincing)? How is this beneficial for him?”, then it becomes much more difficult to deceive you.
The meaning of presuppositions
The ideas that form the basis of neurolinguistic psychology play an essential role. They provide the following:
- charge people with optimism, as they are positive beliefs (affirmations);
- allow you to see goals ahead;
- help you look at the world around you in a new way;
- block negative old channels of emotions and open new ones aimed at positivity.
In order to fully understand the NLP theory of presupposition, a person needs to go beyond his own mind and open his consciousness. It must become receptive to accepting new ideas.
Everything that the presupposition includes must be perceived as it is. Existing postulates cannot be changed. Such actions will certainly lead to disruptions in consciousness.
NLP presuppositions allow a person to create a system of personal beliefs that are universal for any life situation. The subconscious helps people solve the problem of realizing their beliefs. After all, it is precisely on him that presupperpositions exert their influence.
Any behavior represents a choice of the best option from available
This NLP presupposition seems to continue the commandment of Christ: judge not, lest ye be judged.
If you see a person who is doing something that you think is wrong, it does not mean that he is stupid, just that he is doing what is the best choice in his situation.
If we forget about this rule, then instead of understanding the situation, we begin to give meaningless advice.
Example
Imagine that you see a person pushing a car in front of him. We approach him and ask why he can’t just get in the car and drive. The man tells us that his car is broken. This is, of course, a simplified example, but it often happens that we judge a person’s behavior from outside his situation, from the outside.
It is free choice that creates personality. To be means to choose yourself. Albert Camus
What are NLP presuppositions?
In fact, presuppositions in neurolinguistic programming are axioms
, which followers of NLP techniques use to effectively use other tools, form their worldview and views on a particular issue.
The value of presuppositions lies not in their truthfulness
(exact correspondence with objective reality), but in the fact that a person following such attitudes will perform the tasks facing him
faster and more efficiently
.
In other words, presupposition is not the ultimate truth. Rather, it is an assumption, a useful idea
that allows you to look at the situation differently, find a solution to the problem, get out of the conflict (or even not enter into it), etc.
Many of us use NLP techniques in our daily lives. For example, before a date/important meeting, some people tell their reflection in the mirror: “You can handle everything, baby” or “You look amazing, handsome.” Presuppositions can also be very useful
. Below we will look at the most interesting of them and how they are used.
The reason for the effectiveness of NLP techniques
According to the creators of NLP, our Universe is a human-friendly sphere. The world is selflessly generous, infinitely kind and infinitely beautiful. It is the person himself who makes him stingy, evil and ugly, using his perceptions and his actions, without controlling the activity of the brain and filling it with negativity. However, all this is quite easy to change. To do this, you just need to use NLP presuppositions. And then we will understand and accept that a person himself is capable of controlling his brain and the results of his own activities.
The effectiveness of NLP techniques lies in their reliance on the power of our unconscious. According to experts working in this area, only 6% of programs and plans for human behavior are conscious. The remaining 94% function and operate at the subconscious level. When explaining this, NLP masters give a computer analogy that is quite understandable to modern people. Thus, any PC consists of a display on which the necessary information is displayed, and which, in its direction, affects the zone of immediate consciousness. It is impossible to operate a computer without RAM. It can be considered a complete analogue of the conscious part of the human psyche. All accumulated information is contained on the computer’s hard disk, which is located in the system unit. It corresponds to our unconscious.
Analyzing the roles of the conscious and unconscious, NLP masters unconditionally highlight the latter of these two levels. The speed of the latter is several orders of magnitude higher. In addition, only a small part of the information accumulated by a person is stored in consciousness. But on the hard drive of our brain there is a complete record of all the information and events that were gleaned and passed through by a person on his life’s path. The importance of the unconscious part of the mind lies in its ability to connect to the Collective Unconscious. This allows a person to achieve his goals by directing his thoughts in the right direction.
