NLP Glossary A-C
Accessing Cues: External signs that give us information about what we do inside. The signs may include shifts in voice, breathing, gestures, posture, and eye patterns/movements.
“As If” Frame: This is “acting as if” something were true. An example of this would be pretending that you are competent at something that you are not, like tennis. The idea is that the pretense will increase your capability.
Analogue: Marking out a part of a sentence with some nonverbal behavior.
Analogue Marking: Analogue distinctions have discrete variations, as in an analogue watch. This is as opposed to Digital. You can notice time pass with analogue (as in the moving hands of a watch), in digital you just see result, but not the passage it went through to get there.
Anchoring: The NLP Technique whereby a stimulus is linked to a response. An Anchor can be intentional or naturally occurring.
Associated: It deals with your relationship to an experience. In a memory, for example, you are associated when you are looking through your own eyes, and experiencing the auditory and kinaesthetic at the same time.
Auditory: Hearing
Auditory Digital: Auditory Digital is the Representational System dealing with logic and the way we talk to ourselves (self-talk). During the process of building our models of the world, language is attached to our experiences. The collection of word symbols and the rules that govern their use make up a unique and distinct, sixth representational system. This is called our Auditory Digital (Ad) system or how we talk to ourselves. It is not an analogue system like the other representational systems and not related to any specific sensory organ.
Backtrack: To go back and summarize or review what was previously covered, as in a meeting.
Behaviour: Any external verifiable activity we engage in.
Beliefs: Generalizations we make about the world and our opinions about it.
Calibration: Usually involves the comparison between two different sets of non-verbal cues (external verifiable behaviour). It allows us to distinguish another’s state through non-verbal cues.
Cause & Effect: Cause and Effect in NLP is where a client is not empowered and not seeing any relationship between their problem/issue/pattern and themselves.
Chunking: As in thinking – moving up or down a logical level. Chunking up is moving up to a higher, more abstract level that includes the lower level. Chunking down is moving to a level, which is more specific.
Complex Equivalence: This occurs when two statements are considered to mean the same thing, E.G.: “She doesn’t look at me, and that means she doesn’t like me.”
Congruence: When the behaviour (external verifiable) matches the words the person says.
Conscious: That of which we are currently aware.
Contrastive Analysis: This is a Sub Modality process analysing two sets of Sub Modalities to discover the Drivers, I.E.: What makes them different.
Content Reframe: (Also called a Meaning Reframe) Giving another meaning to a statement by recovering more content, which changes the focus, is a Content Reframe. You could ask yourself, “What else could this mean?” or “What is something you had not noticed?”
Context Reframe: Giving another meaning to a statement changing the context. You could ask yourself, “What is another context in which this behaviour would be more appropriate?”
Critera:
The NLP word for values – what is important to you. (See Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality, 1988.)
Crossover Mirroring: Matching a person’s external behaviour with a different movement, E.G.: Moving your finger to match the client’s breathing.
NLP Glossary D-F
Deep Structure: The unconscious basis for the surface structure of a statement. Much of the deep structure is out of awareness.
Deletion: One of the three major processes (including distortion and generalisation) on which the Meta Model is based. Deletion occurs when we leave out a portion of our experience.
Digital: (As opposed to Analogue) Digital distinctions have distinct variations of meaning as in a Digital watch, or an “On/Off” switch.
Dissociated: It deals with your relationship to an experience. In a memory, for example, you are dissociated when you are not looking through your own eyes, and you see your body in the picture.
Distortion: One of the three major processes (including deletion and generalisation) on which the Meta Model is based. Distortion occurs when something is mistaken for that which it is not. In India there is a metaphor which explains this: A man sees a piece of rope in the road and thinks it is a dangerous snake, so he warns the village, but there is no snake.
Double Binds: Double Binds in NLP are Questions that give a client a “free choice” among two or more comparable alternatives. They are based on the notion of multilevel communication.
Downtime: Down time occurs whenever we go inside. It can occur when we go internal for a piece of information or when we get in touch with feelings. (See Up Time.)
Drivers: In Sub Modalities, drivers are the difference that makes the difference. Discovered through the process of Contrastive Analysis, Drivers are the critical Sub Modalities, and when changed tend to carry the other Sub Modalities with them.
Ecology: In NLP, Ecology is the study of consequences. We are interested in the results of any change that occurs. It is often useful to look at the ecology in making any change as to the consequences for self, family (or business), society and planet.
Embedded Command: An Embedded Command in NLP a command that is inside a longer sentence marked out by voice, tone or gesture.
Embedded Question: An Embedded Question in NLP is a question that is inside a longer sentence marked out by voice tone or gesture.
Elicitation: Inducing a state in a client, or gathering information by asking questions or observing the client’s behaviour.
Epistemology: The study of knowledge or how we know what we know.
Eye Accessing Cues: Movements of the eyes in certain directions which indicate visual, auditory or kinaesthetic thinking.
Eye Patterns: Eye patterns (also called eye accessing cues) in NLP Are Movements of the eyes in certain directions that indicate visual, auditory, self-talk or kinaesthetic thinking.
4 Mat System: The basic premise of the 4-Mat system is that we all have different learning styles. Some people are motivated by Why? questions. They want to know why they are listening to this talk. Others by What? questions; they want information…and probably lots of it! The How? people want to get on and do an exercise, get their hands on it and try it. Then there are the What if? people who want to know how this material applies to their life, workplace or environment.
Feedback: Feedback in NLP is the results of your being able to reflect on your last actions to influence your next step.
First Postion: This is one of the Perceptual Positions. First Position is when you are in touch with only your own inner Model of the World.
Fractionization: Fractonization in NLP is repeating the induction of trance which deepens trance, incrementally every time someone accesses the same procedure. You can accentuate this by mentioning that the client can deepen every time they access the state.
Frame: A frame sets a context, which is a way we can make a distinction about something, as in As-If Frame, Backtrack Frame, Outcome Frame.
Future Pace: Mentally rehearsing a future result to install a recovery strategy so that the desired outcome occurs.
NLP Glossary G-J
Generalization: One of the three major processes (including distortion and deletion) on which the Meta Model is based. Generalization occurs when one specific experience represents a whole class of experiences.
Gestalt: Gestalt in NLP is a collection of memories around a certain topic or context.
Gustatory: Taste
Hakalau: The Hakalau, also called the learning state or peripheral vision. This Hakalau comes from Hawaii, and is an incredible process to place yourself in a state where there are no negative emotions and you have complete awareness.
Hierarcy of Ideas: The Hierarchy of Ideas (also known as Chunking) is a linguistic tool used in NLP that allows the speaker to traverse the realms of abstract to specific easily and effortlessly.
When we speak or think we use words that indicate how abstract, or how detailed we are in processing the information. In general, as human beings our brain is quite good at chunking information together in order to make it easier for us to process and simpler to understand.
Hypnosis: The Hakalau, also called the learning state or peripheral vision. This Hakalau comes from Hawaii, and is an incredible process to place yourself in a state where there are no negative emotions and you have complete awareness.
In Time: A way of internally storing time. In Time means time is now.
Incongruence: When the behaviour (external verifiable) does not match the words the person says.
Intent: The outcome of a behaviour.
Internal Representations: The content of our thinking which includes Pictures, Sounds, Feelings, Tastes, Smells, and Self Talk.
NLP Glossary K-M
Kinaesthetic: This sense includes feelings, and sensations.
Lateral Thinking: Lateral thinking will be the process of chunking up and then looking for other examples: For example “for what intentions cars?”, “transportation”, “what are other examples of transportation?” “Buses!”
Law of Requisite Variety: The Law of Requisite Variety states that “In a given physical system, that part of the system with the greatest flexibility of behaviour will control the system.”
Lead System: This is where we go to access information. The Lead System is discovered by watching Eye Accessing Cues.
Limiting Belief: Limiting beliefs can prevent us from achieving what we want out of life. By believing them we limit the opportunities presented to us.
People hold beliefs about rights, duties, abilities, permissions etc. Limiting beliefs are often about ourselves and our self-identity. Other beliefs may also be about other people or the world in general.
Limiting Decision: A Limiting Decision in NLP is the decision that preceded the creation of a Limiting Belief.
Logical Level: The level of specificity or abstraction. (E.G.: Money is a lower logical level than Prosperity.)
Logical Type: The category of information. (E.G.: Ducks are a different logical type from Cars.)
Lost Performative: Lost Performative in NLP is where in language, a statement is uttered without qualifying the source, the logic of=r the reality of the premise.
Mapping Across: Following Contrastive Analysis, Mapping Across is the Sub Modality process of actually changing the set of Sub Modalities of a certain Internal Representation to change its meaning. E.G.: Mapping the Sub Modalities of Ice Cream (which the client likes) over to those of Yogurt (which the client does not like) should cause the client to dislike Ice Cream.
Matching: Deliberately imitating portions of another’s behaviour for the purpose of increasing rapport. (E.G.: If we both raise our right hand, then I am matching you.)
Meaning Frame: (Sometimes called a Content Reframe) Giving another meaning to a statement by recovering more content, which changes the focus, You could ask yourself, “What else could this mean?” or “What is something you had not noticed in this context which will change the meaning of this?”
Meta Model: Meta Model means “Over” Model. A model of language, derived from Virginia Satir that allows us to recognise deletions, generalizations and distortions in our language, and gives us questions to clarify imprecise language.
Meta Programs: These are unconscious, content-free programs we run which filter our experiences. Toward & Away From, and Matching & Mismatching are examples of Meta Programs.
Metaphor: A story (analogy or figure of speech) told with a purpose, which allows us to bypass the conscious resistance of the client and to have the client make connections at a deeper level.
Milton Model: The Milton Model has the opposite intent of the Meta Model (Trance), and is derived from the language patterns of Milton Erickson. The Milton Model is a series of abstract language patterns which are ambiguous so as to match our client’s experience and assist her in accessing unconscious resources.
Mind Read: Mind read in NLP is claiming to know someone else’s thoughts without having enough information to be accurate
Mirroring: This is a technique where you subtly imitate another person’s behavior, such as body language or gestures. For instance, if someone raises their right hand, and you raise your left, you are mirroring them. This can help build rapport and create a sense of connection.
Mis-matching: This involves deliberately contrasting or contradicting another person’s behavior or communication. It's used in NLP to break patterns or to create a change in the interaction, often to address or challenge unhelpful behaviors or assumptions.
Modalities: In NLP, modalities refer to the sensory channels through which we experience the world: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory. Each modality helps us process and interpret experiences, and understanding these can aid in effective communication and behavior change.
Modal Operator: These are specific types of words that express necessity or possibility. The Modal Operator of Necessity includes words like "should," "must," and "have to," indicating rules or obligations. The Modal Operator of Possibility includes words like "can" and "cannot," reflecting what is perceived as possible or impossible.
Model: In NLP, a model is a framework or description of how a particular behavior or concept works. It encompasses the strategies, filter patterns (beliefs and values), and physiology that define the behavior, making it easier to replicate or teach.
Modelling: This is the process of studying and replicating successful behaviors or thought processes. By identifying the strategies, beliefs, values, and physiological aspects that contribute to a behavior, NLP practitioners can create a structured approach to help others reproduce similar outcomes.
Model of the World: This term refers to an individual's unique set of values, beliefs, and attitudes that shape their perception and understanding of the world. Each person’s Model of the World influences how they interpret experiences and interact with others.
NLP Glossary N-Q
NLP: Neuro-Linguistic Programming is the study of excellence, which describes how our thinking produces our behaviour, and allows us to model the excellence and to reproduce that behaviour.
Nominalization: A process word which has been turned into a noun, often by adding “tion”.
Olfactory: Sense of smell.
Outcome: Desired result.
Overlapping: Using a preferred representational system to allow us to gain access to another, E.G.: “Imagine walking (preferred rep system) along the beach and hearing the birds. Now, look down at the sand and feel the cool wet sand beneath your feet.”
Pacing: Pacing is matching or mirroring another person’s external behaviour so as to gain rapport.
Parts: Parts are a portion of the unconscious mind, which often have conflicting beliefs and values.
Parts Integration: An NLP technique, which allows us to integrate parts at the unconscious level by assisting each one to traverse logical levels (by chunking up) and to go beyond the boundaries of each to find a higher level of wholeness.
Pattern Interrupt: A Pattern Interrupt in NLP is a series of interruptions that break a habit or state. So much so, that the interruption becomes part of the pattern. If you think of strategies, where to make a behaviour work it needs 1,2,3,4 to be firing in the right order, or A,B,C before it works, think of interrupting A,B,C. When you keep interrupting the behaviour or state as it’s trying to work itself, the pattern can’t fire off and eventually the person experiences the intervention you are using as part of the process and therefore can’t successfully do the old pattern anymore! This is not the same as a breaking state.
Perceptual Positions: Describes our point of view in a specific situation: First Position is our own point of view. Second Position is usually someone else’s point of view. Third position is the point of view of a dissociated observer.
Phobia: A Phobia is a severe, associated, unwanted, irrational response of fear regarding some person or event in the past.
Phonological Ambiguity: This is the representational system that someone most often uses to think, and to organise his or her experiences.
Physiology of Excellence: This is the representational system that someone most often uses to think, and to organise his or her experiences.
Predicates: Predicates in NLP are words and phrases (primarily verbs, adverbs and adjectives) that often presuppose one of the Representational Systems.
Preferred Representational System: This occurs when there are two words, which sound the same but have different meanings.
Presuppositions: Pre-suppositions literally means assumptions. In natural language the presuppositions are what are assumed by the sentence. They are useful in “hearing between the lines” and also for communicating to someone using assumptions that will have to be accepted by the listener so that the communication makes sense. Presuppositions of NLP: Assumptions or convenient beliefs, which are not necessarily “true,” but which if accepted and believed will change our thinking and improve our results as an NLP Practitioner.
Primary Representational System: This is how we represent our internal processing, externally. (It is discovered by listening to Predicates and looking at Physiology.)
Punctuation Ambiguity: Ambiguity, which is created by changing the punctuation of a sentence by pausing in the wrong place, or by running-on two sentences.
Quantum Linguistics: Ambiguity, which is created by changing the punctuation of a sentence by pausing in the wrong place, or by running-on two sentences.
Quotes: Ambiguity, which is created by changing the punctuation of a sentence by pausing in the wrong place, or by running-on two sentences.
NLP Glossary R-T
Rapport: The process of Matching or Mirroring someone so that they accept, uncritically, the suggestions you give them. (Originally in Hypnosis ‘Rapport’ had a different meaning, which was, a state where the subject in Hypnosis sees, hears only the Hypnotherapist.) This is not the meaning in NLP where it relates to establishing trust and rapport between two people.
Reference System: The Reference System in NLP is the base against what we calibrate. How we organize information so that we know what we know.
Referential Index Shift: The Referential Index Shift in NLP is finding someone else who has a way of thinking or a resource you wish to model (their Reference System), entering their model of the world and noting from their perspective and in all modalities the process and results of their thinking and/or action. Also making a change in the referential index (subject) of a sentence to create overload at the conscious level.
Reframing: The process of changing the frame or context of a statement to give it another meaning. In selling this process is called, “Answering Objections.”
Relevancy Frame: Relevancy – Statement of Relevance. Used when a person is on another train of thought that has nothing to do with the desired outcome; it brings them back to what is being talked about rather than the train of thought they wanted to side-track you to.
Representation: A thought in the mind which can be comprised of Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Olfactory (smell), Gustatory (taste), and Auditory Digital (Self Talk).
Representational System: One of the six things you can do in your mind: Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Olfactory (smell), Gustatory (taste), and Auditory Digital (Self Talk).
Resources: Resources are the means to create change within oneself or to accomplish an outcome. Resources may include certain states, adopting specific physiology, new strategies, beliefs, values or attitudes, even specific behaviour.
Resourceful State: This refers to any state where a person has positive, helpful emotions and strategies available to him or her. Obviously the state implies a successful outcome.
Second Position: Relating to a Perceptual Position: Second Position describes our point of view in a specific situation. Second Position is usually someone else’s point of view. (First Position is our own point of view; Third position is the point of view of a dissociated observer.)
Secondary Gain: When there is more value in having the problem than the solution!
Sensory Acuity: This relates to observational skills. Having Sensory Acuity means that we can notice things about our client’s physiology that most people would not notice.
Sensory Based Description: Is describing someone’s verifiable external behaviour in a way that does not include any evaluations, but in a way that just relates the specific physiology. E.G.: “She is happy,” is (in NLP terminology) an hallucination. A sensory based description would be, her lips are curved upward at the end, and her face is symmetrical.
State: Relates to our internal emotional condition. I.E.: A happy state, a sad state, a motivated state, etc. In NLP we believe that the state determines our results, and so we are careful to be in states of excellence.
Strategy: A specific sequence of internal and external representations that leads to a particular outcome.
Sub-Modalities: These are distinctions (or subsets) that are part of each representational system that encode and give meaning to our experiences. E.G.: A picture may be in Black & White or Colour, may be a Movie or a Still, may be focused or defocused – these are visual Sub Modalities.
Surface Structure: This is a linguistic term meaning the structure of our communication, which generally leaves out the completeness of the Deep Structure. The process is Deletion, Generalization and Distortion. (See also Deep Structure.)
Swish Pattern: The process of taking a behaviour or state and changing the sub-modalities to enhance a new behaviour or state, sometimes accompanied by a noise like “swwwwishhhh” at the time of changing them.
Synaesthesia: A two-step strategy, where the two steps are linked together with one usually out of awareness, as in “I want to see how I feel.”
Syntactic Ambiguity: Where it is impossible to tell from the syntax of a sentence the meaning of a certain word. Often created by adding “ing” to a verb, as in “Hypnotizing Hypnotists can be easy.”
The “What If” Frame: The What If Frame gets the person to consider or “try on” a concept or situation to allow them to fully realize and feel the outcome being talked about “What would happen if?”…..
Third Position: Relating to a Perceptual Position: Third Position describes our point of view in a specific situation. Third position is the point of view of a dissociated observer. (First Position is our own point of view, Second Position is usually someone else’s point of view.)
Through Time: In NLP Through Time people will store their memories left to right or right to left or in any other way so that all time is in front of them. To be traditionally Through Time, all of your time line will be in front of your eyes.
Time Line: Our Time Line is the way we store our memories of the past, the present and the future.
Time Line Therapy™: A specific process created by Tad James, which allows the client to release negative emotions, eliminate limiting decisions and to create a positive future for himself. (See Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality, 1988.)
Trance: Any altered state. In Hypnosis it is usually characterized by inward one-pointed focus.
Transderivational Search: Transderivational Search in NLP is a part of Eye Accessing Cues. Looking through several or all of the different areas of the brain for information.
Trigger: A Trigger in NLP is the external event or internal belief that starts a behaviour or response.
NLP Glossary U-V
Unconscious: That of which you are not conscious, or which is out of awareness.
Unconscious Mind: The part of your mind that you are not conscious of … right now.
Universal Quantifiers: Words that are universal generalizations and have no referential index. Includes words such as “all”, “every”, and “never.”
Unspecified Verb: In NLP, an Unspecified Verb is part of the conscious use of language. Unspecified verbs are verbs (the doing part) in a sentence that don’t fully describe the action taking place. They don’t give enough information to let you know what is going on for them. People usually fill in the gap with their own experience. This is an unusual and purposefully confusing language pattern, more often used for indirect hypnosis, that can cause a trance. It features an adjective or adverb where the verb they are supposed to modify is not specified. Example: “And you can.”
Uptime: A state where the attention is focused on the outside (as opposed to Downtime where attention is focused inward).
Values: High-level generalizations that describe that which is important to you – in NLP sometimes called criteria. (See Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality, 1988.)
Vestibular System: Having to do with the sense of balance.
Visual: Having to do with the sense of sight.
Visual Squash: (Now called Parts Integration.) An NLP technique which allows us to integrate parts at the unconscious level by assisting each one to traverse logical levels (by chunking up) and to go beyond the boundaries of each to find a higher level of wholeness.
Well Formedness Conditions: Along with the Keys to an Achievable Outcome, the Well Formedness Conditions allow us to specify outcomes that are more achievable because the language conforms to certain rules.
