Northern Utah Hypnosis Center

Part of the art of using submodalities to make changes to internal representations is to identify the most important distinction for the client.  This ability to correctly identify a driver is key to actually making change with submodalities.  For example, when working with visual submodalities, I frequently find that changing the location of the picture is the most important step in changing the feeling associated with the picture—but not always.  Identifying the correct driver can be tricky business, which is why when you need to make a change, it is important that you are working with a skilled hypnotherapist.

For more information on how to experience positive change through hypnosis, contact William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@nothernuathahypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article as part of a continuing education class I am taking through www.modernjedi.com

A modality is a technical term to describe the six ways we represent information to ourselves internally: pictures, sounds, feelings, smells, tastes and self talk.  A submodality is a fine distinction of one of the modalities.  For example, a mental picture might be bright or dim, near or far, in focus or out of focus, etc.   Or a mental sound has a certain loudness, direction, timbre and tone, etc.

Using hypnosis to fine tune these distinctions in our mind can radically change the way we feel about those things.   For example, I frequently have clients come to me for weight loss.  During our discussion, someone might tell me that they have an excess craving for chocolate.  By finding out how that client represents chocolate internally with his five senses, we can often identify key changes to make in hypnosis that can almost instantly reduce the craving!

For more information on how fine tuning your internal representations can help you manage your mind or reduce a craving, contact William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@nothernutahhypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article as part of a continuing education course I took at www. modernjedi.com

I like this story because Elijah is an important figure in many cultures and countries.  But even if Elijah is not an important figure in your culture, the story of Elijah is a profound one story about listening and finding answers.  This story is paraphrased, so any errors in the story are mine.

One day, Elijah became very depressed because Queen Jezebel had threatened to kill him and he didn’t know what to do. He ran into the wilderness and refused to eat because he was so depressed. Finally, he decided to climb a mountain and hide in a cave until he knew what to do. So there he waited—in a cave at the top of a mountain watching and waiting.

Suddenly as he waited, a powerful wind came and smashed the rocks on the mountainside into pieces.  But as Elijah watched, he realized that there was no message in the wind.  After the wind, there was an earthquake that shook the ground. But there was no message in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire. But there was no message in the fire.

So while he stood in his cave, thinking about the wind, the earthquake and the fire, he heard a still, small voice.  When he heard that still, small voice, he knew that God had spoken, so he pulled his cloak over his head and went to the mouth of the cave to listen.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about this story or visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com :  William Wood CHt, 801-203-3405 or william.wood@northernutahhypnosis.com.

I paraphrased this story as an assignment for a continuing education class at www.modernjedi.com

The agreement frame is a much more gentle way to give feedback.  Typically, when giving feedback, people will say something like this: “I really think that you did a great job on the West project, John.  But really I need you to do is be more punctual.”  The word “but” negates everything that was said before it, so the person feels slighted when you are done.  Instead, try not to use the word “but” and the feedback will sound much more sincere and will likely be better received.  For example, you might say, “I really think you did a great job on the West project, John.  Congratulations and one way you can increase your impact by another twenty percent with the West account is to show up ten minutes earlier.  What do you think?

Some phrases to try out:

1. I appreciate, and…
2. I respect, and…
3. I agree, and…
4. Avoid using “but” and “understand”

To learn other strategies for building rapport in the workplace, contact William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@northernutahhypnosis.com. Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article for a continuing education class at www.modernjedi.com

The Milton model was developed by Richard Bandler et al by observing the language patterns of Milton Erickson, who would help his clients change through conversational hypnotic patterns.  While the meta model is comprised of linguistic patterns to gain specificity in language, the Milton model is comprised of linguistic patterns to produce ambiguity in language.  Some examples of Ericksonian language patterns are listed below:

1. Mind Reading: I know that you are wondering…
2. Conversational Postulate:  Do you feel this…is something that you understand?
3. Simple Conjunction: As you sit in the chair, then you begin to realize how you must feel.
4. Cause and effect: If you are sitting in my chair, thinking the thoughts that you’re thinking, then you know that you can relax now, isn’t that right?
5. Selectional Restrictional Violation: Remember how the chair feels and has felt many times before…feeling that the chair feels fine, and wondering what the chair must feel about you and your situation right now.
6. Lack of Referential Index: One can, you know…
7. Comparative Deletion:  She wondered if he said more.
8. Unspecified Predicate: And you can.  Knowing more.  How you wonder.
9. Ambiguities:
   1. Phonological: Can you stand hear the sound of my voice?
   2. Syntactic: Your job is over managing managers, isn’t it?
   3. Scope: The ugly men and women in the room.
   4. Punctuation: I want you to notice your feet of accomplishment.
   5. Embedded Command: I want you to go to the bus stop what you’re doing now.
   6. Extended Quotes: I had a friend Bill who went to a conference and talked to a colleague, Jane, who recounted a story that she heard from an Uncle who had a garden in Maine.  He said, “Feel free to take a deep breath and put your feet up because you deserve to relax now.”
   7. Tag Question: You know what I am talking about, don’t you?

If you would like to know more about how hypnosis can help you make positive changes in your life, contact William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@nothernuthahypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article for a continuing education class at www.modernjedi.com

The Meta Model?

Richard Bandler et al developed the meta model by observing the linguistic patterns of Virginia Satir, who was well known for her ability to help her clients quickly make profound changes.  The meta model is a linguistic pattern of gaining specificity in language to expose distortions, generalizations and deletions and to challenge basic assumptions in our model of the world.  The meta model has applications in coaching, therapy, education and debate, among other areas.  The meta model can also be used to gain specificity to snap someone out of trance.

Some examples of the use of the Meta Model:

1. Deletion:
   1. Statement:  He makes me so happy.
   2. Response: Happy in what way?
2. Distortion:
   1. Statement: It’s wrong to eat too much.
   2. Response: Wrong according to whom?  In what way is it wrong?
3. Deletion
   1. Statement: I regret my decision
   2. Response: In what way do you regret your decision.  Or which decision do you  regret?
4. Generalization
   1. Statement: Nobody ever pays any attention to me.
   2. Response: Nobody? Never?
5. Deletion
   1. Statement: Sue loves me.
   2. Response:  How do you know that Sue loves you?
6. Deletion
   1. Statement: Susan hurt me.
   2. Response: How did Susan hurt me?
7. Deletion
   1. Statement: I’m angry.
   2. Response: Angry at whom? For what reason?
8. Distortion and deletion
   1. Statement: I should study harder.
   2. Response: Who says that you should study harder? Harder than whom?

For more information on how the meta model can help you in your field, contact William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@nothernutahhypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

One way to eliminate negative test anxiety is to perform a collapse negative anchor routine with someone by doing the following:

1. Anchor the negative test anxiety state once with a unique stimulus. Break state.
2. Stack a positive resource anchor on a second unique stimulus.  Break state.
3. Fire both anchors simultaneously.
4. Release the negative anchor after the two have begun to integrate.
5. Hold the positive anchor for another five seconds.
6. Test and future pace.

For more help with test anxiety, contact William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@nothernutahhypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article for a continuing education course at www.modernjedi.com

The New Orleans Flexibility Drill

This drill is an old-school NLP technique that is not currently used much due to newer and improved techniques.

1. Identify an external stimulus that triggers an unresourceful state
2. Stack a positive resource anchor
3. Imagine or role play the negative stimulus and fire the positive resource anchor
4. Repeat the process until there is no longer any need to fire the anchor while role playing
5. Now the old stimulus triggers the new resourceful response.

For more information on how to replace old triggers with new behaviors, contact William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@northernutahhypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article for a continuing education course at www.modernjedi.com

Change Personal History Technique

This is another old-school NLP technique that has been replaced or updated with Time Line Therapy ® Techniques.

1. Design and install a positive resource anchor.
2. Identify a persistent recurring undesirable state and anchor the state
3. Fire the negative anchor with at least three events from the clients past where the client experienced that state.
4. MAKE SURE THAT THE STATE ASSOCIATED WITH THE POSTIVE RESOUCE ANCHOR IS GREATER THAN THE ORIGINAL NEGATIVE STATE
5. Fire the new positive resource anchor on each of the previous experiences from the client’s past and imagine reliving the event with new resources.
6. Test and future pace.

For more information on how to change your future for the better, contact William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@nothernutahhypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article for a continuing education piece for www.modernjedi.com

Creating a ring of power is a process of establishing and stacking a spatial anchor for motivation or some other positive state.

1. Anchor a number of positive powerful states to an imagined circle on the floor.
2. Chain motivation, power, success, etc, with the unique stimulus of standing in your imaginary ring of power on the floor.
3. When done with the anchoring process, step into your imaginary ring on the floor and test the effect.

Learn more about taking control of your state of mind by contacting William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@nothernutahhypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article for a continuing education class at www.modernjedi.com

Can you imagine feeling depressed and jumping for joy at the same time?  There are two ways to affect our current state of mind.  First, we can change our thoughts and our internal representations.   Second, we can change our body posture, breathing rate, etc., to match a time when we were feeling totally motivated, totally in charge and going somewhere.

Learn more about changing your mood by changing your physiology by contacting William Wood CHt at 801-203-3405 or william.wood@northernutahhypnosis.com.  Visit me at www.northernutahhypnosis.com

I wrote this article for a continuing education course at www.modernjedi.com