CognitivePattemsof Jesusof Nazareth: Toolsof TheSpirit
by RobertB. Dilts
DynamicLearningPublications
CognitivePatternsof Jesus of Nazareth: Tools of The SPirit'
Contents
Pa g e
lntroductlon of NLP A. PrinciPles of Modeling andStructures B. BasicPrinciples C. Levelsof Modeling fortheStudY D. SourceMaterial
2 2 3 5
Part l: ExPloringthe Mind of Jesus of HumanExperience l. SomeBasicElements SYstem A. TheNervous SYstems 1. RePresentational theSenses Between - Overlap 2. Synesthesia B. Language Strategies C. Cognitive Analysisof Jesus'LanguagePatterns' ll. A Neuro'Linguistic A. GeneralAnalysisof Jesus'Predicates in Context B. MicroAnalysisof Jesus'Predicates 1. TheWord 2. The Heart 3. The Light 4. The SPiritand The Life
Cues of Jesus'Accessing llt. Analysis lV.Jesus'MacroStrategY Patterns of Jesus'Cognitive V. Summary
8 9 10 11 12 14 14 17 17 20 22 25 29 32 35
Part ll: lmptementingJesus' CognitivePatterns
38
l. Operationalizing of LongTermand ShortTermGoals the Integration Exercise: Integrating TimeFrames An NLP Interpretation of The Signof the Cross
40 41 42
ll. Operationalizing the GreatCommandments A. AligningNeuro-Logical the Levels:lmplementing
44
FirstCommandment Process LevelAlignment Transcript: Demonstration of theLogical Process of the Logical LevelAlignment Summary B. Logical Process LevelCo-Alignment LevelCo-Alignment Process Summary of Logical perceptual lll.TakingMultiple Positions - LovingYourNeighbor AsYourself TheMetaMirror Demonstration of TheMeta-Mirror Transcript: Summary of theMetaMirrorProcess 'Mindof TheHeart'Exercise
47 48 55 57 59
61 68 68 75 76
lV.Summary of lmplementation Strategies TheResonance Pattern Pattern Transcript: Demonstration oftheResonance Pattern Summary of theResonance NeuralNetwork Analogy
77 79
V. Conclusion
B9
BO 85 87
Bibliogra p h y
93
Appendix A: Overview of Neuro-LinguisticProgramming
95
CognitivePatternsof Jesus of Nazareth: Toolsof the spirit. by B. Dilts Robert INTR ODU C TION The wordsand ideasof Jesusof Nazarethhavehad a majorinfluenceon the for almosttwo thousandyearsnow."Christianity" of thinkingof Westerncivilization of almosteveryWesternnation.The storyof the life someformis the primaryreligion and deedsof Jesusof Nazarethhas beentranslatedintoeverymajorlanguageand has beenspreadaroundthe worldby the variousmissionaries andchurchesthat he hasbeenhailedas the ultimaterole werespawnedby histeachings.Forcenturies modelfor WesternMan. Millionsof wordshavebeenwrittenabouthis actions, thatmorehas beenwrittenaboutJesusin sayingsand ideology(andit is estimated years). twothousand the lasttwentyyearsthanthe previous Throughthe yearsJesushasbeenviewedas manydifferent thingsby many healer,a magician, a differentpeople:a teacher,a miracleworker,a charismatic a politicaland religiousleader,a blasphemer, a paranoidschizophrenic, charlatan, the therecenainlyseemsto be son of God,a myth. Whatever one'sopinion,however, muchthatcan be learnedfromthe remarkable accounts of the life,wordsandactions is to takeyet anotherlookat the of Jesusof Nazareth.The purposeof thismonograph reporteddeedsand teachingsof Jesus.Usingthe modernpsychological modeling (NLP)| wishto examinethe structurebehind Programming toolsol Neuro-Linguistic reported in the accountsof his life. deedsandcapabilities the extraordinary Programming is a psychological Neuro-Linguistic modelwhich,amongother processes things,providesa set of toolsthat allowus to mapoutthe cognitive people(seeAppendixA). Rather underlying the worksof creativeand exceptional thanconcernitselfwiththe contentof the workof the particular individual to be modeled,NLP looksfor the deeperstructures thatproduced thoseresults.In parlicular,NLP searchesfor the way in whichsomeoneusessuchbasicneurological processesas the senses(i.e.,seerng,hearing,feeling,smellingand tastingl, how theseprocessesare shapedand reflectedby language,and howthe two combineto producea particularprogramor strategy. According the NLP modelit is the way in whichwe organizeour sensoryand linguistic functions intoa programmed sequence of mentalactivitythatdetermines to a largedegreehowwe willperceiveand respond to the worldaroundus. Jesus- Page1
A. Principlesof NLp In essence,all of NLPis foundedon two fundamental premises: 1. TheMapis Notthe Territory. As humanbeings,we can neverknowreality.We can onlyknowour perceptions of reality.We experience and respondto the world aroundus primarily throughour sensoryrepresentational systems.lt is our,neurolinguistic'mapsof realitythat determinehowwe behaveand that givethosebehaviors meaning,not realityitself.lt is generally not realitythatlimitsus or empowers us, but ratherour map of reality. 2. Life and 'Mind'are SystemicProcesses. The processesthat take placewithina humanbeingand betweenhumanbeingsandtheirenvironment are systemic. Our bodies,our societies, andour universe forman ecologyof complexsystemsand subsystemsall of whichinteractwithand mutually influence eachother.lt is notpossible to completely isolateany partof the systemfromthe restof the system.Suchsystems are basedon certain'self-organizing'principles and naturally seekoptimalstatesof balanceor homeostasis. All of the modelsandtechniques of NLPare basedon the combination of these two principles. In the beliefsystemof NLPit is notpossible for humanbeingsto know objectivereality- that is the realmof whatmencall 'God'. Wisdom,ethicsand ecology do notderivefromhavingthe one'right'or'correct'mapof the world,becausehuman beingswouldnot be capableof makingone. Rather, the goalis to createthe richest mappossiblethat respects the systemicnatureandecologyof ourselves andthe worldin whichwe live. The modeling toolsof NLPallowus to identifyspecific, patternsin reproducible the languageand behaviorof effective rolemodels.WhilemostNLPanalysisis done by actuallywatchingand listening to the rolemodelin action,muchvaluable information can be gleanedfromwrittenrecordsas well. B. some Basic Principtesand structures of Modeling The purposeof modeling is notto makethe one ,real'mapor modelof something,but ratherto enrichour perceptions in a waythatallowsus to be both moreeffectiveand moreecological in howwe interactwithreality.A modelis not intendedto be reality,but insteadto represent certainaspectsof that realityin a practicaland concreteway. The statusof Christianity as an influence in the worldis in manywaysa resultof Jesus- Page2
a fundamental strategyfor thinkingand a its successin representing and programming and beliefs.Thisis a processthat hasa structure,and recognizing set of assumptions of the effectsof that and definingthat structurecan helpus to enrichour understanding processon ourselves Jesusseemsto embodyis a and ourworld"The kindof strategy fundamental beliefsaboutthe worldintoa way of strategyfor formingand organizing and socially. bothpersonally beingand livingthat has deepimplications is to identifypatterns in howJesusorganized his The purposeof this monograph experienceof the worldaroundhim andthenactedin thatworldso that we may gain lifeand abilitiesandthe impactthat they have somenew insightinto his remarkable the wordsand reporteddeedsof Jesusas they had on modernsociety.By analyzing havebeenpasseddownto us throughthe gospels,perhapswe can findwhat structuresof mindlie hiddenbeneaththeircontent.Eventhoughso muchhas been no one manydifferent aspectsof his lifeand ministry, writtenaboutJesus,analyzing has hadthe toolsof NLPbeforeto analyzethe gospelslor whattheymighttellus processes underlying the mindandworksof Jesus. aboutthe specificneuro-linguistic C. Levels of Modeling aspects, ln modeling an individual, suchas Jesus,therearea numberof different in whichhe operatedthat we may or levels,of the varioussystemsandsub-systems environment in whichhe lived andgeographical explore.We can lookat the historical histeachings andworks.We can examinehis - i.e.,whenand whereJesusperformed specificbehaviorsand actions- i.e.,whathe did in that environment.We mayalso by whichhe selected lookat the intellectual and cognitivestrategiesandcapabilities thesebehaviors in andguidedhisactionsin hisenvironment - i.e.,howhegenerated that context.We couldfurtherexplorethe beliefsand valuesthat motivatedand andcapabilities thatJesusdeveloped to accomplish shapedthe thinkingstrategies goalsin hisenvironment his behavioral - i.e., whyhe didthingsthe way he did themin thosetimesand places.We couldlookdeeperto investigate Jesus'perception of the throughthatsetof beliefs, selfor identityhe was manifesting capabilities and actions in thatenvironment - i.e.,the whobehindthe why,how,what,whereand when. We mightalsowantto examinethe way in whichthatidentitymanifested itselfin relationship hiscontemporaries, WesternSocietyand to his family,hisdisciples, Culture, the planet,God- i.e.,who he wasin relation to whoelse. In otherwords,how abilities, beliefs,valuesand identityof Jesusinfluence did the behaviors, and interact withlargersystemsof whichhe wasa partin a personal, socialand ultimately spiritualway? Jesus- Page3
One way to visualizethe relationships betweentheseelementsis as a networkof generative as lhe core systemsthatfocusor converge on the identityof the individual of the modelingprocess. Universe
Profession/ Community Family
S p irit u a l" T ra n s . Mis s io n " WhoElse? ld e n t it y Mis s io n Who? B e lie f s / V a luPeesrmis s io n / Mo t iv a t io n
why? Ca p a b ilit ieDire s c t io n How?
or Actions at?
Networkof LogicalLevels
Constraints Environment Where? When?
Clearlythetaskof modeling Jesuson allof theselevelswouldbe an (onethat has beengoingnowfor almosttwo millennia). overwhelming undertaking While,to a cefiaindegree,eachlevelis so interconnected to the othersthatit is not possible to examine one independently of the others, thegoalof my studyhasbeento focusintosomekey areasin whichNLPwillbe ableto providethe mostamountof insight. This monograph, CognitivePatternsof Jesusof Nazareth, will explorethe structure of the cognitive strategies employed by Jesusin hisvariousworksand teachingsand howwe mightapplyJesus'strategic thinkingabilities to our own lives. It is intended as the beginning of a largerworkcomposed of two othersections. The secondsection,TheEpistemology of Jesus,wifl explorethe beliefs,valuesand assumptions that lie behindthe wordsand actionsof Jesusas viewedfromthe perspective of NLPand systemstheory.Thefinalsection,The Therapeutic Techniques of Jesus.will explorethe structurebehindthe numerousand often performed astonishing actsof healingreportedly by Jesus. Jesus- Page4
D. Source Material lor the Study The objection,of course,maybe raisedthat,becauseof theirfragmentary nature, numerous andthe factthattheyhaveundergone translations, the gospelswill not providean accurateenoughrepresentation of Jesusto be validin sucha studyof his psychological processes.Obviously, withperhapsthe exceptionof somekindof one cannotknowthe actualhistorical Jesus.Whathaveinfluenced divineinspiration, hislory,however,are the gospels.And eventhoughI will be workingfromlranslations it is throughtheseaccounts of accountsthatweremadedecadesafterJesus'death, that peoplethroughouthistoryhavecometo knowJesusof Nazareth.Forthis reasonI havechosento analyzethe KingJamesversionof gospelssinceit hasprobablyhad the mostinfluencein the Englishspeakingworldfor the pastthreecenturies. According Jesuswouldhavespokenin Aramaic,a to scholars, the historical (andsomeof dialectof ancientHebrew.The writtensourcesfor the NewTestament however, wereoriginally recorded in a commondialectof Greek the OldTestament), usedby scholarsof the timecalled'Koine'- a legacyof the empireof Alexanderthe Version) Great.The KingJamesversion(orAuthorized in of the Biblewas published 1611aftera massiveundertaking underthe auspices of JamesI of England.54 scholarswerecommissioned to workindividually and in groups,utilizingprevious Englishtranslations andtextsin the originallanguages.WhileI willbe primarily workingfromthistext,forthe reasonscited,therearesometimes interesting insightsor clarifications thatcomefromconsidering the historyand meaningof the originalGreek weremade. lermsfromwhichthe translations Thereare also severalrelevanttextsthat haveonlybeenrecentlydiscoveredand are not a partof the traditional documents of the NewTestament whichcan provide insightsand richnessintothe understanding additional of Jesus'teachings and interestis the Gospelof Thomas.The gospelof thoughtprocess.Of particular Thomasis one of a numberof fragmentary, non-canonical recordsof Jesus'lifeand teachingsthat werewrittenin approximately the sametime periodas the gospelsof MatthewMark,LukeandJohn(i.e.,the middle-to-second halfof the firstcentury).The Gospelof Thomasis a collection of sayingsratherthana storyof Jesus'life likethe fourgospelsof the NewTestament. Whilethe gospelof Thomasis notgenerally acceptedas a theological documentby the existingChristianchurches,the sayingsdo providean interesting andancientadditional viewintothe life,teachingand thought processesof Jesusof Nazareth.RonCameron,editorof TheOtherGospels,points out: Jesus- Page5
"Mostof thesayings haveparallels intheGospel of Thomas in the 'synoptic' gospelsof Matthew, Mark,andLukein theNewTestament. Analysis reveals of eachof thesesayings thatthesayings in theGospel of Thomas areeitherpreserved in formsmoreprimitive thanthosein theparallel sayingsin the NewTestament or aredevelopments of moreprimitive formsof suchsayings. gospels Theparticular editorial whichthesynoptic changes make,including theaddition of a narrative structure andtheinclusion of traditional sayingsandstorieswithina biographical framework, aretotally absent fromtheGospel of Thomas.Allof thissuggests thattheGospel of Thomas is basedon a tradition of sayings whichis closely related to thatof gospelsbutwhichhasexperienced thecanonical processof a separate transmission. Thecomposition is parallel of lheGospel of Thomas, therefore, gospels.ltssources to thatof thecanonical arecollections of sayings and parables gospels.Inthis contemporary withthesources of thecanonical respect, theGospelof Thomascanbe profitably withthe Synoptic compared Sayings Source, common MarkandLuke,generally referred to Matthew, to as Q (fromthefirstletterof theGerman 'source'). wordQuelle, meaning It is probable thatmanyof thesayings intheGospel which of Thomas arenotpreserved elsewhere elsealsoderivefromearlytraditions of sayings of Jesus.Thisdocument is,therefore, an important sourceof aswellas witness to Jesus'sayings." In a way,thesomewhat fragmentary natureof thegospelsandthe andsynoptic pathway of translations theywentthroughto reachtheirEnglishmanifestation can actually serveas a usefulfiltersothatonlythemostrobustpartsof Jesusstrategy emerge;and thosearetheaspects thatareof mostinterest here.FromtheNLPpoint of view,theappealandlongevity of thewordsof theBibleliein thewaythatthey processes accessandorganize fundamental neurological intoa strategy for interacting process withtheworld.Sucha strategy is a generative thatmaybe appliedindependently of the contentwithwhichit wasinitially expressed. I shouldpointoutherethatthisanalysis is notintended to address or pass judgment on matters of faith,butratherto examine theworksof Jesusin the lightof modernpsychological discoveries to addyetanother dimension to whatcanbe learned patterns fromthem.Mygoalis to identify in the verbalandbehavioral specific wordsandactionsof Jesusthatcanilluminate us moreas to howandwhy Jesus thought whathethought, saidwhathesaidanddidwhathedid. Whether or notJesus wasthesonof Godis notat issuehere,andwhether hewasdoes or notyoubelieve Jesus- Page6
notchangethevalueof theinformation. powers andhealing camefrom lf youarea believer andfeelthatJesus'teaching were source,youmuststillacceptthathisactionsandteachings a supernatural According to Christian doctrine, Jesus levels. intended on manydifferent to operate was'GodmadeMan.'Asa manamongothermen,Jesuswouldhavehadto manifest Thisprocess system. of manifestation mission a man'snervous hisspiritual through An analysis a veryimportant structure. of this wouldhavea structure - perhaps wouldbe neitherirrelevant nordisrespectful. mission wasto Jesus'reported struclure throughhiswordsanddeeds.Themoreoneunderstands aboutthe many enlighten provided levelsof knowledge andinformation byJesus,themorerichone's willbe. experience of hismessage youmuststillacceptthatJesus,as portrayed in the New lf you area non-believer healerandinfluential Testament, is a representation of an exceptionally successful leaderthathasshapedourmodern world.Whatever fromthespecific canbegleaned hisremarkable results methods canstillof described abouthowJesusproduced benefitin ourmodernworld. psychology, Jesusmayhavea greatdealto contribute to thepractice of modern psychotherapy, healthandleadership as wellas religion.
J e s u s- P a g e 7
PART I.
E X P L OR IN G T H E MIND OF JESUS
theoristandoneof the most systems GregoryBateson - an anthropologist, of 'mind'as being important of NLP- thought influences in theearlydevelopment andinteractions. immanent setof connections in anysystem witha complex enough of Groups,societies, lowerorganisms, almostanysystemcanshowcertainproperties 'Mind'itselfis nota mentalprocessif theyhaveenoughcomplexity of interaction. and therelationships fromandgoverning thing,butrathera process resulting interac{ions in a system. nervous system- which Thehumanmindis primarily of ourmiraculous a product andexpressed is trulyoneof thewonders of the universe.Ourmindis manifested of ourcerebral in the hemispheres interacting througha numberof complexty systems our throughout thatextend andin nervestructures cortexandotherbrainstructures, and in theformof language withinthesestructures, bodies.NLPviewstheactivity (see andexperience inner'programs,' sourceof humanintelligence asthe primary Appendix A). l. Some Basic Elementsof HumanExperience A. The NervousSystem partof Neuro-Linguistic Thenervous systemhasto do withthe"neuro" and ourbehavior Programming. thatwecoordinate lt is through system ournervous systemmaybe dividedinto organize of theworld.Thehumannervous ourexperience Nervous 2) thePeripheral Nervous System 1)theCentral threeprimary subsystems: Nervous System. System and3) theAutonomic is madeupof thebrainandspinalcord. lt controls TheCentralNeruous System andaction. withconscious thought ourmuscles andmovement andis associated of thespinalcordand is madeup of the branches ThePeripheral NeruousSystem fromtheorgans, lt relaysinformation abouttheenvironment thesenseorgans. andbackagain. system muscles andglandsto thecentralnervous of nervesoutsideof the dealswitha network TheAutonomic Nervous Sysfem activities suchas temperature spinalcordthatdealswithmanyunconscious reaction andother of the"fight-flight" regulation, theinitiation circulation, salivation, emotional states. andattentional via plansandstrategies mentalprograms, TheCentralNervous Systemexecutes thestate determines Nervous System Nervous the Peripheral System.TheAutonomic Jesus- Page8
of the biological'hardware"withinwhichthoseprogramsare carriedout. S e n sa ti o n Input-Output
Cognition Tlnught- Progranuning
Peripheral Nervous
Conscious Unconscious Autonomic Nervous System
R egulation Interral State While most peopleare consciouslyawareof their sensations,thoughtsand
actions,the functions of the Autonomic NervousSystemgenerally takeplaceoutside of consciousawareness. Whetherit be teaching,learning, thinking,healing,praying,eating,understanding, lovingor hating;all humanactionand experiences are mediated and manifested throughthe interplay of thesethreepartsof our nervoussystem.
1. Representational Systems "Thesenses arethe ministers of the Soul."- Leonardo da Vinci Representational systems relateto the nervous systemstructures whichoperate the fivesenses- Visual(sight),Auditory$ound),Kinesthetic (feeling), Otfactory (smell)andGustatory systemis designed to perceive ftaste).Eachrepresentational andrepresent certainbasicqualities of thepartof theworldit sensesthrough the interaction between the peripheral andcentralnervous systems.Theseperceptions andrepresentations includecharacteristics suchas color,bightness, tone,loudness, pressure, temperature, elc.Thesequalities arecalled"sub-modalities" in NLpsince theyaresub-components of eachof therepresentational systems. We buildourindividual models of theworldandguideourlivesbasedon howwe combine ourmemories andconstructs ofthefuturein orderto respond to whatwe are Jesus- Page9
ableto perceivein the ongoingexternalworldaroundus. The emphasisplacedon thesevariousmodesof usingthe senses,the way in whichtheyare balanced and combinedtogether, the way in whichwe perceiveand etc.,willgreatlyinfluence respondto our environment. Peopledifferin theirabilities to usetheirrepresentational systems.Thisoften effectstheirabilityto thinkandact andevenshapesthe development of their personality.Thedifferent senseshighlight different aspectsof our perceptions of eventsand situations. A personwho primarily responds throughfeelingand intuition may reactto a crisissituationquitedifferently thana personwho is lookingat it and apptyinglogic. As a manifestation in the worldof the "flesh"Jesusneededto interact withthat worldandthe peoplein it throughthesesenses.Theywerethe mediumfor contact withthosearoundhim,and it wasthroughthesesensorychannels that he gavehis messageand performed his earthlyworks. In manycaseshe was actuallyquite explicitabouthis emphasisof certainsensorychannels thathe himselfusedand that peopleshoulduse in perceiving and organizing theirexperience of the world. 2. Synesthesia - Overlap Between the Senses Notall of our mentalexperiences are clearlydistinguishable intoone particular sensorycategory.Thisis becauseour sensoryexperiences becomemixedtogether in our nervoussystems.lt is thisconnecting together of information fromthe different sensesthat makeslearningpossible.Sometimes experiences becomeconnected and overlapped so completely thatit is notpossible to easilydistinguish one fromthe otherin a causalrelationship - theyare boththeresimultaneously but eachneedsthe otherin orderto be there. Feelingmovedby a pieceof musicor art wouldbe an exampleof this. Thefeelingcouldnotexistwithoutthe ar1andthe artcouldnotexist withoutthe feeling.Certainly, manyof the mostpowerful experiences in our lives (suchas 'religious' or'spiritual'experiences) involvean integrating togetherof the varioussenses. fn NLP,sucha connection is calleda synesthesra. The term literallymeans"a synthesizing of the senses."Synesthesias are usuallymorerichand powerful than perceiving patternscan also something througha singlesensealone. Synesthesia be a veryimportant factorin determining the easeor effectiveness in whichcertain mentalfunctions are performed.As withthe development of the sensesthemselves, the strengthof the varioussynesthesia relationships varyfor differentpeople. Jesus- Page10
B. Language Languagerelatesto the'linguistic" aspectof Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Whilethe spokenwordis pan of the auditoryrepresentational system,its functionis to fromthe othersensesas opposedto simplyregister organizeand connectinformation qualities of an experience, as the morepurelytonalelements of the auditorysystem in the brainthanpuresounds, do. Sincelanguageis actuallyrepresented differently NLPconsiderslanguage to functionas anotherrepresentational system- a kindof 'meta'representational system. For example,the word "caf"doesnot physically soundlikea cat,feelfurrynor do the soundsor lettersattemptto indicatefourlegs,whiskers,a tail etc. The wordis whichunitesmultiplesensoryrepresentations rathera pointof convergence in the formof mentalpictures, sounds,feelings, etc. The meaningand significance of a word individual is a functionof the amountof neurology it mobilizes. to a particular featuresof humanthought l-anguage, of course,is oneof the mostfundamental patternscan also andcommunication - an8 Jesuswas a masterat usingit. Linguistic provideus withcluesto otherthoughtprocesses thatgo on behinda person'suseof language. Linguistic Clues to Thinking Patterns. in modeling Perhapsone of the biggestdifficulties the mentalstrategies of exceptionalpeoplecomesfromthe fact that the moreone developsthe abilityto actuallydo something,the lessone is awareof how specitically one is doing it. Mostetfectivebehavioris characterized by'unconscious Whilethis competence.' reducesthe amountof conscious effortonehasto put intoachieving a goal,it makesit difficult to describeto othershowto developthe samedegreeof competence. Most peoplefocuson whattheyare doingandtendto ignorethe subtlebut essential mental processes by whichtheyaredoingit. The goalof Neuro-Linguistic Programming, andof thisstudy,is to explicitly identifythe mentalstrategies that lie behindexceptional achievements so thatthese maybe mademorefullyunderstandable deeperprocesses and transferable. Accomplishing involves this goal,however, a significant amountof detective work. We mustfollowthe subtletracesthathavebeenleftbehindby our model,as one might followfootprints in the sandhopingto eventually discoverthe individual who has left them. LikeSherlockHolmes,we collecttogetherthe clues(especially thosewhich mayhaveescapedthe noticeof our fellowdetectives) hopingto piecethemtogether Jesus-Page11
intotheirunderlying patternfromwhichwe mayderivesomeinsightintothe great mysteryof Jesus'mind. Fofiunately, is so linkedwithall of the functions of the brain, becauselanguage the wordspeopleuseoffermanyimportant cluesto howtheyarethinking. A primary patterns, methodof Neuro-Linguistic linguistic such analysisis to searchfor particular as'predicates', whichindicatea particular representational systemor sub-modality, and howthat systemor qualityis beingusedin the person's overallthoughtprocess. Predicatesare words,suchas verbs,adverbsand adjectives, whichindicate placesor things.Thistype actions,relationships or qualities as opposedto persons, of languageis typicallyselectedat an unconscious levelandthus reflectsthe underlying unconscious structure whichproduced them. For example,whensomeone says,"f seewhatyou are saying,"'Thatdoesn'tfeelnghl,"or "Yousoundupset,"NLP wouldtaketheseas literalreferences to the pafl of the nervoussystemthe personis (seeAppendix usingto represent the experience A for a morecompletelisting). Thesekindof sensorybasedwordsplayan important rolein the modelingprocess. C. Cognitive Strategies partof Neuro-Linguistic relateto the "programming" Cognitivestrategies Programming. Peopledo not act effectively in the worldthroughrandom,haphazard not randomin the waythat associations wascertainly or reflexes.Jesus,for example, he usedhissenses,hislanguage, hisexperiences to norin the wayhe organized peopledevelopconsistent operatein the worldaroundhim. Effective step-by-step procedures for solvingproblems, makingdecisions, creatingplans,etc. These specificsequences of mentalstepsarecalleda'strategy'inNLP.Likea computer program,a strategydefinesa processthatis independent of the dataor contentbeing processed.For instance, of sensoryfunctions usedin a memory the sequence strategymay be appliedto remember contents(phone thingsof manydifferent numbers,names,spellings, faces,etc.). Likewise, of mentalstepsused the sequence in a decisionmakingstrategymaybe appliedto decisions of manydifferent types. The way eachmentalstepis linkedto the stepthatcomesbeforeit andthe one thatcomesafterit is an important featureof thoughtandlearning.Usingthe exact sameelementsin a differentsequence can completely changethe resultingmeaning. For example,the two phrases"Hewhois not withus is againslus," and "He who is not againsfus is with us," usethe samewordsbutthe sequencemakestheir quitedifferent.Thesameholdstruefor the sensorysequences involvedin meanings thought.
Jesus- Page12
Inthecourseof ourlives,ourrepresentational patterns systems, synesthesia and processes intotheconsistent language organized together become sequences or andpersonality. Eventhoughweallstartwith strategies thatmakeup ourcapabilities basically the samepotential in ourbrains,thesepotentials areshapedintodifferent combinations andsequences. Strategy sequences aregenerally organized in a way loopthrough whichinformation thatreflects thefeedback typically flowsthrough a is 1)inputto thesystem system.lnformation 2) someinterface through mechanism that3) passesinformation to thecoreof thesystem.Information is organized and processed andthen4) transformed into5) thesystem's output.Thisoutputeffectsthe environment aroundthe systemin a waythatproduces feedback whichreenters the systemas newinput.
According to NLP,the greatmindsand leadersof historyhaveachievedtheir greatnessbecausethey havemanagedto formpafiicularly elegantand compelling strategiesfor operatingeffectively in the world. Let us now beginto explorewhat Jesus'languagemightunveilto us abouthisown innerstrategyfor makingsenseout of the worldaroundhim.
Jesus-Page13
ll.
Neuro-LinguisticAnalysis of Jesus LanguagePatterns.
As an archeologist withexcitement a set of precioushieroglyphics mightdecipher in the mysterious let'sapplythe linguistic filtersof NLPto tombof an ancientpharaoh, the languageof Jesusof Nazarethto seewhatkindof structuretheycan helpus uncoverabouta thoughtprocessthat has shapedhistory. A. General Analysis of Jesus' Predicates As a startingpoint,let us beginby examining Jesus'use of the mostbasic sensorypredicatessuchas "see,""heaf'and "feel".Searchingthroughthe gospel textswe findthatJesususesthe word"see"in I2 versesof the fourgospelsand 'saw' in 10 verses.The predicale"hear" he usesin 6 0 of the versesand "heard"in 1 7 of the verses. lt is interesting to notethatthe words"feel"and "feft"do not even of occuronce! At firstglance,thiswouldseemto indicate thatthe primaryemphasis withsomewhat Jesus'messagewas on the visualand auditoryaspectsof experience, of a focuson the visual. In fact,Jesushasoftenbeeninterpreted as de-emphasizing feelingsand the 'waysof the flesh',the implication beingthat they interferedwiththe abilityto receiveand keephis message. indicating Analyzingfurther,we can examinethe gospelsfor sensorypredicates outputrelatingto a particular sensorysystemas opposedto the inputor receiptof information throughit. In thiscase,we findthatJesususesthe word "shew"(show)in 2 1 versesandthe word"tell"in 4 4 verses.Herethe scalestiltdefinitely in the directionof the auditorypredicate.As withthe firstset of predicatesanalyzedabove, the kinesthetic counterparts to thesewords,"touch"or "move",do not appearin Jesus' peoplein at least1 2 instances, language.We are,however, toldthatJesus"touched" his use of the andthat he "laid"his "hands"on peoplein at leastanother1 4, indicating kinesthetic 4 to be more systemin hiswork. We are alsotold on severaloccasions, whichwouldindicatea responseor exacl,thatJesuswas "moved"to compassion, outputon an internally kinesthetic level. ln reference to the particular senseorgansthemselves - the meansby whichwe interfacewith our externalreality- we findJesusreferring to the eyes16 times,the earsl3times,the mouth1 2timesandthe body17 times.Thereis, however, another organof the bodythatJesusalsorefersto quiteoften:the heart. ln fact,he mentionsit in 32 versesof the fourgospels.Thisis important of internal as an indicator withemotional kinesthetic sensations the heartis an organoftenassociated - certainly system. states.So here,for the firsttime,we finda greateremphasis on the kinesthetic Jesus- Page14
to A finalgeneralanalysis maybe madeof themoremetaphorical termsreferring (auditory), "word" "flesh"(kinesthetic). This sense,suchas "light"(visual), a specific showsJesusreferring to the "word"in 4 0 verses[hereferslo "words"in the anafysis 21 versesl,lo"light"in 3 0 verses, morenon-metaphorical lhe sensein another leaning in favorof theauditory 'flesh"in 1 9 verses.Onceagain,wefinda significant function. digital(verbal) *Life"and"Spirit"aretwoothersignificant termsthatJesusrefersto quiteoftenin histeachings andsayings.Bothwordscouldbe considered as a reference to some feelingstate. WhileJesususestheword"life"5 9 timesin thefour vitafinternal gospels,however, it is notalwaysinthesenseof anactive, feltstate.Forinstance, 'life' in thebroader maybe usedto standfor"existence" senseas opposed to vitalenergy, so it is notnecessarily a goodconsistent indicator Theterm" spirit,' of Jesusstrategy. whichis usedbyJesus2 2 timesin thegospels, is perhaps a betterindicator ofthisvital kinesthetic state.Theterm"spirit",of course, doesnotreferto anyspecific sensebut ratherto an internal statethatis probably a synthesis or synesthesia of allthesenses Thisstate,however, is verymuchassociated withfeelings.Forexample, together. whenJesuswasupset,we aretold,"hesigheddeeplyin hisspirit"(Mark8:12),and whenhewasinspired, he is described (Luke as beingfullof "thepowerof the Spirit" a14)..Suchdescriptions indicate a strongrelationship withinternal feelings. Letus reflectfora moment ontheimplications of thisdata.Belowis a summary of thebasicrepresentational systempredicales usedbyJesusin thefourgospels. SI.JMMARYOF PREDICATESUSEDBY JESUS ORIENTATION Input/Perception Output
VISUAL "Sgett ttSawtt
82 l0
"Shew": 21
AUDITORY "Hgar": "Hgard":
KINESTHETIC
60 t7
"Tell": 44
"Fegl"l
"Felt":
0 0
{"Touched"}: l2 {"LaidHands"} t4 {"Moved"}: 4
InterfaceOrgans
"Eyes": 12 "Eye": 4
"Ears": 13 "Mouth":12
Metaphorical
"Light": 30
"Word": 40 ["words":2l]
"Flesh": 19
t59
2W
98
TSTAL
"Body": "Heart":
INTERNAL FEELING STATE "Life": 59 "Spirit": 22 TOTAL
8I
l7 32
Whilea lookat the totalsof the sensoryspecificpredicates examined showsa fairlydefinitepreference for the auditory(particularly verbal)representational system, we mustkeepin mindthatour primaryconcernin regardto the strategy thatJesus Jesus-Page15
usedis the sequenceandfunctionof eachof the representational systems.For example,one plausible way of interpreting the information aboveis thatthe auditory predicatesseemto dominatethe inputand outputfunctions- "Hear"and *Tell"the 'Word(s)'.The visualpredicatesseemto dominatethe perceptual/organizational funclions- "See"lhe "Light".Kinestheticreferences-- Body","Heatt",Life" and 'Spirit"-- seemto dominatethe interfacefunctionsrelatingto reactionsto inputfrom boththe externalworldand innerperceptions. We couldpostulate thatJesus1) "hears"lhe"Word"of Godwhich2) triggersan internalfeelingstateof "life"and "spirit'.Theseresponses3) generatevisualimagery in whichhe seesthe meaningof lhe "Word"(the "Light"). This4) stimulates feelings in his 'heart"whichthencauseshimto respondwith his "body"and 5)tell the ^Word". In the languageof NLP,we wouldsaythat,for Jesus,information is inputthroughthe auditoryrepresentational systemand organized visuallyunderthe influence of an internalfeelingstate.Theseimagesprovokekinesthetic in the heartand reactions bodywhichultimatelyexpressthemselves as wordsthat are outputintothe world aroundhim,completing the feedbackloop. Input HearWords -
Auditory
+ I
Representation
Interface
InnerImages TransformW.ords ._> ------_ Stimulatedby + ThroughFeelings Feelings
K i n e sth e ti c
Visual
(Synesthesia)
Inerface Emotionsand ActionsTriggered + BYImagerY
Kinesthetic
Output WordsExpressing InnerVisualand KinestheticResponses
Auditory
Feedback
Let'slakea closerlookat howJesususedsomeof thesewordsin contextto see if we canverifyor refinethisfirstapproximation process. of hiscognitive
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B. Micro Analysisof Jesus' Predicatesin Context 1. "The Wotrd". predicates auditory do seemto be primarily In Jesus'teachings andsayings, withinputandoutput.WhenJesususedtheword"hear"it wastypically associated relating Forexample, to hismessage. thephrase related to thetransfer of information 'He thathathearsto heaf let himhear,"wasprobablyoneof Jesus'mostcommon likethefollowing, Otherexamples, tendto further confirm thathearing slatements. for receiving information. wasJesus'mosthighlyvaluedrepresentational system 'Andhe answeredandsaiduntothem,My motherandmy brethren are thesewhichhear theword of God,anddo it." Luke8:21 wordsas beingthe primarymedium fortransferring Because Jesusperceived information, he alsoconsidered representations as themostsignificant auditory output bystatements suchas: system.Thisis supported "For by thy words thou shaltbe justified,and by thy words thou shaltbe condemned."Matthew12:37 "Andhe calledmultitude,and said unto them,Hear, and understand:Notthat whichgoeth into the mouth defileththe man; but that whichcomethout of the mouth, thisdefiletha man." M a tthew15:10-11 Theseexampleswouldappearto confirmour earlierhypothesis thatthe auditory in Jesus'strategycomesbothat the beginning component andthe endof the process. ln the fastexample, for instance, Jesus'statement "Hear,and understand:" indicates that hearingis to be usedfor receivinghis message.The phrase,"thatwhichcometh out of the mouth,thisdefiletha rnan,"indicatesthat verbalrepresentations are the mostimportant sensoryoutputrelating to an individual's character. The importance of languageto Jesusas the primarymediumwithwhichto enact his missionis emphasized by accounts of hisskillas a publicspeakerandteacher, and especially by reportsof his uniqueabilityto healthroughhiswords. Yet,whileJesusobviously valuedwordshighlyas an evidenceof the inner organization of a person,he alsoperceived that,at times,wordsweremerelysymbols and cluesof otherprocesses.WhileJesusbelieved thatwhatthe wordsstoodfor was Jesus- Page17
important, the wordshadto be congruent withotherinnerrepresentations, as he indicated in statements suchas: 'But whenye pray, usenot vain repetitions, as the heathendo: for they thinkthat they shallbe heard for theirmuchspeaking." Matthew6:7 'He thatis of Godheareth God'swords: ye thereforehear themnot, becauseye are not of God." John 8:47 Jesus'comments seemto indicate thatthereare differentlevelsof 'hearing'and 'speaking'.In fact,in the originalGreektexts,fromwhichthe Englishtranslations were made,thereare two typesof "words":1) rhema(pnpa)meaninga sayingor wordsas thingsand2) logos(l.o1os)meaningwordsassociated withthe manifestation of reason.In ancientGreekphilosophy 'logos'wasthoughtto constitute the controlling and unifyingprinciplein the universe.Forexample,Heraclitus (540-480BC)defined 'logos'as the universal principle throughwhichall thingsare interrelated and all naturaleventsoccur- indicating a remarkably systemicviewof the universe.He believedthat,whiletherewas an elementin manthroughwhichthis principle couldbe perceived, mostpeoplefailedto comprehend the'logos'andthus livedlikedreamers witha falseviewof the world.According to the stoics,'logos'wasa cosmicgoverning principle or generating thatis immanent andactivein all realityand thatpervadesall reality.According to Philo,a Greekspeaking Jewishphilosopher and contempo raryot Jesus,'logos'wasthe intermediate betweenultimaterealityand the sensibleworld. Clearly,the implications ol logosstrike to the coreof the 'neuro-linguistic' process.In fact,in theirfirstbook,The Structure of Magic, RichardBandlerand JohnGrinder- the co-creators of NLP- makea distinction in the useof language similarto the rhema/logos distinction: "Allthe accomplishments of the humanrace,bothpositiveand negative, have involvedthe use of language.we as humanbeingsuse our languagein two ways. we use it firstof all to representour experiencewe calf this activityreasoning,thinking,fantasying,rehearsing.when we use languageas a representational system,we are creatinga modelof our experience.This modelof the world which we createby our representational use of language is baseduponour perceptions of the world. our perceptions are also partiallydeterminedby our modelor representation...Secondly, we use our languageto communicate our Jesus- Page18
modelor representation of the worldto eachother. Whenwe use fanguageto communicate, we call it talking,discussing, writing, lecturing,singing."(pp.21-22) Perhaps thepowerof thewordto eitherhealor defilecomesfromthefactthatit notonlyrepresents ourperceptions of theworld,butalsoshapes them.As Bandler andGrindermaintain: " Th e nerv ous s y s tem wh ic h is r e s p o n s ib lef o r p r o d u c in gt h e representational systemof languageis the same nervoussystemby which humans produceevery other model of the world - visual, kinesthetic, etc...Thesameprinciples of structureare operatingin each of thesesystems.' ForJesus,then,language process. is a multi-level At one level,wordsoperateas behavioralcuesand symbols(rhema)usedto transmitinformation betweenpeople. At anotherlevel,wordsconstitute the intermediate betweena largerrealityand the sensibleworld,representing principlesin the universe(/ogos).Thereare fundamental wordsof the "Flesh"(rhema)andwordsof the "Spirit"(logos).A similardistinction showsup in the Greekwordsfor "speak".Laleo(Icrl.eco) meansto talk or verbalizethatis, speakingas a behavior; for example"l speakto themin parables" or "'thou shaftbe dumb,and notableto speak".The wordeipon(ernov)meansto tell or declare- speakingas an expression of a person'sdeeperperceptions and beliefs;as in, "Godspakeuntohimsaying..." or "thisspakehe of the spirit".lt seemsclearthat Jesuswas cognizant of the distinction, andactually spentquitea bit efforttryingto get othersto perceiveand recognize the difference themselves. Thus,one can inputor outputsomething throughwordson a behavioral levelor on somehigherlevel.lt wouldseemthatthe difference betweenwhichlevelwas accessedwouldbe a functionof whichneuralcircuitryis mobilized or committed in orderto perceiveor expressthe words.Rhemaandlaleoseemto relateto activity locusedin the peripheral nervous system(Aoe)whileeiponandlogoswould appear to be associated withdeeperactivitywithinthe centralnervoussystem(AOi).
Je s u s - P a g e 1 9
2. "The Heart". in a personthroughwhichthe the Jesusconsidered the 'heart'as the 'element' generative principles that people as'logos'wasperceived.He indicated of language "see with their eyes, and hear withtheir ears, and shouldunderstand with their heart" (Matthew13:15). In Jesus'model,the primarysourceof verbaloutputwasthe heart,and he perceived he wordsas echoingthe deeperemotional lifeof the speaker.Forinstance, claimed: 'A good man out of the good treasureof his heart bingeth forth that whichis good;and an evil man out of the eviltreasureof hisheart bringethforththat whichis evil:for out of the abundanceof hisheart his mouth speakest" Luke6:45 'Whatsoeverenterethin at the mouth goethinto the belly,and is cast out in the draught.But thosethingswhichproceedof the mouth comeforthfromthe heart, and theydefilethe man." Matthew15:16-17 lf wordswerenotconnected to the 'heart'then theyare simply"vainrepetitions", 'lip service'orevenhypocrisy. "Heansweredand said unto them,Wellhath Esaiasprophesiedof you hypocrites,as it is written,Thispeoplehonourethme withtheir |ips, but theirheart is far fromme." Mark7:6 internalvaluesand Clearly,for Jesus,the heartis the seatof a person's individual motives.The heartdetermines the degreeand qualityof emotional padicipation that motivatesone'swordsand actions.We can speculatethat it the degreeto whichone'sheartwas involvedin one'slanguage that makesthe difference betweenwhetheris was at the levelof rhemaorlogos. in Greek- is the centerof the body's Physiologically, the heart- kardia(rcrp6rcr) circulatory regulatory functions systemand playsan important rolein the 'autonomic' whichare necessary for the body'ssurvival.Whilethe regularily of the heartbeatis maintained by a conducting systemwithinthe heartitself,nervesto the heartfromthe to centralnervoussystemcanquickenor slowthe beat. Thus,the heartis responsive impulsesfrombothbodyand 'mind'-i.€.,the heartadjustsits beatingrateto both physicaland psychological with changes.Heartrate,for example,increases Jesus- Page20
responses and passion.Heartrate emotional suchas anxietyandfearor excitement andconfidence. slowsin response to relaxation perspective, Frombotha scientificand metaphoric the cardiovascular systemhas andthe hearthas beenthe longbeenconsidered the seatof emotionalexpression with emotionsand beliefs. organmostassociated relatesthe heartto beliefswhenhe states: Jesushimselfexplicitly "For verilyI say untoyou, Thatwhosoevershall say unto this mountain,Be thou removed,and be thoucastinto the sea;and shall not doubt In his heart, but shall believe that thosethingswhichhe saith shallcometo pass; he shallhavewhatsoever he saith." Mark11.,23 CI course,not all ideasandthoughtseffectheartrate. Onlysomecognitive processes mobilize deepenoughneurology to involvethe heart.Therefore the heart makesa powerfulfilterfor evaluating the commitment of the nervoussystemto different processes.The kinesthetic psychological sensations associated withthe heart(Ki) levelof processing in the nervoussystem(theautonomic comefroma different system) (arropot)in Greekthanthe kinesthetic sensations associated withtouch- haptomai whichare producedby the peripheralnervoussystem(Ke). As partof our survivalsystem,the heartandthe neurological mechanisms which operateit havebeenaroundmuchlongerthanlanguage, whichprobablyappeared arounda hundredthousandyearsago (atthe veryearliesta millionyearsago). Thus the systemsupporting the heartis associated withmorefundamental biological processes.Whenwordsengageour hearttheyare drawinga muchgreaterand deeper (andthustotal'mind'). of ourtotalneurology commitment
Jesus- Page21
3. The Light Jesussawthe heartas a keyelementin an evenlargersystem.He seemsto haveperceivedthe heartas a filteror transducer for influences comingfrom other partsof the system,in particular fromthe visualsense: 'The light of the body is the eye: thereforewhen thine eye is single,thy whole body also is fullof light; but when thine eye is evil, thybody alsois fullof darkness." Luke1'1:33 Jesusviewedthe visualrepresentational systemas a primaryguidefor behavior - i.e.,lhe'eye" leadsthe body.Visionis a pivotalelementin Jesus'strategy, and one on whichhe placeda lot of emphasis. In fact,of allthe senses,Jesusseemedto identifyhimselfmostwiththe visual.Oneof the mostcommonwaysJesushadof describinghimselfwas as the "lightof the world." "l am the Iight of the world:he that followethme shall not walk in darkness, but havethelight of lite." John8:12 The kindof "light"and visionJesusis referringto is clearlynot directlyrelatedto externalreality.The Greekwordusedin the Gospelswasphos (Qols), whichmeans radianceor'something thatmakesvisionpossible.'Oneimplication of this is that it is a processthat is generatedfromwithinas opposedto takenin fromthe outside. Anotherimplication is that,sincelightis the processthroughwhichimagesare rendered, it is on a different levelthanthe contentof the image.Consider the quotesfromthe Gospelof Thomas: following "Jesussaid, 'lf they say to you,'Where did you come from?',say to them,'Wecamefromthe light, the placewherethe light came into being on its own accordand establisheditselfand becamemanifest throughtheirlmage. " Thomas(50) "Jesussaid, 'Theimages are manifestto man,but the light in them remainsconcealedin the image of the light of the Father. He will becomemanifest,but hisimage will remainconcealedby the light."' Thomas(83)
Jesus- Page22
between Jesusdistinguished different It wouldseemthat,as withlanguage, in Greek- werelike images- eikon(errrov) observable levefsof vision.Concrete, rherna.'Light"(phos)waslikelogos. hewasgenerally It seemssignificant thatwhenJesusspokeof "hearing" verbalinformation in theformof of specific or transfer referring to theexpression the towards words.WhenJesususedtheword"see"it wasmostoftenoriented patterns perception of information. of largerandmoreabstract internal which Thewordfor'heai usedintheearlyGreektextsis akauo(arcruol), Thisclearly relates to theactof listening or as'to giveeaf'or "hearken." translates for TheEnglish word"see",however, wasusedas a translation information. inputting as in "hesawthe Greekwords:eidon(er6ov) - to know,be acquainted, threeditferent or multitudes" or'bringmea pennythatI mayseeil";blepo(pX,erot) - to look,perceive eyes,seeye not?"or "l wasblindnowI see";andhorao as in,"having understand, "seesalvation", "seethegloryof (opaco) takehead,as in "seea vision", - to discern, God".Noneofthesewordsmeansimply"inputbytheeye".Theyallseemto involve morerepresentation andcomprehension thaninput.Obviously, therangeof wasmuchmorebroadandabstract referred to by useeing" thanthat experience indicated by "hearing". perception Eidonappears to referto theprocess of seeingas sensory directed environment theperipheral nervous towardtheconcrete through system(Ye).etepo refersmoreto seeingasthecapability register visual to receive andtheninternally withinthecentralnervous representations system1Vi7. tloraorefersto theprocess of visionrelating to deeperandlesssensory basedlevelsof experience thatdoesnot necessarily haveitsrootsin theexternal worldbutis rathergenerated froman internal source(V1. Thiskindof visionwasoftenmetaphorical andtypically aboutevents relating to thefutureratherthanthepresent or thepast.Forexample, consider the way"seeing" is intended in thefollowing statements. 'And all fleshshall see the salvationof God." Luke3:6 "Verily,verily,I say unto thee,Excepta man be born again,he cannot see the kingdomof God." John3:3 "Verily,veily, I say untoyou, lf a mankeep my saying, he shallnever see death." John8:51
Jesus- Page23
Clearly,thesestatements classesof eventsin the future. all referto moreabstract Theyare also moreorientedtowardseeingcausesandconnections betweenthingsin "see the kingdom," somelargersystemof organization - i.e.,"see the salvation," "see death.' To understand whatis meantby eachof theserequiresoneto imagine a muchbiggerpicturethanwhatcan be seenin one'simmediate For surroundings. Jesus,it wasthistypeof largermoreabstract, metaphorical visionthatstimulated the heart. implication Oneimportant of the multi-dimensional natureof the 'Word'and the 'Light'is that the two levelsco-existsimultaneously, but differentneurological circuits mustbe mobilizedin orderto perceivethe differentlevels.ln fact,it wouldseemthat a greatdealof Jesus'teaching was abouthowto strategically organizeone'sbehavior perception.Thissame and nervoussystemin orderto be ableto sharehis multi-level distinction is reflected in the Gospelof Thomas: Hisdisciplessaid to Him, "Whenwillthe Kingdomcome?"Jesus said, "lt will not comeby waitingfor it. lt will not be a mafterof saying 'Hereit is' or'Thereit is.' Ratherithe Kingdomof the Fatheris spread out uponthe earth,and mendo not see it."Thomas(113) Jesussaid, "Recognize whatis in your sight, and that whichis hidden fromyou will becomeplain to you. For there is nothinghidden whichwill not becomemanifest."Thomas(5) Logos(theword)mayhavebeenthe mediumfor Jesus'message,andkardia (theheail)may be the meansthroughwhichwordsareconnected to the deepestparts of a person,but horao(vision)seemsto be the channelthroughwhichthe intended messageis processed and represented.
Jesus- Page24
4. The Spirit and The Life Theseinternalvisionsof the "kingdom" and"salvation" wereinspiredin Jesusby an interaction of lhe"Word"withlhe "Spirit"and "Life","Spirit"and "life"representthe partof Jesus'strategythatis the leasttiedto a specificsense.Rather,"spirit"and "life" generative represent a powerfully statethatoperates on a differentlevelfromnormal experience. 'lt is the spirit thatquickeneth[i.e.,giveslifeor energy- R.D.];tne flesh profitethnothing:the words thatI speak untoyou, theyare splrit, and theyare life." John6:62-63 In thisstatement, Jesusis indicating that,to him, spiritinvolves the releaseof energy.Whilethe kindof energyreleased by "Spirit"wouldseemto involvestrong kinesthetic elements,theyare on a differentlevelthanthe kinesthetics of the "fleshn. 'Theflesh'lsarx(ocrp()in Greeklwouldseemto be moreindicativeof the physical bodyand activitywithinthe peripheralnervoussystem(Ke) whilethe generationof energyand lifewouldbe morerelatedto the autonomicnervoussystem1Xi;. fne 'flesh',then,is the channelfor the manifestation of the energyreleased by 'spirit'. The implication is that'spirit'and'life'can somehowbecomeembodied through language(a centralnervoussystemprocess).Thus,'spirit'seemsto be indicativeof a synesthesia betweenthe centraland autonomicnervoussystemsthat reteasesspecial capabilities. Thesetwo processesseemto havebecomejoinedand consotidated in Jesusafterhis baptismby John. By all accounts, the two mostsignificant eventsthat seemto havetakenplaceat thattimearethat1) Johnthe Baptistdeclared Jesusto be lhe 'Lambof God" and 2) afterhis baptismJesushad a visionaryexperience: 'And straightaway comingout of the water,he saw the heavens opened,and the Spirit like a dovedescendedupon him:And there camea voice fromheaven,saying, thouart my belovedson in whom I am wellpleased."Mark1:10-11 FromthattimeonwardJesusis reported to havebeenfilledwithlhe "Holy Spirit",a stateof consciousness fromwhichhis revelations wouldcome.lt wouldseem thatJohn'sverbal proclamation or "Word'released or awakened a powerfulstateof 'synesthesia' betweenthe visual,kinesthetic andauditorysenses.In an attemptto
Jesus- Page25
describethis stateto hisdisciples Jesusexplained: 'Howbeit whenhe, the Spirit of truth,is come,he will guideyou into alltruth:for he shallnot speak of himself;but whatsoever he shallhear, thatshallhe speak: and he willshew you thingsto come."John 16:13 'Spirit',then,is indicative visionary of a specialprocessthat releases capabilities whichextendbeyondthe typicalperceptual spaceof the individual.Jesus indicatesthatthe representations it stimulates do notcomemerelyfromthe contentof one'sownexternallifeexperiences. with"spirit" Thetypeof experiences associated personalhistoryand immediate extendbeyondone'sidentity, sensoryenvironment. "Butwhenthey deliveryou up, takeno thoughtof how or whatye shall speak: for it shallbe givento you in thatsamehour whatye shall speak. For it is notye that speak, but the Spirit of yourFather which speakethinyou." Matthew 10:19-20 "Butthe Comfortef whichis the Holy Ghost, whomthe Father will send in my name,he shallteachyou all things,and bringallthings to your remembrance, whatsoever I havesaid untoyou." John 14:26 'Spirit'providesthe individualwithinformation thatcomesfroma largersystem or'mind'(the"Fathef')thatis beyondone'spersonal identityor sensory conscious experience.Jesusseemsto be implying thatwe areall partof a kindof larger process- suchthat any partof the systemcan haveaccessto 'holographic' information fromanyotherpartof the system. A hologramis a kindof opticalprocesswhichproducesa threedimensional imagethatappearsto floatin space.In a holographic recording, all of the information for eachpartof the imageis contained Eachpieceof the in everypartof the recording. hologram, no matterhowsmall,containsall of the information for the wholeimage. Jesusis implying thatit is possible for us to haveaccessto a kindof holographic knowledge aboutour universe. providesomefurtherinsightintothe Thisanalogyof a hologram can potentially processes natureof the kindof neurological to with Jesusmighthavebeenreferring of a the terms'Spirit'and'Light'.A truehologram is produced throughthe application coherentlightsourcein the form of a laser.A laserhas onlyone specificfrequencyof lightwavesas opposedto the mixtureof wavesthatmakeup the 'whitelight'through
Jesus- Page26
imageis recordedon a pieceof glass whichwe normallysee reality.The holographic patternthat lookslikea chaoticset of smearsand smudges as a complexinterference in normallight.The imagemayonlybe sensedby the humaneye in the presenceof the laserlightusedto recordit initially. the a specialstatesynthesizing to "Spirit"indicates PerhapsJesus'reference centraland autonomicsystemsthatwouldbe likethe laserlightsourcein the process.In this statepeopleare ableto producethe 'Light'whichallows holographic chaoticswirls level- to decodethe seemingly the worldon a different themto experience representation. and smudgesof the sensibleworldand see a deepermulti-dimensional whichhe or she was the entire'hologram'of In thisstate,one wouldbe ableto perceive embodiedwithinthe largerimage. a partand gain localaccessto the information fromthe Greekword pneuma(nveupcr) The Englishword'spirit'wastranslated 'pneuma'wasan etherealfiery whichmeanswindor air. In ancientGreekphilosophy principlein organisms.Jesusclearly stuff,believedto be a cosmic,life-giving connectsit withthe Wordor 'logos'whenhe says,"thewords thatI speak untoyou, of this statementin Greekwould theyare spirit, and theyare life." The implication in the universe, is a by whichallthingsareconnected be thatthe /ogos,the principle ol pneuma,the vitalprinciplein livingcreatures.In stimufusfor or an embodiment otherwords,that we are not simplyisolatedphysicalcreatures('flesh")we are a partof a largerlife- a hologram. a largersystem,a larger'mind', for two different The Englishword'life'in the Gospelswas useda translation Greekterms:1) uzoe"((cq) meaningmotionor activity,and 2) "psyche"(nur(q) meaninganimallifeand "breath".Jesususedthe lerm 'zoe'to referto the more generafor abstractimplications of life- i.e.,"eternallife". He used,'psyche'toreferto experience of life- i.e.,"hewhoshalltryto savehis lifeshallloseit." the morepersonal In the statement"the words thatl speak untoyou, theyare spirit, and they are that certainwordsare a kind llfe.", the word"life"wastranslatedlrom "zoe",indicating of triggerfor a deeplevelof motionor activity. Perhaps, then,'Spirit'represents a stateof consciousness thatallowsone access that is typicallynot availableto the consciousmindbut is alwaysaround to information level- information thatis generated by a kindof 'groupmind' us at an unconscious processthroughwhichthat the neurological immanentin the system. 'Life'represents in physicalreality. information is set intomotionand becomesembodied throughwhichwords On a physicallevel,air,windand breathare mechanisms are formedandtransmitted.In fact,the term"spirit"comesfromthe Latin'Epirifus", In the samewaythatlightmakesseeingand vision whichliterallymeans'breath'.
Je su s- Pa g e 2 7
possible;air,breathand windmakespeaking and hearingwordspossible. And,on anotherlevel,breathingkeepsour physicalbodyalive. Like heartrate,breathingis mediatedby boththe autonomicandcentralnervoussystemsand couldserveas a pointof overlapand integration betweenthe two systems.Breathliterallycreatesthe energyand movement thatgiveslifeto bothwordand body.
Central Nervous System --'\\--
" Spirit" Motion Zoe
/:
I Synesthesia I I Aurono*i. /
NervousSystemJ -r'
-.2
Breattr
Pnewtu
\ Energy Psyche
ExpressWords (LastsBeyond Life of Individual)
SupportPhysicalLife
Oneinterpretation of Jesus'useof theterms'spirit' and'life',then,couldbethat "spirit" indicates theneuralmechanism thatexpresses andrepresents and the"word," "life"represents themechanism thatmanifests it. I mentioned earlier that,neurologically, language servesas a pointof convergence or confluence forotherneural circuits.Thesecircuits mayextend beyondthe sensoryrepresentations storedin thecerebral cortexto deepernervous structures relatedto theautonomic nervous system.Minimally, language could mobilize higherlevelstructures whichcouldin turnactivate thedeeperautonomic structures. lf thisis indeed possible thecase,it becomes to imagine howwordsmight playa deeperrolethansimplyas a medium people. to sendsignals between For example, if an individual is in theappropriate state,wordsmightindeedbe ableto healbyfacilitating theconvergence of therightcombination of neuralstructures to activate theselfhealing andregulating capabilities of theautonomic nervous system. It shouldalsobe notedthatthesignals thatpassthrough thenervous systemdo notdo so in a linear, mechanical fashion likeonebilliard billhittinganother or like passing electricity wires.In mechanical through systems suchasthese,theinitial impulse of energy thatactivates thechainof responses gradually in thesystem becomes weakeras it is diffused by mechanical chainsof events. Incontrast, every nervecellin the nervous generates system itsownenergy. Thecell'fires'in response to thesignals produced it receives. Theenergy bythecellis oftengreater thanthe signalit hasreceived. Neuralnetworks canactually escalate or amplify of theintensity theinitialsignal.Inthisway,wordsmayindeedbe ableto 'givelife'or to 'heal'by releasing energyin vastcircuits of of neurons. Jesus- Page28
lll. Analysis of Jesus' AccessingCues. the clueshis languagehas leftus Our modelingof Jesushasthusfar explored anotherset of cluesthat abouthis modelof the world. NLP,however,has identified insightintoJesus'accomplishments and personality. can helpus gainadditional In orderto functioneffectively, mentalprogramsneedthe helpof certainsubtle processes bodilyand physiological called'accessingcues' in NLP(seeAppendix A). One of the mostinfluential and importantof theseaccessing cuesis eye position. It hasoftenbeensaidthatthe 'theeyesarethe windowsto the soul.' In NLPthe eyes windowsintothe invisible are considered functioning of the nervoussystemas well.In the modelof NLP,the positionof a person's eyesat timesof internal thoughtgivean indication of whichrepresentational systemthe personis using.Theseeye positions alsohelpto directand strengthen thesesensoryprocesses.Forexample,upwardeye movements indicateinternalvisualization; eye movement to the leftor righthorizon for or remembering indicatelistening sounds;eye movements downandto the left indicateinternalselftalk;andeye movements downandto the rightindicateaccessto feelingstates.
Ucronltructed
Ur.emqmbered
A['JllB?]P""d
A88|l'"tff Kinesthetic NLP Eye MovementChart
In the previoussection,I mentioned thatJesusidentified himselfmoststrongly withthe visualrepresentational system.Thistendsto be confirmedby the factthat at manykeytimesin his lifeJesusis reported to be looking up - the visualaccessing positionin NLP. For instance, whenhe was healinga deafperson,we are giventhe following account: "Andlooking up to heaven,he sighed, and saithunto him, Ephphatha,that is, Be opened." Mark7:34 Jesus- Page29
ThefactthatJesusis described as havingsighedis alsosignificant.In addition lo its implications with reference lo 'spirit',pneumaandpsyche,a deepbreathis an accessingcue associated withthe activation of feelingsin the modelof NLp. The indication of the abovedescription is thatJesuswasderivingan internalfeelingat the sametime he was accessingthe internalvisualization. This woutdindicatea strong visual-kinesthetic overlapor'synesthesia' in whichthe feelings(andthe stimulation of the autonomicnervoussystem)werebeinglinkedto and strengthened by the imaging (representations generated withinthe centralnervoussystem). lt is onlyafterhe looks up (vi) and sighs1xi; tnatJesusis abteto givehisword(A6) ,power,. In fact,the important phenomenon of 'blessing'-in whicha verbalutterance is givenspiritualsignificance - seemsto be associated withthis samekindof V->K->A synesthesia.Whenstandingbeforethe crowdof fivethousand,for instance,we are toldthatJesus,"lookedup to heaven,and blessedand brakethe loaves,, (Mark6:41). Againthe upwardeye movementprecedesthe verbaloutput. At anothercriticalmoment, the raisingof Lazarus- the lastand mostsignificant of Jesusworksof healing- it is reported: "Thenthey took away the stonefrom the place wherethe dead was laid. And Jesuslifted up his eyes,and said,Father,I thankthee that thou hastheardme.,, John11:41 A significant indication of thisdescription is thatthiseye positionis an important part of the way in whichJesusaccessedandcommunicated with "the Father."lf thisis so, thiseye positionis obviously a verykeyelementof hisstrategyand an important cluefor our understanding of him. Eyepositionindicates the representational systema personis mosttunedin to at a particular time,and we are givennumerous descriptions thatJesusspecifically movedhis eyesin an upwarddirectionduringimportanteventsin his life. In fact, at probablythe mostsignificant decisionpointin his life,we againfindJesusaccessing upwards.Just beforehe turnshimselfoverto the authorities for arrestand crucifixion, we are told:
"ThesewordsspakeJesus,andtifted up his eyesto heaven,and said,Father,thehouris come;gtorifythy son,thatthy son alsomay glorifythee:"John17:1 Jesus- Page30
ThatJesuslookedup at thissignificant moment is a veryimportant indicator of his givesus a clueasto howhewasableto holdontohisbeliefs strategy, andperhaps andgoalsso strongly. (pneuma) Thiswasthetimethat,forJesus,the"spirit" andthe "flesh'(san)wereto seemingly comemostto a conflict of purposes.Hewaseitherto proceed withhisvisionof the largerlite(zoe)or changecoursein orderto benefithis (psyche).By movinghiseyesto thevisualaccessing ownpersonal existence position he presumably mobilized thecommitment of neurology necessary to strengthen the connection to the higherlevelvisionandthebroader timeframewithinwhichhe was to fulfillhismission. It is interesting to notethatthissameeyeposition is reported to havealso accompanied the inspiration of Jesus'apostles as well. Forinstance, atterhis crucifixion, Jesusis reported to haveappeared to hisapostles to givethem instructions. Whenhe is finishedwe aretoldlhal'\heylookedsteadfastly toward heavenas he wentup" (Acts1:10). Wearealsotoldthatthe martyrStephan, priorto beingstoned,maintained his laithby utilizing thesameeyeposition. 'But he,beingfullof theHolyGhost,looked up steadfastly into heaven,andsawthegloryof God,andJesusstandingon the righthand of God,"Acts7:55 fnthisdescription the upwardeyeposition occursat thesametimeas being"fult " Thiswouldseemto confirm of theHolyGhosL thecloserelationship between vision andthe experience of the "Spirit."
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lV. Jesus' Macro Strategy we can Withthe information we havegatheredaboutJesus'microstrategy, beginto defineand someof his higherlevelprocessesand createwaysto operationalize them. It seemsto me thatone of Jesus'majoroutcomesfor histeachingwas to provide the visionand the strategynecessary to helppeopledevelopthe abilityto perceivethe largersystemof whichtheyare a memberandto concentrate on and respondto more distantgoalsrelatingto that systemas a whole- an abilitythat has manyusesin nonreligious as well as religious structureimplied contexts.Gonsider the neuro-linguistic elements the following statement. lt illustrates and reviewssomeof the mostimportant of the strategyI believeJesususedand soughtto transferto his followers. "Andthenshallthey see the Son of man comingin a cloud with power and great gloty. "And whenthesethingsbegin to cometo pass,then look up, and litt up your head; for your redemptionis nigh. "Andhe spaketo them a parable;Behold the fig tree, and allthe trees;Whentheynow shootforth,ye see and know of your own selves that summeris now nighat hand.So likewiseye, whenye see these thingscome to pass,knowye that the kingdomof God in nigh at hand. "Veily lsay untoyou, Thisgenerationshallnot pass away,till all be fulfilled.Heavenand earth shall passaway;but my words shall not pass away. "Andtake heed to yourselves,lestat any timeyour hearts be overchargedwith surteiting,and drunkenness,and cares of this life, and so that day come uponyou unawares." Luke21:27-34 In this statement, to the visualrepresentational Jesusfirstmakesverbalreference system,directingit to an imageof a dramaticfutureevent. Cenainly,this vision refers. lt is becomesthe pivotalelementto whichthe restof the communication interesting that he thentetlspeoplelo "lookup,and liftup your head."Accordingto positionwhichwould NLPthis wouldbe leadingthemto an internalvisualaccessing helpto reinforce and reaccess the visionhe is verballydescribing. witha parable.Jesusoftenusedparablesas a Jesusfollowsthis description verbaldeviceto accomplish internalpicturethat the development of a metaphorical Jesus- Page32
illustrated he wastryingto convey.ln thiscasethe parable the deeperlevelprinciple relatesto the abilityto deriveevidencerelating to longterm,internally represented, futureoutcomesfromobservations madeof the external environment in the present. His statementthat, "Heavenand earthshall passaway;but my words shall not pass away,"reiterates of language, the dependence the importance of the whole ol 'logos'. He is clearlyplacingthe strategyon the 'word"andthe broaderimplications highestvalueon words,implying and relationships thatthe processes definedthrough and pervasive thanthe physical thosewordsare morefundamental content(i.e., 'heavenand earth) thattheyencompass. Jesusis sayingthatthe physicalworldwill andvaluesthatsupportlifewillstayconstant.The changebutthe coreprinciples adaptthesedeepprinciples challengeis to continually to changingcontextsin a changingsystem. He thenwarnsof the possibility of conflictscomingfromthe contentof our present,ongoingexperience("thislife")thatcan occurin the "heart"and interferewith the awareness and accomplishment of the longertermgoalsand deeperprinciples represented by the "word." The overallstrategyimpliedherereflects the patternswe uncovered duringour microanalysisof his language.lts functionis to aligna seriesof differentlogicallevels in which1) words(logos)embodya largerspiritual of experience mind; 2) it is through vision(horao)thatthe individual identityis ableto comprehend the largermindand relateit to our personalexistence; 3) the heart(kardia)is the mechanism through whichvisionis translated intothe specificbeliefsandvaluesthatguideone'sactions and behaviors. On a macrolevel,the structure of hisstrategy seemsto centeraroundthe processof movinglrom visiontoactionthroughthe processes of languageand emotion. The organizational visionthat drivesthe strategycomesfrom"spirit"whichgives one accessto generative experience beyondthe confinesof one'sindividual identity, personalhistoryand immediate surroundings. Thisis an important and powerful strategy.As the greatpsychologist and philosopher WilliamJamespointedout: "ln all ages the man whosedeterminationsare swayedby reference to the mostdistantends hasbeenheldto possesthe highest intelligence."(Principles ot Psychology, p. 15) ln ordertobe "swayedby referenceto the mostdistantends"onemusthave1) a Jesus- Page33
of thoseends,2) an evidence way of perceiving and buildinga representation procedurefor determining progresstowardthoseendsand 3) the awareness, flexibility,motivation and energyto keepafterthoseendsuntilthey are reached.In otherwords,one needsa wayto fix a futuregoal,detectprogresstowardthe goaland a rangeof possiblemeansto achievethat goalin a changingworld. seemto me to be in the areas thinkingabilities The strengths of Jesus'strategic of deeperprinciplesand the expression of creativityand leadership - manifesting valuesintodifferentspecificcontextsand situations.Thatis, of bringingthe detailsof for living.Thisseemsto higherlevelprinciples withfundamental lifeintocongruence butthatdoesnotcomenaturallyto most. be a strategythat Jesusperfected,
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V. Summary of Jesus' Cognitive Patterns It wouldseemthatour neuro-linguistic excavation has leadus to discoveran intriguingset of cognitiveand neurologicalpatternsthroughwhichJesusmay have perceivedand interacted withthe externalworld. lt appearsto be a processin which multiplelevelsof humanexperience are ableto be perceivedand organizedinto a harmoniousstructurefromwhichcoordinated actionsin the worldcan be taken. Our microanalysisof Jesus'languagepatternsand accessingcuesuncovered an intenreaving of cognitive and neurological elementsin which; 1) certainformsof language(theword as Logos)serveas a pointof convergence for neuralactivitywithinboththe centraland autonomic nervoussystemwhichcan createa specialstate(Spiritor pneuma)that makesit possible to perceive deepprinciples withina largersystem. 2) The language in combination withthe spiritual statereleasesuntapped energyinherentin the system(Lifeor zoe). 3) Channeled via the appropriate accessing cues,thisenergyactsas a kindof Light(phos)whichrevealsand represents the structure and implications of theseprinciples withinthe largersystem(likethe reference beamin a hologram) througha specialkindof vision(horao). 4) Otherstructures withinthe autonomicnervoussystem(Heartor kardia'1 respondto thesedeeplevelvisionsenhancing and expanding the personal emotional significance of the wordsand principles, mobilizing the neurology thatallowsoneto be ableto see(blepo)andconnectthesedeeperlevelsto a moreconcretelevelof experience. 5) Breath(lifeas psyche)activates the flesh(sarx)in orderto embodyand declare(eipon)ourdeeperexperience intothe concretesensoryworldof images(eikon),touch(haptomar) and spokenwords(rhema). Logos', pneuma-> zoe -> phos-> horao-> kardia-> blepo-> psyche-> eipon-> satx-> haptomai-> eikon-> rhema Word '> Spirit -> Lile -> Light-> Visbn-> Heart-> sight -> breath-> declare-> flesh-> touch-> image-> words
In the modelof NLP,eachof theseelementscan be related(directlyor metaphorically) to specificcognitiveand,moreimportantly, processes neurological thatcan give us a wayto not onlybetterunderstand the mindof Jesusfromour modernmodelsof the world,but alsoto incorporate usefulelements of those processesintoour own experience. We can summarize the basiccognitive elements of Jesus'processas a sequencewhichverymuchresembles our initialapproximation of his strategy.Jesus
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"hears' lhe 'Word" whichaccessesor mobilizesan internalstateol "life"and "spirit". This stateservesas an interfacefor the Wordwhichis transformed and organized(via lhe 'Light") intovisualimageryin whichJesus"sees"the meaning.Thesesvisions are connectedto his 'heart"whichtransforms whathe seesintofeelingsand stimulateshim to respondwith his "body"and mouthto act accordingto the internal visualmap and tell the "Word". ln the language of NLP,we wouldinferthat information is inputintoJesus' neurology throughthe auditoryrepresentational via an interface systeminternally processaccessedby a specialinternalfeelingstate.The consistingof a synesthesia auditoryrepresentations are organized visuallyandtransformed throughan output interface, the heart.whichproduces the feelingsthatdrivehis physicaland ultimately his verbalbehavior in the world. Words(eOi)-r'spiritual'State(Synesthesia) -->Vision(Vc)-t Heart1ri1->Actions(Ke)-r words(A,6e)
Evenat thissimplelevelof cognitive has structure, ourmodelof Jesus'strategy important implications, whichbeginto become if wecompare it withother clearer strategies. lt is important to keepin mind,forinstance, thatthesequence, combinations andfunctions of therepresentational is a crucialelement of the systems strategy.Forinstance, if thestrategy visualinputinstead beganwithexternal of 'the Word'wewouldprobably havea resulting than beliefstructure closerto science religion, forthewholeprocess In fact, wouldbe basedon external visualobservation. it seemsthatJesus'strategy is probably moresuitedanddesigned to dealwiththat whichcannotbe externally seenor measured. Thisis probably whythe"word"is such an important element of thestrategy. Oneinteresting wayto viewthemajordivisions is by of humanendeavor categorizing themas a function of thefundamental in thebasicstrategies differences theyemployandrequire. Mostof thesciences, as I indicated above,seemto be baseduponvisual external input.Theoutputsystem of science is alsovisualexternal in thatthe'proof'of itsbeliefsystemis provided by experimental demonstrations thatonecansee. Religion andphilosophy, inputlanguage, ontheotherhand,primarily andtheiroutput systemis alsolanguage. Theirgoalis to dealwiththefunction andpurpose of what we seearoundus ratherthanitsstructure. Incontrast mostarttendsto be an expression to bothscience andreligion, of feeling- thatis,theybeginwithan internal feeling whichis translated intoexpression (V=painting, through oneof thevarious mediums artistic At=rnusic, A6=po€try, Jesus- Page36
Ke=dance,etc.),the purposeof whichis to createa similarfeelingin the observer. Athletics,of course,beginswithexternalbodilyactions(Ke) and produces externalbodilyactions.
I np u t . . . O u t p u t
Field of Endeavor
ve...w
Scie n ce
Ao...Ao xl...xi
Philosophy& Religion Art
Ke...Ke
Ath le tics
WhileI am admittedly presenting onlya verysimplified viewof thesevarious fields,the pointremainsthatwhatdistinguishes sciencefromart or religion, and religionfromart,etc.,is thattheyare differentwaysof thinkingand perceiving the world. An artist,a scientist philosopher anda can experience the sameexternalevent but perceiveit differently becauseof the way it is processed throughthe strategiesor 'neuro-linguistic programs' thatdefinetheirprofession. At a deeperlevel,my beliefis that a largepartof Jesus'influencethroughhistory comesfromthe factthatthe description of his tife,actionsand wordsunconsciously embodiesa particularly powerfuland fundamental strategyfor perceiving and operatingin the world- a strategythatcouldproducethe kindsof actsof healing, religious experiences, and the Judeo-Christian valuesand culturethat havesprung fromthe dissemination of the Gospels.In otherwords,the typeof strategylaidout in the Gospelsis a description of a fundamental and unconscious neurological program thatallowsa personto perceive and respondto the worldon multiplelevels.The strategyis an operational processthat can be appliedon an ongoingbasisby an individual to produceactionsin the concreteworldthatare congruent to deeperlevel valuesand beliefs. In the nextsectionI wouldliketo demonstrate howJesus'strategycan be applied to personaland pragmaticsituationsin our own livestoday.
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PART ll: IMPLEMENTING JESUS' COGNITIVEPATTERNS One objectionthat mightbe raisedat this pointis thatthe analysiswe havemade of Jesus'mentalprocessthusfar is essentially irrelevant to the meaningthatJesus reportedmessagewas acluallytryingto convey. Obviously, werenotintended strategy. Jesus'teachings to simplyspecifya cognitive Theywere mostoftenmessagesdirectedat the higherlevelsof beliefs,values,identity and spiritualissues.However, we are onlyableto manifest and our knowledge representations of thesehigherlevelprocesses throughthe specificskillsand capabilities we haveacquired.In a way,our internalcognitive are the linkingpin between strategies the spiritand the flesh.lf we knowwhatto do but don'tknowhowto do it we willjust becomefrustrated.Understanding and wantingto do somethingis not enough. We need specificmapsandstrategies manifest the deeperlevelsof our experience. to successfully strategy, at the levelof One of the advantages of knowingaboutJesus'cognitive detailwe are ableto achievethroughNLP,is thatwe can beginto fill in missinglinksin relationship to howJesuswas ableto do thingson a largerlevel.lt allowsus to uncover the basicbuildingblocksout of whichmeaningful behavioris manifested.The valueof NLPis thatit chunksa processdownto a levelso that it maybe appliedpragmatically and replicated by the averageperson.Whenwe havethe smallerpieces,we can then assemblethemto moreconsistently achievethe largerpieces. With regardto this claim,and in contrastto the objectionraisedabove,other "Life",etc.,aretoo readersmightfeelthatconceptslike"Light","Logos", "Spirit", abstractand distantfromany actualconcretelifeexperiences to be of any practical value.The objectionmightbe raisedthatthe amountof detailwe are ableto derive fromthe Gospelsis notspecificenoughto tellus exactly"howto"thinklikeJesusor to applyhis cognitivepatternsto anythingpragmatic. very Certainly the Gospelsprovideonlyverybroadhintsaboutan undoubtedly process.Thereare manymissinglinksto be filledin to complexand sophisticated applythe structurewe haveuncovered to specificsituations.At the sametime,it is important thatthe mapis notthe to keepin mindthatNLPbeginsfromthe assumption in greatdetail,his territory.Evenif Jesuswerealivetodayandcouldbe interviewed processwouldstillbe unconscious, invisible and so immensely actualneurological in terms complexthat it wouldnot be possible to exhaustively describe.Furthermore, of transferability, it is not evennecessarily desirablethat suchgenerativeprocessesbe in too muchdetail.In orderforthemto be adaptedto the manydifferent described possibletypesof situations for humanbeings,a certain and nervoussystemspossible amountof flexibility mustbe allowed.
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in NLPis to producea mapthatis richenough, The ultimatepurposeof modeling valueto thosewho chooseto use strustured enoughand flexibleenoughto be of practical it. Onceyou haveidentified of the microand macrostrategy enoughof the keyelements In otherwords,if one of yourmodel,you can startto fillin the missingpiecesby inference. knowsthatone hasto go frompointA to pointB, onemayuseothertoolsto fillin thethe pathwayto get there.Oncewe haveidentified the generalframeworkemployedby an likeJesus,we canfill in missinglinksanddefinethe moremechanical individual aspects of NLPwe can piecetogetherstrategicdetails of the process.Throughthe technology in Jesusin orderto lill in the derivedfromothersourceswithwhathasbeenuncovered blanksand createsomething that hasverypracticalapplications. A thirdobjectionmaybe whetherthe kindsof mentalprocesseswe are ascribingto Jesusare evenpossibleto acquireor transfer.lt couldbe contendedthat the abilityto achievethe typesof states,formthe typesof synesthesias and createthe typesof abstractvisualizations, especially thosethat embodyhis spiritualexperience, or talentsthatare notpossiblefor the average are completely uniquecapabilities personto develop. Obviously, therewillneverbe anotherbeingexactlylikeJesus.Therewere manyinfluences at workto producehimas a specificphenomenon and special individual.Ourgoalis notto makean exact"clone"of Jesuswhowouldproducethe exactsamespecificactionsandwords,but ratherto extractkey elementsthatcan significantly enhancethe livesand experience of ourselves and otherpeople.The beliefsystemof NLPis thatthe fundamental neurological capabilities thatformthe basisof Jesus'sstrategyare latentin everyhumanbeing.Andthatwhileone'sown on the one hand,and physiological uniquelifeexperiences makeup on the other, maybe developed, certainlyinfluence the limitto whichsuchabilities thesekindsof skillscan be releasedin peopleof averageabilityin a waythatgreatlyenhances their competenceand personalexperience.
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l. Operationalizingthe Integration of Long Term and Short Term Goals In Jesus'macrostrategy, the wordis the trigger,the lightis the mapandthe spirit is the forcethatallowhimto accomplish his mission.Yet,as withany organization of elements, the chainis no stronger thanitsweakestlink.As I saidearlier,perceiving and wantingsomething in not enough.We needtoolsand methodologies to achieve themin the concreteworld. certainly,in manyaspectsof lifeone encounters the conflictbetweengoalsthat will benefitus in the longrunandthe painsand pleasures sensory of our immediate experience.The 'flesh"(ourbody'sresponses) can be influencedby a varietyof inputs.Whilethe payoffsof a longertermorientation are oftenquitelarge,the strategy required to attainthemis notalwayseasy.Justthinkof howdifficult is for peopleto eat healthily, exerciseconsistently, developgoodstudyhabits,concentrate on theirwork, etc. Everyonehas no doubtexperienced the strugglebetweenluturegoalsand immediate needsor desires.As Jesuspointedout: "Watch and pray, thatye enternot into temptation:the spirit indeedis willing,but the flesh is weak."Matthew26:41 Operationally speaking, Jesusis implying thateventhoughthe spirit(longterm futuregoalsrelatedto the 'largermind'of the wholesystem)provides the guidance,its' influence can be overridden by otherfactorsin the immediate relatingto environment the levelof the 'flesh'(shorttermneedsrelatedto the individual 'psyche').To effeclively addressthiskindof conflictone needsspecific tools- whatwe mightcall 'toolsof the spirit'.Jesusseemsto suggestthatone methodfor keepingfocusedon longterm goalsconsistsof usingthe visual("watch")and verbal("pray") representational systemsto reinforce the internalstateof the "spirit".An exampleof whatJesus'meansby "praying" is givenby his'Lord'sPrayet'(Matthew6:9-13): 'After thismannerthereforeprayye: Our Fatherwhichart in heaven, Hallowedbe thy name. Thy kingdomcome. Thy will be done on earth,as it is in heaven." In the modelof NLP,a prayeris a kindof neuro-linguistic program.lt is a specifically organized set of wordswhosepurposeis to stimulate and mobilize neurology in a consistent fashion.ln the termsof NLP,the neuralcircuitrymobilized in orderto represent the systemof elements definedby the verbalreferences to a 'Father Jesus- Page40
a and'earthandheaven', creates name',a'comingkingdom' in heaven', a 'Hallowed space.Thesewords thatopenup a kindof neurological of representations confluence thatareverybroadanddeepin termsof spaceandtime.The triggerrepresentations factthatJesusfollowsthesewordswith,€ive us thisdayourdailybread,"suddenly frameof to a muchmoreimmediate theseveryhighlevelrepresentations anchors reference. is anembodiment elements of TheLord'sPrayer of oneof themostessential hisabilityto entertain multiple timeframes- integrating the Jesus'macrostrategy: moment. I mentioned withtheimmediate of verylongtermprocesses awareness NLP elements of goalor pathway aredefined, earlierthatoncekeystrategic maybe usedto fill in missinglinksandcreatenewtoolsfor accomplishing technology technology for managing and an extensive thosegoals.NLPhasdeveloped manyissuesrelating of time.As an example, trythe to theperception coordinating withmycolleague ToddEpstein belowthatI developed as a exercise described reference fortheintegration experience of longtermsand meansto createa personal shorttermtimeperception. Erercise: lntegratingTime Frames 1. Finda partner andstandor sitfacingeachotherandwithinarmsreach. yourself (i.e. faceandexperience intheimmediate moment 2. Lookat theotherperson's hearing, feeling, be completely awareof whatyouareseeing, tastingandsmelling rightnow- uptime). yourself fullypresent, reachoutyourrighthandand 3. Whenyouareableto experience of thepersonin frontof you. touchthe shoulder yourhand,closeyoureyes,takea deepbreathandturnaround. 4. Remove 5. Facingyourpartneragain,extendyourperception of timefromtheimmediate moment to thecontextof thisactivity, to thetimeframeoftheprogram, to thephaseof lifethat youarein,to yourwholelife,to a timeframelarger thanyourwholelife,extending into yourpastandfuture. a senseof timeapproaching 6. Whenyouareableto experience eternity or timelessness, reachoutyourlefthandandtouchtheothershoulder of thepersonin frontof you. yourhand,closeyoureyes,takea deepbreathandturnaround. 7. Remove 8. Faceyourpartneragain.Lookintoeachotherseyesandtakea breathtogether at the sametime,thenreachoutwithbotharmsandtouchbothof yourpartner's shoulders. Thisprocess a process called'anchoring' in NLP,intheformof a touch employs Jesus- Page41
of stabilizinglinks on the shoulder.Theterm "anchoring"refersto the establishment betweenour experiences. is a processthaton the surfaceis similarto the Anchoring 'conditioning" technique usedby Pavlovto createa linkbetweenthe hearingof a bell and salivationin dogs. By associating the soundof a bellwiththe act of givingfoodto just ringthe bellandthe dogswouldstart hisdogs,Pavlovfoundhe couldeventually salivating, stimulus-response eventhoughno foodwas given. !n the behaviorist's conditioning formula,however, cue and the the stimulusis alwaysan environmental responseis alwaysa specificbehavioral is considered action.The association reflexiveand not a matterof choice. In NLPthe processhas beenexpandedto includeotherlevelsthan picturemaybecomean anchorfor a environmentand behavior.A remembered particular internalfeeling,for instance.A touchon the leg maybecomean anchor for a visualfantasyor evena belief.A voicetonemaybecomean anchorfor a stateof excitement chooseto establish or confidence.A personmayconsciously and retrigger for himself.Ratherthanbeinga mindlesskneetheseassociations jerk reflex,an anchorbecomesa toolfor selfandinterpersonal empowerment. In this exercise, are anchorsfor longtermandimmediate timeperception established statein andthenactivated simultaneously to createa neurological fashion. whichbothmodesof perception in an integrated maybe experienced An NLP Interpretationof the Sign of the Cross Incidentally, NLPtypeprocesses and accessing cueshave suchas anchoring alreadybeenorganically incorporated toolsin manyreligiousrituals. as spiritual Consider the ageold Christian customof makingthe "signof the cross."The signof madeby Christians and endingof prayeror the crossis customarily at the beginning justpriorto important or tryingevents.lt consists of touchingpartsof the bodywiththe handin a motionthatoutlinesa cross- the forehead, the chest,the leftshoulderand finallythe rightshoulder.Thegeneralinterpretation is thatit of the movement symbolizesJesus'crucifixion. Yet,just likeJesus'own strategy, it may embodyseveral levelsof processsimultaneously. Fromthe pointof viewof NLPthe movementand the touchof the handsbothguidethe movement of the eyesandtouchoff anchorslhat serveas an unconscious reminder mentalsequence. and rehearsal of a particular Thewordsthataresaidalongwithmakingthe signof the crosstendto supportthis hypothesis.The wordsgo, "ln the nameof the Father(touchforehead)and the Son (touchchest)and the Holy(touchleftshoulder)Spirit(touchrightshoulder). Amen.' According of to the modelof NLP,thesegestures wouldpromotethe activation
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the sensorysystemsto be mobilized in order stimulate two fundamental synesthesias, in whichtheyare the sequence andestablish eachof theseconcepts, to represent it wouldindicatethatthe "Father"providesthe visionor the connected.Specifically, of the Lightthroughthe heartandthe Lightgl;. fne 'Son"is the bodilymanifestation words(A6) and emotions(Kl) flesh(Ke). The "HolySpirit"is thejoiningof internal that standin betweenthe Lightand its physicalexpression. -The Light"[the big picture] "Thekingdomof heaven"
"Father"
"The Word"
"Holy"
fo 2
ke "Son"
"TheFlesh" "TheHeart"
Whilethisis not necessarily a directexpression of Jesus'strategy, it doesfit in withthe generalstrategyelementsthat havebeenemergingfromour study.The "Fatherin heaven"seemsto be associated withthe internalvisionof the largersystem of whichwe are a part,andthe "Sonof man"withthe earthly,kinesthetic manifestation and expression of thatvision.Thefactthatthe movement connecting the "Father"and withthe visual-to-kinesthetic the "Son"goesfromup to downis consistent overlap identifiedearlier.Thatthe "HolySpirit"is indicated by a movement fromthe verbalto kinestheticpositionsis alsoconsistent withauditory-to-kinesthetic statedescribed earlier.The "HolySpirit"givesaccessto the wordand inspiresa specialfeelingstate. On a cognitivelevel,'thesignof the cross'indicates the reinforcement of an unconscious but explicitstrategyin whichlanguage(communication) and emotion providethe mediating processes necessary to movefromvisionto action.On a neurological level,lhe signof the cross'impliesthe integration of the centraland nervoussystems(headand heart),andthe leftand righthemispheres autonomic of the brain(language and feeling). Jesus- Page43
ll. Operationalizingthe Great Gommandments Perhapsthe clearestand mostdirectstatementof Jesus'macrostrategyis expressed throughthe followingaccount: "Andone of the scribescame,and havingheardthemreasoningtogether,and perceivingthat he had answeredthem well,askedhim, Whichis the first commandmentof all? "AndJesusansweredhim, Thefirstof allthe commandments is,Hear O tsraet; The Lord our God is One Lord:And thou shalttove the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and withallthy soul, and withaltthy mind and withall thy strength: fhtsts the firstcommandment. 'And the secondis like,namelythis,Thoushaltlove thy neighbor as thyselt. Thereis noneothercommandment greaterthan these.,, Mark 12:28-31 Fromthe NLPpointof view,the firstcommandment abovestatesthe principle of congruence - thatall partsof the systemarealignedtowardsits highestpurpose.lf any partof a systemis leftout,ignoredor suppressed the systemcannotfunctionfullyor ecologically. The secondcommandment extendsthatprinciple beyondthe experience of the individual to the othermembersof the system.Eachpartof the systemis perceived andtreatedas if it wereas important and specialas any otherpartof the system. Basically, whenJesuswaschallenged to answerwhatthe greatestCommandment was,he shiftedto a higherlogicallevel.He did not nameone of the,"Thou shallnot..." commandments. He did not namea specificrule,he described the deeperprocessby whichsuchrulesare generated(he shiftedthe conversation lrom rhematotogos). It is interesting to notethat,froma strategic perspective, thereis an inherentdifficulty in the "Thoushaltnot..."formof commandment. Thiskindof linguistic formulation would be classified as a goalstatedas a'negation';a ruleaboutwhatnofto do as opposedto whatto do. The problemwithsuchnegations is thattheyplantthe suggestion of whatyou are notsupposed to do. lt is difficult, if notimpossible, to makesenseout of the statement, "Thoushaltnot imaginea personin a bikini,"withouthavingto engagein the activitythat is beingforbidden to somedegree.I can remember beingratherconfusedby the dilemma this posedas a boy.!n orderto knowwhatyouwerenotsupposed to do, you hadto think of whatyou werenotsupposed to; butthe sinwasthe thinkingitl Jesus'declaration is a description of whatto do." LoveyourGodwithall your heart, yoursoul,yourmind,andyourstrength. And loveyourneighbor " as yourself. Jesus- Page44
withinyourself- onceyou do in factlove Onceyou are alignedandcongruent yourself- thenyou will be ableto trulylovepeoplearoundyou as you wouldyourself.But if you aretornby conflicts and hateyourself, then if you are not alignedwithinyourself, you probablywilltreatyourneighborexactlyas you treatyourself,with hatredand incongruity. andalignrirent but are not ableto Ukewiseif you onlyhaveinternalcongruence and respectanotherperson'smodelof the world,you can abusethemand understand againstthem'.Thisseemsto be the kindof thingthat notevennotice- you can 'trespass was servingtheirGodwith Everybody happenedduringthe Crusadesandthe inquisition. theirheartand souland mindand strength... and killingtheirneighbors. for lifethatgoes are a statement of a verydeepphilosophy Jesus'commandments religious for structure.lt is rathera description of a strategy beyondany particular life- a strategyfor insuringthatthe entirespaceof humanexperienceis approaching of anydecision.I can remember beingstruckby the broughtintothe consideration wisdomof thesewordsevenas a child. Yet,the questionthat I alwayshad was "HoW doesonego aboutlovingone'sGodwithone'sheart,soul,mindand specifically, as oneself?"lt is herethat And "How,exactly, doesone loveone'sneighbor strength?" NLP can providesomevery powerfulinsightsand tools. we havereferred Throughout this monograph to the differentlevelsthat makeup our The multi-level modelprovidesa verypowerful framework for humanexperience. operationalizing the strategyimpliedby Jesus'commandments. systematically Our identityis likethetrunkof a tree- it is the coreof ourbeing.Thetrunkof a tree from a seedby growinga supportnetworkof unseenrootsthat reach unfoldsorganically lt hasanothernetworkof and nourishment. deeplyintothe groundto providestrength "roots"that reachintothe lightandair to providenourishment of a differentkind. The roots and branchesof a treebothshapeandare shapedby the ecologyin whichtheyexist. Similarlyour identitiesare suppoiledby internal,invisible"roots"in the form of neural networkswhichprocessour perception of our personalvalues,beliefsand capabilities as identityis expressedthroughour well as physicalbeingand environment.Externally, participation in the largersystemsin whichwe participate: our family,professional relationships, community andthe globalsystemof whichwe are a member.Phenomena "commitment" and "love"are "fruits"of lhe spiritas suchas "healing,"'Joy,""compassion," manifested throughour identityand are expressed andstrengthened through development, enrichment and growthof thesetwo systemsof "roots"- the unseensystem whichgrowsin the soilof our bodies,andthe leavesand branchesof the of our neurology largerfamily,communityand globalnetworksof whichwe are a part. Jesus- Page45
Global System Community Systemof Limbs,branches and leavesconnecting to the largersystemsof whichone is a part.
Profession
Light (Phos) Ai (Pneuma)
Family 'Fruits'ofthe spirit= love,compassion, healing,joy, peace. ldentity
Beliefs/Values Systemof innerroots to the strength connecting andnourishment of the bodyand Tlesh'.
Breath (Psyche) Capabilities Hearl (Kardia) Behavior
Environment
forthefirsttimein thefirstmoments I canremember holding eachof mytwochildren shapedby aftertheirbirth.Ratherthanbeing'blankslates'thatwereto be mechanically a reflexive lt wasclearlo methattheyalreadypossessed reactions to theirenvironment. of spirit.lt embodiment identity andunique complete - theyweretheirownspecial for howmanywaysthey lifewouldbesearch seemed through to methattheirjourney of whichtheywere couldrelease theirspecialness andthatspiritoutintothesystems participants viatheir theirenvironment levelsof linksthrough throughbuilding different language, music, dance, lt couldbethrough through beliefs, capabilities andactions. playing number Thekeywouldbe how healing, of possibilities. or anyof an infinite of rootsandbranches. strongly andrichlytheywereableto growtheirsystems to alignyourself thestrategy Jesus'first commandment seemsto be outlining purpose yourbeliefs yourhighest (yourGod),through andvalues(your towards spiritual (yourmind)andyour (yoursoul),yourcapabilities yoursenseof selfor identity heart), (yourstrength). of 'roots'.Once Thishasto do withdeveloping ourinnernetwork behavior growing an everincreasing thisis done,we arefreeto 'loveourneighbors'through network withthe peopleclosestto us we extend of limbs,branches andleaves- starting of vasterandvastersystems andlovethrough oursenseof wholeness, compassion people, system thatwe areableto creatures allof theglobalor universal andeventually comprehend. Jesus- Page46
A. Allgning Neuro-LogicalLevels: lmplementingthe First Commandment By synthesizing the conceptof thesedifferent logicallevelswiththe micro-analysis we madeearlierof Jesus'languageand accessingcues,we are providedwith a powerful roadmapfor aligningheaft,soul,mindandstrength. ln the modelof NLP,eachof these differentlevelsis embodiedthroughsuccessively deeperand broaderorganizations of neuralcircuitry.As one movesfromthe simpleperception of the environment to the activation of behavior withinthatenvironment, morecommitment of neurology mustbe mobilized. Capabilities callintoplaylongertermplansand mapsand requirethe involvement of evendeeperlevelsof neurology. Beliefsand valuesare represented and manifested throughthe mobilization of neurotogy that callsintoplaystructuresas deepas the autonomic nervoussystem(suchas the heart).ldentityinvolves thetotalcommitment of our nervoussystem.Spiritualexperiences involvethe resonancebetweenour own mindand nervoussystemwiththe largersystemsof whichwe are a part.
Logos
Word
Ad
pneuma
Spirit
Ki
phos
Light
vi
zoe
Life
Ki
horao
Vision
VC
Heart
Ki
eipon
declare
ai9 o
blepo
sight
vie
psyche
breath
Kie
laleo
speak
AE
sarx
flesh
KE
haptomai
touch
KE
eikon
image
VE
rhema
word
A:
kardia
Beliefs& Values YourHeart
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LargerSystem Hologram
Synesthesia
Autonomic NervousSystem
Central NervousSystem
Peripheral NervousSystem
accessandconnect ThroughNLPmethodsit is possible to systematically witheachof thesedifferentlevels.Using experiences and neuralprocesses associated the cognitivepatternswe haveuncoveredas a strategicguide,and the neuro-logical guide,l havedeveloped levelsspecified a processthrough by NLPas an interactive whicha personcan bringall levelsof themselves intoalignment.The processuses spatialanchoringand accessingcuesto activateand integratethesedifferentlevelsof experience.lt has provedto be a verypowerfulexperience and an tool for peopleto addressissuesrangingfrompersonal to health. conflicts, to learning,
Transcript: Demonstrationof the Logical Level Alignment Process RBD:I wouldliketo demonstrate the logicallevelalignmentprocesswithW. Thefirststep is to physically levels;onefor environment, layoutsix spacesfor eachof the different behavior, capabilities, beliefsandvalues,identityand spiritual.Youcan placethem rightnextto eachother. W: OK. I'vedonethat. RBD:And whatI'mgoingto askyouto do first,W is to standin the environment spaceand thinkaboutthe environment in whichyou wouldliketo be morepersonally aligned. W: Well,I'ma trainer,and I wouldlikebe morealignedin trainingsituations. RBD:I agreewithyouthatit is veryimportant to be congruent andalignedas a teacher. Canyou describesomeof the environments thatyou are in as a trainer?The questionbeing,"Whereand whenyou do training?"Describesomespecifictimesand placesthatyou do yourtrainings, W: Usuallya room,likethisone,sometimes a littlebit smaller.A numberof peoplebetweenfifteenandthirtyfive. Sometimes in the middleof the week,sometimes at the weekend.And,on a largerlevel,the whereis in Berlin,in WestGermany. RBD:O.K.Verygood. (ToAudience)NoticehowW. describedthesein a verymatterof factway - whichis veryappropriate for environmental leveldescriptions. Your environment is simplywhatyou seeand heararoundyou. Peopleare oftentempted to makejudgments or interpretations abouttheirenvironments as opposedto describe Jesus- Page48
justwhattheysee and hear.lf someone said,"l workin a hostileenvironment," that Forthis process, at this level,it is wouldbe a judgmentabouttheirenvironment. as W.did. importantto describeonlywhatyou senseexternally, CfoW.) Now,I'd liketo haveyou stepintothe behaviorspaceand describethe kindsof thingsthatyou do whenyou aretrainingin thoseplacesandat thosetimes. The questionis, nVhatdo you do in thosewheresandwhens?"Whatare the actionsand behaviors thatyou engagein, in thosetimesand places? W: Sometimes I sit;sometimes I'mstanding; I'mwalkingaround.Sometimes sometimes I'm presenting, sometimesI'm demonstrating, sometimesI'mjust watchingwhat's goingon if it's a largegroup.ln a littlegroupI'mtryingto supportthemby asking questions and sayingthingsto them.l'm oftenwalkingaround.Goingto the flipchart, writingthingsdown. Listening, hearing, tryingto makesenseout of whatpeopleare sayingand doing,and responding. RBD:Good.(ToAudience) Again,noticehowW. is simplydescribing a set of behaviors not makinginterpretations. lf he hadsaid,"l behavewellor poorly," thesewouldbe judgmentsaboutbehaviors.Forthisexercise, at this level,'behaviors' wouldbe actionsthat a videocamerawouldbe ableto recordif it was in the environment. Videocamerasdon'tjudgeor interpret, theyjust record. space. And the questionhereis, Oo W.) Now I'd likeyou to stepintothe capabilities "Whatis the know-how or the mentalstrategies andskillsyou needin orderto sit, stand,walkaround,listen,writeon the flipchaftand respondas you aretrainingin thoseroomsin Berlin?"In otherwords,"Howareyou ableto do those'whats'in those 'wheres'and 'whens'? W: Well,I use my capability to structure thingsand to structure information. I usethe capability to makesenseof whatI see,hearandfeel. I use my knowledge of instructional designto put that structureintowords,actionand behavior.I usemy capabilityalsoin a morebroadrangeto structureovertime,and I use my capabilityto go intothe perceptualpositionof the groupmembersand see thingsfromtheir perspective.And,notas oftenas I wouldlike,I use my abilityto go to 'third'position, seeingthe relationship betweenmyselfandthe others. I alsouse my capabilityto makepicturesof whatI'mgoingto do. RBD:O.K. |Io audience) NoticehowW.'sphysiology changesas he stepsintoeachnew space.The amountof gesturesand movements increases. He literally involvesmore Jesus- Page49
of himself,moreof his neurology, at eachlevel.In the environment spacehe hardly movedat all. In the behaviorspacehe beganto gesturewith his armsand move arounda little.In the capability space,you couldsee hiseyesmovingand searching aroundmoreas he accessed hisskillsand abilities.Alsoas he describes the different levels,thereis a changein histoneof voice.He speaksa bit moredeeplyand slowly. The kindsof wordshe useschanges. Theyindicatemorebroadreachingand personalprocesses. CfoW.) Now,I'd liketo haveyou stepintothe betiefspace.The questionhereis, "Whydo you use thoseparticularcapabilities to act in thosewaysin thoseenvironments?" Whydo youchoseto useyourabilities to structure, to putthingsintowords,to lookat thingsfromotherperceptual positions andpicturewhatyou are goingto do? What sortof beliefsandvaluesleadyouto usethatknow-how andtakethoseactionsin thosetimesand places? W: Well,I'mbelieving in respect, respectfor otherpeople.Respecting the waytheyare livingtheirown lives.I'mbelieving in havinggoodrelationships. I'mbelieving in supportfor otherpeopleand myself,in orderto enrichwhatwe can do here. I'm believing in love. And I believeit'sgoodto havea lotof skillsto do things. RBD: So you valuerespect,relationships, support,skilland love.Canyou say anything aboutwhy you'vechosento manifest thosevaluesthroughtrainingin particular? W: Well,I wasthinkingaboutthatthe otherday,andthe answerI haveat the momentis justthat I loveto do it. RBD: That'sas gooda beliefas any. ffo audience)The questionwe are exploringhere is "Whatbeliefsdo you haveaboutyourself, aboutpeople,and aboutdoingwhatyou do?" Whatbeliefsguideyou? NoticehowW.svoicebecameevenmoredeep. lt is almostas if you hearevenmoreof himspeaking. He is speakingfromhis heart. (FoW.) I'd liketo haveyou stepintothe identityspaceand answerthe question"Who am I that,in my heart,I wouldrespectthe livesof others,wantgoodrelationships, supportpeople,valuelotsof skillsand believein love?""Whoam I that I woulduse my mindto structure, to putthingsintowords,to takemultiple perspectives and visualize the future?""Whoam I thatI havedeveloped the strengths to demonstrate, to sit, stand,walkaround,listen,writeon a flipchartand respondto peoplein thoserooms duringthe weekand on the weekends on thatpartof thisplanetpeoplecall Germany?""Whoam I as a trainer?"Whatkindof a trainerareyou? Whatkindof a Jesus - Page50
personare you? Whatkindof 'soul'areyou? W: (Pause)lt'sdifficult. RBD:Yesit is difficultto searchyoursoulandevenmoredifficultto shareyoursoul.What are you willingto say aboutyourself?Evenif it's notthe rightanswer?Try usinga rnetaphoror an analogy. W: (Pause)Well,one metaphor wouldbe thatI am likea dropin the oceanand kindof goingwiththe flow. Anothermetaphor wouldbe thatI am likea lighthouse...tt has something to do withtight. RBD: So,you are likewaterandyouarea channelforlight. I'd liketo haveyou takefinala stepbeyondbeinga lighthouse,beyondbeinga drop in the ocean,intoa spacethattranscends yourself- intoa spiritual space. Raiseyour headand youreyesso you are lookingup and imagineyou couldsee beyondyour own lifeandyourownidentityfor a moment.Whatis yourpurpose?Whatareyou servingin thisidentityas a lighthouse?Whatdoesit meanto be a dropof waterin the flow of life? A lighthousefor what? A dropin whatkindof ocean?Whatis yourvision and missionas atrainer?The questionhereis 'Whatis the visionthat I'm pursuingor representing as a lighthouse,as the dropin the ocean,as a trainerthatvalues respect,support,skilland love;and who structures and verbalizes and takesdifferent perspectives and visualizes in his mind;andwho sitsandwalksand listensandtalks and respondswith his bodyto groupsof fifteento thirtyfive peoplein thoseroomsin Berlin?" W: (Longpause)lt hassomething to do withlove,but I don'tknowhowto put it into words. RBD:Takeyourtime. Thesewordsare impodantwords;perhapsevensacredwords. what is important hereis to nottalkaboutit, but ratherto talk"it". Letyourselfbe in the presenceof this"largermind".Thewordsdon'tevenhaveto be 'your'words. Letthem emergeor flowfromyourneurology. Justdescribe what'sgoingon as you experience it. Maybeit'sjust colors,maybeit'sjustfeelings. W: (Pause)I'mexperiencing thateverything is perfect;that nothingneedsto be changed. It's likelightgoingall over.Thereare lot'sof paradoxes...like it is timeless...and yet Jesus- Page51
timeis llowing,all at once. RBD: (ToAudience)This is obviouslya verypowerfullevelof experience for W. Just noticehow muchhis breathinghas changed.Theseare experiences that we don't oftenopenourselves up to - exceptperhapswhenwe are neardeathor someonewe loveis neardeath.And yetthe spacefor themis alwaystherein our neurology. We get so caughtup in the immediacy of 'conducting'our livesthatwe forgetlifeis alsofullof light;thatlifeis perfectbutat the sametimefullof paradoxes, but thatit is timeless, timeis flowing,bothat the sametime. Eachof us hasprobablyhadexperiences such as this,but find it hardto holdon to themor perceivetheirrelevancein 'day-to-day living'.Yet,this is the levelof experience meaning experience thatgives'day-to-day' and purpose.I believeit is possible intoour daily to bringthiskindof awareness experience. Oo W.) W, whatI'd liketo askyouto do is to takea momentandjust fullybe in this stateof light,of paradoxof timelessness and love. Honorit, holdit, anchorit. Andthen stepintoyouridentityspaceandbringit withyou. That'sright,physically movebackto youridentityspaceand bringthisvisionandthosewordswithyou. Keepyoureyes yourexperience raised,takea fullbreathandjust noticehowit enriches of who you yourmetaphors, are. lf you wish,you can restateor addto yourdescription, of who you are as a trainer,as person,as a soul. W: I canfeelit but,it'shardfor me to putintowords.lt'slikeaddinga kindof excitement to it all,andthe awareness of beingpartof something bigger. RBD: So you'renotjusta dropin the ocean,there'san awareness thatyou are an embodiment of thatocean.You'renotjusta lighthouse,there'san awareness that you are partof that light,that largersystem,that largermind. Andthere'sa feelingof excitement thatemergesout of thosewordsandthatvisionwhenyou bringtheminto you. gratitude.Andat thatsametime,it's W: lt'salsoa senseof beingthankful...experiencing gettingmuchmoreenergy. RBD: Thatvisionandthosewordscan mobilize yourneurology in a powerfulway.They can bringit alive,fillit withspirit. l'd now liketo askyouto takethatsenseof energyandthankfulness; of beingan partof thatvastoceanandthatlight;of beingtimelessandyet in time,and important
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physicallymovebackintoyourbeliefspace. Keepingyoureyesup and your fulland deep,bringthe senseof visionandyourmissionintoyourheart. breathing or enriched?Wouldany newbeliefs Howare your beliefsandvaluessolidified emergefromyourheart? feelthe beliefthatwe areall one. Thereis W: Well,on one level,I am ableto concretely alsothe the beliefthatgrowingis good,withoutneedinganyfurtherpurposethanto grow.lt can havea purpose,butthereis a sensethatgrowingis goodevenwithout that I am That'sonething.Andthereis alsoa realization havingany purpose. it, supposedto be herein thistime.ThatI can relaxand enjoyit and appreciate wonderafterwonder. of life,of RBD: I'd liketo nowaskyouto takethatsenseof light,of love,of the paradoxes of beingpartof the lightandpartof the vastocean;of andtimeliness, timelessness in respect,supporl,skillandlove;of feelingthatwe are all one,thatgrowing believing is goodevenif it servesno purposethat we can perceiveandthat you belonghere the wondersaroundyou;and I'd likeyou takeall of thatintoyour and can appreciate space. Raiseyoureyesand as you takea full breathconnectyourvision, capabilities yourspiritandyourheartto yourmind.Realizethatyourskillsand yourmission, and expression of thosebeliefsand values,of your identity are a reflection capabilities and soul,and of yourvisionand mission.Yourmindis the way in whichyou manifest As you fullysenseall of theselevelsof yourself,howdoesit thesedeepstructures. you havefor manifesting your solidifyor enrichyourperception of the capabilities values,beliefs,identifyandvision? W: I havemoreof a capability of beingin firstposition my ownpointof - of respecting view. Also,it'seasyto seeotherpointsof viewandtakewiderandwiderperspectives. It'seasierto understand othermapsof the world,otherwaysof being,of living...this soundsa bit funnyto say,but eveneasyto understand trees,plantsand otherformsof life. And it'seasierto 'let it flow'withouthavingtimeconstraints, or whateverthe word is - fewer'boundaries'. I wouldhavemoreof the capability of flowingand alsogiving directionto the flow. RBD: Now l'd liketo haveyou standin the behavior spaceand re-experience those goingto the blackboard, specificactionsthatyoutake; teaching, talking,listening, looking,responding.Takethistotalsenseof yourcapabilities, beliefs,identityand spiritintothosebehaviors.Liftyoureyes,takea deepbreathand connectyour Jesus- Page53
strengths as a trainerto yourmindandto yourheanandto yourmissionand to your vision. How mightyou experience theseactivities Howwouldhavingthis differently? hologramof yourtotalbeingenrichtheseveryspecific, concreteactionsthatyou take? Perhapsit changesthe qualityof whatyoudo. W: Well,it changesa lot. The metaphor I havefor allthechangesis thatit wouldbe more likea dance.For example, if I wouldgo to the flipchail,it wouldbe morelikedancing and beingawareof all that'sgoingon aroundme,of whatI'mdoing,and hearingand listening and beingthere. lf I wouldexplainsomething, I wouldhavethe'why' of doingit. And thereare manymorepictures.I couldadd all of the words. lt's kindof likehearingmusicwhileI'mdoingthings. RBD:Finally,t'd liketo haveyou movebackintothe environment space,backto those specificwheresandwhens;thelittlegroups,the littlerooms,the big rooms,fitteento thirtyfivepeople.Lookup,takea fulldeepbreathandalignyourhighestspiritual purposewithyouridentity, yourheartandyourmindwithyourstrengths in this environment. Howwouldyou re-perceive, re-experience and restateyour senseof yourenvironment if you broughtthislight,the paradoxes, the senseof timelessness but alsothe flowof time,yoursenseof beinga lighthouse anda partof a vastocean, yourbeliefthatgrowthis goodin andof itself,yourrealization thatyou belong,thatyou can appreciatelife wonderafterwonder.Yourvaluingof respect,support,skilland love.Takeyourabilityto understand othei mapsand takea widerview,to havefewer boundariesand directthe flowof yourexperience. Alsobringthe dancethe pictures, the words,lhemusic.Noticehowyourexperience of yourenvironment changesand enriches. W: The bestway I can answerthatis its prettymuchthe sameenvironment but I would perceiveit reallydilferently. As if it is filledwithlight,or moremusic.Andone difference I experience is it wouldbe muchlessof doinga job. The wordwhich comesto my mindis that it wouldbe a specialplace- a sacredplace- eventhoughit is the sameroom,placeandcity. RBD:So, eventhoughthe placesandthe peopleandthe timesstaythe same,you'dbe ableto perceive the lightthatfillsthemandthe vastoceanthatflowsthroughthem. Theseroomsin Berlinwouldbecomea sacredplace.Theyare not onlya placefor respect,suppott,skilland love,theyare placesof widerperspectives, of wonderafter wonderwheredifferentmapsare understood andwheregrowthis valuedwhetherit
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has an obviouspurposeor not.Therearethe roomsandthe flipcharts,but atsothe paradoxes. Theyare placeswherechangeis takingplacebut wherenothingneedsto be changed.lt takesplacein timebutit alsotimeless. lt is a sacredspacewhereyou belongand whereconstraints and boundaries are transcended.lt is a placeof vision and beliefand wonderwhereyou cando yourjob andto manifest yourhighest spiritualpurpose.lt is a placefor sittingandwalkingaroundandtalkingand demonstrating and listeningand responding, but it is alsoa placefor for musicand dancingand gratitude. W: lt is beautiful. RBD:And perhapsthatbeautydoesnotevenhaveto be limitedto thoseroomsin Berlin whereyou do yourtraining.Perhapsthe lightandthe oceanfillthe whoteworld,and our wholeplanetis a sacredplacefor vision,for respect, for growth,for dancing,for music,for the transcendence of boundaries, for widerperspectives, for love.you only needto liftyoureyesandtakea deepbreathto see it. W: I thinkit can be.Thankyou. I liketo thinkthatW.'sexperience provides a glimpseof howJesusmusthave experienced the worldin an ongoingway:a sacredspace,filledwith light.Flowingin time but alsotimeless. Transcending boundaries throughsupport,skill,widerperspectives and love. The levelalignment processis a wayto mobilize verydeeplevelsof neurology, and then,througha processof successive approximations, releaseit intoa specificsituation.I myselfusethisprocessallthe timein orderto preparefor seminars and othercontextsin whichI wantto havefullaccessto all levelsof myself.Thefollowing is a summaryof the stepsof the process. Summary of the Logicat Level Alignment process 1. Physically layout one spacefor eachof the six logicallevels.
| 'd*- I F-ry I l--'*"*l f;-"-*lF*;l
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2. Standin the "Environment" spaceandanswerthe question: "Whenand wheredo t wantto be morealigned?" 3. Standin the "Behaviot'' spaceandanswerthe question: "Whatdo I needto do when Jesus- Page55
am in thosetimesand places?""Whatstrengthsdo I have?" ,' 4. Standin the "Capabilities" "Howdo I needto use my spaceandanswerthe questions: mindto carryout thosebehaviors?"'Whatcapabilities ; do I haveor needin orderto do thoseactionsin thosetimesand places?" 5. Standin the "BeliefsA/alues" "Whydo I wantto use spaceand answerthe questions: thoseparticular capabilities to accomplish thoseactivities?""Whatvaluesare importantto me when I am involvedin thoseactivities?"'What beliefsdo I haveor needto guideme in my heartwhenI am doingthem?" 6. Standin the "ldentity"spaceand answerthe questions: "Whoam I if I havethosebeliefs I and valuesand usethosecapabilities in that to accomplish thosebehaviors 'Whatkindof soularethosebeliefs,values,capabilities environment.?" and behaviors , an expression of?""Whatis a metaphorfor my mission?" 7. Standin the "spiritual"spaceand answerthe questions:"Whoand whatelse is that : personwho hasthat identityserving?" "Whatis the visionbeyondme that I am participating in?" 8.An ch o r th es tatethaty ouenter e d in t o in t h e s p ir it u a ls p a c e . T a k e t h a t p h ysi o |o g ya n d innerexperience and stepbackintothe identityspaceso you experience bothat the i sametime.Noticehowit enhances yourinitialrepresentation or enriches of the identity experience. i i 9. Takeyou experience of bothyourvisionandyouridentityand bringthemintoyour beliefspace.Againnoticehowit enhances or enrichesyourinitialrepresentation of yourbeliefsand values. 10. BringYourvision,identity, beliefsand valuesintothe capabilities space.Experience t, you experience changeor enrichthe capabilities withinyoursetf. howthey strengthen, 11.Bringyourvision,identity, beliefs,valuesand capabilities intothe behaviorspace. Noticehow eventhe mostinsignificant seemingbehaviors are reflections and i manifestations of all of the higherlevelswithinyou. 12. Bringall levelsof yourselfintothe environment how it is spaceand experience : transformed and enriched. I
Theprocess is bestdonein conjunction witha partner, or'Guardian Anget,' who servesas a kindof witness to yourwords.The'Guardian Angel'helpsto keepyouon trackby askingthequestions 'backtracking' andcontinually whatyouhave or reviewing saidat eachof thelevels(itsometimes helpsto writedownkeywordsandphrases).
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B. Logical Level Co-AlignmentProcess Jesusmadethe statementthat, "Forwheretwo or threeare gatheredtogetherin my name,theream I in the midstof them" (Matthew18:20).The implication of this is thatthe togetherwithinthe aligningtwo or morehearts,souls,mindsandsetsof strengths frameworkof a sharedvisioncan createsomething thatis greaterthanthe sum of the partson a higherlevel.According to the Gospelof Thomas: Jesus said to them, "Whenyou make the two one, and whenyou make the inside like the outsideand the outsidelike the inside,and the above like the below and whenyou make the male and the femaleone and the same,so that the malenot be male nor the femalefemale;and whenyou fashioneyes in place of an eye, and a handin place of a hand,and a foot in place of a foot,and a likenessin placeof a likeness;thenwillyou enter [the Kngdoml." Thomas(22) The logicallevelalignmentprocessmay be broadened to allowyou to co-align yourselfwithothers. As an example,I usedthisprocesstogetherwithmy wife,Anita,as a preparation for childbirth. Ratherthansimplybe a breathing coach,thisprocessallowedme to levels. otferher supporton manydifferent We startedby sharingour perceptions of the environments in whichthe birth wouldtake place:our homeandthe birthingroomat the hospital.We visitedthe hospitalso we couldidentifyspecificexternal cuesanddetails. Thenwe definedto one anotherhowwe wantedto be ableto act in those environments.Anitaverbalized how she wantedvariouspartsof and demonstrated partsof the laborprocess;how her bodyto be relaxedand activeduringthe different she wantedher breathingto be and howshe wantedto act towardothers.I in turn describedanddemonstrated the toneof voiceI wantedto usewhenI talkedto her, the qualitiesof movement I wouldhavein touchingherandthe kindof flexibility of behaviorI wantedto havein orderto respondappropriately to changesor uncertainties in the hospitalenvironment andthe medicalstaff. We thendescribed to eachotherthe skillsandcapabilities we wouldneedto act the wayswe haddefinedin the birthingenvironment. Anitabroughtup the importance of the abilityto remember keythingsevenunderdifficult experiences, herabilityto concentrate and focus,to handlepainin di{ferentwaysand her abilityto be awareof her body. I wantedmy abilitiesto communicate, to respondcreatively, to be acutely Jesus- Page57
and managemultipleperspectives. awareof her physiology and to recognize Next,we sharedto eachotherbeliefsandvaluesthatwe wouldneedin orderto in the be ableto activatethosecapabilities and producethosebehaviors environments we haddefined.Sheidentified the beliefsthatshe couldtrustherbody; way;that even thatthe experienceof laborwouldunfoldin the mostappropriate thoughshe couldnot controlwhatwas happening, outside therewas a benevolent forceat work; thatshe hadmanychoicesabouthowto respond;thatshecouldtrust thosethatweresupporting her;andthatshewas bringinga newlifeintothe worldthat she wo u | d |ov e.| s haredmy bel i e f t h a t we h a d o p e r a t e d we l| a s a t e a m m a n yti m e s before;thatif I was ableto approachthe situationwitha pureintentionthat any guidanceI wouldneedwouldcometo me;thatI hadmanyskillsthatwouldbe thereto supportme as unconscious We alsosharedour valuesof respect,of competences. makinguse of all the choicesavailable to us andof love. Afterthis,we sharedour perceptions of whowe wouldbe if we wereableto intothe birthenvironment. manifestour beliefsand valuesthroughour capabilities Anitaperceived herselfas a kindof nautilusshell,spiraling openontothe world.I perceived clear myselfas a kindof lightshiningout intothe roomto keepeverything and in focus. At the spirituallevel,Anitaenvisioned a universe of shellswithinshellswithin larger.Shesaw herselfas one of the shells shells;eachone becomingsuccessively in thisvastchain. I saw myselfas a kindmagnatein a largersystemof many magnates, linesof forceemanating eacheffecting eachotherthroughthe invisible fromthem.In thisvisionthe positionof oneof the magnates couldeffectthe alignment an d o r d e ro fa l l oftheothers .Thef u n c t io n wa S t o c o n t in u a | | y a d ju s t t o k e e p th e balanceand harmonyof the forces. The unitedvisionwas of We exploredthe waysin whichourvisionsfit together. the universeof shellswithinshellsall of whichwerelikemagnates and interconnected linesof force. throughtheirinvisible WhileAnitahad beenmarriedfor overthirteenyears,we hadneverreallytalked to eachotheraboutour visionsfor our identities of the larger andour perceptions spiritualsystemsin whichwe participated. lt can be quitemovingto sharesucha level of experience withsomeoneyou love,andthinkyou know. In bringingour sharedvisionintoour senseof identitywe feltthatwe werelikea pairof interlocking nautilusshells.The shellsweremadeof a kindof lightor energy that couldbe moreor lessfocusedor dense,beingeitherveryconcreteand hardlike a shell,or verylightanddiffuselikea lightspreading throughthe room.ln our metaphor for our mutualidentity, we wouldbothbe moreconcreteor diffuseat various Jesus - Page58
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pointsdepending pointol Throughthiscoordinated dancea particular on the situation. wastakingplace.Thisnewpointof densitywouldform,aroundwhichthe interaction the babywho wouldfirstformout of our danceas a pointof focus, densityrepresented gainingdensityuntilshe becameanothershell,andfinallyenterthe danceas another interlocking shell. Withinthe frameof ourcommonvisionandidentitywe reviewed the beliefsthat we had sharedearlier.Theyseemedto be muchmorepresentand unified,almostas il simplyas 'Life','Love'and 'Trust'. theywerea singlebeliefthatcouldbe expressed In reviewing we feltthatthattherewas a specialcapability we ourcapabilities, hadas a teamthroughthe combination of skillsthatwe possessed, thatneitherof us Thiswasthe abilityto createa spacefor lifeto formand coulddo independently. grow;to createa contextin whichanotherbeingcouldthriveand bloom. As we thoughtaboutthe specificactionsand behaviors we haddefinedearlier, it no longerseemedlikewe weretwo separatepeoplereacting to an externalsituation or reactingto eachother.Rathelour behaviorseemedto be an integrated actionfrom a singlebeing,likethe eyes,arms,hands,legsandfeetof a dancer.Anita'sbreathing practiceno longerseemedlikea kindof mechanical programming, but rathera means to actuallybreathespiritand lifeintothe experience. Finally,we broughtthe totalityof our sharedvision,identity, beliefsand values, intoour mapof the birthingenvironment. and behaviors capabilities Similarto W.'s it tookon the senseof a sacredplace;a placewheremomentous experience, things wouldoccur;a focalpointaroundwhichmanyelements spun.Ourexperience was but,at the sametime,a placeof choices.Ourfeeling thatit was a placeof challenges wasthat,comewhatmay,it wouldbe the appropriate thing,andthat we wouldbe able to handleit as a team. I can testifythatourjointmulti-level mapallowedus to meetthe challenges of laborand birthin harmonious and coordinated fashion.Our beautiful daughterhas beenthrivingand blossoming in a co-created contextof light,life,loveandtrustever since. Summary of Logical Level Co-AlignmentProcess 1. Physically layouttwo spacesfor eachof the six logicallevels.
I rrr"*I t *"irylf-r,r"*l t-."r"'--lFffil Spiritual
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(a placeand 2. Bothstandin the "Environment" spacesand identifyan environment yourperception time)thatyou share. Describe of thatenvironment to eachother. 3. Standin the "Behaviofspaceand answerthe question:'What do I wantdo when I am in that timeand place?"Describeto eachothersomespecificbehaviorsand actionsthatyou wanlto manifest in yoursharedenvironment. you 4. Standin the "Capabilities" spaceanddescribe to eachotherthe capabilities haveor needin orderto manifest thoseactionsin thatenvironment. 5. Standin the "BeliefsA/alues" spaceand answerthe question:"Whydo I wantto use thoseparticularcapabilities to accomplish thoseactivities?"Discloseto eachother the valuesand beliefsthatmotivate in the capabilities and andare reflected you wantto manifest behaviors in yoursharedenvironment. 6. Standin the "ldentity"spaceand answerthe question:"Whoam I that I havethese motivations and capabilities in thatenvironment?" to manifest thosebehaviors yourperception verbalize Usinga metaphor of yourselfin relationto the beliefs, va lu e S,capabi | i ti es andbeha v io r s y o u h a v e id e n t if ie d . 7. Standin the 'Spiritual"spaceand answerthe question:"Whatis the visionI am pursuingor representing?" Describe to eachotheryourvisionsof the larger systemin whichyou are participating.
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B .Exp lo r e inw hi c hw ay s thetw ov is io n s f it t o g e t h e r o r c o m p le m e n t e a c h oth e r .T o g e th takethatphysiology and innerexperience and stepbackintothe identityspaceso you nVhat experience "Whoare we together?" bothat the sametime.Answer the questions, ' is our jointidentity?" 9. Takeyoursharedexperience of bothyourvisionandyouridentityand bringtheminto yourbeliefspaces.Answerthe question, "Whatareour sharedbeliefsand values?" 10.BringYourvision,identity, space.Answerthe beliefsand valuesintothe capabilities question,'Whatcapabilities do we haveas a teamthatare beyondour individual capabilities?" 11.Bringyourvision,identity, valuesandcapabilities intothe behavior beliefs, space. Noticehow eventhe mostinsignificant are reflections and seemingbehaviors "Whatwillbe manifestations of all of the higherlevelswithinyou.Answerthe question, our jointactionstogether? 12. Bringall levelsof yourselfintothe environment howit is spaceand experience transformed and enriched.
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lll. Taking Multiple PerceptualPositions- Loving Your NeighborAs yourself The co-alignment processcan certainlybe a powerfultoolto takestepstoward 'lovingyour neighboras yourself'.Understanding someoneelse'smapof the worldon all levelscertainlydeepensthe senseof connection and relationship one haswithanother. Yet,Jesusseemedto havesomething evenbroaderin mindwhenhe spokeof 'lovingyour neighboras yourself'. He maintained: "Forif ye love them whichloveyou, whatthankhaveye? for sinners also love thosethat love them. And if ye do good to them whichdo good to you, whatthankhaveye? for sinnersalsodo eventhe same. And if ye lend to them of whomye hope to receive,what thankhaveye? for sinners alsolend to sinners,to receiveas muchagain.,, Luke6:32-34 Jesusclearlyseemsto implythatlovingone'sneighbors extendsto all of humanity; and in particular thosewhomit wouldseemthe mostdifficult to love. "Yehave heard that it hath been said, Thou shatttove thy neighbour; and hate thine enemy. But I say untoyou, Loveyour enemies,blessthem that curseyou, do good to them that hateyou, and pray for them that despitefullyuseyou, and persecuteyou;That ye may be the childrenof your Fatherwhichis in heaven;for he makethhissun to riseon the evil and on the good,and sendethrain on the justand on the unjust.,, Matthew5:43-45 The abilityto loveone'senemies,"blessthemthat curseyou, do goodto them that hateyou, and pray for themthat despitefultyuseyou, and persecuteyou'wouldcertainly seemto requirespecialskills.Formostpeople,Jesus'comments seemstikea nice,lofty sentiment,but difficult,unpragmatic and evendangerous to attemptin ,reallife'.yet,it seemsthatJesusdid notintendit as simplyan admirable put impractical ideal. In additionto continually encouraging it in histeachings, Jesusoftendemonstrated it in his actions. Perhapsthe mostsignificant indication of hiscommitment to thisprinciple is the responsehe hadto thoseresponsible for his owncrucifixion anddeath: "Father,forgivethem;for theyknownot whattheydo." Luke 23:34 Jesus- Page61
Of all of the thingshe couldhavesaid,Jesuschosethesewordsas his'logos'. mercyandlovewas morethansimplya Obviously, to Jesus,his message of forgiveness, was goinghis bunchof nicewordseasilysaidto a groupof adoringfanswheneverything justifiable way. In the momentwhenit wouldhavebeencompletely for Jesusto be thinkingonlyof himself- in the momentwhenJesushadthe mostreasonand rightto hate,condemnand cursehis 'neighbors' for them. Jesus' forgiveness - he implores movingand stunningstatement believe abilityto congruently demonstrates a remarkable that his own persecutors but ratheracting and killerswerenot inherently bad or malicious, out of blindness and ignorance. It mightbe easyfor someto saythat it was onlybecauseJesuswas 'superhuman' Hisconstant that he couldthinkthisway. Butthisis evidently notJesus'perspective. urgingand encouragement for thisway of thinkingand actingindicatethat he believed thatthis abilitywas potentially latentin everyone. I mentioned at the beginning of thismonograph thatNLPis basedon the two primary presuppositions that 1) the map is notthe territory, and 2) liteand mindare systernic processes of One implication that naturally seekoptimalstatesof healthand balance. thesetwo presuppositions takentogetheris thatthe actionsand behaviorof all organisms positively is essentially to correclor intended - thatis, it is an attemptby the organism optimizeits own stateor the stateof the systemof whichthe organismperceivesitselfa member.In otherwords,the beliefsystemof NLPis thateveryonemakesthe bestchoices that they perceiveavailableto themgiventheirmodelof the worldin that moment. In NLP, model evilactionsand behaviors or impoverished arisebecauseof a narrow,incomplete of the worldratherthanout of evil intent.Jesus'dyingstatementon the crossindicates that he sharedthis beliefon a deepand personallevel. and perceive hurtotherswhentheyfeelthreatened Usuallypeopleonlypurposefully no otheralternatives, or whentheydo notperceive othersas in fact'human'or like whenmy wifeand I firstbroughtour newbabydaughterhome, themselves.Forexample, our threeyearold sonwouldsometimes do thingsthatwouldeitherscareher or hurthernot becausehe was a "badboy"but ratherbecauseeither1) he didn'trealizeit wouldbe painfulor frightening fromher pointof view,or 2) it wasthe onlyalternative he experienced at a particularmomentto to expressfrustration, respondto a perceivedthreat or get attention. In the NLPmodel,for instance, whensomebody theyare perceived as actsselfishly, stillhavinga positiveintentbut are unableto identifywiththe systembeyondthemselves. Peopleoftenharmothersor act in unproductive waysin an attemptprotectthemselves becausethey perceiveno otherchoicesor cannotcomprehend the otherperson's
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perspective. The key in NLPis to separate a person'sintention fromhisor her behavior, andthen validatethe intentionwhileofferingotherbehavioral alternatives that wouldsatisfythe positivepurposeof the intentionmoreecologically. Thus,identityis alwaysvalidated. Jesusechoedthis approachin parableslikethe prodigalsonandstatements suchas: "Yejudgeafterthe flesh;I judgeno man." John8:15 The implication of this statementis that mostpeoplesimplyjudgethe behaviors(fhe flesh)of otherswithoutlookingat the deeperlevelsbehinda person'sactions. WhileNLPseeksto separateintentions frombehaviors, it is importantto statethat the positiveintention doesnotjustifythe behaviornorits repercussions. lt has been pointedout thatthe "roadto hellis pavedwithpositiveintentions." Obviously, my wifeand I did not allowour sonto continue to hurtor scareourdaughterbecausehe was positively intendedand didn'tknowany better.We hadto demonstrate otherchoicesand helphim to discoverotheralternatives. Similarly, Jesus'missionwasto bringaboutchange,notto say,"Ohwell,becausepeopleare blindandignorant, its OK for themto continuehurting and persecuting others."The significance of the principle intent'comesfrom of 'positive understanding the deepermotivesfor behaviors, andthusthe waysto directandchange themto otherchoiceswhichare moreappropriate but stillsatisfythe positiveintent. In NLP,they keyto ecological behaviorcomesfromhavinga rich modelof the world thattakesintoaccountmultipleperspectives, levelsandtimeframes.Eventhe most positiveof intentions, whenpursuedfroma singlepointof view can be unecological and dangerous. The inquisition, the crusades, the burningof witchesand heretics, the 'holy wars',etc.,are goodexamples of positiveintentions expressed througha limited perspective. The abilityto act and promoteecological changefromthe beliefin positiveintent obviouslyrequiresgreatskillandwisdom.Likeany otherbeliefor value,it is onlyas valid as the skillsandcapabilities thatsupportand manifest it. Certainly the abilities to perceive differenttimeframesand recognize differentlogicallevelsare crucialto supportthis principle.Actionsthat seemtotallyevilor incomprehensible at one leveland in onetime framebeginto makesensewhenconsidered in the contextof anotherlogicallevelor a differenttimeframe. Perhapsthe mostimportant skillnecessary to loveone'sneighbor as oneselfis that positions'(Grinder, of takingdifferent'perceptual Delozier,1989;Dilts,1990).In NLP,the notionof perceptual positions acknowledges thatany interaction withina system necessarily involvesmultiplemapsandperspectives of the sameevent.For example,in Jesus- Page63
three thereare minimally the mostbasicinteraction betweenoneselfand one'sneighbor, perspectives that maybe taken:1) FirstPosition - one'sown pointof view;2) Second Position- the pointof viewof one'sneighbor; and 3) MetaPosition - the pointof viewof an observerlookingat the interaction betweenoneselfand one'sneighbor.Thereis also whatis knownas 'ThirdPosition'which metaposition- the is a kindof an 'enlightened' pointof viewof a wiseobserverwho hasaccessto the pointsof viewof boththe firstand secondposition. It seemsobviousthat'lovingyourneighbor the abilityto as yourself'presupposes takethe perspective of yourneighbor. Thus,in NLPlanguage, the firststeptoward followingthe secondcommandment wouldminimally involvetaking"secondposition." Thatis, to putyourselfintoanother's modelof the worldandvalueit as muchas yourown. Clearly,Jesushimselfmusthavehada highlydeveloped abilityto takesecond position.Hissensitivity to quiteoften. to the feelingsandthoughtsof otherswerereferred On numerousoccasions Jesuswas saidto have'perceived' or'known'thethoughtsof others(Matt.9:4,Matt.12:25,Luke5:22, Luke6:8,Luke9:47,Luke11:17).His parableof the goodSamaritan certainly and the reportsof his owncompassion and equanimity implythe abilityto empathize withothers. positions Thisprocessof shiftingperceptual seemsto be at the heartof manyof Jesus'teachings and actions. Forexample, he maintained:
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"Thereforeallthings whatsoever ye wouldthat men shoulddo to you, do ye evenso to them."Matthew7:12 withthe Jesusis essentially sayingto integrate one'sownfirstpositionperspective secondpositionperspective a howto act towardthem.Certainly, of anotherin determining deeppresupposition is the abilityto considerthe subjective of thisstatement experience of anotherperson.tt alsoseemsto implya kindof metaposition to oneself,in whichone is lookingat one'sown actionswithrespectto someoneelse. Jesusmakesthe impofiance of takinga metapositionwithrespectto oneselfeven moreclearin statements suchas: "Andwhy beholdestthouthe motethat is in thy brother'seye,but considerestnot the beamthatis in thineown eye?Or how wilt thousay to thy brother,Letme pull out the moteout of thineeye;and behold,a beam is in thineown eye...firstcastout the beamout of thineown eye; and then shaltthousee clearlyto castout the moteout thy brothels eye."Matthew7:3-5 Jesus- Page64
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Perhapsthe mostpowerfuland dramaticexampleof Jesus'use of MetaPositionis in the followingaccount: represented "Thenthe scribesand Phariseesbroughtuntohim a womantakenin adultery;and whenthey had sether in the midst,Theysay unto him, Master,this womanwas takenin adultery,in the veryact. Now Mosesin the law commandedus, that such shouldbe stoned:but what sayestthou? This they said,temptinghim, that they mighthave to accusehim. But Jesus stoopeddown, and with his fingerwroteon the ground,as thoughhe heardthem not. So when they continuedaskinghim, he lifted up himself,and said unto them,He that is withoutsinamongyou, let him first casta stoneat her. And again he stoopeddown,and wroteon the ground. And they whichheard it, beingconvictedby their own conscience,went out one by one,beginningat the eldest,evenuntothe last:and Jesuswas left alone, and the womanstandingin the midst. WhenJesushad liftedhimself,and saw nonebut the woman,he said unto her, Woman,whereare thosethineaccusers?hathno man condemned thee? Shesaid,No man,Lord.And Jesussarduntoher, Neitherdo I condemnthee:go, and sinno more." John8:3-11 Thisparticular accountdemonstrates Jesus'masterful abilityto sortlogicallevels perspectives. "Hethatis withoutsin multiple Hiscomment, andto trackand integrate amongyou,let himcastthe firststoneat her,"is a directstatement to thecrowdto go to a metapositionwithrespectto themselves. Jesus'statement to the woman,"Neither do I condemnthee:go, and sin no more,"is a clearexampleof howhe separated identityfrom behavior.He validatesher identitywithoutcondoning norjustifying the continuation of the particularbehavior. fncidentally, the Englishword"sin"wastranslated fromthe Greekword hamartano (crpoptcrvol) whichsimplymeansto 'err'or'missthe mark'as opposedto 'transgress againstGod.' Thisis clearlyimpliessomething at a behavioral level,not at an identityor spirituallevel.Thus,Jesus'statement to the womanto "go,andsin no more,"couldbe interpreted as "go,and learnfromyour mistakes."The sameinterpretation couldbe "Hethatis withoutsinamongyou,let himcastthe firststoneat appliedto hisstatement, her." He wouldbe saying,"Hethathasnevermadea mistake, or missedthe mark,let hirn castthe firststone." Jesus- Page65
Jesusis implying secondpositionor meta that,whetherit is fromfirstposition, position,we shouldneverdevalueour own perspective or modelof the worldnor anyone elses.Jesus'encouragement was not in orderto weakenor to takeotherperspectives negateone'sown perspective but ratherto makeone wiser.And,in fact,we can only beginto truly understand otherperspectives whenwe havesolidifiedour own - whenwe havealignedheart,soul,mindand strength. peoplewantto takeother Sometimes perceptual positions becausetheirown is weakor unclear.As I pointedout earlier, if our own first positionis weakor unclear,we will mostlikelyjust projectour own incongruency and lackof selfworthontoothers.In the wordsof the Gospelof Thomas: Jesus said, "lf those who leadyou say to you,'See, the Kingdomis in the sky,'then the birds of the sky willproceedyou. lf they say to you, 'lt is in the sea,'then the fish willprecedeyou. Rather,the kingdomis inside of you, and it is outsideof you. Whenyou cometo knowyourselves,then you will becomeknown,and you will realizethat it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not knowyourselves,you dwell in poveftyand it is you whoare thatpoverty."Thomas(3) Jesushimselfcertainly did not represent someonewitha poorselfconceptor low selfesteem.He was sureof himselfand his missionas an individual his and encouraged followers to acknowledge and pursuetheirown missions, evenin the faceof resistance and persecution. In hiswords: ' No man, whenhe hath lighteda candle,puttethit in a secretplace , neitherunder a bushel,but on a candlestick,that they whichcome in may see the light." Luke 11:33 "Letyour lightso shinebeforemen,that theymay see your good works,and glorifyyour Fatherwhichis in heaven." Matthew5:16 perceptual Jesus'continualreferences to his 'Father'bespeaksanotherimportant position- a thirdpositionor'enlightened metaposition'.The "Fatherin heaven"madethe "sunto ise on the evil and on the good,and sendethrain on the justand on the unjust.' The Fathe/sperspective is clearlyverywideand impartial- all modelsof the worldare treatedequally.Andeventhoughit was notJesus'ownfirstpositionperspective in his roleas a humanbeing,it was a perspective thathe wasclearlyableto takeand encouraged othersto takeas well.Consider the following statement: Jesus- Page66
"But love ye your enemies,and do good, and lend, hopingfor nothing again; and your rewardshall be great, and ye shall be the childrenof the Highest:for he is kind unto the unthankfuland to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful,as your Fatheralso is merciful. Judgenot, and ye shall not be judged;condemnnot, and ye shallnot be condemned:forgiveand ye shall be forgiven."Luke 6:35-37 Jesusclearlyintendsto portray,and urgeothersto to assume,the broadand pointof viewof the 'Father'whois'merciful"and "kinduntothe unthankful benevofent positionoutsideof one'sown individualperspective. and to the evil."This is a perceptual The abilityto takesucha pointof viewalsoseemsessential to 'lovingyourneighbor as yourself.' Because"themapis notthe territory," therewill neverbe "onerightmap."Jesusis arguingthat wisdomandtruthcomefromtakingmultiplepersepectives. The main messageof his statements to "judgenot"and "condemnnot"seemsto me to be that no one hasthe rightto imposetheirmodelof the worldon anyoneelse.The basisfor all injustice, oppression, abuseand prejudice, intended, evenif it is positively stemsfrom eithera) the confusion of one'sownpersonalmapfortheterritory; b) the beliefthatone is in possession of lhe rightffiap;'or c) the inabilityto perceiveand valueanother'smodel 'Truth'is the intersection of the world.Thereis no one rightperspective. of many perspectives. Therefore, the morerichone'smapis,the morechanceone hasto approachsomekindof "Truth". In summary, in additionto perceiving multiple timeframesand multiplelogical levels,Jesus'cognitive strategyinvolves the abilityto integrate multipleperceptual positions.Ratherthansimplyspewingout hardandfastrulesabout'good'and 'bad' behaviors, Jesusadvisesus to guideour actionsand makeour decisions in this lifeby positions.Thisis clearlyexpressed constantly assessingmultipleperceptual in statements suchas: "Judgenot, that ye be not judged. For with whatjudgmentye judge, ye shallbe judged..."Matthew7;1-2 "Andforgiveus our debts,as we forgiveour debtors." MatthewG:12 To makesenseout of thesedeclarations, we mustgo to a metapositionand considera relationship madeup of threeperceptual positions: our'Fathef, ourselves, our neighbor.
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MetaPosition
The Meta Mirror To loveyourneighbor andintegrate to perceive as yourself, then,requires theability perceptual positions. a number of different waysto develop to NLPofferssomesimplebutpowerful theabilities andpragmatic perspectives. I havedeveloped thatI multiple Forexample, a process takeandcoordinate theability calltheMetaMirrorthat sorting'to develop usesan NLPprocess called'spatial positions, perceptual in situations whereit multiple to assumeandco-value specifically that seemsdifficult I believe manyof theprinciples to 'loveyourneighbor'. thatit reflects Jesussoughtto convey, andprovides a concrete wayto manifest them. Thefollowing is a transcript takenfrommybook of theMetaMirrorprocess BeliefSystems Changing withNLP(1990).Inthisparticular transcript theterm"Meta position Fourth" is usedto denotewhatI havebeencalling third" the'enlightened position. Transcript:Demonstration of The Meta-Mirror youhavea hardtimegettingalongwith.Doesanybodyhavesuch R:Thinkof somebody a problem? Whydon'tyoucomeup,B.?(B.comesup.) Step1: Naming theOthelsBehavior R:lmagine thisperson is righthereinfrontofyou. Givea nameto thebehavior whenyouarearound that thatreallymakesit difficult person. Whatis it thathedoes?Whatwouldyoucallit?Howdoeshe act?ls he insensitive? ls he rigid? Jesus- Page68
B: Indifferent. Step2: NamingYourOwn Behavior R: Now physically moveto meta-position and observeyourown responsein relationto Whatwouldyoucallyourown behavior? [the]otherpersonwhenhe is indifferent. B: Rigidity, maybe.Inflexibility wouldsuitbetter. R: So thereis indifference in himandinflexibility in you.I wouldlikeyouto considerthis: couldhe stillbe indifferent if you werenotinflexible? Wouldit be possiblefor himto be indifferent if you weresomething otherthaninflexible? The pointis this:in any human systemwhatyou do determines how otherpeopleact as muchas whattheydo determines howyou act. lndifferent
lnf lexible
INNER OBSER\ER MetaPosition
Diagram of Unsupportive Relationship ls this personindifferent to yourbehavior or to youridentity? B:Tomy identity. R: And whatare you inflexible about? B: Aboutwhat'simportant for me in thisrelationship.
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R:Yourvalues? B: Yes. R: fro audience)| wantyou to noticethatthe peoplethatyou probablyhavethe most ditficulttimeswithare the onesthatyou allowto affectyouridentity... [Io B.):Maybeyou aregivingtoo muchof yourserf to thisperson? B: Yes. R: And your rigidityaboutyourvalueshasn'tmadehimany lessindifferent to you? B: No,becauselwas suckedintohissystem.AndnowI'mstuck,lcan'tget out. Step3: The Relationbetweenthe Two Me's Now I wantyouto physically moveto a fourthpositionoverhere.Whenyou lookat howyourinnermeta-position selfis tryingto changeyourouterfirstpositionself,and the way you are communicating withthatperson,whatis this relationship like?(Robert pointssuccessively at 1 and 3.) B: Betweenme and me? R:Yes.We wantto explorethe question, "Howdo t relateto myselfin reference to the person?" other B: The innerme thinksthatnothingthe outerme doesis goingto haveanyeffecton that otherpersonanyway. R: In a way,you aredoingto yourselfwhathe is doingto you.The inneryou alsoseems indifferent to the you stuckin that relationship. I callthis processthe metamirror, becauseoftenthe way the personis treatingyou is a reflection of howyou treat yourself. The problemis not onlythe otherpersonor evenhow I reactto the other person,the problemis alsohere,in the systembetweenthe two me's.Thatis an importantpartof howthe totalsystemworks. Howdoesthe outeryou reactto that innerindifference. Jesus - Page70
B: She is verytense.She is afraidshe will loseher identity. R: No wonderthe outeryou is rigid.She'sstuckbetweena rockand a hardplace. lndiff erent
l st Position lnf lexible
4th Position
lndifferent
Diagram of TotalRelational System (theinneryou andthe outeryou) I thinkit mightbe interesting to switchthesepositions whatif you hadswitched the placesof the first-position outer around.Forexample, you withthe innerpositionyou,so thatyouwereindifferent to the otherpersonand Perhapsthe moreinflexible I am aboutmy inflexible aboutyourvalueswithyourself! withhim. valueswithme,the morecreativeI can be in my behavior ?2?
a*Fn\Position
INNER OBSERVER MetaPosition Indifferent
4th Position
K.
/\
Inllexible \
I
/"no\ SELF
q-t"'"? Perceptual Posilions Switching In the Unsupportive Relalionship
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The nicethingaboutworkingsystematically likethisis that you don,thaveto change the elementsof the systemto finda solution. Youonlyneedto changethe relationship betweenthe elements.what if you do that? Justtakethesetwo and physically shift themaround? B: lt seemseasythatway.(Laughing) R: Whathappens?ls the relationship the
same?
B: I thinkthereis nonenow. R: And if thereis no moreretationship, thenyoucan starta newoneevenif it,swiththe sameperson? B: Yes. R: Now let'scomelookat thesetwo:thisparl
thatis in meta-position now,that is being inffexible aboutyourvaleswithyourself. you Do wantto havea relationship withthis personnow?
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B: No,notat all. R: what kindof relationship wouldyou makesurethatyou had hereif you evertalkedto thatpersonin the future? B: Thetroublenowis thatI don'twantto communicate anymore. R: Whatwouldmakeyouwantto communicate? B: A moresincereperson,a bit moreauthentic. R: oK' Now,put yourselfintothisotherperson's positionfor a moment;intosecond position'lf you are experiencing the worldas thisperson,whatwouldmakeyou a moresincereand authenlicperson? [B' physically movesintothe positionof the otherperson.For a momentshe is verydeep in thought.J
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B: Self-confidence. R: Nowcomeallthe wayoutof thissystemto thefourthposition. I wantyouto notice here. somethingimportant lf you bringconfidence out of thisotherperson,if youact in a waythat makeshim confident, thenhe is goingto be moreauthentic. Hereis the big question: Howwould you act to makehim moreconfident thatwouldstillbe in linewithyourownvalues? B: Certainlynot by beinginflexible? R: Whatway wouldit be? B: By beingopenand listening, at least. R: But alsomakingsurethatyou keepyourinflexibility aboutyourvaluesout herein the meta-position, becauseI wantyouto noticethat"openand listening" is not indifferent to who I am andwhatis important to me.Openand listening is notgoingto be getting if I am inflexible suckedin, especially out herein thirdposition. So I can be moreopenand listening withthatpersonbecauseI havesupportfrom myself. Self-Confident
1 st Position 4th Position
Support Self-Confidence
Diagram of theNewFunctional Support System
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OTHER 2nd Position
Step4: Enteringthe NewRelationship R: Fromfourthpositionvisualize the youin firstpositionin this newrelationship being open and listeningto the otherperson-butsupported by the meta-position you who knowswho you are and is inflexible aboutyourvaluesand identity-step intothe first positionand lookat that otherperson. (8. stepsto firstpositionandlaughs.) R: (Tothe audience):Lookat that physiology. lt is otherones. [Fo B.):Whathappenswiththat person?
an interesting combination of all of the
B: lt is morecomfortable. R: Howdo you feet? B: Muchbetter.lt is completely different. R: Thankyou. Veryottenthe placethat you havedifficultycommunicating withanotherpersonis a mirrorimageof howyou are relating to yourself. lt is not reallythe otherpersonwho is eitherthe problemor the solution. lf I can stepbackto see howit is reallya reflection of my retationwithmyseff,thenI can restructure the systemso that I am supporting myserf.Thiswilloftentransformthe wholerelationship. The metamirrortechnique createsa contextin whichwe can keep shiftingperceptual positionsinsideand outsidethe problematic relationship untilwe find the mostappropriate and ecological arrangement of elementsin the relational molecule.
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Summary of the Meta Mirror Process 1. ldentitya personyou havedifficulty with.Visualize thatpersonfromfirstposition (associated) and namethe traitthat makesthat personso difficult,€.g.,"rigid," "insensitive,' "incongruent, "denial," etc. yourselfin fromthe relationship) 2, Stepbackto metaposition(dissociated and visualize Nameyourown behavior the interaction. in relation to the otherperson,e.9., "scared,"etc. "judgmental," "irritated," "helpful," 3. Noticehowthe way you are actingactuallyreinforces or triggersthe behaviorof the otherpersonin the system.(lf youwerenotthere,howwouldthe otherpersonacl? Couldthe otherpersoncontinuehisor her responses?) 4. Thinkof whatotherwaysyou couldrespondto that person.Perhapsyou havetriedto changeyourown reactions Whatmakesyoucontinue already. to actthe wayyou do on this relationship? 5. Nowtake a stepto the side(the"metaphof'position) and lookat howyou treatyourself in this interaction, i.e.,"pushy,""angry,""judgmental," "creative," etc. Noticeat which logicallevels(behavior, capability, belief,identity) the different responses are operating. ln whatway is yourresponse to yourself a mirrorfor whatthe otherpersonis doing? position, 6. Fromthe "meta-foufih" switchthe two positions associated withyourself. That (thewayyou havebeentreatingyourself) is, put yourthird-position reactions intothe firstpositionso you havethat levelof responseto the otherperson.Putyourformer first-position responses intothe third-position location. Noticehowthe switchchangesthe systemandtransforms the expression of the responses. 7. Putyourselfintothe otherperson'sshoes(secondposition). Viewyourselffromthe otherperson'seyes.Howdoesyourbehavior appearfromthatperspective? Fromthis otherperson'sperspective, whatdo you needor wantfromyourself. intothe revisedfirst-position 8. Reassociate location(i..e.,the onethat has been replacedby the formerthird-position levelreactions). Noticehow your reactionsand pointof viewhavechanged. L Continueto switchperspectives andadd choicesof responses (at appropriate level) untilyou feelthe relationship is morebalancedandfunctional.
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The processof takingmultipleperceptual positions simplebut very can be relatively powerful.The threebasicperceptual positionscan also be broadenedto incorporate someof the deeperlevelprocessthatwe explored process.In a in the levelalignment seminarthat we developedcalledToolsof the Spirit,my colleagueRobertMcDonaldand I havepeopleexpandthesebasicperceptual positionsto a higherlevelby extendingthe time frameassociatedwith positionand bringingin higherlevelsof visionand spirit.For instance, if one expandsone'sframeof perception withinfirstposition, one beginsto experience everything as andextension of oneself.lf oneexpandsone'sframeof pe r ce p ti o n w i thi ns ec ondpos i ti o n , o n e e x p e r ie n c e s b e c o m in g . o n e wit h ' th e o th e r
| . i j
(or object).Expanding individual one'sframeof perception withinthirdposition,leads oneto the experience of bothoneselfandthe otherpersonbeingparta muchlarger system.The followingis a briefdescription of an exercise,the we call 'The Mindof the Heart',that usesanchoring positions perceptual to applythesebroadened i
'Mind ol The Heart' Process 1.Thinkof a personor an situation person involving another thatcausesproblems or difficulties. Acknowledge whatit feelslikefromyourownpointof view(1stposition) in thatexperience. pointof view(metaposition) 2. Froman observer accessa stateof beingaligned purpose towardyourhighest spiritual withyourheart,soul,mindandstrength and physically touchthecenterof yourownchest. yourhandonyourheart,putyourself 3. Keeping intotheperspective of theother person(2ndposition) yoursenseof beingin thatperson's perceptual deepen position untilyoufeel'onewith'himor her. 4. Withyourhandstilltouching yourheart,moveto a position yourself in between and yourperception theotherperson(3rdposition). Broaden untilyoucanexperience thatbothof you area partof muchlargerandvastersystemor'mind'. yourheart,returnto yourownperspective 5. Stilltouching (1stposition) in the situation. Widenyourframeof awareness untilyouareableto perceive everything aroundyouas an extension of yourself.
;
i j
i
lf youareableto do thiswitha partner (orGuardian Angel), havehimor heralso : accessan aligned youbytouching yourheartareajustbelow stateandhelpto anchor yourhandand placing hisor herotherhandin thecenterof yourback(thussupporting andbac k ing y o u u p ) . T h e G u a rd ia n An g e listo co n tin u e to m a in ta in h isorherow ns of alignment, andcontinue to touchyourheartandbackasyoutaketheexpanded 2nd, 3rdand1st position perspectives inthedifficult situation Jesus- Page76
lV. Summary of lmplementationStrategies Thissectionhasexploredsomewaysin whichwe mightuse NLPtoolsand skills,in patterns, in an attemptto withour understanding of Jesus'cognitive conjunction abilities and alignmultiple to integrate time implement someaspectsof Jesus'profound positions in our dailylives. frames,multiplelevelsof experience and multipleperceptual clearlyhaveimportantimplications for problem Jesus'microand macrostrategies healingand personaland socialchange.Ultimately however, it solving,leadership, is onethatproduces wisCom. seemsto me thatJesus'strategy I havealwaysmaintained that excellence comesfroma passionate commitment to a ln orderto becomegoodat something, in one muststayassociated singleperspective. wayto learnandprogress, one'sownfirstpositionandfocus.Thisis an important but it is wise.In fact,sometimes it producesunecological repercussions. not necessarily Geniuscomesfroma passionate commitment to the integration of multiple perspectives. J. Bronowski, the authorof thethe bookTheAscentof Man,claimedthat"a geniusis a personwho hastwo greatideas"and spendsthe restof his lifetryingto get Whenone hasbecomeexcellent in severaldifferent themto fit together. areasandthenis genius. ableto synthesize them,one beginsto approach Wisdomcomesfroma passionate commitment to the constantprocessof taking multipleperspectives. Sincethe worldis in constantchange,we cannotrelyon yesterday's Wisdomis not somethingyou do or get, answersas beingtrue for tomorrow. you participate rather,it is something in an ongoingway.In the wordsof GregoryBateson: "[Wisdomcomesfrom] sittingtogetherand truthfullydiscussingour differences- withoutthe intentto changethem," The intentto changesomeoneelse'smodelof the worldimpliesa judgmentof that model.Noneof us are omniscient enoughto knowthe 'right'mapor takein all of the systemswithinsystemswithinsystems thatmightbe etfectedby ouractions.Wiseand ecological changecomesfromdiscovering, creatingand offeiingalternatives - from constantly wideningand enriching our mapsby: 1) Takingall perspectives relevant to the systemin whichone is interacting. 2) Considering and aligningall of levelsexperience in relation to the systemon is in. 3) Respecting all timeframesnecessary to ecologically incorporate changewithinthat system. J e s u s- P a g e 7 7
Of course,wisdomcan onlybecomemanifested as actionsby firstsynthesizing the manyperspectives one hastakenandthenfinallybringing themintoone'sownfirst positionperspective. The abilityto consistently manifestdeeplevel and appropriately principles and valuesin concreteexperience requires the mappingof thoseprinciples and valuesthroughsuccessivelevelsof representation. Eachlevelof representation and description involvesdifferent positions combinations of timeframes,perceptual and cognitiveprocessesas shownin the tablebelow. Level
TimeFrame
Perceptual Posilion(s)
CogniliveProcesses
Spiritual
Beyondone'slife Etemal-Timeless
First- Mela- Second- Third
Word-Spiril-Light
ldenlity
One'sWholeLife
First- Meta- Second- Third Vision- Life
Beliefs& Values Signilicantperiodof one'slife F irs t -Me t a -S e c o n d
Heart(emotion)
Capabilily
Timeframeof the context
First- Meta
see- hear-declare
Behavior
ln the moment
First(awareol sell)
rnove-breathe-speak
Environment
lmmediate
First(extemally aware)
image-word-touch
According to NLPthe combinations of thesevariousdimensions of our subjective experienceare embodiedin the formof neurological circuitswhichmay be activatedand mobilizedthroughpatternsof language,cognitivestrategiesand accessingcues. It is interesting to notethatthe processof multipledescription seemsto havebeen embeddedin Christian doctrineby earlyChristian leadersin the formof the HolyTrinity. ln the conceptof the HolyTrinitythereis oneGodin threedifferent forms:Godthe Father, Godthe Son,and Godthe HolyGhost. In the interpretation we havebeendeveloping here,we can describethe notionof the 'threeperson'sin one God'as the processes of Logos,Lightand Spiritexpressed perceptual positions. throughthe threefundamental Godthe Fatherrepresents Spiritas manifested throughan expanded thirdposition perspective characterized perspective by a very broad,timelessand benevolent of humanityas partof a muchvastersystem. Godthe Son represents Spiritas embodied throughthe expandedfirstpositionperspective of an individual humanbeingin which everythingseemslikean extensionof him/herself. This is expressedin the formof personalmissionand vision.Godthe HolyGhostrepresents the Spiritin the formof a kindof expandedsecondpositionperspective who "speaksnot of himself"but 'teaches allthings","bringsall thingsto remembrance" and"showsyouthingsto come"- thatis, who becomes'one with'thelargermindor hologram. The "OneGod"wouldnot be any oneof the individual perceptual positionsnorthe
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in, thatare metato, but expressed 'persons', butwouldratherbe the deeperprinciples of allthreeperspectives. - the resonance the threedifferentperspectives the toolsand skillsof NLP I wouldliketo presenta finalprocessthat integrates fromJesusin orderto we havebeenmodeling and strategies togetherwiththe principles producethe kindof 'resonance' impliedby the conceptof the 'HolyTrinity'. The Resonance Pattern influence thattwo vibrating refersto a kindof non-linear The term'resonance' objectsor systemshaveon one another.Forexample,if one hastwo guitarsthat are stringon the similarlytunedand plucksa stringon one of the guitars,the corresponding can occurbetween otherguitarwill beginto vibrate.The samekindof resonance and eleclrical noteson a pianoand a tuningfork,etc. In mechanical corresponding of largeintensityand systems,resonancerefersto the processby whichvibrations amplitudemay be producedby a relativelysmallperiodicstimuluswhosefrequencyis is the sameor nearlythe sameas the naturalvibrationperiodof the system.Resonance also definedas "thecomplexof internalbodyprocessesthat occurin emotionalstates suchas rapportor empathy"(Webster). It seemsto me that whatJesusreferredto as "Spirit"was something that operated similarlyto the processof resonance - a statethatgavehim accessto knowledgeand conscious experience. wisdombeyondthe confinesof his own personal Fulfilling missions oftenseemslikeit requiresus to 'movemountains.' our individual According Thisinvolvesa greatdealof wisdomandcommitment. to Jesus,in orderto we haveto saythe word,notdoubtit'in our hearts'and'believethatit movemountains, processis to helputilizethe willcometo pass'.The purposeof the Flesonance positions perspectives of key individuals in our livesas a wayto develop and perceptual our innerwisdomand support.I willreferto thesekey individuals as 'mentors'.Mentors whodo notteachus or instructus the typicalconscious are individuals or phenomena way,but ratherreleaseor amplifyknowledge and wisdomthat is alreadyinherentwithin us, and the systemsin whichwe are participating, throughtheirrelationship withus.
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Transcript: Demonstrationof the ResonancePattern R: B. wouldyou liketo helpoutwiththisdemonstration? B:Yes.Sure.(B.comesup.) R: Canyou thinkof a situation in whichyou experience experiencing or anticipate doubtaboutyourbeliefsor mission? B:Yes. I'mtryingto bringaboutsomebigchangesin my organization, and I thinkI'm goingto havesomerealdifficultywithresistance froma numberof key people. Becausetheydon'tunderstand whatI'm tryingto do, theywill be threatenedand throwup roadblocks.I'm notsureI'llhavethe wherewithal to dealwithall of it. R: As AlbertEinsteinsaid,"GreatSpiritshavealwaysbeenopposedby mediocre minds."What I wouldlikeyouto do is to createa space,a kindof physical'problem space',stepintoit andputyogrselfas fullyas youcan intothatsituation, that momentof doubt.
: :
B: OK. (8. stepsforward.His breathingshallowsand his bodytensesnoticeably.)
R:That'senough. Thatlookslikea toughsituation. Nowstepbackandleavethat experience overthereforthemoment, to thefloor. anchored Now,fromoutherein MetaPosition, I wouldliketo haveyouidentify three 'mentors'. Mentors canbe people thatyou'vemet,people thatyouknowthrough people theirwritings or creations, thatyou'veonlyreadaboutbutwhohave you,animals, places. influenced Theymaybe eveninanimate objects or physical livingor deceased. Whatis important is thatthesementors havebroughtoutor released in yousimplythrough whatever something deep,important andpowerful formof 'presence' mywifeusedto go surfing theytakeforyou.Forexample, a lot. Whenshewaspreparing forandgoingthrough labor, shechosetheoceanas mentor. Shehada personal relationship withtheocean. At onetimein herlifeshe hadbeenafraidof thewavesthatcouldcrushyoulikea toothpick. Shetookit as a personal challenge to learnto serf,andbefriended thisvastmysterious'creature'. Shestillgoesdownto be neartheoceanwhensheneedsto makeimportant decisions or reaffirm herself. you'dliketo havearound youin thatsituation. So B. choosethe mentors Generally Jesus- Page80
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,
I liketo havepeoplepickone relatingto theirbeliefsand values,one relatedto you selected of the spiritual...Have theiridentityand one relatedto theirperception th e m ? A personthathelpedme out a lotwhenI mentor. B:Yes.One is a kindof professional was a youngmanand at a pivotalpointin my life.Anotheris my father.He has passedawaynow,butwe werereallyclosewhenhe wasalive.Andthethirdis my threeyearold son. R: Good.Now,stayingin MetaPosition, I wouldlikeyouto arrangethesementors Wherewouldyou placethemwith aroundthe you who is in thatdifficultsituation. respectto you?In frontof you?Behindyou?Aboveyou?In yourarms? B: Well,I thinkI wouldplacemy sonnextto me,on my leftside.I'dput my professional mentorbehindme...sort And I wouldplacemy fatherout of overmy rightshoulder. in frontof me...andmaybea littleaboveme. R: OK. Now,I'd liketo haveyou pickone of the mentorsand put yourselfinto his perspective. Go to secondpositionwith him. And as muchas possible,assumethe kindof physiology that mostrepresents that mentorto you. B: Alright.l'll startwith my professional mentor.(8. movesintothe physicalspacejust behindwherehe was standingwhenhe was experiencing the difficultsituation. His posturebecomeserectandconfident, and he foldshis arms.) position R: Fromthe perceptual whatmessage of thismentor, wouldyou sendto the B. in thatdifficultsituation? Sendit throughwhateverchannelis mostappropriate. lt can be words,a touch,a look...whatever is the mostcongruent to thismentor. B: (ln roleof professional mentor.) | wouldsay,"Justdo it.Youras goodas anyone else.Whoelseis goingto try?lt doesn'tmatterwhattheythink.Do it." R: Good.Nowstepout of thatmentor'sposition position and moveintothe perceptual of oneof yourothermentors. B: I'd liketo go to my son next.(B.stepsintoa location nextto wherehe was standing whileexperiencing the diflicultsituation. Hisbodymovesand sways.His breathing Jesus- Page81
relaxesand a smilecomesto hisface.) R: What messagewouldyou sendto that B. in thatsituation? B: Thereare no wordsreally... R: That'sOK just sendin whateverway is mostappropriate. (8. reachesout his handas if to touchthe handof the B. who'isin the ditficultsituation. Aftera moment,he nodsandstepsbackfromwherehe hasbeenstanding.) R: Good.Nowlet'sgo to yourthirdmentor. (8. walksto a positionin frontof wherehe hadbeenstanding in the difficult experience. He foldshis handsandstandsin silencefor a periodof time breathing regularlybut deeply.Thenhe walksbackto his metaposition.) R: lt lookslikethatwasan imporlant spaceforyou. B:Yes.l'm kindof stillprocessing it. R:Takeyourtime.And in a momentI'd likeyouto revieweachof the messages that your mentorssentto thatyou in the difficultsituationand see if you can verbalize whatwouldbe the metamessageor assumption behindeachmessage.Thatis, eachof thesemessages comefromdeeperpresuppositions I'd like or messages. you to findthe higherlevelmessagethatwouldgo witheachindividual message. For instance,yourprofessional mentorsmessagewas "Justdo it. Youras goodas anyoneelse.Who elsewillif you won't?Do it."Whatwouldbe the metamessage or deeperlevelmessagebehindthat? B: The messagebehindthatis something like,"Youare likeme.Youknowhowto makethingshappen." "Whatyou aredoingis important." And"l believein you.' R: So,"Youare likeme,you knowhowto getthingsdone,whatyou are doingis important, and I believein you."Believing in someone, evenwhentheydon't,can be a verypowerful thing.Whataboutyourothermentors? Whatwasthe message and metamessageof yourlittleson?
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Well,he wasjustsortof touchingmy hand,as if to say,"Relaxandjust B: (Grinning) De.Whateverhappenswillbe the rightthing.Let'sjustexplore." R: That'snice.Prettywiseadvicefroma threeyearold.Whatis the metamessage? like,"l loveyou and ltrustyou."And B: Wellthe metamessagewouldbe something "Theuniverseis a friendlyplace." R: Alright.Whatwasthe messageand metamessageof yourfather? it wasas if therewasjustthiskindof lightgoing B: WhenI wentto my father'sposition, A lightanda feeling.lt was likea senseof beingtotally myselfin thatsituation. awareand engagedbut happyand proudat the sametime. R: And the metamessage? B: The metamessagewas,"lt doesn'treallymatterhowit turnsout. That'snotwhatis important.Whatis importantis thatyou committo it andthatyou act withintegrity.lt doesn'tmatterwho theyare or whattheythink,peoplewill recognizeintegrity, and they will respectyou.That'showyou reallychangethingsanyway." R: Thereis clearlya lot of wisdomin yourneurology. Takea momentnow and find whatkindof commonmessage'resonates' betweenall threeof thesemessages and metamessages.Whatsortof message seemsto be inherentin all threeof your mentor'smessages? B: lt'ssomething like,"Bewhoyou are,committo whatyou believein andthe guidanceand supportwill be there." R: So the guidanceandsupportwillbe thereif youjustbe whoyourandcommitto whatyou believein. Now I'd liketo haveyou revisiteachof thesementor's positions one moretimeandjustcommunicate thatcommonmessagefromeachof theirperspectives. Noticein whatwaysit changesor enriches, if any. B: (Standsin professional mentor'slocation. Holdsbodyerectandfoldsarms.)Here,it becomeskindof, "Ofcourse.Whatelseareyougoingto do. lt'snotevena matterof Jesus- Page83
believingor doubting.lt'sdestined." R: OK. Nextmentor. B: (B standsin son'slocation.He smilesas he movesandrelaxeshis body.)Frommy son'sposition, there'sanotherpiecethatgetsaddedthatis something like,"lt can be enjoyable.lt doesn'thaveto be difficult.Yourattitudeand your interpretations are something thatyou choose." R: Out of the mouthof babes...Sage adviceagain. Nowsendthat commonmessage fromyourfather'sperspective. B: (Movesto father'slocation. Standscalmlyandsilently.) Fromthispointof viewit seemslikeI am partof something that is beyondme. Thatwe are bothpartof something that has beengoingon forever.Thatwe arenotjustus as B.sfatheror 8., but we are the embodiment of everyone who haseverbelievedin makingthe worlda betterplace.lt justseemsso deepand so strongand so obvious. R: OK B. comebackto metaposition. (8. movesto hismetapositionlocation.) In a way eachof thesementorsrepresents a kindof neuralcircuitryin yourself. Whenyou go intoeachperceptual positionyouaccessthe circuitthat is resonant withthatmentor.As you sendinformation throughit, the circuitamplifies and enhances certainaspectsof it, or enrichesit by processing the situation through partsof your nervoussystemthat havenot beenmobilizedor utilizedwith respect to it before. Nowwhat I wouldlikeyou to do is to standin a locationthat is just behindwhere you initiallystoodwhenyou wereexperiencing (8. Movesto a thisdifficult situation. placea stepbehindwherehe initially stood).And hereI'd likeyou to imaginethat all threeof yourmentorsarearoundyou.Yourprofessional mentoris behindyou, tellingyou to do it andthat he believesin you;yourson is nextto you holdingyour hand;and yourfatheris in frontof youand aboveyousendingthatkindof glow. (B.sphysiology is centered, flexibleand aligned.He takesa deepbreathand looks aroundto the locations of his mentors.) R: lmaginethatthesementorsare eachcommunicating theirmessages to you.And thattheyare sendingyouthisdeepcommonmessage, "Bewho you are,committo
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and supportwillbe there."lmaginethis whatyou believein andthe guidance commonmessagewasa specialkindof lightthatcouldenteryoureyes,ears,and andwisdom. the poresof yourskin,andfillyouwithits guidance withyourmentorsandtheircommon feelingand resonating Thenseeing,hearing, message,associatefullybackintothatdifficultsituation. andeaseintothe location B. stepswithconfidence (Breathing deeplyand comfortably, withthe difficultexperience.) associated changes. of the situation R: Noticehowyourperception B: lts almostas if the peopleI wasworriedaboutbecomepartof the planinsteadof a Theyneedto be doingwhattheydo in orderfor me to do what I haveto resistance. and my integrity. my commitment to demonstrate do. Theygiveme the opportunity Ratherthanthrowingme off my path,theiractionshelpto defineit; whethertheyare withthe way I seethingsor not. Andanotherthingis, I can enjoy in agreement is veryserious.Butit is them. I can smileat them,evenwhentheythinksomething lts as if my heartand my visionbecomesso big andso nota smileof disrespect. childthat I wantto comfort.The likea frightened strongI can seetheirresistance Thankyou! wholethingis so different. R: Thankyou.Mayyourlighthelpshowthemsomemorechoicesand alternatives! patternis a wayto openourselves up the wisdomthatis within The resonance eachof us by virtueof the factthatwe havea nervoussystem.Our nervoussystems comefromdirectsensory that doesnot necessarily can haveaccessto information insightscan occur reactions to the outsideworld. Spontaneous stimuliand behavioral canopenus up to wisdomthatis througha kindof resonance.Thestateof resonance inherentwithinownour nervoussystemsandthe largersystemsaroundus. Summary of Resonance Pattern doubtaboutyourbeliefsor mission. in whichyou experience 1. ldentifya situation (1stposition - associated). of the experience Relivea keyexample mentors thathelpedto shapeor identify threeimpofiant 2. Go to'metaposition'and releasing wayby 'resonating'with, or unveiling yourlifein a positive influence Jesus- Page85
something deeplywithinyou. Chooseone relating to yourbeliefsand values,one relatedto youridentityand one relatedto yourperception of the spiritual. pets,peopleyou'venevermet but teachers, [Note:Mentorscan includechildren, havereadabout,phenomena in nature(suchas the ocean,mountains, etc.)and evenyourself.l 3. Frommetapositionarrangethe mentorsaroundthe you in the situationin which you experience the doubt. 4. Physically associate into(i.e.,go to 2ndposition with)eachof the mentors, one at a time,and senda message to the youwhois in doubt.The messagedoesnot needto be verbal. lt maybe sentthroughwhateverchannelis mostappropriate for that mentor. 5. Go to 'metaposition' and identifythe 'metamessage' or presupposition behind the messages of eachof the mentors 6. Findthe 'commonmessage'that resonates withinthe messages fromall three mentors. 7. Onceagain,associate intoeachmentor(2ndposition) the andcommunicate commonmessagein the way mostappropriate for thatmentor. just behindthe you who is experiencing 8. Standin a position the doubt. your mentorssurrounding you communicating Experience theirindividual messages andthenthe commonmessagein a singlecommonvoice. Visualizeand feelthe messagecomingin throughyourearsand flowing throughyourbodyas light. 9. Hearing,seeingand feelingyourmentors'andtheircommonmessageassociate backintothe problemexperience.Noticehowyourperception of the situation changes.
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i
Neural Network Analogy A fascinatinganalogywithwhichto thinkaboutJesus'strategyis providedby the mostrecentartificialintelligence techniquesutilizingwhatare called"neural of the nervoussystem. networks".Neuralnetworksare modeledafterthe functioning Eachelementin the networkhasits ownsourceof energyand is connected to many neuronis released otherneuronsin the system.The energywithinan individual by patternsof collective in the systemto whichit signalscomingto it fromother'neurons' is linked.Thus,eachneuronis bothan individual anda memberof the systemas a whole.
Individual neuronsresponddifferently to inputfromthe systembaseduponthe strength of theirconnections to otherneurons. Neurons strengthen or weakentheir connections to otherneuronsin response to signalsflowingthroughthe system accordingto a particularlearningrule. Eachneuronstartsoff with equalpotentialto 'personality' all of the othersanddevelopsits individual or'identity'as a functionof the numberof otherneuronsto whichit is connected andthe learningruleto whichit changesthe strengthof connections to others.Depending on the numberof connections a neuronhas,andthe strengthof thoseconnections it mayrespondto onlyverynarrowlocalinformation, or it mayrespondto information in verydistant areasof the network. Jesus- Page87
| n fo r m a ti oni naneural netw o r k is s t o r e d c o lle c t iv e | y b y t h e wh o le n e t w o r ka s patternsof activityin the neurons.The system'sknowledge cannotbe separatedfrom the circuitryas a whole.The intelligence of the networkis inherentin the systemas functionof the numberand qualityof connections Intelligent betweenthe elements. behavioremergesorganically in the networkthroughlearningas the networkis patternsof experience exposedto experience. Different changethe strengthof connections between'neurons'in the network. lf we appfythe neuralnetworkmodelas an analogyto makesenseout Jesus' parallels.lf we envisionhumanityas a kindof strategywe find someinteresting giganticneuralnetwork,"God"may be considered the 'mind'or to represent intelligence of the networkas a whole. The"Word"as logosis the learningrule throughwhichthe strengthof responses betweenneuronsare changedand evolved. "Spirit"is likethe patternsof energythatpropagate andflowwithinthe system.'Life" is the potentialenergywithineachindividual the core neuron.The "Heaft"represents of the neuronitself.Combined withbreath(psyche), it expresses or releases the it is receiving energyof the individual neuronin response and to the information processing fromthe otherneuronsit is connected to. Heartand breathare whatmakes the neuron'fire'.Wordsas rhemaareimpulses thatemanatefromthe neuron, patternsthat form between stimulating activitiesin others."Light"is likethe resonance of the intelligence the neuronsin the networkwhichbecomethe specificembodiments withinthe wholenetwork. In thisanalogywe mayviewJesusas a neuronthatis connected to boththe vast reachesof the systemas a whole,but alsowitha richnumberof localconnections.
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, i i
t, .
, f
V. Conc lus i o n forwhatNLPis allis aboutis represented by symbols Oneof myownpersonal painting shows Chapelin Rome.Thepainting ontheceilingof theSistine Michelangelo's down uptowardheaven andthehandof Godextending Adamlyingonthe Earthreaching justreadyto touch.To towardoneanother, fromthesky.Theirfingersareoutstretched me,the miracleis in thatspak in between thetwofingers- thesparkthatlinksthespiritual areallabout.Thisis whatI have to thesensual.Thatsparkis whatNLPandmodeling between thesacredandthe in thismonograph - thatinteraction soughtto explore profane;themapandtheterritory; visionandaction. dreamandreality; Vision
GregoryBatesontellsa storyaboutBedrandRussellandAlfredNorthWhitehead, the (whichfirstestablished treatisePrincipiaMathmatica the co-authorsof greatmathematical notionof logicallevels,in relation to mathematical theory).Thetwo workedtogetherin untilWhitehead England,whereRussellwas a studentof Whitehead, cameto the United At one point,Whitehead invitedRussellto cometo Statesto teachat HarvardUniversity. Harvardto givea lectureon a newand intriguing theoryby an unknownbut aspiring youngscientistnamedAlbertEinstein.The lecturewas apparentlynot terriblysuccessful. It was a hot,stuffyeveningand everybodystruggledfollowRussell'sexplanation of Russellclosedto scattered Einstein's theoryof relativity. applause and a fairamountof finallyretookthe podium,clearedhisthroatand said, disquieting silence.Whitehead BefirandRussellfor leavingso totally "Well...lwouldliketo thankmy colleague the vastdarknessof the subject." unobscured Batesonclaimsthat,whilesomemightseethe commentas a kindof pokeat his formerstudent,Whitehead's commentwasactuallyquitea compliment. He pointsoutthat mosttext books,presentations andtheoriesdo precisely the opposite- theyobscurethe vastdarknessof the subject.Peopleact as if theyactuallyknowwhatis goingon. In mattersthatare sacredandprofound, the 'vastdarkness of the subject'needsto gazedintothat be acknowledged, as we try to shinearay of lightintoit. I havepersonally vastdarknessin the eyesof my childrenin the moments aftertheirbirth,andin the eyesof my fatherin the momentof his death. I hopethatthis attemptto understand moreabout Jesus- Page89
the the mindof Jesusof Nazareth hasnotobscured thatvastnessbutinsteadhas been ableto cast somesmalllightontoit. Callinguponthreeof my ownpersonalmentors- GregoryBateson, Abraham Lincoln,and AlbertEinstein - | wouldliketo reviewsomeof the key pointsof this monograph. Firstand foremostis the fundamental presupposition that'themapis notthe territory."No map of Jesus'life,his cognitivepatterns,northe meaningof his messagewill everbe the one rightmap- the wisestand mostecological mapsare thosewhich integrate togetherthe broadest and richestnumberof perspectives, timeframesand levels. My goal has beento attemptto enrichour modernmapsof Jesus,and thus of ourselvesand our world,by applyingsomeof the newfilters,modelsand perspectives thatare partof our currentstateof humanintellectual evolution. Secondly,and equallyas important, is the presupposition thatall lifeand mental processes takeplacewithinan ecologyof systemswithinsystemswithinsystems.All of thesesystemsmutuallyinteractwithone anotherandco-influence one another.Inthe wordsof GregoryBateson: "Theindividualmind is immanent,but not only in the body.tt is immanentin pathwaysand messagesoutsidethe body; and there is a larger Mind of whichthe individualmind is ontya sub-system.This larger Mind is comparableto God and is perhaps whatpeople mean by 'God,'butit is stillimmanentin the totalinterconnectedsocialsystem and planetaryecology.,, Withinthisframework, Jesus'abilities as a leaderanda healer,andthe fulfillment of his spiritualmission,wouldhavebeenmanifested in the concreteworldthroughhis nervoussystem- a processthat hasstructure.By applying someof the modeling principles and distinctions of NLPwe havemadean approximation of someof the cognitiveand neurological structuresimpliedby the reportsof Jesus'wordsand actionsin the Gospels.Jesus'cognitivepatternsseemto represent a stateof the nervoussystemin whichprinciples relating to the "largerMind"maybe somehowaccessed- perhapsvia a kindof mechanism similarto an opticalhologram - andthenembodiedwithinin a specific contextthroughthe activationand mobilization of successivelevelsof neuralcircuitry. Thisprocessallowsoneto perceiveand effectively managemultiplelevelsof experience, timeframesand perceptual positions withina systemas one participates in the tasksand relationships that makeup one'sidentityand mission. Thiskindof multi-dimensional processis essential in orderto takewiseand Jesus- Page90
for ecologicalactionsin a worldwherelhe mapis notthe territoty",and thus impossible any one personto havethe one rightmap.As AbrahamLincolnpointedout: "ln great contestseachparty claimsto act in accordancewith the will of God.Bothmay be, but one mustbe wrong.God cannotbe for and againstthe samethingat the sametime...itis quite possiblethat God's purposeis somethingdifferentfromthe purposeof eitherparty...Since man is finite he can neverbe absolutelysure that he rightly sensesthe will of the infiniteGod." we exploredhowNLPtools,skillsand methods In the secondpartof thismonograph the patternswe had uncoveredrelatingto Jesus'strategy couldbe appliedto implement howwe mightoperationalize histwo way in our dailylivesby exploring in a pragmatic greatcommandments.I presentedsomewaysin whichNLPtoolssuchas anchoring, patterns, spatialsorting,timeframes,logicallevelsand accessing cues,language perceptualpositionscouldbe employedto enrichour own personalmapsof ourselves and alignall levelsof our and the peopleandsystemsaroundus to incorporate experience. kindsof behaviorare 'good' Ratherthan imposingrigidrulesaboutwhichparticular or'wrong','ethical' or'unethical', Jesus'two greatcommandments or'bad';'right' actionsmay be generated describea processthroughwhichappropriate and selected withina changingworld.No particular actioncan be evaluated outsideof the contextand A behavior thatis appropriate in one situation systemwithinwhichit is occurring. or in another.Whatseemsrighton one contextcan be inappropriate and evendestructive Whatappearsto be goodin onetimeframecan appear levelcan seemwrongon another. Whatseemsethicalfromoneperspective bad in another. can seemunethicalfrorn another.ln the termsof NLP,the questionis notwhethera particular behavior in andof itselfis good,bad,right,wrong,ethicalor unethical but ratherwhetherthe outcomeof a particularbehavioris "aligned"and "ecological" withrespectto all the systemsit effects. Thetwo corepresuppositions of NLPleadto the conclusion that all actionsspring fromthe positiveintentof an organismto optimizeits stateandthe stateof the systemin whichit perceives itselfas a member- withinthe confinesof its modelof the world.The ecologyof an organism's actionsis a resultof its abilityto perceive and represent the implications of its behavior on the systemswithinsystemsof whichit is a part,and on the kindsof choicesand alternatives it perceivesas beingavailableto it. Eventhe most individual altruistic or unecologically can act selfishly if he or she perceives no other alternative or is unawareof the impacthisor heractionsare havingon the surrounding Jesus- Page91
system. purposewithour hearts,souls, To trulyalignourselves towardour highestspiritual mindsand strengthwe needmorethanfaith;we alsoneedspecificskillsand tools.With the appropriate kindsof toolsit becomeseasierto manifest our ownvisionand mission and to truly'loveour neighbors as olrselves'. Perhapsit has beenthe evolution of someof theseabilities thathavebroughtdown the BerlinWallandthe lronCurtain.Perhapsit is dueto the lackof someof theseskills and toolsthat we stillpersecuteand harmone anotherout of fearand angerand fight warsto settledisputesbetweennations.My hopeis thatthis studyhascast somemore lighton howwe mightcontinueto enrichour mapsand our abilities and to understand manifestthe 'largermind'of whichwe area part. I can personally saythat I oftendrawnuponthe processesI havedescribedhere, especially in situations Forinstance, I havebeenin the thatare difficultor challenging. situationof havingto decidewhetheror notto removesomeonethat I dearlylovedfrom the medicallifesupportsystemthat was sustaining his physicalexistence.ln moments suchas these,onecannotlookat one'swatch,one'scheckbook or one'spast accomplishments to makethe decision.One mustmakeone'sbestattemptto facethe vastdarknessandpeerintoit to seewhateverlightor wisdommaybe presentin that largerhologramand,as a finitebeing,try to understand of the infinite. something According to AlbertEinstein: "A humanbeingis a part of the wholecalledby us'universe'...apart limitedin time and space.He experienceshis thoughtsand feelingsas separatedfrom the rest-- a kind of opticaldelusionof hisconsciousness. This delusionis a kind of prison for us, restrictingus to our personal desiresand to affectionfor a fewpersonsnearestus.Our taskmustbe to free ourselvesfrom thisprison by wideningour circle of compassionto embraceall living creaturesand the wholeof naturein its beauty." Thosewho havethe earsto hear,letthemhear.
Jesus- Page92
B ib lio g r a p h y TN, 1976. The Holy Bible, ThomasNelsonInc.,Nashville, The Holy Bible: From the Ancient EasternManuscriplg GeorgeLamsa,Harper& Row,SanFrancisco, CA,1981. Nashville, TN, 1975, The New Testament- King James Version,Gideonslnternational, 1986. Nashville, The New Testament- RevisedBerkeley Version,GideonsInternational, TN,1 9 7 4 . The New Testament: A New Translation together with the Authorized Version Harper& Brothers Publishers, NewYork,New in Parallel Columns,JamesMoffatt, York,1935. Press,Oxford, The Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha,OxfordUniversity 1989. England, New TestamentConcordance- King James Version,MarkHaney,MidwestSoftware, Ml, 1987. Farmington, Young's Analytical Concordance to The Bible, RobertYoung,W.B.Eerdmans Publishing GrandRapids, Mich.,1974. Company, (editor), The Other Gospels:Non-CanonicalGospel Texts,RonCameron The PA,1982 Westminster Press,Philadelphia, Neuro-LinguisticProgramming Vol. I, Dilts,R.,Grinder, J., Bandler, R.,Delozier, J.; MetaPublications, 1980. Cupertino, California, Changing Beliefs With NLP,Dilts,R.;MetaPublications, Cupertino, California, 1990. Beliefs; Pathways to Health and Well-Being,Dilts,R.,Halbom, T. Smith,S.; Press,Portland, Metamorphous OR,1990 Angels Fear: Towards an Epistemology of the Sacred,Gregoryand MaryCatherine BantamBooks,NewYork,N.Y.,1988. Bateson, E. P. Dutton, Mind and Nature,Bateson, Gregory; NewYork,NY,1979. Sfeps To an Ecology of Mind, Bateson, Gregory; Ballantine Books,NewYork,N. Y., 1972. The Structureof Magic Vol. I & //, Grinder, J. andBandler, R.; ScienceandBehavior Books,PaloAlto,California, 1975, Tools for Dreamers;Dilts,R. 8., Epstein, T.,Dilts,R.W.;MetaPublications, Cupertino, 1991. California, Frogs into Princes, Bandler, R.andGrinder, J.; RealPeoplePress,Moab,Utah,1984. Jesus- Page93
Plans and the Structureof Behavior,Miller,G.,Galanter, E.,andPribraffi, K.,HenryHolt & Co.,Inc.,1960. Principles of Psychology,WilliamJames,Britannica GreatBooks,Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.,Chicagolll.,1979. Albert Einstein: Neuro-LinguisticAnalysis of a Genius,Dilts,R.,DynamicLearning Publications, BenLomond, CA,1990. Turtles AII The Way Down: Prerequisifesto Personal Genius, J. DeLozier& JohnGrinder, GrinderDelozier& Associates, SantaCruz,CA, 1987. Rools of Neuro-LingutsticProgramming, Dilts,R.; MetaPublications, Cupertino, California, 1983. Applications of Neuro-LinguisticProgramming, Dilts,R.;MetaPublications, Cupertino, 1983. California, THE SECOND CYBERNETICS: Deviation-AmplifyingMutual Causal Processes,M. Maruyama, AmericanScientist, Vol.51, pp. 164-178, 1963. JESUS; The Evidence,Wilson,lan; Harper& Row,SanFrancisco, CA, 1984. The PsychiatricStudy of Jesus,AlbertSchweitzer, BeaconPress,Boston,Mass.,1948. The Power Tacticsof Jesus Christ,JayHaley,W.W. Norton& Co.,lnc.,NewYork,N.Y., 1986. Luther's Meditations on the Gospels,Bainton, Westminster Roland(translator);The Press,Philadelphia, PA,1962. Jesus Through the Centuries,Pelikan, YaleUniversity Press,NewHaven, Jaroslav; 1985. Connecticut, The Historlcal Jesus,Cornfeld, Publishing Co.,lnc.,NewYork,NY, G. (Ed.),Macmillan 1982. The Miracles of Christ,Reading, D.;Fleming Westwood, NJ,1964. H. RevellCompany, Jesus the Magician,MortonSmith,Harper& Row,SanFrancisco, 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'sReview of the Gospels,MichaelGrant,CharlesScribners Sons,NewYork,NewYork,1977. The ProtestantEthic And The Spirit ol Capitalism, Weber,Max;CharlesScribner's Sons,NewYork,N.Y.,1958. The Varietiesof ReligiousExperience, Library Inc., William;The NewAmerican James, NewYourk,NewYork,1958. Jesus- Page94
Appendix A: Overview of NLP Programming,a namethatencompasses NLP standsfor Neuro-Linguistic the threemost neurology,languageand influentialcomponents involvedin producinghumanexperience: progamming. Theneurologicalsystemregulateshow otu bodiesfunction,languagedetermines how with otherpeopleandour progammingdetermines thekindsof models we interfaceandcommunicate Programming thefundamental dynamicsbenveen describes of theworld we create.Neuro-Linguistic mind (neuro)andlanguage(linguistic)andhow theirinterplayeffectsour bodyandbehavior (programming). NLP wasoriginatedby JohnGrinder(whosebackgroundwasin linguistics)andRichardBandler (whosebackgroundwasin mathematics andgestalttherapy)for thepurposeof makingexplicitmodels of humanexcellence.Their fust work TheStrucrureof Magic Vol.I & II (1975,I976) identifiedthe verbal andbehavioralpatternsof therapistsFritz Perls(thecreatorof gestalttherapy)andVirginia Satir (internationallyrenownedfamily therapist).Theirnextwork Panernsof theHypnortcTechniques of (1975,1976) panerns verbal MD.Vol.I II the and behavioral of & examined Milton H. Erickson, Milton Erickson,founderof theAmericanSocietyof ClinicalHypnosisandoneof the mostwidely psychiatrists of our times.As a resultof this earlierwork, andclinically successful acknowledged modeling Bandler formalized their techniques andtheirown individualcontributions and Grinder "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" to the name symbolize therelationshipbetweenthebrain, under languageandthebody. The basicsof this modelhasbeendescribedin a seriesof booksincluding ProgrananingVol./ (Dila, FrogsInto Princes(Bandler& Grinder,1979) , Neuro-Linguistic Refrarning 1980), Grinder,Bandler,Delozier, @andler&Grinder,1982)andUsingYourBrain (Bandler,1985). I. Basic Presuppositionsof NLP 1, The Map Is Not The Territory. As humanbeings,we canneverknowreality.We canonly know ourperceptions of realiry.We primarily respond world and to the around us our representational experience through sensory systems.It is our'neuro-linguistic'mapsof realitythatdeterminehow we behaveandthatgive those behaviorsmeaning,not realityitself. It is generallynot externalrealitythatlimits us or empowersus, butratherour mapof reality. 2. Ltfe And 'Mind'
Are SystemicProcesses.
The processes thattakeplacewithin a humanbeing,andbetweenhumanbeingsandtheir environment,aresystemic.Our bodies,our societiesandour universeform anecologyof systemsand all of whichinteractwith andmutuallyinfluenceeachother.It is not possibleto sub-systems isolate anypartof the systemfrom therestof thesystem.Suchsystemsarebasedupon completely 'self principlesandnarurallyseekoptimalstatesof balanceor homeostasis. certain organizing' II. The T.O.T.E. Model "Thepursuanceoffunre endsand tlte choiceof meansfor their anainmentare themark and criterionof tle presenceof rnentalityin a phenomenon" William James- Principles of Psychology A mentalstrategyis typicallyorganizedinto a basicfeedbackloopcalleda T.O.T.E.(Miller, et al, 1960).The lenersT.O.T.E. standforTest-Operate-Test-Exit. TheT.O.T.E.conceptmaintains that all mentalandbehavioralprogramsrevolvearoundhavingafixedgoal andavariablemcarsto achievetlnt goal. This modelindicatesthat,aswe think,we setgoalsin our mind (consciously or unconsciously) anddevelopa TESTfor whenthatgoalhasbeenachieved.If thatgoalis not achieved we OPERATEto changesomethingor do somethingto getcloserto our goal. Whenour TESTcriteria havebeensatisfiedwe thenEXIT on to thenextstep.Sothefunctionof anyparticularpartof a behavioralprogramcouldbe to (T)estinformationfrom the senses in orderto checkprogresstowards thegoalo: to (O)perate to changesomepartof theongoingexperience sothatit cansatisfythe(f)est and(E)xit on to thenextpartof theprogpm. Jesus - Page95
TE S T Flxed Future Evidencefor Achievement of the Goal
EXIT
T. O. T. E. x epe I ses t trt a t e
Flexibility of Means to Accomplish Goals
OPERATIONS For example,oneTESTfor creativitymightbethatanideais "unique". If theconceptyou have comeup with is not uniqueenoughyou will OPERAIEor go througha procedureto maketheidea moreufuqueor to comeup with a betterconcept.Individualswill havedifferentwaysto TEST for or proclivities. systempreferences somethinglike "uniqueneis"basedon personalrepresentational III. Levels of Processingand Organization Peopleoftentalk aboutrespondingto thingson different"levels". For instance,someonemight wasnegativeon onelevelbut positiveon anotherlevel. In our brain saythat someexperience or levelsof experience.The structure,language,andperceptualsystemstherearenaturalhierarchies effectof eachlevelis to organizeandcontroltheinformationon thelevelbelowit. Changing changethingson thelower levels;changingsomething somethingon an upperlevelwouldnecessarily effecttheupperlevels. AnthropologistGregory on a lower level couldbut wouldnot necessarily Batesonidentifiedfour basiclevelsof learningandchange- eachlevelmoreabstractthanthe level belowit but eachhavinga greaterdegreeof impacton theindividual.Theselevelsroughlycorrespond to: Who Else? Msion& Purpose Spirimal Who? Mission A. Who I Am - Idcntiry Permission & Motivation V/hy? B . My Belief system- ValucsandMeanings How? Maps&Plans andStates C . My Capabilities- Strategies What? D . WhatI Do or haveDone- SpecificBehaviors Actions& Reactions Consraints& OppornrnitiesWherc?When? E. My Environment-Exterral Corutraints The environmentlevelinvolvesthe qpecificexternalexternalconditionsin whichour behavior takesplace. Behaviorswittroutanyinnermap,planor strategyto guidethem,however,arelike knee jerk reactions,habis or rituals. Arthe levelof capabilitywe ilre ableto select,alterandadapta classof behaviorsto a wider setof externalsituations.At thelevelof beliefsandvalueswe may encourage, plan or way of thinking. Identity,of course,consolidates inhibit or generalize a particularstrategy, wholesystemsof beliefsandvaluesinto a senseof self. While eachlevelbecomesmoreabsracted effect it acruallyhasmoreandmorewidespread from the specificsof behaviorandsensoryexperience, on our behaviorandexperience. * Environtnental or constraintsa personhasto reactto. factors determinetheextemalopportunities Answerto thequestions where?andwhen? * Beluvior is madeup of the specificactionsor reactionstakenwithin theenvironment.Answerto thequestionwhat? Jesus - Page96
* Capabiltties-guide a3dgrvedirectionto behavioralactionsthrougha mentalmap,planor strategy. Answerto thequestionhow? * Beliefs,.Tndvalucs providethereinforcement (motivationandpermission)thatsupportsor denies capabilities.Answerto thequestionwhy? * Identity determineoverallpurpose(mission)andshapebeliefsandvaluesthroughour _fa91o1s senseof self.Answerto thequestionwh o? * Spiitwl issuesrelateto thefactthatwe area pan of a largersystemthatreachesbeyondourselves asindividualsto our family,communityandglobalsystems. Answerto rhequestio;who else? Each9{theqeprocesses involvesa differentlevelof organization andmobilizessuccessively mobilizationandcommitmentof neurological deeper 'circuitry'. Universe
Planet
Family
Spiritual'Trans-Mlsslon" WhoElse? Mlsslon
Beliefs/ValuesPerm lss lo n/Mot lvatlo n
whv?
Capabilities Dlrectlon How? Behavior Actlons What?
Networkof LogicalLevels
Environment Constralnls Where?When?
IV. The R.O.L.E. Model theessentialelemenrsof thinkingand . . The goalof theR..O.L.E.modelingprocessis to identify_ behaviorusedto producea particularresponse or outcome.-This involvesidentifyinethecritiial steos of theTenl{ sqategyandthe-role-each stepplaysin theoverallneurological"pr6grim". This rotei {etermingj !y tle-folowing four.factorswhichareindicatedby theleneiswhibhirat
RepresentationalSystems
zH
Sight Visrcl
v
Smell Feeling Kinesthertc Ofactory
Sound Audttory A K OG
Taste Gwtatory
is focused(e)xternally Qrientation hasto do with whethera particularsensoryrepresentation towardthe ouside world or (i)nternallytowardeither(r)emembered (c)onstructed or experiences. For instance,whenyou areseeingsomething,is it in theouside world, in memoryor in your imagination? Orientation InnerExperience Internal
OutsideWorld Exterrnl e
-/>-
Recall
Remembered Oeftbrain) r
Imagination Constructed (rightbrain) c
3. Links haveto do with how a particularstepor sensoryrepresentation is linkedto theother representations. For example,is somethingseenin theexternalenvironmentlinkedto internal feelings,remembered images,words?Is a particularfeelinglinkedto constructed pictures,memories of soundsor otherfeelings? Therearetwo basickindsof waysthatrepresentations canbelinkedtogether:sequentiallyand simultaneously.Sequentiallinks actasanclnrsor triggerssuchthatonerepresentation follows anotherin a linearchainof events. V e -*l -a j
":.T"?
o
v
a which Generates which Trigge.rs which (JU E S IION a Feeling
@
@
e,rr..
Stimulates a Fantasy
@
Sequentlal Llnks
Simultaneous links occuraswhatarecalledsynesthesia.r. links haveto do with the Synesthesia ongoingoverlapbetweensensoryrepresentations. Certainqualitiesof feelingsmay be linkedto certainqualitiesof imagery- for example,visualizingtheshapeof a soundor hearinga color. lmage
f f-* f f f-
llL t II
brightness -
coU,
movement -
a
| I
b c a ti o n J l l temperature - inbnsity
' ' I
Feeling S yn e sthesla Llnks Jesus - Page98
Certainly,bothof thesekindsof links areessentialto thinking,learning,creativityandthegeneral organizationof our experiences.
L in k s ./\
Simultaneous Synesthesias
Sequential AnclorslTriggers A+
11
eg. Soundor Word is Followedby a Feeling
/o\ \*,
eg.Feelsa Soundor Hearsa Feeling
4. fffect hasto do with theresult,effector purposeof eachstepin thethoughtprocess.For instance,thefunctionof the stepcouldbe to generate or input a sensoryrepresentation, to testor or to operateto changesomepartof anexperience evaluatea particularsensoryrepresentation or behaviorin relationshipto a sensoryrepresentation. Effect
Generate Input
Evaluate Test
Change Oprue
V. PhysiologicalClues:Making the R.O.L.E. into a B.A.G.E.L. The R.O.L.E.modelelements dealprimarilywith cognitiveprocesses. In orderto function, however,thesementalprogramsneedthehelpof certainbodilyandphysiologicalprocesses for consolidationandexpression.Thesephysicalreactionsareimportantfor theteachingor development aswell asfor theexternalobservation andconfirmationof them. The of certainmentalprocesses primarybehavioralelementsinvolvedin R.O.L.E.modelingare: Eody Posture. [ccessingcues Qestures. P;le movements. laanguagePatterns. 1 . Eody Posture Peopleoftenassumesystematic, habitualpostureswhendeepin thought.Theseposturescan great indicatea dealabouttherepresentational systemthepersonis using. Thefollowing aresome typicalexamples: a. Visual: lzaning backwith headandslnuldersup or rounded,slnllow breathing. b. Auditory: Body leantngforward, headcocked,shouldersback,armsfolded. c. Kinesthetic: Headandshoulders down,deepbreathing.
Jesus Page99
2. Accessing Cues Whenpeoplearethinking,theycueor triggercertaintypesof representations in a numberof -.-different waysinclgding:breathingrate,non-verbal"gruns andgrodns",facialexpressions, snapping thei{ fin-gen,s_cratching theirheads,andsoon. Somebftheseareidiosyncraticto ihe individual-dnd needto be 'calibrated'to theparticularperson.Manyof thesecues,however,areassociated to particularsensoryprocesses" a. Visu3l: High shallowbreathing,squintilg eyes,voicehigherpitch andfastertempo. b. Audito-ry:. Dilphragmaticbreathing, knittedbrow,flucrualngvoicetoneandtempb. c. Kinesthetic: Deepabdominal breathing, deepbreathyvoice-ina slowertempo. 3. Qestures. indicatingthethe senseorganthey areusingto . . . Peoplewill oftentolch, point to or usegestures think with. Sometypicalexamplesinclude:a. Visg.al:Torcling or pointingto theeyes;gesturesnade aboveeyelevel. b. Auditory: Pointingtowardorgesruingiear theears;touchingthemouthor jaw. ^ c. Kinestheticz Touchingthecluit andsiomacharea;gesturesiade belowthe-neck. 4. Eye movements Automatic,unconscious eyemovements particularthoughtprocesses oftenaccompany indicating theaccessing of oneof thereprbsentational systems.NLP has'citegorized thes6cuesinto the following pattern:
vcson?tructed
vr€mgmbered
A[JI]8nlu"d
H?dlta
K i ne s th e ti c
5. languagePatterns . Aprimary ry9qtd of Neuro-Linguisticanalysisis to searchfor particularlinguisticpatterns,such as'predicates', whichin-dicate a particularneurological representational systemor sub-midality,and how that systemor qgalityis beingusedin theoverallprogramof thought.hedicatesarewoids,such asverbs,adverbsandadjectives, whichindicateactionioiqualitiesasopposedto things.This typeof languageis.tlpically selectedat an unconscious levelandthusreflectsthl underlyinguiconscioui' structurewhich producedthem. Below is a list of commonsensorybasedpred.iiates: VI S T ] AL "see" "look" "sight" "clear" "bright" "picture" "hazy" "bringsto light" "show"
AUDITORY "hear" "listen" "sound" "resonant" "lortd" "word" 'noisy" "ringsa bell" "tell" Jesus - Page100
KINESTHETIC "grasp" "touch" "feeling" "solid" "heavy" "harl.dle" "rough" "connects" "move"
