Vol. 42 – October 24, 2005
Ericksonian Hypnotic Language Patterns
Reverse Meta Model
In NLP the “meta model” is Bandler and Grinder’s name for the wellformedness conditions of the surface structure of the English language*. (*See their book “The Structure of Magic.”) In Hypnosis we sometimes chose to deliberately violate these wellformedness conditions (“reversing the meta model”) in order to be purposefully and artfully vague.
(NOTE: We’re going to change the numbering system of these language patterns from this point forward. Over the next six installments we’ll bring you five patterns at a time. Therefore, we’ll no longer count the patterns, we’ll simply count the newsletters.)
Volume 42. More about Presuppositions
Presuppositions can be some of the most powerful language patterns of all. For more information and insight see the article, “Presuppositions” by Robert Dilts on the ARTICLES section of this web site.
Bandler and Grinder’s book, “The Structure of Magic” is a treasure trove of incredibly useful presuppositions. Over the next six installments of this newsletter, we’ll bring them to you in summary, the first five being simple presuppostions:
1. Proper Names
(this specific person exists)
Won’t you be delighted when Agent Scully walks through that door?
2. Pronouns
(this general person exists)
Won’t you be keen when she walks in?
3. Definite Desrciptions
(this specific thing exists)
I liked the woman in the blue uniform.
4. Some quantifiers
(all, every, some, few, many, none, each)
Everyone has many potentials that they are unaware of, yet are there.
5. Generic Noun Phrases
(Noun arguments standing for a whole class)
I have often considered the great communicators of our time to be poets.
I suggest you write out several examples of each one above. Because, when you write them, you know you know them and they will be yours to use.
See you next week.
Have fun!
