A Pragmatic Guide To Communication & Change.pdf - NLP Info Centre

the situation now."
Susan
Thomas
Mark
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I was noticing how, as the sun went down, everyone's voice got quieter, almost as if the
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The third sentence in the numbered examples elicits experiences associated with the
auditory system, and the fourth the olfactory-gustatory system. Though taste and smell are
two distinct sensory mechanisms, they are grouped together for simplicity. Generally,
unless you are a gourmet. chef or wine connoisseur, your model of the world probably
does not contain as many distinctions in the olfactory representational system as in the
other systems. In fact, the visual and kinesthetic appear to be two of the most often used
systems in Western cultures.
The last of the numbered sentences is unique because none of the words presuppose any
of the sensory-based systems. This is an example of purely digital information. In such :i
case, it is entirely up to the reader to "understand," using whatever system is best for him.
This process will be
informed as to body position, vibrations, and deep pain and pressure; and visceral sensations
of pain and fullness from internal organs.
In our language, however, we have identified another kind of "feelings," those we call
emotions. When someone says, "I was hurt," he may be talking about pressure or pain on
his skin, or he may be talking about some "internal state" called an emotion.
Actually, the two meanings are very similar. To be "hurt" emotionally is a composite of
several somatic sensations. For example, there may be a tightening around the eyes and
face, changes in posture, stresses on deep muscle tissue, tendons, and joints, and often
accompanying input from the viscera in the form of tightening or contractions. This
sensory input is combined with other thought processes and is then labeled as emotional
"hurt." Because of this close link with somatic sensations, it is useful to consider that
those feelings we call emotions are actually derived feelings, or, in the formal notation:
Kd.
explored in great detail in this chapter. Olfactory-Gustatory Distinctions
Language is used to communicate various aspects of our experience of the world to each
other. By creating internal, sensory-based experiences in response to the words we read or
hear, we are each able to understand what is being said. However, this synthetic
experience can also operate in ways which prevent us from experiencing fully what the
speaker or writer intends to communicate. Because our understanding is internally
generated, it is affected by the universal human modeling processes of generalization,
deletion, and distortion. Because we each have unique models of the world, the following
axiom must be considered important to the study of connnunication:
The meaning of any communication is defined by the response it elicits.
Predicate Preference
When listening to a person talk, sometimes a pattern becomes evident, a pattern of
predicate preference. These
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