[Neurons] Meta Reflections -- 2010 --- #13

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

Meta Reflections - 2010 - #13

March 22,  2010

 

 

WHY DO I TEASE

THE FOUNDERS SO MUCH?

 

 

Yes, I tease them.  Yes, I provoke them.  And yes, I do it intentionally.
After the last post on Grinder, several asked about why I do this, what are
my motives, what I'm seeking to do in it, whether it is divisive, and of
course, all of that deserves an answer.  So here goes.

 

Given that the field of NLP is not only without any kind of international
standards, association, or journals, it is also a field that (in spite of
the worldwide net) hardly has any forum for the leaders of NLP to
communication.  Imagine that!  A field of communication that doesn't
communicate!  Well, not directly at least.  There is, of course, the
grapevine, gossip, notes in footnotes in books, and of course, websites.

 

So especially when a new book appears and it presents information about one
of the "camps" in this field, as a way to stay current in the field, I read
it.  I want to know what's going on, what new developments are emerging, and
how others are interpreting or re-interpreting the field of NLP.  And when I
see ideas and concepts that strike me as against the very spirit of NLP (as
I did in the book I reviewed last week, against rapport for example), I
figure that's something to write about.

 

The point here is that I'm focusing on ideas, concepts, and patterns, not
personalities.  Oh, yes, the ideas come through persons, and the
personalities of those persons, but my critique is never about or against
the person.  It is always about what the person is saying in arguing for or
against some position.  It is always feedback about what the person has said
or possibly done, and never against the person.  Check it out, that's why in
last week's post I quoted from the book, I quoted the facts of what the
person's actually said.  I do that for a specific reason.  I want to quote
accurately and precisely and to fairly represent what the person is saying.

 

Now one thing in this field, as with almost every self-development field,
people in leadership roles so often take themselves so seriously that they
present themselves as gurus.  That is, as unquestionable authorities, as
somehow having the divine right to not be held accountable.  And, of course,
that's the stuff of high comedy- stuff that I can hardly resist jumping into
and exploiting with playful humor.  Hence the teasing!  After all, when
human beings think and act as if they are infallible-that's when they are
the most silly and the most ridiculous.  And I think that's when it's time
to take the mickey out of them.

Now true enough, most people know better than to claim infallibility
directly.  So they act that way by being closed to feedback.  And, of
course, that also provides wonderful moments of high comedy.  Now I am of
the opinion that there just hasn't been enough people breaking out in rackus
laughter when the gurus imply such things.  But then again, some are masters
of ceremony.   They set things up so as to create a hushed environment so
that when they speak, you'd think it was a funeral, or a service in a
church, temple, or mosque, or perhaps the moment with a high official of
state is about to speak.  And so whatever they say is then enshroud in
somehow considered something to stand in awe of, to nod with a knowingness
that this is sacred ground, the secret of life is about to be revealed.

 

Now they can say something like, "You can feel assured, fully and honestly,
that what I'm saying you already fully know unconsciously, and as ... your
unconscious ... knows this now, you can feel more confident than ever before
now, can you not?" and everybody nods in unconscious agreement.  How can you
argue against that?  Besides, who are you to contradict the expert?
Besides, you better watch out, he or she may install something terrible in
your unconscious mind when you aren't watching!

 

Now if you are not laughing out loud at all of that, you may already be too
far gone ... or not.  Many kings in olden times knew about this danger of
over-seriousness and so appointed court jesters.  Their job description was
to create a jolly ole time for everyone by teasing and jesting and mocking
all of the solemnity of the high court least the royal manners and
ceremonies would deceive the dignities to talk and act as if they have a
stiff board shoved all the way up their rare end.

 

Maybe that's what we need!   Perhaps we need some good ole fashion Court
Jesters in the Halls of NLP especially when the gurus emerge with their
minions doing homeage and bowing in reverential deference to whatever the
gurus say!  Actually, I have some colleagues I'd heartily recommend to play
that role with amazing delightful fun.

 

So why do I tease and jest as I do?  Maybe for these very reasons.  Maybe
because there's just too much seriousness in this field, too many people
thinking that hypnosis is real, that the language of persuasion is beyond
resistance, and that the gurus of NLP are dangerously powerful.  Maybe it's
time to let Toto loose so that he can pull the curtain open and expose the
magician behind the curtain at the microphone making all the noise!  Then,
when we all see that he's just a plump little man wanting to be a real
magician and that he's not the All-Knowing and Powerful Oz, we can enjoy the
joke and get on with being real- with actualizing our highest and best as
the fallible human beings that we are.

 

 




 

Trainers' Training ---  International Certification for Training and
Certifying NLP and Neuro-Semantics 

If your are interested in NSTT ---- the details are:

            June 19 - July 3, 2010

            Grand Junction Colorado

            Lead by L. Michael Hall, Colin Cox, and Omar Salom

            Write Dr. Hall, meta at acsol.net for Information, Brochure, and
Registration forms.

 

 

 

 

 

L.  Michael Hall, Ph.D.

(ISNS) International Society of Neuro-Semantics

The International Meta-Coach System

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO.  81520 USA

1 970-523-7877

      <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com 

       <http://www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com/>
www.neuro-semantics-trainings.com 

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       <http://www.ns-video.com/> www.ns-video.com 

 

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