[Neurons] 2011 Meta Reflections #25

[L. Michael Hall]

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

Meta Reflections 2011 - #25

May 30, 2011

** See Neuro-Semantic Conference

Announce at the End 

 

 

THE FIRST NEURO-LOGICAL LEVELS

 

 

This post responds to the several people who have recently written to ask
about the relationship between Meta-States and the Neuro-Logical Levels.

"What is the relationship?"  "Do they fit together or do they conflict?"

 

When Robert Dilts took Gregory Bateson's work on the "logical levels" of
learning and change and began developing a way to think and work with
logical levels in NLP, he came up with a model that he designated, "The
Neuro-Logical Levels."  This model has 7 distinctions sorted out in 6
levels: environment, behavior, capabilities, beliefs and values, identity,
and spirit.  To give some structure to this list of 6 items, Robert came up
with 6 questions which each of the levels addresses and answers:

                        Levels                          Questions

                        Environment               Where and When?

                        Behavior                      What (is the person
doing)?

                        Capabilities                 How (skills and
strategy)?

                        Beliefs & Values          Why?

                        Identity                        Who?

                        Spirit                            What else?

 

Now for years in the NLP community there have been many articles and
workshops about whether this is truly a "logical level" model.  Wyatt
Woodsmall wrote several extensive critiques in NLP World as I did and
others.  Nearly every review argued against it being a consistent model, in
terms of logical levels.  Wyatt and I noted that first of all it is not an
integrated system in spite of the questions that neatly tie them together.
And that's because there is not a mechanism that organizes these levels.
Unlike "learning" or "change" that integrated Bateson's levels, there's no
thematic concept that ties this set of levels together.  There is no inner
thread tying them together.  Which also explains how Robert has been able to
apply this list of levels to so many diverse areas.  Further, "behavior" is
not a larger category than "environment," actually the reverse is true.
Every "behavior" occurs within an "environment" as the context for the
behavior.

[For the articles and chapters I've written about logical levels, see
Meta-States (2007), NLP Going Meta (2003), also the articles on "Logical
Levels" on  <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com.]

 


>From the perspective of the Meta-States Model, the first three "levels"

actually all occur within the primary state level.  That is, consider any
experience and you will find that it involves "behaviors" occurring in a
certain way (the how of "capability") within a certain "environment."
Behavior, capability, and environment are all facets of a primary state.
None of these involve a higher "logical level" to an experience.  They
describe an experience itself as it shows up in the world.

 

After the first three distinctions (behavior, capability, and environment)
begins the logical levels.  Beliefs and values are actually two levels about
the experience- What do you believe about it?  Do you value it as important
and if so, what is the importance to you?  Identity is next, Who are you
when you do this?  What does this experience or activity say about you?
Then there is spirit or purpose which speaks about your mission and vision.
What is your vision and mission in the experience?

 

Now with beliefs and values, identity, and spirit we can ask if there's a
flexibility so that we can apply any one of these to each other.  Can you
have a belief about your vision?  Can you value this even more?  Can you
have a belief about your identity?  These questions highlight that these
levels are not rigid or hierarchical, but fluid and interactive.  Each
levels refers to a process of thinking and feeling which can be applied in
any order.

 

These three logical levels above and about any experience, however, is just
the beginning.  There are a lot more.  We have identified a hundred such
logical levels in Neuro-Semantics.  Yes, 100!  There is Decision,
Permission, Meaning, Frame, Memory, Imagination, Model, Intention, etc.   If
you've experienced the basic Meta-States training (APG) or other
Neuro-Semantics trainings, you have seen the lists of 26 levels (called
meta-questions) or 39, or 76 in various training manuals.

 

What the Neuro-Logical Levels pattern began, Meta-States now extends and
completes.  Meta-States also refines the list by identifying that the first
three are expressions of a basic primary state and all of the rest are
non-hierarchical frames for that state.  In this, Meta-States does not
contradict the Neuro-Logical Levels model at all; it complements it and
expands it.  That's why you will find the use of these seven distinctions in
many if not most Meta-State patterns.  I have also used the distinctions
specifically in such patterns as the Meta-Alignment pattern which closes the
APG program.

 

And why?  Why are beliefs, values, identity, and vision-mission in so many
Meta-State patterns?  Simple.  Because they are such fundamental and
essential frames that play an obvious role in almost every experience.  So
in these distinctions, Robert has modeled and designed some fundamental
states (meta-states) as logical levels that arise from our neurology and
that inform and govern our neurology.

 

The only myth about the Neuro-Logical levels model is that a few people
somehow think it is the last word about logical levels.  Obviously, it is
not.  In fact, instead of being the last word, historically in NLP it was
the first word.  There is much, much more to say about logical levels, and
many more models that governs this area.  Thanks to Robert Dilts for his
pioneering development in his Neuro-Logical Levels distinctions and his
support of the Meta-States Model.

 

 

 

Do You Know About the First International Neuro-Semantic Conference??

.        It is Open to everybody!    Especially NLP people,
Neuro-Semanticists, and people interested in self-development,
self-actualization, Coaching, and Business development.


 

.        The dates are July 1-3 and then July 4 on "Secrets about Mastery"
By Colin Cox --- Neuro-Semantic Master Trainer, 3 times winner of Strongest
Man Contest in New Zealand.

 

.        You can check out the Schedule of Workshops on the website,
www.neurosemantics.com for the three tracks ---coaching, business,
self-development.  See the 22 speakers and workshop titles.

 

.        This is the inaugural Conference which will travel to various
countries around the world (Malaysia in 2013 and Hong Kong/ China 2015).

 

.        Only 4 weeks away --- now is the time to register for the
conference.  See attachment (Registration form).

 

 

 

L.  Michael Hall, Ph.D.

Neuro-Semantics Executive Director  ----   <http://www.neurosemantics.com/>
www.neurosemantics.com

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO.  81520 USA                             ----
<http://www.self-actualizing.org/> www.self-actualizing.org

1 970-523-7877                                               ----
<http://www.meta-coaching.org/> www.meta-coaching.org

 

     

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Reflection articles by Dr. Hall are sent out every Monday (Colorado time).
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Wednesdays.   Contact Dr. Hall at  meta at acsol.net  

 

 

 

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