Neuro Semantics Training in India

Neuro Semantics training in India.

Well before you decide why you should consider to attend Neuro Semantics training in India, you must familiarise yourself with history of the Human Potential Movement, leading into creation of NLP, the fragmentation of NLP, and the birth of Neuro Semantics, and rise of Neuro Semantics.

Born in the shadow of NLP, Neuro-Semantics has gained a personality of its own as well as a distinctive edge over its parent sciences. 

The purpose of the article is to help a prospective participant who is looking for Neuro Semantics training in India to become aware of the history of Neuro Semantics, what is Meta NLP, and how it evolved.

This is the story of two things: stellar thought leaders and fabulous technical concepts. It couldn’t have been any other way. Many great ideas and personalities must necessarily come together before a science as exciting as Neuro-Semantics can be born. Today, as Neuro-Semantics is hailed as the conquering hero in the field of behavioural sciences, let’s talk a look back at how it all happened.

A grand old idea

Born in Warsaw in 1879, Alfred Korzybski learnt Polish, Russian, French and German at a tender age. This explains why he instinctively knew that the language we use shapes our understanding of reality. He naturally gravitated towards semantics and eventually introduced a broader science (which he termed General Semantics) through the publication of his classic book Science and Sanity. Little did he know that this seminal work would be used to better millions of lives almost a century after his birth. Amongst other things, Science and Sanity offered the following:

• Two new terms, namely, neuro-linguistic and neuro-semantic. He thus became the first to demonstrate that our neural design and our use of language together distort reality and both must be addressed effectively in order to liberate us from our self-imposed shackles and allow us to pursue grander possibilities. Today, these two terms are distinct in their meanings, but back then, Korzybski used them interchangeably
• He coined the phrase neuro-linguistic training which suggested levels of abstraction in our thinking process. Second-order abstractions, third-order abstractions etc came into being. This greatly influenced the Meta-States model that lies at the core of Neuro-Semantics
• Overall, the book dismissed the unscientific nature of Aristotelian language where it was possible to split verbally that which cannot be split empirically – for example, terms like mind, body, space, time etc. Korzybski called this faux pas elementalism. For him, precision was the cornerstone of language
• “The map is not the territory,” he famously said. Thus, in one fell swoop, he helped us understand the difference between belief and reality

General Semantics continues today as a viable discipline and field in its own right. However, the successors of this science, NLP and later, Neuro-Semantics, are what we will focus on going forward.

The beginning of the Meta-Model

Before we talk about Neuro Semantics training in India, who is offering and other details, a general idea about the beginning and other details will make it easy to understand what makes Meta NLP better than classic NLP.

Decades after the death of Korzybski, in 1972 to be precise, another phenomenal thinker named Gregory Bates published Steps to an Ecology of Mind. Even in a career as glorious as his, this book became his definitive work, bringing together ideas from many streams of knowledge such as cybernetics, anthropology, psychology and ecology. Here are a couple of important aspects of the book:

• It begins with a series of metalogues between him and his daughter – in this format, the structure of the conversation is as important as the problem being discussed. Thus, a lot of attention was paid to layers of thoughts and feelings emerging from language. And the idea of going meta to meta-levels gained traction
• Responding to Korzybski’s plea that second-order and third-order abstractions be studied and explored further, Bates used meta-levels and logical types in his theories. He conducted experiments in the areas of play, humour, aesthetics and schizophrenia. In fact, as early as 1956, Bates and his research team in Palo Alto came up with a revolutionary idea called double-bind theory. In an attempt to understand schizophrenia, Bates subjected an individual or a group to conflicting messages, with one message negating the other, and studied the consequences.

NLP owes much to the body of work created by this man.

Stars created NLP

The same year that Bates was bringing out Steps to an Ecology of Mind, the US Santa Cruz campus became the venue for a chance meeting between John Grinder and Richard Bandler – the co-founders of NLP. Grinder had recently joined the university as an Assistant Professor after completing his PhD in transformational grammar pioneered by Noam Chomsky. Bandler, 10 years younger, was a psychology student with an interesting project in mind. He had been listening to sessions conducted by the founder of Gestalt, Fritz Perls, and he wondered whether Grinder would help him analyse and decode Perls’ language.

The two of them came up with the idea of creating a model that would capture the excellence of Perls and another stalwart, Virginia Satir, widely regarded as the mother of family therapy.

As their work gained substance and traction, they found a willing publisher in Dr Robert Spitzer of Science and Behaviour Books. Spitzer introduced the duo to Gregory Bateson who in turn introduced them to renowned hypnotherapist Milton Erikson. Not surprisingly, Erikson became the third genius therapist to be modelled by Grinder and Bandler. It was as if the stars were aligned for these star thinkers to align together to create Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

One long-lasting idea adopted by Grinder and Bandler is TOTE (Test-Operate-Test-Exit) which was created by Miller, Galanter and Pribram in a 1960 work titled Plans and the Structure of Behaviour. TOTE gave them a simple and linear process to explain how a person processes information. It was akin to a flowchart of a person’s consciousness. The NLP Strategy Model started with TOTE. The first step had been taken to model excellence. (We will talk later about the limitations of this model stemming from its strict adherence to linearity.)

Between 1975 and 1983, Grinder and Bandler worked on making their NLP model integrate the concept of meta. The Meta-model, as it stood, was about how language and VAK representations result in “the structure of subjective experience.” Using VAK inputs, we see, hear and feel to create an inner screen of consciousness which we call thinking. The collective result of the VAK inputs and the thinking that follows puts us in a state – a consciousness of the Mind-Body.

This was a cutting-edge approach for that time. No wonder it became widely popular. Grinder and Bandler authored many books on NLP, conducted countless workshops and acquired a global following.

Enter Neuro-Semantics

Well, it didn’t happen right away. In fact, things went sour first. A wide rift developed between Grinder and Bandler. The two went their separate ways. Along with bad blood, there was bad PR and the Bandler lawsuit. NLP was still helping millions, but the field had stagnated. An infusion of fresh ideas was the dire need of the hour. The ego clash created newer variations of NLP, leading into poor formulation of methods promoted by some of the original developers, which didn’t sit well with the self help community in general, leading into further fragmentation of NLP community.

A significant new idea was introduced in 1994 when Michael Hall, an established and humble servant of NLP, brought ideas of Korzybski and Bates into the NLP strategy model so that meta-levels can factor into the subjective experience. As Dr Hall modelled resilience (one aspect of excellence), he discovered that people carry numerous layers and levels of consciousness and states. This idea was comprehensive enough to be recognized by the International NLP Trainer’s Association as the most significant contribution to NLP in 1994-95.

But the quantum breakthrough came when Dr Hall collaborated with Bobby Bodenhamer (a General Semantics genius) in 1997 to discuss Meta-States, NLP and General Semantics. Both Hall and Bodenhamer were convinced that hidden synergies existed between NLP and General Semantics – the works of Korzybski, Bates and of Grinder-Bandler themselves had convinced them of that. They began synthesizing the best ideas from both sciences, partly driven by the opportunities behind this merger and partly driven by the desire to restore credibility to the field.

In November 1998, Dr Hall, Bodenhamer and like-minded peers met in London for a 3-day training program titled The Merging of the Models.  As numerous new patterns began to fall in place with an elegance and efficiency that was unprecedented, the Meta-States model took shape. This new duo called the emerging science Neuro-Semantics. An apt name for the marriage between kindred frameworks.

The biggest difference between General Semantics and Neuro-Semantics was the emphasis on modelling excellence – an idea borrowed from NLP, obviously. Also borrowed was Korzybski’s phrase “human design engineering,” with the intent to create NLP-like patterns, technologies and methodologies.

Now let’s look at how Neuro-Semantics differs from NLP. We will then understand why the former is all about meaning and the performance of meaning.

Neuro-Semantics: distinct from NLP

Before we talk about the differences between Neuro-Semantics and NLP, let us first celebrate the similarities:

• Both derive themselves from interdisciplinary sciences. Cybernetics, neurology, anthropology, psychology, computer science, family systems, linguistics and many more branches of knowledge bolster the two
• Both acknowledge that the interaction between neurological systems and language shapes behaviour
• Both model excellence
• Both accept the importance of meta states, although to differing degrees
• Both are geared to deliver desirable behavioural changes

Assuming you have read the article The state of your state of mind, you are ready to look at the differences:

NLP	Neuro-Semantics
In the beginning, and to a significant extent even now, NLP shunned theory, explanatory models. The reason behind a particular behaviour (the meaning) was considered unimportant. HOW and WHAT were crucial, WHY wasn’t.	Theory is fine and meaning is paramount. WHY is as important as HOW and WHAT. The WHY (meaning) is layered in consciousness which is self-reflexive.
The NLP Strategy Model, initiated by TOTE, uses a linear flowchart-like approach to investigating and influencing behaviour.	Goes beyond the linear flowchart analysis of the Structure of Subjective Experience – studies how the self-reflexive consciousness moves along its TOTEs by focusing on meta-levels.
Fully descriptive and comprehensive model of meta-levels and logical levels missing. Emphasis on “depth,” inherited from Transformational Grammar.	Fuller and more extensive modelling of multiple meta-levels and logical levels. Emphasis on “height.” As vertical dimensions are explored, higher level meanings (some layers being at unconscious levels) come under purview.

So excited were many about the superior framing made by Neuro-Semantics that they foretold the end of NLP. Reviewing Dr Hall’s books on Meta-States and Dragon Slaying, Dr Graham Dawes went to the extent of saying that Meta-States “will be the model that ate NLP.”

That’s a rather harsh way to look at a science that still has much to offer. A more mature outlook is to see Neuro-Semantics as carrying forward the impactful work done by Korzybski, Bateson, Bandler, Grinder, Dilts and others – extrapolating and evolving their ideas so that humanity can be served better.

Self-reflexivity and meaning

The Meta-States Model is special because it leverages the self-reflexive nature of human consciousness. That becoming conscious about thoughts and emotions at one level opens up possibilities of becoming conscious about higher level thoughts and emotions. So the model tracks thoughts about thoughts, feelings about feelings. The meta-levels themselves shift and change. At first glance, this might appear complicated enough for models to prove insufficient. But the Meta-Level Principles formats and structures are flexible enough to avoid confusion or chaos. Because any thought can reflect back onto itself or onto another thought at any level, higher or lower, and this movement can be tracked.

With such a supple model, it is possible to distinguish various mental phenomena as depicted in the table below:

Mental Phenomena	Neuro-Semantics interpretation
Beliefs	Validated Thoughts-about-Thoughts
Values	Valued Thoughts-about-Thoughts
Understandings	Extensive systems of Thoughts-about-Thoughts
Decisions	Choiced Thoughts-about-Thoughts
Identity	Beliefs about Thoughts-about-“Self” Concepts
Concepts	Extensive (simple or complex) Understandings about Domains of Understandings
Categories	Conceptual sorting of Concepts
Reasons	Higher level structures used as explanatory constructs
And many more…

Note: As per the principles of General Semantics (which challenges the limitations of Aristotelian elementalism), thought includes emotion.

Every mental phenomenon captured in the table above directly or indirectly alludes to one overarching concept: meaning. They are answers to various WHY questions posed by the individual. These meanings, of course, exist at various levels in the Meta-State model.

This makes the sorting of different kinds of meanings possible. Associative Meanings, also known as Pavlovian conditioning, can be sorted out. Furthermore, Contextual Meanings – the meanings that arise from higher mental contexts – can be sorted. With higher-level abstraction of meanings come a deeper understanding of our Semantic or Conceptual States.

It’s just the beginning…

The human is a meaning-making machine. This idea is accepted widely, but only Neuro-Semantics makes meaning the frontispiece of its framework. While reality is objective, both human beings and meanings are subjective. But the experience of meaning can feel objective to the person who owns that meaning.

Those of us who are able to derive, from deep inside, the fullest, deepest, most powerful and most robust meanings tend to be happier and more productive. The Meta-States model, as espoused by Neuro-Semantics, offers a gateway to this happy and productive life.

As NLPians and Semanticists we have taken a long time to get here. But the journey was well worth it.

Factors leading into Neuro Semantics training in India

By now you would have already understood the rich background of Human Potential Movement, and how NLP is a derivative of that movement. In fact, NLP is very scientific in nature it is the detailing of everyday Psychology, as it has roots in various frameworks and structure of Psychology, and Neuro Semantics is the expression of NLP.  Let’s have a look at the factors leading into Neuro Semantics training in India.

The bad press created in 80s around NLP took a toll on the movement of NLP, but eventually it bounced back, especially after rich work done by few greats of NLP: Robert Dilts, Judith DeLozier and Michael Hall in particular.  They have done exemplary work in NLP, and in extending the work into newer frameworks, backed by research, backed by modelling, and keeping in mind the original spirit of NLP. There were many other greats of NLP, who lost their way, and created models to satisfy their ego.

With NLP gaining momentum in India in last decade, and it is precariously placed in this field of NLP, as with Social Media and Digitisation NLP trainers with half baked knowledge and no formal education have created watered down courses of NLP and promoting themselves as leaders in this field by creating digital profiles, rather than focusing on NLP competency.

While in NLP their are many accreditation bodies, it creates confusion for the participants, when it comes to deciding which course to attend.  Even though the courses facilitated under the banner of NLP Coaching Academy has international accreditation from American Board of NLP (ABNLP), International Association of Professional Coaches, Counselors, and Therapists (IAPCCT), and International Coach Federation (ICF-USA), lately what has happened that with more pressure on old accreditation bodies they have brought in less competent trainers into the midst of things, which directly results into the dilution of the certificates provided under these NLP bodies.

To keep up with our value proposition we are taking NLP to Meta NLP (Neuro Semantics), and providing participants option to get certified by multiple bodies, and hence establishing credibility in the market by those certificates.  Neuro Semantics was founded by Dr Michael Hall, who is very particular about the quality of the Neuro Semantics trainer (with solid grounding in NLP and NeuroSemantics), and how the course is being facilitated.  Vikram Dhar NLP and Meta NLP Trainer is the only Licensed Neuro Semantics Trainer in India. Keeping that in mind we are offering NLP courses and going Meta with it (Meta NLP, check NLP events schedule) as part of the movement to offer Neuro Semantics training in India.