Slight of Mouth Patterns (SOMP)


SOMP can be used to reframe a persons belief system when the belief that they hold no longer serves them well. There are 14 SOMP patterns which can be used in conversation to help give you a choice of new and more helpful perspectives. SOMP doesn’t always resolve the problem but helps soften up the problem to make changes easier. Some SOMP patterns can seem harsh or callous, so always get into rapport and consider which patterns are approriate and what you think will be most helpful.



Beliefs

Beliefs define the relationship between values and their causes, indicators and consequences. Beliefs are typically expressed in the form of a

Complex equivalence (A “equals”, “is, “is equivalent to” or “means” B)

Cause-effect (A “causes (because)”, “makes”, “leads to”, “produces”, “results in” B).



Slight of Mouth patterns work well for belief change, when a client uses a complex equivalent or cause-effect to express their belief.



Ask a client for a belief

Example: I can’t lose weight.

Cartesian Questions – for your client to word their belief as a cause and effect or complex equivalence

• What would happen if you did?

• · What would happen if you didn’t?

• · What wouldn’t happen if you did?

• · What wouldn’t happen if you didn’t?

Client: I can’t lose weight because I don’t have willpower (cause and effect)



SOMP

Redefine; change the representation of the belief

1. What other meaning could the equation have?


Example: you can eat healthier

Consequence; consequences that can change beliefs

What will happen to them if they continue to think this way?

Example: the longer you leave it the less willpower you will have

Intention; what is the positive intention?

1. Why are they saying this?

2. What is the secondary gain?

3. What are they trying to get?



Example: it can be scary stopping a habit you have had for a while and we both agree you want to look great at your wedding

Chunk Down; specific elements

1. What specifically?

2. What are examples of this?

3. What are parts of this?



Example: what will give you the will power



Chunk Up; generalisations

1. For what purpose?

2. What's important about this?

3. Exaggerate.



Example: are you saying that you want to stay overweight?

Counter Example; exceptions that challenge generalization

1. Invert the belief.

2. Make into a universal statement or question

3. A causes B, not B causes not A.



Example: we have all met people who say they can’t lose weight and then do



Another Outcome; propose a different outcome

What is another outcome you could shift to?



Example: the issue isn’t that willpower can win, it’s about you giving dieting a chance



Metaphor/Analogy; Use an analogy or metaphor that challenges the generalization defined by the belief

What story will relate to their belief?
Tell a metaphor or story about the solution.



Example: I had adopted an overweight dog once that I believed would never lose weight, we started by taking small steps going for 5 minute walks until we will worked up to 1 hour walks



Apply to Self; use key aspects of the belief to change the belief

Don't think about it; just use the word back on itself.



Example: you can’t lose weight until you believe you have the willpower to lose weight

Hierarchy of Criteria (Values) Re-assess the belief based on a more important criterion.

1. What are higher criteria (values)?

2. Apply current criterion (value) to current sentence.



Example: isn’t it more important to think about your health then your weight

Change Frame Size; Re-evaluate the implication of the belief in the context of a longer (or shorter) time frame, a larger number of people (or from an individual point of view) or a bigger or smaller perspective.

1. Something (larger or smaller) they haven't noticed.

2. Different frame, same behavior.

3. Chunk up to Universal Quantifier.



Example: losing weight will give you a longer life..to spend with your grandchildren

Meta Frame; change the basis of the belief

How is it possible they could believe that?



Example: you can’t lose weight but can’t you eat less food each day?

Model of the World; look at the belief from a different perspective

1. Switch Referential Index.

2. Is this true in everyone's Model of the World?



Example: beating will power is telling yourself you can do it

Reality Strategy; Re-assess the belief based on the fact that beliefs are based on specific perceptions

1. How do they represent that belief?

2. How do they/you know if it's not true?

3. Apply current criterion (value) to current sentence.

Example: how do you know will power not laziness is stopping you from losing weight?

Working with Anchors

Our memories are stored as assocuations with our senses.  Smells, sites and sounds are great anchors to to times and events.  For example, you smell a particular perfume and you instantly remind you of your first date; you see a photograph in a frame of you and a friend on holiday and you are instantly reminded of how happy you felt at the time.  Or if you've ever over-indulged on a particular drink or food in the past, now just the site of it can be enough to make you feel instantly neauseous. 

In this month practice group we shall be experimenting with anchors.  We shall be creating resourceful anchors and collapsing unhelpful anchors.



Resourceful Anchors

1. Think of a situation when you would like to feel more resourceful

2. Choose a resource (state) that you would like to have

3. Recall a time that you had the resource; relive this experience, step into the body of the you then, see things from your eyes, what can you see? What can you hear? How do you feel?

4. Break state

5. Pick three anchors (kinaesthetic, auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory)

6. Again re-call the past event when you had the resource, when you feel you are in the highest posible state add in the three anchors ( as an example, as the state comes to the peak ask the client to say “confident” for a confident state - auditory, to clench their hand for a kineasthetic anchor, etc. )

7. Break state

8. Repeat step 6 for all anchors until they are fully embedded

9. Test the anchor by firing the state using one of the anchors;
Imagine a time in the future when you will need the resourceful state, imagine firing the anchor

Use sliding scales to monitor the power of the anchored state change.



Stacking Anchors

1. Pick several positive states; confidence, excitement, loving, joyous, powerful, etc.

2. Pick a body kinaesthetic anchor such as squeezing your finger and thumb together or clapping your hands or in the style of Anthony Robbins, making a fist.

3. Relive a past experience for each one of the positive states. When at the highest point add that feeling to your body anchor.

4. Complete step three for each individial state stacking up the feeling associated with the same anchor.

Chaining Anchors
Useful for when someone feels like it is a big step from one emotion to another, when they need the anchor breaking up into smaller steps for example 'fear to confidence', might be 'fear, concern, anticipation, prepared, confidence'

1. Find out the current state and the future state desired

2. Work out what the in-between states might be

3. Anchor each state on different parts of the clients body (Fear – finger, concern –wrist, prapared – elbow, etc

4. Create and test each anchor in turn

5. Use the first anchor to trigger the second anchor and so on creating a chain reaction to the positive state

6. Repeat several times until the anchor is automatic



Collapsing anchors

If two states are anchored and fired simultaneously, creating confusion and thus a new state is created. The negative state will collapse making way for a positive state.

1. Identify the negative state to be collapsed. Try and choose a specific memory which causes you to respond negatively.

2. Next, choose the positive state you would like to install instead. Again, choose a specific time you have been in this state, or for best results, choose a few examples of a time you have been in this state, and anchor them all together

Your positive state must be stronger than the negative state – otherwise this technique won’t work

3. First, anchor the negative state, by rubbing the thumb and finger of your left hand together whilst you relive the memory. Make sure that you are fully associated when you do this – which means seeing the memory through your own eyes, feeling what you felt, and hearing what you heard. Anchor this memory as it is. Don’t make the feelings any more or less intense. Do this just once. Release the anchor at the peak of the emotion.



4. Break state by doing something else for 30 seconds.



5. Test your anchor by rubbing your thumb and finger together. If the anchor has worked, you’ll feel the negative state come back.



6. Break state again



7. Anchor the positive state. Start to relive the positive memory by associating into it, and seeing what you saw, hearing what you heard, and feeling what you felt. Make the picture bigger, brighter, more colourful and more vivid. Pull it closer towards you and overcome yourself with all these positive emotions.



8. Anchor the positive state by rubbing the thumb and finger of your right hand together whilst you’re feeling all the positive emotions (using different hands uses the different hemispheres of the brain, making it easier to integrate your states). Release the anchor when the emotion is at its peak.



9. Break state for 30 seconds, and then repeat the previous steps by anchoring a different memory of the same positive emotion or the same memory again. Use the same thumb / finger combo to anchor. Do this 2-3 more times.



10. Break state again, and then test your positive anchor.



11. To collapse your anchor, fire off the positive and negative anchors at the same time, by rubbing the thumbs and fingers of both hands together.



12. As you keep holding the anchors, however, you’ll soon break clear of all negative feelings, and start to feel the full power of the positive emotions. When you feel that the anchors have collapsed – i.e. you feel awesome – let go of the negative anchor, whilst keeping hold of the positive anchor for another 5-10 seconds.



13. Test and “future pace” the effectiveness of the collapsing anchors technique by imagining a time in the future when you’ll have to encounter the thing that made you feel negative before. If this has worked, you will feel more positive

The Fast Phobia Cure

The Fast Phobia cure allows a client to process an unpleasant memory or a phobic response so that they change the order of the experience in their brain in such a way that it is eliminated and no more fear exists.

The fast phobia cure allows the client to re-experience a trauma or phobia without experiencing the emotional content of the event or having to face up to the trigger that would normally set off the phobic response.

You should ensure that you work in a comfortable, relaxed environment with no distractions, where the client will know themselves to be completely safe in the presence of the practitioner who can help them to be grounded and to overcome their phobia.

The client will examine an experience whilst they are doubly dissociated from the memory, creating a separation between them (in the now) and the emotions of a trauma or a phobic response in the past. In this particular exercise, the double dissociation is done through having the client watch themselves in a cinema (double dissociation).


Please check this technique out on YouTube if you have any problems understanding how to use it.  We will upload a video clip to our facebook page.

The Fast Phobia Cure:


1. Identify when you have a reoccurring phobic response or a traumatic or unpleasant memory that you wish to overcome.


2. Remember that you were safe before and are safe after the unpleasant experience.


3. Imagine yourself sitting in an empty cinema auditorium, sitting comfortably watching yourself on a small, black-and-white screen.


4. Now imagine floating out of the you that is sitting in the cinema seat and into the projection booth.


5. You can now see yourself in the projection booth, watching yourself in the seat, watching the film of you on the screen.


6. Run the film in black and white, on the very small compact screen, starting before you experience the memory you wish to overcome and running it through until after the experience when you were safe again.


7. Now freeze the film or turn the screen completely white.


8. Float out of the projection booth, out of the seat, and into the end of the film.


9. Run the film backwards very quickly, in a matter of a second or two, in full colour, as if you are experiencing the film, right back to the beginning, when you were safe.


10. You can now repeat steps 8 and 9 until you are comfortable with the experience.


11. Now go into the future and test an imaginary time when you might have experienced the phobic response.


Enjoy!

Memory Palace - Jan Practice Group 2011

What a great start to the new year; the Memory Palace Technique that we practiced during our January practice group session was an unbelievable success, we all knew we would be able to pick up the technique using VAKOG and Visualisations and I would add that none of us realised the results using this technique would bring




If you missed this session, come along to the February practice group session. Below you will find a link to a great NLP website and magazine:



ANLP is The Association for Neuro Linguistic Programming, a Social Enterprise (Community Interest Company) which exists to represent an impartial and independent voice for NLP. Our aim is to maintain standards and encourage best practice amongst NLP Professionals and inform the public about the benefits and applications of NLP.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

We look forward to seeing you all again in 2011.

With Very Best Wishes from Sandie and Chris




.

Memory Palace

The Memory Palace is one of the most powerful memory techniques available. It is easy to learn and fun! The Memory Palace technique is based on the fact that we remember the details of the places we know; our home, palace of work or local street, etc. You can use the memory palace to remember a wide range of subjects.


Memory Palace Technique

1. Choose Your Palace – a place you know well this could be a building or street

Pick a palace you know well, you have to be very familiar with this place as you need to be able to walk around your palace in your minds eye, feeling associated, seeing it from your eyes as if you were there now.

Start from the beginning of your palace and walk around it taking a specific route, recalling everything you can see; a painting on the wall, a chair, etc.

2. List All The Distinctive Features

Start again, noticing all the details of your palace; what is the first thing you can see (a door as an example – what color is the door, where is the letter box? Etc) what can you see next? As you walk into new rooms, it is good to follow a pattern, as an example looking through your room from left to right.

What do you notice first as you enter each room, what stands out? Make a mental note of everything you see.

• It is good to physically walk through your real palace to take in all the detail of each room.

• Once you have finished, go over it one more time as you need to have the palace clearly in your mind

3. Associate

Using a “memory peg” (a feature from your memory palace; example door, picture etc) and combine it with the element you want to memorize; make this as crazy and unusual as possible use all of VAKOG for each item you want to remember.

As an example, if you wanted to remember a list of tasks/chores to complete, using 'your house' as your palace; you may look at your front door as see a giant bra stapled to the door blowing in the wind, as the wind blows the bra, it slaps you in the face and you can feel and hear the wet slap as the bra needs to be dried out (hang the washing out) as you walk into your house you feel something pushing against the door, as you walk in you are met by a giddy wheelie bin panting and jumping up and down like a puppy wanting to go out for a wee (take the bin out), etc.

4. Visit Your Palace

Repeat the journey a couple of times (especially if you're new to this technique), starting from the same point each time, paying attention to your memory pegs. Once you have finished, re-walk the route starting from the end (your last memory peg) and walking all the way through your palace until you end at the beginning.

December Practice Group Session

After having a chat with some of our regulars last month, we have decided that in the spirit of the festive season we would like to hold our December practice group in the comfort of a nice warm pub where we can clink glasses and enjoy a nice 'round the table' chat about our favourite subject - NLP!!!




So, on Wednesday 8th December we shall be meeting in the Elizabethan pub, Heaton Moor at the earlier time of 6pm.



The Elizabethen Pub

33 Heaton Moor Road,

Heaton Moor, Stockport,

Greater Manchester

SK4 4PB