Nexus - 0107 - New Times Magazine-pages

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Cultural Imprinting Cultural Imprinting and N.L.P. —_s a n the 1930s ethologist Karl Lorenz applied the term IMPRINT- ING to the behaviour of ducklings shortly after birth. He saw that they followed the nearest moving object and treated it as “mother”. He could often be seen walking through the countryside with a string of ducklings waddling after him. Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) has studied the ways in which humans are imprinted. Although we are much more flexible than ducklings we still do much the same thing - and there are different levels of imprinting, from the individual to the cultural. An example of individual imprinting is phobia, where an over- whelming emotion (fear) is imprinted onto a situation (represented internally in words and/or pictures), We follow the imprinting as hopelessly as the ducklings followed Lorenz. NLP has found that phobics do particular things with pictures, sounds and feelings inside their head - whereas the ex-phobic does significantly different things. For example, fear of heights may be created and maintained by acro- phobics making unconscious pictures, as they approach a window or cliff edge, of themselves falling, and hearing unconsciously the words “T’m falling, I’m falling, I'M FALLING!” No wonder they get scared. Unlike ducklings, humans can reverse the imprinting process. To discover how to do this with phobias, NLP studies not the phobias, but ex-phobics. We then train the phobics to do the same thing - change the words and pictures - so lifelong phobics can be cured in one session. Pattern Changing Also unlike ducklings, we continually create and recreate our , imprint patterns. Conventional psychoanalysis can merely tuate ° fate imprint pattern by ae, Pi pattern and then talking Lear ning Lang uag e about it. Regardless of the intent, repeating a pattern (if only in the head) perpetuates it. The pattern needs to be changed, not just talked By modelling individuals from specific cultures NLP can be used to about. NLP models the preferred pattern, teaching it. gain skills peculiar to those cultures. The most common use is Another imprint level is that of identification with another person language learning. The NLP approach to this was to model success- - essential in childhood - and taking on their behaviour and values. ful learners of language - and naturally they were infants! This is sometimes called “deep trance identification”. It is a superb To learn Japanese we first learn how to learn Japanese - the words way to learn new imprint patterns and has been used very successfully come after this. How? The same way children do. to learn complex skills at an accelerated rate. Wemimic posture, use of the body, muscle tension, breathing rate Family imprint patterns require at least two people to create the and location and the whole physiology - look at what a Japanese patterns - for instance an overbearing, blaming type and a guilt-ridden would see (in imagination if necessary) and hear Japanese being placating type. The second person need not exist after a while; you spoken. Then we reproduce the tonal aspects of the language, i.e. we come across people having conversations in their heads with a long- speak as an infant would - gibberish with a Japanese accent! dead parent, thus maintaining the original imprint pattern. Once we have established the non-verbal base for language acqui- Cultural imprinting is of a more general nature. It’s only a few sition (this may involve the creation of a discrete sub-personality) we centuries since the Church considered the question “Do women have move on to vocabulary, which integrates easily into the cultural souls?” and men were considered the Lords of Creation. Regardless imprint pattern we have reproduced in ourselves. of the personal integration and intelligence of the individual, she still, From the individual to the cultural, IMPRINTING is part of our for the most part, operated within that pattern (some still do!). lives. Some is positive and some not. NLP shows us how to assemble Cultural imprints vary widely: Balinese have no word and no and disassemble these patterns, so we have real choice over which imprint forhate. Western Capitalism’s imprint of material acquisition patterns will structure our lives *& and control over nature is vastly different to the Buddhist imprint of Jon Lonergan surrendering to and joining with nature. Dip. Clin. Hyp, NLP Practitioner Telephone: (02) 389 7458 NEXUS New Times Seven - Summer 1989 29 and N.L.P. n the 1930s ethologist Karl Lorenz applied the term IMPRINT- ING to the behaviour of ducklings shortly after birth. He saw that they followed the nearest moving object and treated it as “mother”. He could often be seen walking through the countryside with a string of ducklings waddling after him. Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) has studied the ways in which humans are imprinted. Although we are much more flexible than ducklings we still do much the same thing - and there are different levels of imprinting, from the individual to the cultural. An example of individual imprinting is phobia, where an over- whelming emotion (fear) is imprinted onto a situation (represented internally in words and/or pictures), We follow the imprinting as hopelessly as the ducklings followed Lorenz. NLP has found that phobics do particular things with pictures, sounds and feelings inside their head - whereas the ex-phobic does significantly different things. For example, fear of heights may be created and maintained by acro- phobics making unconscious pictures, as they approach a window or cliff edge, of themselves falling, and hearing unconsciously the words “T’m falling, I’m falling, I'M FALLING!” No wonder they get scared. Unlike ducklings, humans can reverse the imprinting process. To discover how to do this with phobias, NLP studies not the phobias, but ex-phobics. We then train the phobics to do the same thing - change the words and pictures - so lifelong phobics can be cured in one session. Pattern Changing Also unlike ducklings, we continually create and recreate our imprint patterns. Conventional psychoanalysis can merely perpetuate a negative imprint pattern by accessing the pattern and then talking about it. Regardless of the intent, repeating a pattern (if only in the head) perpetuates it. The pattern needs to be changed, not just talked about. NLP models the preferred pattern, teaching it. Another imprint level is that of identification with another person - essential in childhood - and taking on their behaviour and values. This is sometimes called “deep trance identification”. It is a superb way to learn new imprint patterns and has been used very successfully to learn complex skills at an accelerated rate. Family imprint patterns require at least two people to create the patterns - for instance an overbearing, blaming type and a guilt-ridden placating type. The second person need not exist after a while; you come across people having conversations in their heads with a long- dead parent, thus maintaining the original imprint pattern. Cultural imprinting is of a more general nature. It’s only a few centuries since the Church considered the question “Do women have souls?” and men were considered the Lords of Creation. Regardless of the personal integration and intelligence of the individual, she still, for the most part, operated within that pattern (some still do!). Cultural imprints vary widely: Balinese have no word and no imprint forhate. Western Capitalism’s imprintof material acquisition and control over nature is vastly different to the Buddhist imprint of surrendering to and joining with nature. Learning Language B y modelling individuals from specific cultures NLP can be used to gain skills peculiar to those cultures. The most common use is language learning. The NLP approach to this was to model success- ful learners of language - and naturally they were infants! To learn Japanese we first learn how to learn Japanese - the words come after this. How? The same way children do. We mimic posture, use of the body, muscle tension, breathing rate and location and the whole physiology - look at what a Japanese would see (in imagination if necessary) and hear Japanese being spoken. Then we reproduce the tonal aspects of the language, i.e. we speak as an infant would - gibberish with a Japanese accent! Once we have established the non-verbal base for language acqui- sition (this may involve the creation of a discrete sub-personality) we move on to vocabulary, which integrates easily into the cultural imprint pattern we have reproduced in ourselves. From the individual to the cultural, IMPRINTING is part of our lives. Some is positive and some not. NLP shows us how to assemble and disassemble these patterns, so we have real choice over which patterns will structure our lives *& a a ae and control over nature is vastly different to the Buddhist imprint of | Jon Lonergan surrendering to and joining with nature. Dip. Clin. Hyp, NLP Practitioner Telephone: (02) 389 7458 a7 mes Seven - Summer 19 29 he