NLP Techniques: Associated and DissociatedHow Do You See Yourself?
by Laura Interval
Ok… so, the submodalities in NLP are the finer distinctions of modalities. Submodalities are how we relate to our experiences with our senses. Basically, every experience we have, we attach a sense to it. A smell, a sound, a vision… and the bulk of NLP techniques work on the concept that if we can change these associations or submodalities, we can change what the experience means to us. The ability to recall and visualize experiences is the core of NLP. In order to rearrange the submodalities and change the meanings we give to things, you have to first be able to clearly identify them. NLP will ask you to visualize your experiences from two points of view. These are: “associated” and “dissociated”. Associated: (sometimes referred to as “first position”) The co-founder of NLP Richard Bandler, describes associated as “going back and reliving the experience from your own eyes. You see exactly what you saw when you were actually there. You may see your hands in front of you, but you can’t see your face unless you’re looking in a mirror.” So, try this real quick. Think back to a really happy memory. Maybe your last romantic dinner. Put yourself in the place, a restaurant or cozy room. See the table, smell the food and the candles burning. Engage all those submodalities that you have filed away related to this memory. See the person you are with. You see the room, you see the table, you see the person, you can see you hands, you can feel your clothes, you can taste the food…. But you cannot see yourself as a whole. You cannot “watch yourself” because you are you. This is an associated viewpoint. You are completely immersed in the experience. Dissociated: (sometimes referred to as “third position”) Now, say you need to detach from that memory and the emotions/feelings that come with it. You would need to visualize from a dissociated point of view. You do this by stepping outside of yourself. I like to visualize myself floating up to the ceiling and looking down on myself. I can now see myself whole. I can watch myself, my face, my movements, and my entire body without experiencing the associated senses but having objective sensations of my own. Try it. Go back to the scene you were in and let your perspective float above yourself to the ceiling. Watch yourself for a minute. Watch yourself eat, drink, laugh, play … whatever the movie is. See you face. Do you feel the difference? Do you feel the detachment from the emotions or feelings that you were experiencing when you were associated? Obviously there are many benefits to being able to pull yourself out of a scene and just watch. The different perspective gives you a chance to examine your submodalites and adjust them. Try this: Visualize a dissociated ideal image of you. The “you” you would like to be more like. See yourself, your face, your body exactly how you would like to see yourself. Watch yourself objectively for a minute. Notice how you feel. Do you feel drawn to this person? Do you feel motivated to be more like this person? Now, step in to yourself. Become one with your image. Notice how your feelings change. You probably feel more like the new you, right? But, now you are less drawn to become more like the image. You feel you already are the image. You understand the concept of the ideal you but you haven’t made the changes necessary to become the ideal you. Therefore, for changing habits with techniques such as the Swish and New Behavior Generator, the dissociated viewpoint is a stronger tool. It keeps you motivated to change and become the you that you are still only watching. The more you practice these tools and techniques, the clearer and more powerful they will become to you. If you have a habit or phobia you want to change, I encourage you to give the NLP concepts a try!
return from NLP Techniques: Associated to The NLP Promise
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