Wisdom and the Veils of Misconception

Transcription

1 Wisdom and the Veils of Misconception Workshop presented by Judith DeLozier Judith DeLozier

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3 About Judith DeLozier One of the most inspiring and wisest people you will ever meet, Judith DeLozier brings 40 years of experience as a trainer, co- developer and designer of training programs in the field of Neuro- Linguistic Programming. As a member of Grinder and Bandler s original group of students, Judith has made fundamental contributions to the development of numerous NLP models and processes. A co- author of The Encyclopedia of Systemic NLP and NLP New Coding, Turtles All the Way Down, and Neuro- Linguistic Programming Vol. I, with Robert Dilts, John Grinder and Richard Bandler, Judith was involved in the creation of the fundamental NLP technique of Reframing. As a student of Milton Erickson, Judith modeled his tracking strategy for creating and utilizing trance states and metaphors. Judith has been primarily responsible for bringing NLP to the area of transcultural competence, pioneering the application of NLP to the development of cross- cultural skills. Recently she has set her sights on modeling wisdom and sharing what she has learned with both NLP trained students and students of various backgrounds.

4 Wisdom and the Veils of Misconception This workshop is an exploration of the idea of wisdom using NLP skills and tools for the learning journey. Some assumptions: - Life and Mind are Systemic by Nature - Energy Flows where Attention Goes Principles of Wisdom Curiosity State of Wonder Not Knowing 1) Ability to be with uncertainty 2) Ability to hold seeming paradox and contradiction 3) Ability to persevere "Wisdom comes from being together and truthfully confronting our differences without the need/intent to change anything." - Bateson Judith DeLozier

5 A Veil Something that covers, separates, screens, or conceals: A veil of smoke i.e. Misconception A form of ignorance as defined in Buddhism. Three kinds of misconception or ignorance. If you want to see things through the eye of wisdom 1) Believing that a source of suffering and dissatisfaction is actually a source of happiness 2) Believing something that changes is permanent. Believing people and things possess an independent findable self. Not separate from the whole. Buddhism for Dummies Judith DeLozier

6 Concepts and Tools Third generation NLP tools that apply to our state of being. A Centered state embodied state, C.O.A.C.H state or flowing state are a few examples of this idea. The ability to stay centered and manages emotions of others and ourselves. The ability to use perceptual positions as a tool for modeling and expanding awareness of the larger systems that we live in. Abilities relating to creating a broader sense of awareness to the larger systems by using metaphor, archetype (The Jester, warrior, i.e.), process archetypes (Hero s Journey i.e.) This is based in a more energetic model. (The Field) Judith DeLozier

7 Coaching VS Crashing 1) Challenges present themselves Things always changing Not always progressing Fear of unknown o Unfamiliar o Loss vulnerability 2) Plunge into unhelpful survival strategies Attack- fight Escape- flight Rigidity- freeze 3) Can result Regression Inertia Ambivalence Difficulty letting go Confusion Conflict 4) All Members of Human Species Survival strategies are part of our humanity Deepest programming we share with our species Deep and often unconscious patterns Established at VERY early age Judith DeLozier

8 COACHing Much more effective Hi impact practices to: create coaching container Excellent reward for daily practice o For moving through o Accompanying others through times of Challenge Change Maintain equilibrium during turbulent times Preparing for change requires o Durable practices o Developed in the muscle Summarized by word COACH: C = CENTERING O = OPENING A = ATTENDING w/awareness C = CONNECTING H = HOLDING Judith DeLozier

9 The Wisdom of the Body "As humans we are consciousness in a body. Consciousness infuses muscle, tissue, blood and bone, every single cell of our physical form. When we enter a state of deep relaxation our physical body becomes a gateway to this consciousness and we access a deeper knowing, a wisdom, that connects us with our most relevant profound truth. We are touched with this wisdom of the body, we are in touch with our creativity and aliveness and our lives are filled with a sense of personal wellbeing, connection with love and joy. Rosen Body Wisdom by Jenny Rangan. Somatic Syntax There is an old New Guinea proverb which states, Knowledge is only a rumor until it is in the muscle. This saying defines one of the basic premises of Somatic Syntax. Somatic Syntax was developed by Judith DeLozier and Robert Dilts in 1993 as a way to further deepen and utilize the mind- body connection. The term somatic comes from the Greek word soma, which means body. Syntax is a Greek word meaning to put in order or arrange. Thus, Somatic Syntax has to do with the organization of our physiology and body language. One of the primary objectives of Somatic Syntax is to mobilize and utilize the wisdom of the body. As author Morris Berman points out in his book Coming to Our Senses: Western academic understanding, including philosophy and anthropology as well as history, tacitly assumes that the body had nothing to tell us, has no knowledge or information ; that for all practical purpose, it isn t even there. And yet the life of the body is our real life, the only life we have. Judith DeLozier

10 A fundamental principle of Somatic Syntax is that there is information in the body and knowledge in the muscle. A key inspiration for the development of Somatic Syntax comes from Noam Chomsky s theories of transformational grammar (1956, 1966). According to Chomsky, sensory and emotional experiences (deep structures) may be expressed through a variety of linguistic descriptions (surface structures). Deeper structures reach the surface after a series of transformations. These transformations act as a type of filter on the experiential deep structures. According to Grinder and Bandler (1975) the movement from deep structure to surface structure necessarily involves the deletion, generalization and distortion of some aspects of the original deep structure. Many important clues about the deep structure, however, are expressed and reflected in the verbal surface structure. Somatic Syntax applies these principles of digital (verbal) language to analog (kinesthetic) expression. As an example of the relationship between deep structure and surface structures, most of us learned to write using our right or left hand. Yet, once our hand has learned this skill, it can be immediately transferred to other parts of the body. For instance, we can easily write our name in sand with our left big toe or make letters by holding a pencil in our mouth, even though the physical structure of these parts of our bodies are completely different. The deep structure related to the form of the letters is not tied to any particular part of the body. It can be generalized to many surface structures. Judith DeLozier

11 Inner Game and Centering in the Body The growth of coaching over the past 20 years has brought new awareness to what it takes to be successful in today's challenging and changing world. One of the major learnings is that helping key people to develop their Inner Game is essential to success. The Outer Game of any activity has to do with its behavioral and environmental aspects. In sports, this involves the physical aspects related playing the game and using the equipment (tennis racket, skis, ball, bat, mitt, etc.). In a business environment, this has to do with applying the tools and implementing the procedures necessary to accomplish mission critical tasks and compete effectively in the marketplace. The Inner Game has to do with your mental and emotional approach to what you are doing. This includes your attitude, belief in yourself and your team, your ability to concentrate effectively, deal with mistakes and pressure, and so on. The concept of the Inner Game was developed by Timothy Gallwey (1974, 2000) as a way of helping people to achieve excellence in various sports (e.g., tennis, golf, skiing, etc.), music and also business and management training. Success in any area of performance involves using your mind together with your body. Preparing yourself mentally and emotionally to perform well is the essence of your Inner Game. When your Outer Game and Inner Game are working together, actions flow with a type of effortless excellence that is called, playing in the zone. Some indicators that you are focused and in the zone are: A feeling of confidence and the absence of anxiety and self- doubt No fear of failure or self- consciousness about achieving your goals A focus on performing beautifully and excellently A sense of humble authority self- confidence without arrogance Performance comes without effort and without having to think about it Judith DeLozier

12 The opposite of this state anxiety, lack of confidence, low energy, fear, stress, mental paralysis are responsible for many difficulties and challenges in the training environment. To put it another way limitations in people limit their performance. Physical practice is what builds the skills of your Outer Game and puts them into muscle memory so you don't have to think about it during the game. Similarly, there are mental and somatic exercises can help you to improve your Inner Game. Taking Refuge In the rites of initiation performed in the caves, the elderly wise men who took the adolescents away from their mothers themselves offered a form of ritualistic protection, a sort of shelter, an internal exile in which the adolescents could find safety and therefore reconstruct themselves. Which attachments do you want to let go of, and what do you want to hold firm? Some archetypal examples that enable us to overcome fear may be: The warrior: determination The magician/trickster: wisdom and sense of humor (playfulness) The lover: compassion The Pollen Path, Navajo Tradition beauty in front of me beauty behind me beauty on my left beauty on my right beauty above me beauty below me beauty all around me Navajo Prayer Judith DeLozier

13 Practice How to take shelter with determination, compassion and wisdom with playful sense of humor. Layout a circle around yourself in the room. 1) Identify a person (a mentor) that represents determination 2) Position him/her in an appropriate space on the perimeter of the circle 3) Enter this space so as to be in his/her shoes. Notice how you perceive the world through his/her eyes, ears and skin 4) Find a symbol eg. a form, a sound, etc, for this energy and absorb it at least up to the level of the solar plexus ) Leave this space and identify another mentor that represents compassion 6) Position him/her in an appropriate space on the perimeter of the circle 7) Enter this space so as to be in his/her shoes. Notice how you perceive the world through his/her eyes, ears and skin 8) Find a symbol p.e. a form, a sound, etc, for this energy and absorb at least up to the level of the heart 9) Leave this space and identify another mentor that represents wisdom with a playful sense of humor 10) Position him/her in an appropriate space on the perimeter of the circle 11) Enter this space so as to be in his/her shoes. Notice how you perceive the world through his/her eyes, ears and skin 12) Find a symbol p.e. a form, a sound, etc, for this energy and absorb it at least up to the level of the throat ) Walk this circle a few times, each time integrating the sum of the three energies as a new departure 14) Return in your original position to the center of the circle with this increased energy, and notice how you wish to communicate it to the external world Judith DeLozier

14 Wisdom of the Cognitive Mind Wisdom of multiple perspectives as Bateson says, it takes two to know one The ability to see the big picture and see the larger system Reflection and the ability to rise above one s own perspective the ability to use the meta position or observer position Resists automatic thinking reactive thinking Seeks to understand ambiguity better Seeks to grasp deeper meaning of what is known Seeks to understand the limits of knowledge Wisdom is not expert knowledge but resides in persons and nature Modeling Wisdom 1) Who do you consider to be a wise person? 2) What makes them wise, what capability, etc? 3) How did the wise person you thought of get to be wise? Using perceptual positions and the SOAR model to uncover the success factors of wisdom. Judith DeLozier

15 Compassion Is adversity the seed bed of wisdom as necessity is the mother of invention? What better teacher for compassion than our own suffering? How better learning humility than making a mistake? What better teacher of deeper meaning than life disruption to discover values, or what you value in life? Unexpected events are likely to help us understand ambiguity, and the limitations in our own perspectives. Between the conscious and the unconscious, the mind has put up a swing: all earth creatures, even the supernovas, sway between these two trees, and it never winds down. Angels, animals, humans, insects by the million, also the wheeling sun and moon; ages go by, and it goes on. Everything is swinging: heaven, earth, water, fire, and the secret one slowly growing a body. Kabir saw that for fifteen seconds, and it made him a servant for life. Poem by Kabir Judith DeLozier

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