Submodalities

Discover the programming language of subjective experience with this NLP technique. This high-level tool enables you to quickly influence emotional states and eliminate troublesome habits or fears.

Introduction

This section explains what submodalities are and why it is important to engage with them.

Information about the world reaches us through our five senses, which we abbreviate as VAKOG. These senses are sometimes also called modalities.

Submodalities are the next smaller building blocks of subjective experience. Within each modality, we can distinguish various submodalities. For example, in the visual domain: light-dark, colored-black and white, sharp-blurry, etc. In the auditory domain: loud-soft, deep-high, clear-unclear, etc. Every image, sound, or feeling can be described using numerous submodalities. So far, we have focused on what someone represents in terms of content, such as what they see and hear. Now, we want to focus on how the internal image, internal sound, or internal feeling is structured.

The fascinating discovery in NLP is that the formal "difference" in submodalities often has a stronger effect than the content of the experience. This means that our bodily sensations and emotions are more strongly influenced by the submodalities of the internal representation than by the content itself. Due to this unusual discovery, Bandler and others have developed powerful and extraordinarily fast intervention patterns.

Modalities = Representation Systems VAKOG
visual	see
auditory	hear
kinesthetic	feel
olfactory	smell
gustatory	taste

⇩

Submodalities = Fine Distinctions of the Senses Sensory Encoding of Language
visual	light-dark	near-far
auditory	loud-soft	high-low
kinesthetic	warm-cold	hard-soft
olfactory	pleasant-smelling	stinky
gustatory	sweet-sour	fruity-bitter

⇩

Meta-Emotions
= the experience of evaluative emotions
- emotional correspondence of the sensually packaged experience

Verbal Indicators of Submodalities

Submodalities can be indicated through language. Here are some examples:

I only have vague ideas about my future.
He has a bright future ahead of him.
His past is shrouded in darkness.
I see it as bleak.
That leaves me cold.
That gets me all fired up.
That really touches me.

Checklist of Possible Sensory Modalities

This section contains a collection of different submodalities across the various senses.

Visual Submodalities

Movie/Still Image: Is it a movie or a still image?
Color/Black & White: Is the image in color or black & white?
Right/Left/Center: Where is the image located? Right, left, center?
Top/Middle/Bottom: Is the image at the top, in the middle, or at the bottom?
Bright/Dim/Dark: Is the image bright, dim, or dark?
Life-Size/Bigger/Smaller: Is the image life-size, larger, or smaller?
Distance: How far away from you is the image?
Fast/Slow: Is the image moving fast, at a moderate pace, or slowly?
Specific Focus: Is there a particular element constantly in focus?
Own Perspective: Are you part of the image, or are you observing the scene from a distance?
Framed/Panorama: Is the image framed, or is it a panoramic view?
Learn more about the coaching tool: Social Panorama
3-D/2-D: Is the image three-dimensional or two-dimensional?
Particular Color: Is there a color that impresses you the most?
Own Perspective: Are you viewing the image from above, below, from the side, etc.?
Specific Personal Triggers: Are there other stimuli that strongly trigger emotions in you?

Auditory Submodalities

1. Self/Others: Are you saying something to yourself, or hearing something from others?
Content: What exactly are you saying or hearing?
Manner of Speaking: How are you saying it or hearing it?
Volume: How loud is what’s being said?
Sound Quality: What is the sound quality like?
Speed: How fast is it being said?
Source: Where are the sounds/noises coming from?
Harmony/Cacophony: Are the sounds harmonious, or are there dissonances?
Regular/Irregular: Are the sounds regular or irregular?
Modulation: Is the voice modulated?
Specific Words: Are certain words emphasized?
Duration: How long can the sounds be heard?
Uniqueness: What is so unique about these sounds?
Specific Triggers: Are there other stimuli that trigger strong emotions in you?

Kinesthetic Submodalities

Temperature Change: Has there been a change in temperature? Hot or cold?
Surface Texture: Has the surface texture changed? Rough or soft?
Rigid/Flexible: Is it rigid or flexible?
Vibration: Are vibrations noticeable?
Pressure: Has the pressure increased or decreased?
Source of Pressure: Where did the pressure originate from?
Tension/Relaxation: Has tension or relaxation increased?
Movement: Was there any movement? If yes, in which direction and at what speed?
Breathing: What breathing technique was used? Where did it start/end?
Weight: Heavy or light?
Continuous/Intervals: Are the feelings continuous, or do they occur in intervals?
Change in Size/Shape: Has the size or shape changed?
Direction: Did the feelings flow into or out of the body?
Specific Triggers: Are there other stimuli that trigger strong emotions in you?

Exercises

The effect of submodalities can only be experienced through exercises. Please complete these exercises if you want to learn more about submodalities.

Destruction of Images

Threatening internal visual images can be destroyed, thereby losing their frightening or alarming effect. Destruction of Images.

Destruction of Auditory Representations

Everyone carries inner voices that don't always say nice things. With the techniques presented here, you can free yourself from these inner voices with ease. Destruction of Auditory Representations.

The Pralinee Pattern

A pattern to approach something you don't particularly enjoy but have to do, with more motivation. The Pralinee Pattern.

Changing a Belief

A strategy to let go of limiting beliefs and adopt new ones. Changing a Belief.

Lesson Content

➤ Exercises
➤ Changing a Belief
➤ Destruction of Auditory Representations
➤ Destruction of Images