NLP Glossary

The process of associating an arbitrary stimulus with a specific internal state so that the stimulus can reliably trigger that state. Often created through simultaneous intensity and physical touch.

The ability to accurately read another person's non-verbal cues and internal states without relying on their verbal communication. Essential for effective rapport and influence.

Organizing information into larger or smaller units. Up-chunking finds commonalities; down-chunking gets specific details. Used to match someone's level of abstraction.

An NLP process that connects presenting problems to core needs and finds positive pathways to meet those needs through parts integration.

Separating yourself from an experience or memory. Used in techniques like Swish Pattern to view problematic behaviors from a distance.

Ensuring that a proposed change is beneficial for all parts of the person and their broader system (family, work, relationships). Prevents unintended negative consequences.

Subtle eye movements that indicate which sensory system someone is processing with. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic cues help calibrate understanding.

Mentally rehearsing a behavior or outcome to ensure it installs properly. The person vividly imagines performing the new behavior successfully before attempting it.

A set of precise questions that challenge and expand limiting language patterns. Restores deleted, distorted, and generalized information in communication.

Elegant language patterns derived from Milton Erikson's hypnosis work. Used for influence, pacing, and indirect suggestions. The opposite of the Meta Model.

The process of studying how someone achieves exceptional results and encoding those patterns so they can be taught to others. Foundation of NLP methodology.

A hierarchy of change levels (Environment, Behavior, Capabilities, Beliefs, Identity, Spiritual) proposed by Robert Dilts. Change at higher levels cascades down.

A process for resolving inner conflict by facilitating communication between conflicting parts, understanding each part's positive intention, and creating integration.

Matching someone's current experience through mirroring, voice tone, language patterns, or physiology. Creates rapport and grounds for leading.

Verbs, adjectives, and adverbs that indicate someone's preferred sensory representation. Using their predicates creates instant rapport.

Assumptions underlying NLP that, when adopted, enable effective thinking and communication. Examples: 'The map is not the territory' and 'People have all the resources they need.'

Changing the context or meaning of an experience without changing the facts. Two types: Context reframe (same content, different situation) and Content reframe (same situation, different meaning).

The sensory channels (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Olfactory, Gustatory) through which we internally represent and process experience.

Any internal experience that supports achieving goals — confidence, creativity, calm, motivation, etc. NLP helps install and access resource states.

A pattern for changing unwanted automatic behaviors by associating the unwanted behavior with an undesired image while linking the desired behavior to a compelling image.

Working with a person's internal representation of time to release negative emotions from the past and install compelling future outcomes.

A focused state of attention, often accompanied by heightened suggestibility. Used in hypnosis and NLP for accessing unconscious resources.

Acronym for Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic — the three primary sensory systems. Understanding someone's dominant VAK preference helps tailor communication.

Conditions that ensure a desired outcome is achievable and sustainable. Well-formed outcomes specify evidence procedures, ecology, and first steps.