SENSORY LANGUAGE PATTERNS

AND SUBMODALITIES

The language that we use is an indication of the way that we think. If you listen to your
own,andot herpeopl e
slanguage,youwi llbegi ntonot i
c ewhatt heirpat t
er nsand
preferences are.

Matching a per
son
slanguagepr
efer
enc
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entwayofi
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appor
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The main senses are easily identified through the choice of words and patterns in language;
some simple examples are given below.

Visual

I get the picture it appears that I see what you mean letsgetthisint oper spective
tthe focus of attention show me look closely a blind spot from a different angle i
t
s
clear to me the outlook is good wi thhindsight

Auditory

That rings a bell we reont hes amewavel ength word for word l etstalkabouti t
shout from the hilltops the silence is deafening how does it sound to you in a manner
ofspeaki ng

Kinaesthetic

He
sthic
kskinnedIc an tputmy finger on it I
ll be in touch scratching the surface
l
et
sdigdeeperI grasp the meaning hit the nail on the head lukewarm attitude i t
sa
gutf
eeli
ng

Olfactory and Gustatory

I
t
samat
teroft
ast
el
et
schew i
toveri
t
sabi
tfi
shyi
tleavesabadt
ast
e

Submodalities

Submodalities are the building blocks of the senses. Think of them as the individual pieces
of the jigsaw that come together to create the complete end result. The submodalities will
change depending on the jigsaw you are creating.

For instance, if you think about a recent event and create a mental picture to represent it,
which of the following describe features and characteristics of your specific mental picture?

Is it colour or black and white?

Is it framed or panoramic?
Is it blurred or sharp focus?
Is it close or far away (distance)?
Is it moving or static?

Lesley Hunter (2008) Practical NLP Factsheet Series

These are some of the submodalities that you use to create the mental picture of your
representation other people may vary from you.

Typical submodalities include:

Visual (see) Auditory (hear) Kinaesthetic (feel)

associated stereo / mono location
dissociated pitch intensity
colour volume hard / soft
framed location of sound size
location words or sound texture
distance tone weight
brightness distance temperature
contrast speed duration
focus continuous shape
movement / static clear / muffled movement
speed

We can learn to change our submodalities at any time. This allows us to change and affect
our internal state which in turn makes a difference to our physiology. This is particularly
beneficial for managing stress and other emotions, such as anger or anxiety.

Some submodalities have a particularly powerful effect these are known as our DRIVER
submodalities. If we can isolate and replicate these in different situations then we can exert
a degree of physically control over our own emotions.

Try to identify your driver submodalities for the following experiences. Do this by thinking
about a time when you achieved the experience then note what you see / hear / feel and
how you represent this (use the table above to guide you).

Confidence
Peak performance
Effective communication

Further information:

Factsheet #1 Introduction to NLP

Factsheet #2 Principles of NLP and our map of reality
Factsheet #3 Developing sensory acuity and rapport (mirroring and matching)
Factsheet #4 Representational systems
Factsheet #5 Eye accessing cues
Factsheet #6 Language patterns sensory language and submodalities
Factsheet #7 Language patterns - Milton model
Factsheet #8 Language patterns Meta model
Factsheet #9 Setting well formed outcomes
Factsheet #10 What makes people tick? Motivational strategie

Lesley Hunter (2008) Practical NLP Factsheet Series