Dr. Crew's NLP Lessons #10

PRESUPPOSITIONS

Presuppositions are what we believe is true. NLP holds that when we see things in a certain way, we are allowing ourselves to remain fixated in our growth.

We often hear these beliefs expressed by others in statements such as "well, this is the way I am". What do you think the likelihood is that this person will ever see things differently or believe that they can BE another way? You get the picture here.

When we see ourselves in a static fashion, we are essentially ensuring that we remain this way.

We grow when we are open to seeing other ways of looking at our perceptions and presuppositions of who we are and how the world and others are.

There is a well-known expression from NLP which is "The map is not the territory." If we are looking at a map and believe that this is the way the territory HAS to be we may be in for quite a shock once we attempt to navigate this territory. Any of you that have attempted to follow a map or use GPS to find a location may have had this experience! While the map itself may have been correct at one time, it has no adaptability for the actual territory itself. Similarly, while our way of seeing ourselves or the world may have been quite functional for a period of our lives, it limits our ability to change, grow, and adapt.

Continuing with my analogy of the GPS system, (yes, I realize I am really working this angle here) we know that now it is becoming evident that these systems in our vehicles MUST be updated periodically as roadways are altered, new areas are developed, and even names of streets and towns can change!

If we are using out-of-date maps or GPS systems that have not been updated, we could possibly be lost forever and never get to our intended destination. Now, how is that for a powerful metaphor?