Tiiinking Like A Magician
Chapter 11
Thinking In Patterns Pattern Thinking As An Art And A Skill
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,
Arthur C Clarke When it comes tu our choices about what to til ink and how to think, we have a great many options. We referred to this in Chapter H with regard to thinking patterns.
Fur instance, we can think inductively from many particulars and move up to some general principle. We can think deductively down from some global understanding as we move down to 9pedfic applications. We can even think, as Gregory Bateson described and recommended, abdut lively, by using metaphors and analogies, and reason across from one thing to another thing, Lakoff and Johnson (1^80) and numerous cognitive theorists argue for the metaphorical basis of cugnition in making sense of things.
We can also think in sights, sounds, sensations Lind in words (representational systems). We can think by matching and comparing for similarities or we can think by mismatching and comparing for differences (sorting tor sameness versus difference).
We can think in terms of what WL' think and know or what others think and know ("self" and "other" referencing). Indeed, we have many kinds of ways of thinking.
fn terms of a thinking style that we have assumed throughout this work—we have encouraged a strategic and procedural style rafter than an optional or creative style. By identifying patterned ways of redirecting consciousness in expanding one's conceptual maps, we have relied on specific patterns. In doing so, we have presupposed that you can easily shift to thinking in patterns. When you do, such pattern thinking gives you specific procedures for how to use yuur brain so that you can mnre effectively manage yourself and
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your states. This also presupposes that certain processes inher-ently work better than others and thai we cart leam specific strate-gics for effectiveness which govern specific domains. By learning to think in Lerms of strategic patterns, we can more easily adopt the most effective strategies.
This dovetails into the chapter on Strategies {chapter 10) wherein we described the importance of modeling. After all, these NLP patterns, for the most part, arose from modeiing as a special kind of pattern thinking. Thus the special kind of thinking involved in modeling human subjectivity leads us to sort for and think about such things as the following:
• How docs a person Sevefop pattern thinking in order to generate patterns?
• What kind of thinking may interfere with pattern thinking?
m Will pattern thinking interfere1 with creative thinking, critical thinking, or intuitive thinking?
Pattern Thinking
I "he processes that work so efficiently, quickly, and thoroughly in the Cognitive-Behavioral psychologies do so because of the emphasis on tuna rather than why. This separates Ihe "why" models of human functioning that function on explanation and under-standing origins and history (e.g., psychoanalysis, Jungian, Adlerian, Ego, Humanistic Existential, Transpersonal, etc.] from the "how" rnodeis that focus on process and structure (NLP, Briefr
Gestalt, Reality Therapy, REBT, etc.).
How thinking skips over the psycho-theological belief systems ahout origins and "meanings" and goes right to s true hire. I Low should we code this or that information (as ideas, beliefs, under-standings) to create a strategy (or model of the world) that will allow us to function in business, friendship, intimate relationships, recreation, etc, with much more passion and joy? Once we find the structure of experience (regardless of content) we can change that very structure via modalities and submodalities.
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This bypasses resistance, psycho-aicheoloj^y, the need for under-standing its source, etc. It enables us to work in a much more solution-focused way. Working at tiie structural level of experience (beliefs, behaviors, emotion, etc.) in our neurology allows us to make changes without knowing a lot of content. Theoretician?
designate this approach as "process psychology" We look for the process; we ask process questions ("I low do you prevent the problem from occurring?"); we identify processes at work ("So when you hear her voice, that loud shrilling voice in your head, that really 'rattles your cage"1); and facilitate trying out new processes ("Now shrink down that picture and allow it to fade out").
Shifting From Content To Process
If pattern thinking involves shifting out of the "content" of thoughts to a higher logical level—thinking about the structure and proems of thoughts—how do we do this? What steps do we need to take to make this shift?
First, we need to recognize the difference between the two. Bo many people don't. Actually this describes part of the problem—
people get caught up in the content.
Whenever we develop tunnel vision about a problem or solution, we can only see one thing—and it looms large in our sight. We then filter nut "unique outcomes," exceptions, counter-examples, alternatives, etc. Filtering out the positive, we then use our tunnel vision perspective to predict a gloomy future. In becoming more and more caught up in the problem, we personalize, calastrnphize, over-generalize, think in all-or-nothing terms, and then end up prophesying, "It's hopeless."
Even therapists frequently don't always operate from a process approach. They can also lose perspective and get caught up in the content. At that point, we typically have two people experiencing a stuck state! Therapists who suffer burn-out frequently reach that point because they let the client's languaging of their di tern mas
function as an hypnotic induction!
Getting "raught up in the details of the client's content" also occurs when therapists forget that diagnostic labels only operate as symbols and like other words, "they are not real." Labels only exist as linguistic maps and explanatory schemes. Forgetting to treat the labels as just labels, therapists fail to see the person behind the label.
Second, we need the ability to step aside from the content. Once we recognize the difference between content and process, we can step aside from the1 content. This means that we can put our beliefs on hold, treat them tentatively, not taking our language or stories (or those of others) too seriously.
Using our map-territory understanding of how the nervous system abstracts information from the world to create our under-standings enables us to treat all human constructs as just that—
human constructs. This helps us to lighten up, reject "seriousness,"' see things more humorously; and realize that more often than not we {and others) have simply languagai ourselves for misery.
General Semantics introduces several formulations that can assist us at this point.
1- The may-territory distinction* "The map is not the territory", 2. Consciousness of abstracting or awareness that our subjective
reality arises from and reflects our abstracting and does not necessarily correspond with "reality,"
3. Tentatiseitesfi—a tentative attitude about the "reality" of our maps, our words, our ideas, our feelings. "It seems to me,,, at this point in time..."
i Indexing the specifics: what, when, where, who, how, in what way, from what source, etc,
5. Etc. "1 can never say all about anything. Therefore 1 need to append my statements with 'etc.'" [Ah, now you have an explanation for the apparent over-use of etc. in this text!]
Understanding and using these formulations assists us in not getting caught up in content. They enable us to maintain a sanity about our human constructions, since na identity exists, only non-identity exists. In other words, "sameness" does not exist in
process reality, onlv differences. This means that everything continually changes, shifts, alters, transforms. So allmsss and identity exist as illusions and can lead to unsanity
Recognizing these things cTiables us to step back or, as Bateson said, to go "meta" to our content and think-feel flknd it at a higher logical level, iaking a higher perspective means using our self-reflexive consciousness and engaging in an advanced form of human thinking—thinking about our thinking.
Third, we need to practice "going meta" and noticing the struc-tural elements in the content- ISTLP does this in its basic mudel since we have to step back and identify the different modes of awareness. Noticing the visual, auditory and kinesthetic represen-tations (VAK) puts us at a higher logical level than content. Again, we moved to another process level when we began making distinctions in the qualities of the modalities and specified some of the submodalities.
Learning the strategy model facilitates moving from content to process. It operates at the process level to the extent that it causes us to notice how an experience functions. It facilitates our under-standing about the syntax of the experience.
The Meta-St cites Model further provides us with a rich awa reness of structure, as it moves our awareness even higher through moving up logical levels. This model takes into consideration the struc-tural effect when wre bring a state of consciousness (of mind-body) to bear upon another state of consciousness (as in fear of fear, anger at fear, etc).
Fourth, develop awareness about structures and processes in subjectivity. The more structural facets that wre know and under-stand, the more ability we will have to conceptually step aside and notice process. So far we have offered for your consideration:
Modalities (Representational Systems) Submodalities
Meta-programs (sorting styles)
Strategies (TOTEs as sequences ot KS) Meta-states
Even the transformation patterns gets us thinking more about process and structure than content. This develops our intuitive sense of how patterns work, what makes them work, how to generate them with ourselves and others, how to quality-test them, etc Conclusion
Nl.f', as a model of human excellence and psychosis, began via a process of modeling. The founders of this domain initiated Eheir work by asking process questions:
• "How does this piece of human subjectivity work?"
• "What patterns oi internal processing go into the formula that generates this?"
• "How ran we structurally describe the patterns and meta-pattems?"
Thus, modeling a person's strategy for a piece of genius, or for a piece of psychosis such as schizophrenia, has structure. In this chapter wTe have suggested the importance of thinking in terms of patterns—curiosity about structuring patterns, understanding of pattern analysis, skill in replication of enhancing patterns, etc.
Accepting and perceiving patients empowers us to recognize, identify, and replicate patterns of excellence. We then can "run those patterns" through our own neuro-linguistics.
In the next two chapters we carry this analysis further. First, we wTill explore the wisdom involved in knowing what magic to do wlien (the very theme of this work). Then we will identify a few major domains of application and how to do pattern thinking in those areas to create ever-increasing levels of excellence.