Want to find out more about yourself? Below are two tests you can take. The first one, based on the Myers-Briggs Test and Keirsey-Bates book, Please Understand Me, tells you about your behavior and what motivates you. Then, there is a section on what that all means and why it is important. Following that is the second test to elicit whether your predominant way of processing is visual, auditory or kinesthetic, and how people can talk to you to really get your attention. Use these simple tests to learn more about yourself. Understanding who you are can lead to a greater empathy and understanding of others. Answer the questions, then look below for a description. Usually people are a mixture, yet these questions force a choice. Choose the one that best fits you.

Extrovert or Introvert? (your external behavior)When you want to recharge your batteries, do you prefer to be alone or with others?Which do you prefer – being outside in the world of activity, things and people or inside with your thoughts, feelings and ideas?Sensor or Intuitor? (Your internal behavior)

When you study something new, are you more interested in the facts and their utility in the now or are you more interested in the relationships between the ideas and their utility for the future?

Thinker or Feeler? (Your internal state)

How would you rather be thought of as:

	a fair or a reasonable person?
	a caring or a logical person?
	a sensitive person or above feelings?

Judger or Perceiver? (Your adaptation operator)

If you were going to do a project or something, would you prefer that it be planned, orderly and sequential, or would you prefer it be unstructured to allow more flexibility.

Extrovert - likes to be with others, outside in the world of…Extroverts appear to have a need for sociability, often appearing “tuned up” with people, feeling lonely when not in contact with people.Introvert – prefers to be alone to recharge batteries, inside with their thoughts, feelings and ideas, finds being with more than one person at a time to be draining, needing their space, private time. Being “territorial”, they can be lonely in a crowd.Sensor – interested in the facts and their utility in the present. Often preferring action to daydreaming, getting things done to mulling over different ideas, often loves details, relates to the world around them, in tune with what and who is in their environment.Intuitor – interested in the relationships between ideas and their use in the future. May appear dreamy or distracted, not paying attention to the present reality, taking to heart broken promises as breaking of a trust, often seeming to be their own person, displaying passion and a tendency towards deep trust and emotion to those they idealizeThinker – reasonable, logical, above feelings. Prefers reasons for being asked to do something, often prefers not to be touched, less swayed by approval or disapproval. Prefers to think things through reasonably and logically rather than emote about them.Feeler – fair, caring, sensitive. Sensitive to their emotional environment and feelings of others, enjoys listening to happenings of family and friends. Often takes on caring responsibilities for others. Shows emotions and often enjoys touch.Judger – planned, orderly, sequential, things settled and decided on, chosen and established. Likes things settled, nailed down, so they can be relied upon.

Perceiver – unstructured, flexibility built in so if a new idea comes along, it can be incorporated. Likes options left open. Leave open-endedness for creativity.

We all have filters through which we run everything we take in with our five senses. These filters determine our internal state and our physiology. And those in turn determine our behavior. Our filters include our values, our beliefs, our attitudes, our past memories, and our metaprograms. The above test gives you four of your personal metaprograms, through which you filter your life experiences. Why is this important? Why should you care? Because they are the key to understanding your own behavior. If you want to change your behavior, or just to understand it, one key is to know your own metaprograms. Here’s another reason. Every second we have 2 million bits of information coming in at us, bombarding our senses. Now, we can only pay attention to about 134 bits of those 2 million. Exactly what we pay attention to and what we do with the information is determined in large part by these filters. We can’t possibly pay attention to 2 million bits per second, so we delete some information, we generalize some (“oh, I know what that is – I’ve seen it before”), and we distort even other data (a dark piece of rope in the path looks like a snake for an instant, or what you thought you heard). So, what’s so important about that? Well, we virtually construct our own internal reality by what we pay attention to. (Sound a little like The Matrix?) It means we are more in control of our own reality than we may have thought. If this is of interest to you, look into Personal Breakthrough Sessions with me, where we elicit a complete battery of your metaprograms (in 8 minutes!) and work with your values (what motivate you at the deepest level). Using Time Line Therapy, you can eliminate conflicts in values, unwanted negative emotions and limiting decisions about yourself. Courses Offered: Negative to Positive in Minutes. Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Huna. Other References: Please Understand Me – Character and Temperament Types, by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates. (Gives more detail on the Meyers-Briggs types from the test above.) Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. (Source for the 2 million bits coming in, 134 taken in.) Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality – Tad James and Wyatt Woodsmall. (More on metaprograms, values and Time Line Therapy. Dr. James invented T.L.T.)

NLP COMMUNICATION MODEL

##########Now, ready for another test? We take in and process information through our five senses. We have preferred ways of doing this – visually, auditorily, kinesthetically, and through our taste and smell. A 6^th way of processing, called auditory digital, is analytical, usually involving talking to yourself. To find out your preferred way of processing, called your Representational System, take the test below. Why would you want to know? You learn more about yourself, what kind of language appeals to you, what kind of people just seem to be more likeable to you (they have the same Representational System or they are using words that are in yours).

For each of the following statements, put a number next to every phrase, using the following system (each blank should have a number).

	Closest to describing you = 4
	Next best description = 3
	Next best = 2
	Least descriptive of you = 1

1. I make important decisions based on:

___ gut level feelings.___ which way sounds the best.___ what looks best to me.___ precise review and study of the issues.

2. During an argument, I am most likely to be influenced by:

___ the other person’s tone of voice.___ whether or not I can see the other person’s argument.___ the logic of the other person’s argument.___ whether or not I feel I am in touch with the other person’s true feelings.

3. I most easily communicate what is going on with me by:

___ the way I dress and look.___ the feelings I share.___ the words I choose.___ the tone of my voice.

4. It is easiest for me to:

___ find the ideal volume and tuning on a stereo system.___ select the most intellectually relevant point concerning an interesting subject.___ select the most comfortable furniture.___ select rich, attractive color combinations.

5. ___ I am very attuned to the sounds of my surroundings. ___ I am very adept at making sense of new facts and data. ___ I am very sensitive to the way articles of clothing feel on my body. ___ I have a strong response to colors and to the way a room looks.Now, copy your answers from the test to the lines below:1. ___ K 2. ___ A 3. ___ V 4. ___ A 5. ___ A ___ A ___ V ___ K ___ D ___ D ___ V ___ D ___ D ___ K ___ K ___ D ___ K ___ A ___ V ___ V Add the numbers associated with each letter. (There should be 5 entries for each letter.) V K A D ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Totals: The highest score(s) is the preferred representational system.

Descriptions of the Categories:

Favored Representational Systems

V: Visual

People who are visual often stand or sit with their heads and/or bodies erect, with their eyes up. They will be breathing from the top of their lungs. They often sit forward in their chair and tend to be organized, neat, well-groomed and orderly. They memorize by seeing pictures, and are less distracted by noise. They often have trouble remembering verbal instructions because their minds tend to wander. A visual person will be interested in how your program LOOKS. Appearances are important to them. They are often thin and wiry.

A: Auditory

People who are auditory will move their eyes sideways (remember Richard Nixon?). They breathe from the middle of their chest. They typically talk to themselves, and are easily distracted by noise. (some even move their lips when they talk to themselves.) They can repeat things back to you easily, they learn by listening, and usually like music and talking on the phone. They memorize by steps, procedures, and sequences (sequentially). The auditory person likes to be TOLD how they’re doing, and responds to a certain tone of voice or set of words. They will be interested in what you have to say about your program.

K: Kinesthetic

People who are kinesthetic will typically be breathing from the bottom of their lungs, so you’ll see their stomach go in and out when they breathe. They often move and talk verrry slooowly. They respond to physical rewards, and touching. They also stand closer to people than a visual person. They memorize by doing or walking through something. They will be interested in your program if it “feels right”.

Ad: Auditory Digital

This person will spend a fair amount of time talking to themselves. They will want to know if your program “makes sense”. The auditory digital person can exhibit characteristics of the other major representational systems.

Want to know more about this?

Ask about upcoming Neuro Linguistic Programming Courses in your area.

Call for a personal coaching appointment – 714-556-7858. Reference Books: The Magic of NLP Demystified – Byron Lewis and Frank Pucelik Frogs into Princes – Richard Bandler, John Grinder

Therapeutic Metaphors - David Gordon