In fact, among behavioral scientists there has been a growing uneasiness with the requirement to exclude from description the influence of the human agent (e.g. R Rosenthal experimenter effect).

Note that even in the physical sciences in more recent years the Newtonian theory of physical systems has been dislodged by a framework, whose origin is attributed primarily to Albert Einstein — a relativistic model. One of the significant differences between the Newtonian model and its successor is that the more recent model requires the inclusion of the perceptual point of the observer. As is implied in its name, the relativistic model demands an explicit representation of the perceptual position of the observer in describing certain space/time interaction.

The inclusion of the perceiver in descriptions of physical interactions represents a major increase in the descriptive power of the model. Take, for example, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Crudely put, the principle states that either the position or the state (kinetic energy) of the particle may be determined with precision but not both. The perceiver, in measuring the precise location of a particle, will disturb the state of that particle and vice versa— thus the value of both variables, location and state, can never be measured with precision.

There are three characteristics of effective patterning in NLP which sharply distinguish it from behavioral science as it is commonly practiced today. First, for a pattern or generalization regarding human communication to be acceptable or well–formed in NLP, it must include in the description the human ^agents who are initiating and responding to the pattern being described, their actions, their possible responses. Secondly, the description of the pattern must be represented in sensory grounded terms which are available to the user. This user–oriented constraint on NLP ensures usefulness. We have been continually struck by the tremendous gap between theory and practice in the behavioral sciences — this requirement closes that gap. Notice that since patterns must be represented in sensory grounded terms, available through practice to the user, a pattern will typically have multiple representation — each tailored for the differing sensory capabilities of individual users. I point out in passing that this requirement immediately excludes statistical statements about patterning as being well–formed in NLP as statistical statements are not user oriented. At best they indicate what the user might experience over a number of contexts but do not offer information about any specific situation. Insurance companies can predict costs, but salesmen will not know if this individual will trust, or dislike him or the inverse in advance, or initially face to face selling will succeed.

Thirdly, NLP includes within its descriptive vocabulary terms which are not directly observable. In the early part of this century, again profoundly influenced by the initial successes of the Newtonian model in physics, a movement called Behaviorism in psychology[3] established a well–formedness condition on descriptions of human behavior — namely, that only those events which are observable may be included in descriptions of human behavior. Individuals were represented as a black box devoid of knowable internal structure. While a case may be argued that within its historical context Behaviorism had a salutary effect, the long term outcome was stultifying. The behavioral scientist who accepted the Behaviourists dictum regarding observables found himself in the same position as someone who attempts to develop a theory of speed, frequency and trajectory of tennis balls passing over the net without allowing himself access to the tennis players themselves. Just as recent advances in physics have been intimately associated with a finer and finer analysis of what was previously considered an unanalyzable unit — witness the outstanding success in predicting function form structure in the proliferation of sub–atomic particles — so NLP proposes a vocabulary for the inside of the black box which has been demonstrated tremendously effective in business, education, law, and therapy — the vocabulary of representational systems and strategy. This vocabulary offers the NLP practitioner the most powerful set of behavioral organizing principles presently available — and, most importatntly, they work.

At present, you have before you a written representation of the model called NLP. I choose the term model deliberately and contrast it with the term theory. A model is simply a description of how something works without any commitment regarding why it might be that way. A theory is taxed with the task of finding a justification of why various models seem to fit reality. We are modelers and we ask that you evaluate this work as a model, ignoring whether it is true or false, correct or incorrect, aesthetically pleasing or not, in favor of discovering whether it works or not, whether it is useful or not.

Let me also reassure the reader that what you might experience as complex or difficult in the NLP model as you absorb the written representation is an artifact of the medium in which it is represented. In our various seminars for executives, attorneys, managers, salespersonnel, educators, therapists, and other professionals, the live presentation of NLP in a face–to–face context with immediate feedback has consistently resulted in a highly effective and enjoyable learning experience, as the reader can validate should you choose to join us.

In the introduction to the book we first published, Gregory Bateson paid us a very fine compliment:

".. .John Grinder and Richard Bandler have done something similar to what my colleagues and I attempted fifteen years ago … to create the beginnings of an appropriate base for the describing of human interaction."

That was the beginning of our efforts to build a description of not only what needs describing in human beings, but to include the position of the describer, and more importantly for NLP, what processes select what is worthy of description and the very processes building those descriptions themselves, i.e. subjectivity. Science avoids the limitations described by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. NLP exposes these scientific limitations as the very evolutionary tool to project our species into purposeful and productive unknowns.

This book is only the beginning of NLP, not the beginning itself nor the end. Discover the ecstasy of richer experience, thus the value of no end. Just more— new— old— now. The universe is as immense as your ability to perceive it. May you enjoy your journey.

John Grinder

and

Richard Bandler