NLP Presuppostion Exercise

Learning Presuppositions: What's Behind The Words? One of the most powerful and important exercises in NLP language is to learn to understand and notice the presuppositions BEHIND the mask of the words. Here is an easy exercise to learn about NLP style presuppositions.

An NLP Presuppostion Exercise

Re-Wording The Lord's Prayer

by Dr Silvia Hartmann

One of the most powerful and important exercises in NLP language is to learn to understand and see the presuppositions BEHIND the mask of the words.

Presuppositions are what there must be there or else that sentence or sequence of words could not be spoken; even though they are NOT spoken, their spirit, energy, meaning, and everything else is there.

Being able to understand presuppositions allows a person to take control of incoming information on the one hand, and on the other, create forms of communication that express what they want to say far more precisely - even if they never say something outright or reveal the presuppositions behind their words.

Here is a simple exercise that will help you spot the presuppositions behind the words, and get you started on taking control of what you want to say, and how you want to say this.

Oh lord thou artst in heaven

(right, so there's no God down here on Earth then ... figures ...)

hallowed be thy name

(this might have meant something different in the middle ages, but to 21st century folk, this reads as "it will be hallowed at some time in the future, but certainly is NOT being hallowed at present!" because of the phrasing form "be".)

Thy will be done

(again, that reads as thy will is NOT being done and hopefully will "be" done - at some undisclosed point in the future!)

thy kingdom come

(if it is to come, it logically cannot be here with us yet - what a shame ...)

in heaven as it is on earth

(so God's kingdom isn't established in heaven either yet, just as it isn't on Earth ... this is getting very depressing!)

Give us this day our daily bread

(because we haven't got any and are clearly incapable of supplying our own!)

and forgive us our trespasses

(what trespasses? Why is it presupposed that we are trespassing? What if I haven't trespassed these past 24 hours?!)

as we forgive those who trespass against us

(Why is this a given? What if people are nice to us? Why don't we focus on that instead?)

For thine is the kingdom and the glory

(and it sure ain't *mine*!!!)

forever and ever

(and I'll never ever get to share in it in future, or EVER ...)

Amen

(and what's that supposed to mean?!)

So that would then read, pre-suppositions exposed, as follows:

Oh God, who isn't here,
who isn't being hallowed
and whose will isn't being done,
neither in heaven nor on earth,
let's hope you will turn up one day,
because we haven't got any bread,
we are sinning constantly
and are constantly being sinned against by others,
and have neither power nor glory,
not now or ever,
Ahm ...

Not particularly inspirational, is it.

Little wonder that you can pray this three times a day for a thousand years and things don't get any better!

Your NLP Presuppositions Exercise

Re-word the Lord's prayer so that it makes some sense to you, is MORE REALISTIC and MORE MOTIVATIONAL.

Why not?

At least that small power we poor sinners actually do have ... over our choice of words.

And with repeating it over and over and over again for decades, you never know, some thing might change for the better.

Here's mine:

Dear God,
who is absolutely everywhere,
who has created heaven
and Earth and all things,
you are the greatest!

Your power and your glory
is alive in me right here and now,
In your abundance I find everything I need.
Your love shines through me,
as it shines through all the other people;
I am one with you
Now and Forever

Halleluja!