Subconscious Modeling

Subconscious Modeling is a way to replicate aspects of your personality without sexual reproduction. Despite spending 10 years in an English specialized school and 6 years in college, the only English phrase I could say perfectly was, “My English is poor.” That’s why I was ready to get hit on the head with a brick if it meant waking up fluent in English. Jokes aside, a combination of global laziness and an equally global idea of personal growth led me to develop ways to apply NLP techniques to myself. Working with others is quick and effective, but working on yourself can be tricky. The result of these efforts, and a way to bypass these difficulties, is what I call Subconscious Modeling (SM).

Let me clarify: this is not a technique or even a model for gathering information. It’s more of an idea or a way to use the capabilities of your subconscious. Referring to Richard Bandler, who once said, “The subconscious will do anything if you instruct it well,” I can say that SM is one way to give those instructions.

In this article, I’ll provide both a big-picture overview of SM for those who like to see the whole landscape, as well as a detailed, step-by-step description of several ways to apply SM to different techniques, plus a few related ideas.

How Subconscious Modeling Works

One difference between the subconscious and the conscious mind is that the conscious mind is more sequential and linear, while the subconscious is more chaotic and parallel. Parallel in the sense that it can do several things at once. It can also model some conscious processes quite well. That’s what I’m inviting you to try now.

SM is not just a theoretical concept; it’s a practical tool. You can try some of these things as you read. I’ll start with an example, then give a general description of the model. If you prefer, you can read the example first or skip ahead to the step-by-step instructions.

Problem Solving

First, this is about solving problems in general. When I do a demonstration, I ask for a “volunteer with a problem,” without specifying what kind. I recommend starting with something moderate and easy to check, not a lifelong, overwhelming issue. This way, you can see that it works.

The step-by-step instructions are below, but here’s the general process:

1. After choosing a problem to work on, you need to formulate it. This is the hardest and most time-consuming part of SM.
2. Next, choose an Instructor or Therapist—someone you believe can help you solve your problem. This could be a real person, a fictional character, or even yourself in a therapist role. (Once, for variety, I chose Milton Erickson, even though I’d only read about him.)
3. Imagine your Instructor: what do they look like, what is their voice like? Create a clear mental image. Then, imagine yourself as the Client, ready to work on the problem. What do you look and sound like?
4. If you can’t hear the voices, that’s okay—just focus on the images, even if they’re blurry.
5. Place both the Client and Therapist in the same mental “picture” and let them come to life. Allow them to move and interact as they wish. Talk to them. If they don’t have voices, let them nod or gesture.
6. The key is to be passive. Don’t consciously direct their actions; let your subconscious take over.
7. After that, ask them to work on solving your problem.
8. It’s important that the Client believes, at least subconsciously, that the chosen Therapist can handle the task. Even if the conscious mind doubts, subconscious confidence can be even more effective.
9. Now, just wait for them to finish. Ask them to let you know when they’re done—by voice, nod, or gesture, depending on your agreement. If it seems to be taking too long, you can:
   • Ask when they’ll be done. For example, “Will you need 5 (7, 15, 45…) minutes?” If not, add a few more minutes.
   • Create a “workroom” in your mind where time flows differently. Inside, 100 years can pass, but outside, only 3 minutes. Time can flow faster, slower, or even backward.
10. If you’re working with someone else, it helps to mention that “unlike the conscious mind, the subconscious is timeless, so changes can happen very quickly.”
11. Once they’re done, test whether your problem is solved. Imagine the Client in a future situation where you used to have an unwanted reaction and see what’s changed. Do you like the new behavior? Remember to imagine future situations, not recall past ones.
12. To access the changes, integrate with the Client image—let it merge into you, or step into it yourself. You can also integrate with the Therapist if you played that role yourself.
13. It can also be helpful to check for “ecology”—ask the Client and Therapist if they did an ecological check.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Formulate the problem. Define and clearly state what you want to work on.
2. Choose a Therapist. Pick someone (real or fictional) who you believe can help. Create a dissociated visual image and try to hear their voice.
3. Client. Imagine yourself ready to work on the problem. Create a dissociated visual image and add sound.
4. Work. Place the Therapist and Client together in a “time room” and ask them to solve the problem.
5. Check. After you get a signal that the work is done, check if you’re satisfied with the changes. If yes, integrate; if not, return to step 4 and have them work more, considering your feedback.
6. Integration. Integrate with the Client, and with the Therapist if you played that role.

General Overview

I called this approach Subconscious Modeling because it’s a way to model conscious (and other) processes at the subconscious level. SM is based on three pillars: separation of states, subconscious parallelism, and conscious passivity.

• Separation of states: The conscious mind can only be in one state at a time. If you try to work on yourself consciously, you have to keep switching between Client and Therapist roles.
• Subconscious parallelism: In the subconscious, these two states can exist simultaneously and interact. This is similar to “parts work,” but here, Client and Therapist are just metaphors that exist only during the process.
• Conscious passivity: The conscious mind should not interfere. Let the images live their own lives for a while. You set the direction and goal, then let the subconscious make the changes.

Of course, there’s no actual room or Therapist in your head (though in a way, there is). This is just a way to connect the state where you need to regroup your experience with the state that has the instructions for that regrouping.

Let yourself go and allow yourself to change.

Other Applications

Advisory Council

This is for someone who has trouble deciding what to do in a situation or can’t come up with a solution. Think about people who, in your opinion, could handle the task well. They can be real, fictional, or even yourself at your most resourceful. You don’t have to know if they could really help—what matters is that you believe they could. Try to find 3-5 such helpers.

Now, imagine all these people sitting in front of you—let’s call them the Council. Ask if they’re willing to help you. If yes, have them choose a Chairperson to organize the process and communicate with you.

If giving voices to the images is hard, give the Chairperson a voice. Step into their image and say a few phrases to yourself. Then step out and say the same phrases as yourself, noticing the differences. This will help you separate the voices.

Tell the Council what you want from them. Remember, they’ll do what you ask, not necessarily what you want. These can be very different things, so be clear in your instructions.

The Council is an informational approach—it doesn’t automatically create internal changes. You get recommendations and can use them as you wish. While the Council is deliberating, you can do something else. The subconscious is multitasking. When they’re done, they’ll tell you the results, or you can step into the “you” who was at the meeting to access all the information in analog form.

Creating a Meta-Part (Inner NLPer)

Although the benefit of SM is that you can launch processes without creating responsible “parts,” you can use this method to create parts as well. Here’s one way to create a Meta-Part, which you can then assign other tasks.

The Meta-Part or NLPer acts as an internal psychotherapist, autonomously solving your problems. Here’s how:

1. Image: Imagine yourself as a Therapist—appearance, clothes, hairstyle, voice, posture, facial expression.
2. Get agreement: Ask if the Therapist is willing to be your Meta-Part, your permanent inner NLPer. You can set a context or situation as a trigger for the Meta-Part to activate (I usually suggest using a negative meta-feeling as a signal).
3. If the Therapist agrees, continue. If not, you can:
   • Define the function and context more precisely.
   • Change the Therapist’s image until you get agreement.
   • If the Therapist isn’t ready to take responsibility but is willing to try, give them a trial period. After a set time (which can pass in the “time room”), revisit the question.
4. Ecological check: See if any parts object to the Therapist becoming your Meta-Part. If so, have the Therapist resolve it. The funny thing is, the Therapist isn’t your part yet but can temporarily perform its functions.
5. Integration: If there are no objections, integrate the Therapist as your Meta-Part.
6. Test functionality: Make sure the Meta-Part works. Try:
   • Ask it to change a discomforting situation.
   • Ask it to change behavior in a specific context.
   • State a problem and ask it to solve it.

Once you have an inner NLPer, creating new parts is easy. Just clearly define the function of the part you want to create, and the Meta-Part will handle the rest. Or, imagine yourself achieving a goal, check ecology, and let the Meta-Part handle agreements with other parts.

I usually recommend students create a part for rapport-building, like “Harmonizing relationships with others” or “Receiving love.” Everyone can define their own function.

Subconscious Brainstorming

Brainstorming is usually used when you need ideas. For example, “A competitor released a new car. We need to come up with something to beat them.” This is similar to Walt Disney’s Genius Strategy, but without the Implementer (Kinesthetic).

From another angle, it’s more of a hemispheric model than a modal one. Participants are divided into Creators (right brain) and Analysts (left brain). The main idea is to separate creative and analytical states. First, Creators generate 5-7 ideas, then Analysts pick the most valuable ones, which become the basis for the next round. Each round narrows the search until the solution is clear, usually after 3-4 rounds. The goal is to define one or more objectives, which you can then apply the Disney Strategy to.

Pick 5-7 of the most creative and original people you know (include yourself at your most creative). Then, select 2-3 analysts. Place them in a “time room” or any mental space where you won’t interfere, and have them work on a real-life problem. Remember, their job is just to generate ideas, not to plan every step—that’s for the Disney Strategy.

Ideas for Using Subconscious Modeling

1. SM can be used for problem-solving, learning, or getting information.
2. You can easily learn or model skills with SM. Choose someone who excels at something you want to learn, visualize them, and go with them into the “time room” to learn.
3. You can model a new past—or several.
4. SM can be used to develop skills and model situations.
5. You can influence SM results by changing the mood (facial expression, voice) of the Therapist, Client, Creator, etc.
6. You can easily model techniques like Disney’s Genius Strategy or Brainstorming.
7. SM is best for self-work or quick interventions with an adapted client.
8. The main thing is to get someone to loosen up enough to allow themselves to change.

Notes

1. I once used SM to eliminate a phobia in someone who knew nothing about NLP—and it worked.
2. All attempts to model a calculator or computer have failed. You can’t get precise calculations from these models.

Summary

I hope you enjoy Subconscious Modeling, or already do. You can experiment with it, but don’t consider it a cure-all. In my experience, it works well for changes you’re ready for, but may not work for issues you’re tackling just for fun. I believe SM can make life much easier—and help you relax your mind.

Well then, GOODBYE!

Author: Alexander Lyubimov