Presuppositions are an interesting way of using language that presupposes that
someone has already agreed to something, when in fact they may not have even
had the chance to think about it, or even question it. There are so many examples of presuppositions that we use in our everyday life such as…
“Are you angry at me?” (Wife to husband, presupposing that he was angry in the
first place, when in fact he may not have been angry at all)
“Still trying to lose weight?” (Friend is presupposing that you were already trying to lose weight, when you may not have been at all – at least not before they said anything)
BOOST YOUR BODY-IMAGE WITH NLP – NICKRITCHIELIVE.COM
53
“Do those jeans fit yet?” (This presupposes that your jeans didn’t fit you in the past)
“Your waist is getting smaller.” (This presupposes that the person’s waist was too big before)
When influencing people (or yourself) presuppositions are useful to use when
you’re wanting to not only save time, but also to move people towards an
outcome that’s not only desirable for them, but also for you. If your friend was
choosing a dress for a night out, in order to help her feel good about whatever
dress she tries on and choses, you might say, “There are so many dresses out
there these days, and that means all of us have different shaped bodies, which
means you can feel good about finding a dress that is cut for your body.” Cause
and Effect Statement (there are so many dresses out there these days [in your
friends mind, this is probably a fact]), Complex Equivalence (all of us have
different shaped bodies [logically we all know this to be true]), Presupposition
(which means you can feel good about finding a dress that is cut for your body
[presupposing that the journey of finding a dress will provide enough reason in
itself to feel good]).
Cause & Effect
You may have heard of Karma, and that for every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction. Well, Cause and Effect is basically the same thing, in that it implies that one thing causes another. The interesting thing about people, and
the way our minds work, is that generally we respond really well when we are
given reasons to believe or think things – even if those reasons make no real
logical sense at all.
BOOST YOUR BODY-IMAGE WITH NLP – NICKRITCHIELIVE.COM
54
You can easily find when cause and effect is being used by watching out for their specific linguistically structured patterns:
If A then B
As A you B
“As you close your eyes, you’ll notice how relaxed your eye lids begin to feel.”
“Because you’re reading this, you’re able absorb this information completely.”
Simply put, Cause and Effect is a way of leading someone towards a desirable
outcome by taking things that are supposedly true and implying something of a
completely different context that follows through with the same feeling.
Something true (Because you’re reading this), what I’m implying (you’re able to
absorb this information completely). Reading this won’t necessarily mean you’ll
be able to absorb the information completely, but by my implying it, you’re much
more likely to in fact, absorb the information you read in this book more
completely than if I hadn’t implied it.
Another example of Cause and Effect could be while you’re at the clothing store
trying on dresses, you can’t seem to find any of the ones you like that fit and so you may say to yourself (or I may say to you)… “Because everyone’s body is
unique, you will find a dress that’s perfect for you soon.”
Something true (Because everyone’s body is unique), what I’m implying (you will
find a dress that’s perfect for you soon). My saying that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find a dress that’s perfect for you soon, but because I suggested it, you’re once again, much more likely to feel good about some of the dresses not fitting
you, than you would be if I hadn’t said anything.
I’m sure you can think of many instances where women (maybe even yourself),
have thought (out loud or inside), “These dresses don’t fit, so I’m overweight.” As you know logically this isn’t true, yet somehow by implying it through the way you think, you perpetuate further feelings of dissatisfaction around your body. This
BOOST YOUR BODY-IMAGE WITH NLP – NICKRITCHIELIVE.COM
55
doesn’t do anything worthwhile for self-esteem, and so a new awareness around
this will help break the cycle if you decide to make some adjustments.