What is a Pattern in NLP?

In the field of Neuro-Linguistic programming we teach a lot about ‘patterns’. In fact we refer to all of our change processes/techniques as ‘patterns’.

For example to create new behaviors we have the New Behavior Generator pattern, we have patterns for Harvesting Peak Experiences, relieving trauma, changing beliefs, increasing creativity, influencing, hypnotic language patterns, etc. There are hundreds of ‘change patterns’ in the field of NLP & hundreds more in the field of Neuro-Semantics.

A pattern by definition is a step by step process that achieves a certain outcome. Therefore the word ‘pattern’ can be used relatively interchangeably with the words ‘mental program’, habit, habituated response, routine, strategy, TOTE, unconscious response, etc.

Because a pattern is just a step by step process to achieve a certain outcome, sometimes we get ‘patterned responses’ that achieve a certain outcome that we do not like or do not serve us.

In those cases we even have patterns for interrupting patterns in NLP, patterns for unlearning, patterns for de-framing, etc. We would interrupt/unlearn patterns before ‘installing a new pattern’.

NLP is all about patterns, in fact some of the early books of NLP referred to the ‘patterns of magic’, ‘language patterns’, the ‘patterns of Milton Erickson’ etc. In fact, NLP was created from modeling the ‘patterns’ of expert therapists, and then expanded by modeling the patterns of experts across other fields of expertise.

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