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Becoming Masterful In State Control:

Mastering  your  state  is  mission  critical  in  being  able  to  create  more  of  the  life  you  

want.  Everything  we  do  in  NLP  starts  with  state.  State  doesn’t  just  refer  to  how  a  
person  is  feeling.  When  we  say  state  we  mean  the  complete  mental,  physical  and  

neurological   status   of   the   person’s   mind-­‐body.   The   “state   report”   tell   us   how   a  
person  is  thinking,  breathing,  moving  etc.  

In  the  earlier  video  on  state  control,  you  learned  two  powerful  ways  to  become  

more   skilled   at   mastering   state   control.   The   first   is   physiology   –   how   you   use  
your  body.    

Your   first   assignment   is   to   focus   on   becoming   more   aware   and   skilled   at  

changing  your  state  by  changing  your  physiology.  

Your  physiology  includes  your:  

• posture  (how  you  hold  yourself  and  your  centre  of  gravity)  
• muscular  tension  and  relaxation  
• biochemistry    
• breathing  

Pick  any  particular  state  you  wish  to  experience  more  of.  Get  yourself  into  that  

state.  You  can  do  so  by:  

-­‐ Revivifying  the  last  time  you  were  in  that  state,  by  remembering  intensely  

what   you   saw,   heard   and   felt   when   you   were   last   in   that   state   and  

stepping  into  the  “movie”,  so  you  experience  it  through  your  own  eyes  

-­‐ By  acting  as  if  you  were  in  that  state,  until  you  naturally  find  yourself  back  

in  it  

-­‐ Using   any   anchor   you   have   that   causes   you   to   go   into   that   state,   like   a  

certain  piece  of  music,  words,  food  etc  

Once  you  are  in  that  great  state,  notice  how  you  are:  

-­‐ Sitting/standing/leaning/lying  etc  
-­‐ Where  is  your  weight  is  distributed  in  your  body?  

-­‐ Where   and   how   you   are   breathing   e.g.   shallow   and   fast,   mid-­‐chest   and  

slow,  full  diaphragmatic  breaths,  paced  evenly  and  fully  etc.  

-­‐ If   you   are   speaking   at   what   pace   and   rhythm   and   intonation   are   you  

using?  

-­‐ Scan   your   body   and   notice   what   parts   are   relaxed   and   what   parts   have  

varying  degrees  of  tension  in  them.  

-­‐ Notice  how  you  are  using  your  vision,  is  it  narrow  and  focused  or  is  wide  

and  vast?  

-­‐ Are  you  breathing  through  your  nose  or  your  mouth,  or  both?  
-­‐ Describe  the  sensations  of  the  feelings  in  your  body,  write  them  down.  

 

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Write  down  all  the  key  points  of  note  when  you  are  in  this  great  state.  Now  break  
your   state,   by   interrupting   what   you   were   doing.   So   for   example   answer   the  
question,  what  is  3  x  9  +  14,  -­‐  2?  

Once  you  have  changed  your  state  again,  pick  the  top  3  “undesired  states”  that  
you  experience  on  a  regular  basis.  

Repeat  the  same  process  as  before.  Write  down  all  the  key  points  of  how  you  are  

using  your  body  in  order  to  get  access  to  and  stay  in  a  certain  undesirable  state.  

Again,  once  done  –  BREAK  STATE  –  

Jump  up  and  down,  do  five  press  ups,  have  a  cup  of  tea  or  anything  in  between  –  
so  long  as  it  breaks  your  state.  Remember  the  more  intense  the  state  the  bigger  
the  state  interruption  typically  needs  to  be.    

Now   that   you   have   two   separate   descriptions,   one   of   what   you   are   doing   with  
your  physiology  when  you  are  feeling  great  and  one  when  you  are  experiencing  

an  undesirable  state,  look  to  pattern  what  is  different  between  when  you  are  in  a  
great  state  vs.  the  undesired  one?  

Once  you  have  figured  these  out,  your  job  is  to  quickly  cycle  through  the  list  of  

differences  and  to  try  on  that  pattern  of  how  you  use  your  body  when  you  are  in  
the  great  state.  Do  this  several  times,  each  time  looking  to  more  quickly  try  on  
the  revised  state.  

You  should  find  that  when  you  do  it  fully  and  assuming  you  have  identified  the  
key   differences   between   the   two   state   descriptions   that   your   body   naturally  

begins  to  feel  the  “great”  feelings  of  the  1

st

 state.  

Once  you  have  been  able  to  successfully  able  to  go  into  the  desired  state  at  will.  
Then   your   job   is   to   condition   in   the   new   behaviour   response   so   that   next   time  

you   feel   the   undesired   state,   you   1)   recognize   it   for   what   it   is   and   2)   instantly  
change  your  physiology  to  rapidly  shift  into  the  pattern  of  movement,  breathing  

etc.  of  the  desired  state.  

Then  for  the  coming  three  weeks  every  time  you  find  yourself  experiencing  an  
unresourceful  state,  quickly  and  immediately  shift  into  the  resourceful  state  you  

have  now  identified  by  adopting  the  patterns  of  the  desired  state  physiology.      

I’ve  used  this  pattern  hundreds  of  times  over  the  years,  to  help  me  quickly  and  
easily  change  my  state  and  evoke  greater  resourcefulness  in  myself.  Essentially  

you   will   want   to   adopt   the   best   state   (as   much   as   you   can   tell)   for   the   desired  
outcome.    

So  we  are  not  encouraging  you  to  be  “all  RA  RA”  and  super  energized  24x7.  

 

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The   state   you   will   go   into   will   be   dependant   on   the   outcome,   context   and  
dynamics  of  the  situation.  

So  if  you  are  with  your  kids  the  desired  state  may  be  being  playful  or  loving.    

If  you  are  with  business  clients,  it  may  be  engaging  and  persuasive,  or  attentive  
and  thought  provoking  etc.  

With   you   are   with   your   partner   you   may   wish   to   be   supportive,   helpful   and  

loving.    

If  you  are  trying  to  get  through  some  challenge  in  your  life  it  may  be  persistent,  

tenacious,  determined.    

Choose  your  states  based  on  the  outcome  while  being  aware  of  the  context  and  
dynamics  that  you  are  operating  within.  

There  are  many  ways  for  you  to  change  your  state.  Getting  good  at  changing  your  
state   by   changing   your   physiology   is   one   of   the   most   powerful   and   immediate  

ways.  

Once   you   have   become   skilled   at   doing   this   for   one   skill,   you   can   repeat   this  
process,   mapping   the   “how   to”   for   each   emotional   state   you   would   like   to  

experience   more   of.   The   more   you   do   it,   the   greater   the   results   you   will  
experience  and  the  more  resourceful  you  can  be.