Eye Movements in NLP. Know when someone is lying.

I'd like to credit Inspire360 and my coach, Ewan Mochrie, for the diagram I have used below. If you wish to learn NLP, Ewan is the best trainer in the world—literally, he worked with Richard Bandler, who invented it! You can learn more at www.inspire360.co.uk.

Our bodies use a complex system of representational systems to process information. In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), we learn to read a person’s body language to understand what they may be truly thinking. Our subconscious acts as a vast database, recording everything we see, hear, feel, smell, and taste—these sensory experiences are known as modalities, a topic we will explore further in another newsletter.

The subconscious stores memories and is highly moral; it rarely lies. When a person is explaining a situation or answering a question, they must retrieve information from their subconscious mind and bring it into their conscious awareness. This process causes movements in their body language, which can be interpreted by those trained in NLP.

The primary representational system is eye movement. The direction in which a person’s eyes move when recalling information can reveal much about their thoughts and experiences. There are exceptions and some people can be reversed organised, but this process works on the majority of people and by observing these movements, it is possible to understand whether someone is remembering something, constructing new ideas, or engaging in internal dialogue.

Understanding Eye Movements:

1. Vc (Visual Constructed) - Up and to the Left: This indicates that a person is creating new visual images in their mind, such as imagining something they have never seen before.

2. Vr (Visual Remembered) - Up and to the Right: This suggests that a person is recalling visual images from memory, such as remembering a past event.

3. Ac (Auditory Constructed) - Center to the Left: This eye movement shows that a person is creating new sounds in their mind, like imagining a melody they have never heard before.

4. Ar (Auditory Remembered) - Center to the Right: This indicates that a person is remembering sounds they have heard in the past.

5. K (Kinaesthetic) - Down and to the Left: This is associated with accessing feelings, emotions, and sensory experiences such as touch and smell.

6. Ad (Auditory Digital) - Down and to the Right: This pertains to internal dialogue or self-talk, where a person engages in an internal conversation or recites information mentally.

The movement of a person’s eyes can reveal much about what they are communicating. The next time you talk to someone, ask them basic questions like "What did you hear?", "What did you see?", or "What did you feel?". While there can be exceptions to the general patterns, most people’s eye movements will follow these rules.

Personally, I love using this ability to discern whether a story is being fabricated or if it actually happened. It’s a fascinating skill that adds depth to our understanding of human communication.

So, as you observe someone…