Robert Dilts understanding of Logical levels essentially identifies that systems comprise of sub-systems and they all interact. The sub-systems form what could be determined as a hierarchy. For example, you have a physical body and it is comprised of organs then cells and those cells are comprised of other sub-systems down to the atomic level and beyond.
The Neuro Logical Levels that Robert Dilts focused on pertain to essentially a set of systems that form the hierarchy of beliefs contained within the human mind. Beliefs act as programming that enables a human to function and forms our behaviours and actions. Certain beliefs have a more profound steering effect on our thoughts and actions/behaviours. Note that the Law of Karma is the principle of cause and effect or for a consciousness it amounts to thoughts and actions, this fundamentally drives everything in this conscious universe.
Beliefs essentially are programmes and they can form parts of larger programmes. When run, beliefs result in thoughts. From Dr David Hawkins we have the Map of Consciousness that essentially forms innate sets of beliefs in the form of perspectives that are the core emotional ranges that we come with into life. Emotions form the energy of motion that propels us with more thoughts or behaviours/actions. There are 2 ranges of emotions, the fear based range and love based that form away from or towards forms of thrust, respectively. The Map of Consciousness also forms a hierarchy and represents steering towards the evolution of consciousness amongst other things.
In terms of change work, Robert Dilts Neurological Levels, allows one to determine the rigidity and impact level that beliefs and their resultant behaviours have in an individuals life. You can look towards the resultant behaviours or thoughts of a person to see how best to intervene and bring about a change that would improve their lives.
The following are the levels, starting at the top:
- Spiritual/Mission
- Identity
- Beliefs/Values
- Capabilities
- Behaviours
- Environment
It is a hierarchy because a change from the higher levels are more powerful leverage points to affect a change in the individual.
For example, if you had someone that is a smoker that wishes to stop, and you ask them, why do you smoke and they say, I use it to relax, particularly when I am stressed. And you ask,”and when are you stressed?” and they reply, “oh most of the time at home because of this or that or at work because of pressure and I find myself just reaching for a cigarette”. One could look at the situation and what they say as them being affected by the environment or surrounding actions from events. One way to resolve this might be to find a less stressful environment for them to live in. Alternatively, they demonstrate stress as a driving behaviour, this could be substituted, which would be more practical than leaving home or work. One normally utilises stress as a response because they feel that there is not the capability to deal with the situations, capabilities can be learnt and are useful at a practical level in life. Then there are the beliefs and values that surround the smoking as a habit, this transitions you to a point of change that alters the values or overriding intentions put in place around the habit of smoking.
If a value has transitioned to a firm part of a persons identity, for example the smoker identifies this with a statement like, “I am a smoker”, this is a much more powerful set of belief structures that lead one’s life on a daily basis.
Think of the levels from 2 to 6 being the running of things in your day to day life. Which brings us to Purpose or Spiritual, the highest level.
This level maybe understood as your core or innate direction in life.
All thoughts are in someway designed to make you happier
To Self-Actualise is to create and realise your highest desires and intentions continuously at the emotional levels of peace, love and joy. And the process is done in peace and harmony within yourself, with all others and the environment we exist in.
This is a powerful statement.
The word spiritual may be succinctly defined as, “of innate or core beliefs and feelings”. We are spiritual as beings. We come into existence with innate or core sets of beliefs and feelings. This essentially means core programming with direction. If it is true that we are made in the likeness of God, then to be in Divine Spiritual alignment we must be true to our inherent direction.
Direction maybe viewed as E-motion, ie the perspectives charted via the Map of Consciousness. Innately all humans strive for a life that is progressively happier, filled with more love and one that would be fulfilled.
These are our top level values or belief sets that our society does not effectively focus on.
Back to Robert Dilts, this would make the top level in the Neurological Levels, Purpose or Spiritual from a Self-Actualising perspective a steering towards the highest existence. This is made tangible by creating a direction through the 3 ultimate driving emotions, peace (fulfilment), love and joy, that is a continuous or becomes an ingrained process to self-realise.
To make this useable, put joy at the top and work downwards from identity to environment as you go through the Logical levels to align an individual to effectively realising this process. The reason one would do this is that joy from fulfilment and the joy from the experience of love are sort by all. Valuing existence through the joy it brings allows one to equate the levels of fulfilment or satisfaction and the love you have in your life in all its forms.
Remember that Mission or Purpose represents direction and humans are creatures of feelings and feelings form from emotions or E-Motion.
Our Purpose in life is to Self-Actualise, you are free to choose how this comes about, as the meaning of life is the meaning we choose for it.