L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.
A few people who think mathematically have complained recently to me that the Matrix model isn’t a real matrix, a true matrix. What they mean is that they do not see the axes of the Matrix and so conclude that it does not have axes. Silly them. I hid the axes!
“You hid them?”
Yip, I hid them. I almost slipped up and revealed the axes in Frame Games (1999) as I kept talking about going up (the meta-move, the meta-state process) and setting frames for the inner game and then coming down incorporating and embodying the frames so that we can then go out with the outer game in action and performance. I also almost slipped up with some of the diagrams I created at that time —sketching out the vertical axes going up into meaning and the horizontal axes going out into performance. Opps. There I went and revealed the axes.
“So why did you hide the axes? What was that all about? Did you do that purposefully?”
Yes, I plead guilty. It was conscious, intentional, purposeful, and mindful. I knew I was doing it and did it anyway hoping not to get caught. Well, that’s only partially true, actually I was hoping to get caught, to see who was sharp enough and clever enough to put matrix, axis, up and out, vertical and horizontal, meaning and performance, etc. together. And there actually were several. But, of course, I swore them all to secrecy because if they spread the secret of the Matrix construction and the inner core of Neuro-Semantics, I would have to kill them (with kisses, of course!).
“So what are the axes of the Matrix model?”
The axes are the two key factors that define neuro-semantics—meaning and performance.
I began identifying that explicitly about three years ago when I first defined Neuro- in terms of performance and Semantics as meaning and then two years ago, this was made even more explicit in the Self-Actualization Quadrants (and axes).
But there’s more!
“There’s more? What more can there be? A matrix is comprised of two conceptual axes that then provides the semantic space for a concept, so how could there be more?”
Thanks! Glad you asked. You want to know what’s more? Well, let’s now put the developmental stages that I garnished from Developmental Psychology for the Matrix Model (2002) into the axes to create three axes thereby moving from 2-dimensional space to 3dimensional space. When we do that we have one of those boxes that look like a Borg Spaceship (another reason I’ve hesitated putting it in this format, especially after relentlessly teasing Robert Dilts about his Borg-like “Jungle Gym” construction which he uses for neuro-logical levels, the times zones of past, present, and future and the three perceptual positions).
“Okay, okay, so what’s the result?”
Great. Here we go. The diagrams here were created by Adrian Beardsley, a Neuro-Semantic/ NLP Trainer with Impact Solutions International in Australia. In the first one you see the two axes of meaning and performance from which I designed the Self-Actualization Quadrants. There’s a lot more to it than this, but you’ll have to wait for the book Unleashed (or get to the Ultimate Self-Actualization Workshop).
There you have it! Now you can imaginely see the matrix of the Matrix model. Personally, I prefer the more dynamic diagrams of the Matrix. I just really don’t care for this box-like structure over the dynamic forms of the Matrix model which we have put into the books and training manuals. But you now know the matrix of the Matrix Model.
Author:
L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. modeler and entrepreneur who sometimes writes, sometimes trains, does a tad of coaching, and is even known to jog around the block, give advice about NLP, and philosophize about politics. Recently he’s been modeling the structure of humor as a way to float above seriousness.