Quadronic Alignment
You will have by now realised that Robert Dilts' starting point of the 'Neurological Levels Alignment' is Environment which, we now know, contains all of the Four Quadrants at the same time. In terms of Systems Theory, this is the space in which we explore the system; no System can exist outside of an Environment or context.

For most of us, however, this is too big a picture to contemplate; we need to be able to differentiate before we can integrate. In the process Robert takes us to the Upper Right or Objective Quadrant (UR) to consider our Behaviours first. This is the Quadrant of the Exterior Individual where we exhibit the external manifestations of the interior self.

Having thought about the present, he then has us move up and down within the Exterior Individual Quadrant (UR) so that we can consider the past and the future as well as the present. We are invited to contemplate past behaviours, which might be useful to us again in the future. We are invited to contemplate future potential behaviours that we might exhibit now.

In addition to exploring the Exterior Individual Quadrant (UR) we are also invited across to the Interior Individual Quadrant (UL) where we can look at our Skills which are an internal construction. We stay in the Subjective Quadrant (UL) as we explore Beliefs and Values.

Very cleverly, Robert next invites us to integrate these two sides of the Individual – the Interior (UL) and the Exterior (UR) – by getting us to consider Identity. What is Identity if not a synthesis of the Behaviours, Beliefs and Values of the 'NLP Pie' or Mercedes Model? On completing this process we have differentiated and integrated the Upper Halves of the Quadrants (UL & UR) and considered some of this over time.

For complete integration, however, we need to move to the Lower Half of the Quadrants (LL & LR) and consider the Individual in terms

- A REASSESSMENT

Part 2

of the society and social structures within which we operate as well as the Beliefs and Values of our society. Robert does this by asking us to think about "Who or what else is involved?" at which point our attention shifts to the larger palette of the Interobjective and the Intersubjective. Having now reintegrated that which we formerly differentiated we can now bring this back to the specific context or issue that we wanted new perspectives on.

And so what starts as something, which is (not)neuro(not)logical(not)levels, ends up by enabling us to gain integration at a very deep level and this, I believe, is why the process works. It may also explain why so many of us have accepted the process at face value; we don’t need to understand it because it works.                                           

The Quadronic Alignment Process

If we summarise the process in terms of the Quadrants it would look something like this:

Environment
The context which may contain some or all aspects of the Quadrants.

This is an invitation to differentiate different aspects of the issue. On the Four Quadrants we find this right at the centre of the map.

Behaviours
The Upper Right Quadrant concerned with objectivity.

Capabilities
We stay in the Upper Right and consider our behaviours over time – past and future and/or we move across to the Upper Left Quadrant of subjectivity and think and feel about our skills.

Beliefs & Values
We stay in the Upper Left Quadrant as we think and feel about our beliefs and values.

Identity
In considering who we are and our sense of self there is an integration of Upper Left & Upper Right. Those of us who are more Others Referenced will also start to explore how all that we have considered will affect others and will already have shifted some of our attention to the Lower Quadrants.

Spirituality Or Connectedness
We now shift our attention to Lower Left & Lower Right – the realms of Intersubjectivity and interobjectivity – and begin the process of integrating them.

Identity, Beliefs, Values, Capabilities, Behaviours
As we collapse the anchors set up there is an integration of Lower Left / Lower Right with Upper Left / Upper Right.

Environment
We now return to the context having considered all Quadrants at all Levels and ideally we move towards Integration.

                                                              Conclusion
My aim has been to help the more logical of you to understand how and why people are so attracted to Robert Dilts’ process and that those of you who are enamoured of the process may start to think a little more about how and why some of the NLP processes that we all take for granted work. It is only through this deeper understanding of the deeper structures that we will be able to continue the development of NLP. The world tends to allow its children all sorts of leeways but now that we are emerging from our adolescence and taking initial steps into the real world we need to develop more intellectual robustness if we are to survive.

I would welcome comments and discussion on these concepts and ideas.