Just as you can see the words you are reading on this page in front of you and just as you can feel the clothes you are wearing touching your skin, you can also see, hear, feel, smell and taste exactly the same and more in your own mind.

Close your eyes and you can imagine your hands holding this book. Picture the room around you as well as you close your eyes again. Think about your favourite song and inside your own mind you can now hear it. Imagine what it is like to walk barefoot on soft lawn grass in the morning with the dew still clinging to each blade and you can begin to feel your feet feeling soothed and tickled. Remember a past memory of something wonderful that happened to you and you will probably start to feel that special moment just as if it is happening to you again right now.

Some people find it very easy to see images in their minds eye and some people say they see nothing at all. Most people can see images if they close their eyes (at least they do when they are dreaming, for instance). However, if you are one of the people who find it difficult you can try this exercise. What colour is your front door? OK, great. Now imagine your door in a different colour. How would that look? Now imagine it with a really big brass knocker on the front. Now bring up an image of the face of your favourite teacher at school.

Do you see anything? If not, do you get a sensation of seeing those images? It isn´t important what you see or feel at the moment just that you are aware of something happening in your mind. You might not get a clear and vivid image or massive feeling without some practice, but as long as you get at least a sense of what you are seeing or feeling that´s ok, even if it isn’t photo quality.

Sounds are easier to elicit. There probably isn´t anyone who can’t hear their favourite song in their mind. In fact, sometimes this submodality can be so strong it can be annoying, like when you hear a really annoying tune and just can’t get it out of your head. Sounds are very powerful and useful for manipulating the feelings we attach to events and situations.

All of the systems we use to interact with the outside world can be used internally. Sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. What is important is how it can have such a dramatic effect on our emotions and how we feel even when we aren’t expecting it. How and why these feelings are triggered is a whole science in itself and would require a book of its own to go into in detail. For the purpose of managing your inner confidence we will concentrate on changing how you relate to them and how they affect you in life and relationships.

The list below will give you an indication of how many ways there are to manipulate the internal sensory systems and you can use any of them for the following exercises.

PREDICATES

Visual

Brightness, size, magnification, colour, black or white, saturation, vividness, hue or colour balance, shape, location, distance, contrast, clarity, focus, duration, movement, slideshow or movie, speed, direction of movement, 3-dimensional or flat, perspective or point of view, associated or dissociated, foreground or background, frequency or number, transparent or opaque.

Auditory

Such as, pitch, tempo (speed), volume, rhythm, continuous or interrupted, timbre or tonality, digital, associated or dissociated, duration, location, distance, contrast, clarity, number, symmetry, resonance with context, external or internal source and mono or stereo.

Kinaesthetic

Such as pressure, location extent, texture, temperature, movement, duration, intensity, shape, and frequency.

Olfactory and Gustatory (Smell and Taste)

Such as, sweet, sour, bitter, salt, burnt and aromatic.