In An Ideal World: NLP in Science Fiction

© Richard Bolstad

Sure: In an ideal world there would be no terrorism, and children would learn NLP life skills before puberty. Social organisation would be based on the presuppositions of NLP, and medicine would integrate NLP into every treatment. But what would this world look like, in more detail? The two books I review here seek to answer that question. Island is a more orthodox “utopian” novel in the tradition of Plato’s Republic. The Fifth Sacred Thing is hard science fiction. What they share is the vast dream of, to use Robert Dilts’ words, “a world worth living in”. In fact, both Aldous Huxley and Starhawk envisage their ideal society in profoundly spiritual terms.

The purpose of reading such books is not to escape from the “reality” of our current life for a spiritual “Never-Never Land”. However, it’s also true, as Oscar Wilde once said, that a “practical” scheme is either one already in existence, or a scheme that could be carried out under the existing conditions. As it is exactly the existing conditions that we are trying to change, any such scheme is completely pointless. These two books ask us to have the courage to create the impractical future we desire. They warn us that we will be trapped in the current nightmare until our dreams are bold enough to shake the foundations of the world.

The Fifth Sacred Thing

(Starhawk, Bantam, New York, 1993)

“Today,” Madrone said, “we’re going to work on Anchoring Anchoring is a way to get quickly in and out of particular levels of trance,” she went on, “by keying each level to its own image and phrase and to a physical touch on a part of the body. So find yourself a partner now…”

A quote from a transcript of one of our NLP courses? No, it’s actually an excerpt from a science fiction/fantasy novel called The Fifth Sacred Thing. The novel is written by Starhawk, a respected feminist writer, peace-ecology activist and author of two books on Wicca (witchcraft). Starhawk has an MA in Psychology, and a convincing knowledge of such NLP phenomena as rapport, anchoring, and parts integration. She has been a consultant on three films, and travels widely in America and Europe, lecturing and running workshops. Her 490 page first novel creates a fictional society based on the understandings of NLP .

It’s a challenge for a non-fiction writer to switch to fiction, and some don’t pull it off (“The Return of Merlin” by Depaak Chopra, for example, is great metaphor, but a poorly written novel. As a reader of science fiction, I found it tortuous). Starhawk does more than pull it off, she is awesome! For those who know science fiction, this book is reminiscent of Sheri Tepper’s Raising the Stones, Joan Slonczewski’s A Door Into Ocean and Pat Murphy’s The City Not Long After. For those of you who don’t yet know science fiction, why not read those three after Starhawk’s book; they’re also good!

The Fifth Sacred Thing has suspense, unpredictability, compassion and awe. The story is set in a not too distant future in the United States. In California there flourishes a society without poverty, hunger or intolerance, where the four sacred  things that sustain all life (earth, air, fire and water) are honoured, cared for and freely available. This society escapes perfection, and has it’s factions, but it has so far resolved differences using a consensus community process. The biggest differences are about how to respond to the rest of the United States, where a totalitarian nightmare has emerged. The society ruled by the “Stewards” is an apartheid state where access to even food and drinkable water is strictly controlled. In this society, women and children are property, and children are genetically altered and bred as submissive prostitutes and emotionally numb soldiers. The environment is a toxic stew, and the totalitarian government continues to develop and release viruses designed to exterminate those not under its control. (does this all sound pretty normal? Well, what’s a meta for? )

The central figures in the story are caught up in the events as the Stewards finally get it together to send an army north to liberate our utopian community. Madrone, Bird and the others each face their own dilemmas as they plan how to train a peaceful society to respond to an army who don’t feel and generals who believe that spirituality, ecology and human equality are evil. What would you do, if you planned to subvert a war, using rapport, anchoring and other such “magic”? There are no simple solutions. Starhawk is uncompromising with her script; don’t expect everyone to live happily ever after. And yet, the overall feeling I was left with by this book was of awe and admiration for what humans could do when they know what it is to be human. I believe we need a new mythology to inspire us, and for me, The Fifth Sacred Thing is definitely part of that mythology.

Island

(Aldous Huxley, Harper & Row, New York, 1989)

Most of us who studied Aldous Huxley’s famous dystopia Brave New World know his fears but know little of his hopes. Island, published in 1962, just two years before Huxley’s death, is more than a utopias; it is his affirmation of life and a weaving together of the many threads in his life’s tapestry. Island tells the story of the mythical South East Asian island of Pala, a society based on Huxley’s own interpretation of Mahayana Buddhism.

Huxley was an advocate of tantric sex, of non-violence, of “sacramental” hallucinogenic drug use, and of living life “here and now”, years before the rest of California caught on to all of these. He was also a close friend of such other extraordinary change agents as Indian Teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti, Taoist master Chungliang Al Huang, and hypnotherapist Milton H. Erickson. The social blueprint of Island will be recognised by practitioners of any of these disciplines, or students of these teachers. Huxley’s work with Erickson is discussed in Bandler and Grinder’s Patterns of the Techniques of Milton H Erickson, MD. Volume 1 (Meta, Cupertino, California, 1975, p 59-126).

Reading Island with the hindsight of NLP, I am tempted to classify the book firstly as prophecy. While it lacks in depth of plot, and strays at times into preaching, it is a moving psychological fable studded with excellent NLP. As one might expect, there are a couple of good examples of Ericksonian inductions, and the theory of indirect suggestion and hypnotherapy is explained. Huxley also has the Palinese teacher Susila introduce a new field which she calls Destiny Control. This is based on “Pressing our own buttons and then visualising what we’d like to happen.” These “buttons” referred to are what we in NLP call anchors. Susila demonstrates to her visitor Will Farnaby that by adjusting her tone of voice and using certain words, she can induce Will to enter the state of mind where he first heard these. The use of such buttons, she says, is taught in Palinese elementary schools.

Similarly, she explains, a number of techniques for healing traumatic memory are taught in these schools. Such memories can, for example, be visualised and the images altered so that they appear trivial or even absurd, and can then be let go of. Susila also teaches Will to help heal his injured leg by imagining that the injury is very small, and his body is much larger.

Generally, its hard to believe that this book pre-dates NLP by 13 years, especially when we find that at school, young Palinese learners are assessed for visual, auditory or kinesthetic learning preferences (so they can both be taught in their preferred style and helped to develop all the sensory systems fully). Astute NLP Practitioners will also enjoy Huxley’s grasp of metaprograms, and his use of reframing. Island is both a source of NLP ideas and another glimpse of the world that might have been.

Children on Pala island also learn meditation of course, and are reminded to “be here now” by mynah birds that fly around the island saying “Here and now!”

Brightwater: Major Ryan returns

(Jessamine Matheson, Independent, San Bernadino)

As one of the teachers who taught Jessamine Matheson Zhineng Chi Kung, I feel like I have a stronger connection to this book than the other two above. It’s absolutely in the same genre (Utopian Science Fiction) and full of intriguing possibilities, as I say in my review: “Jessamine Matheson’s book gets that perfect balance between scientific realism and hopeful idealism. Stunningly prophetic (and I first read this manuscript long before most people knew what a coronavirus was) and with a message desperately needed in our times. As someone who works teaching people how to recover from major social and environmental crises (such as war, pandemic and earthquakes) I know that this is the kind of metaphor our generation will be searching for. In the same sub-genre as Sheri Tepper, Starhawk and Jean Slonczewski, Matheson constructs a skilful fast paced narrative that builds suspense and excitement. A great read with some great ideas in the background. And a book that will leave you thinking, as good Science Fiction does, ‘What if we could…’”

The story setup has Tom Ryan returning to Earth in 2098 after 80 years in cold-sleep, and learning what has changed, from Grace, a civil servant who had helped deal with the global pandemic of 2025. The inhabitants of Britain managed to isolate themselves from this disaster and build a more tolerant, more equal, more compassionate society, led by a Council of Grandmothers. Their use of Chi Kung enables them to live well into their second century. “Since his return to Brightwater, Tom had begun to learn Lift Chi Up, Pour Chi Down, the most basic level of Zhineng Chi Kung, from the teacher assigned to teach the children in the estate school.” (p. 223) Some readers may be a little uncomfortable with a utopia that has accidentally bred homosexuality out of existence, and where (due to an involuntary chi response rather than social sanction) rape results in the instant death of the rapist. It’s also a society where wolves have been reintroduced to the countryside, and where people take reincarnation for granted, and where allowing robots to gain self-awareness is one of the most contentious issues. In short, there are a dazzling series of social experiments clustered together, and Jessamine’s experience as an NLP Master Practitioner and Chi Kung Practitioner comes through solidly again and again.

Richard Bolstad is an NLP trainer with a strong interest in science fiction. He can be contacted at richard@transformations.org.nz.