Neurolinguistic Programming Workbook

by Funding Pips

Meta Model:

Content: It challenges vague and distorted language, helping to clarify thoughts and beliefs.

Example: Trader thinks, "The market is always against me." Meta Model questions this
generalization to reframe thinking.

Milton Model:

Content: It uses ambiguous and metaphorical language to access the subconscious, fostering
positive self-talk.

Example: Encouraging a trader to envision themselves as a 'wise navigator' of market trends,

The Meta Model in detail

Details: The Meta Model in NLP is a tool that aims to clarify language, uncovering the
underlying message in communication that is often obscured by deletions, distortions, and
generalizations. It's about asking specific questions to make the vague specific and the
general precise.

Challenging Deletions: Where a person may omit crucial information. For example, "I'm
upset because of the feedback." The Meta Model would probe: "What exactly about the
feedback upset you?”

Challenging Distortions: Where someone might twist information. For instance, "He ignored
my ideas," could be met with, "How specifically did he ignore your ideas?”

Challenging Generalizations: Overarching statements that may not be true in all cases. E.g.,
"I never win at trading," could be questioned with, "Has there really never been a time when
you made a successful trade?”

Example with the Meta Model:

Situation: A person is reluctant to start a new fitness routine, saying, "Exercise is too hard.”

Meta Model Intervention: By asking, "What specifically is hard about exercise to you?" and
"Have all types of exercise been equally hard?" the individual may realize that it’s not
exercise itself that's hard, but perhaps the type they chose or the time they tried to do it.
The Milton Model in detail

Details: The Milton Model is the inverse of the Meta Model and is used to communicate in a
way that is deliberately vague and metaphorical, allowing individuals to fill in the gaps with
their own experiences, thereby accessing resources from their subconscious.

Utilizing Ambiguity: Language is kept purposely vague to allow for a wide range of
interpretations. For example, "Imagine a trading decision where you feel completely at
ease.”

Using Metaphors: Metaphors allow individuals to draw parallels with their own experiences.
"Trading can be like sailing; even with a strong current, a skilled sailor knows how to navigate
to their destination.”

Indirect Suggestions: Instead of direct advice, suggestions are embedded within the
conversation. "Many traders find their morning routine sets the stage for a focused day.”

Example with the Milton Model:

Situation: A student is anxious about exams.

Milton Model Intervention: "Consider how, like a tree that stands firm regardless of the
weather, you too have weathered many challenges. Each leaf could represent a skill you've
learned, each branch an achievement. And just as a tree grows stronger over the years, so
have you with every study session.”

Both models provide a structure for refining communication and thought patterns, which is
especially useful in trading. The Meta Model can dismantle limiting beliefs by challenging
imprecise language, whereas the Milton Model can create a positive mindset by allowing
traders to draw upon their subconscious resources.

The Meta Model In ACTION

Limiting Belief Case Study: “After all the work I've put in the past 2 years and all this money
I've lost (so much money so far). I had so much pain and although I'm finally consistent in
demo for 2 months now...I still keep doing all these stupid things (trading random moves
when my model isn't there AND overleveraging) as soon as I start a challenge. I really
wonder if I will ever make it to fix this behaviour”

Meta Model Questions and Application:

1. Questioning Vague Language:

2. Challenging Generalizations:
• "Have there really been no instances where you stuck to your model during a
challenge?"
• "Is it true that you always overleverage, or are there times when you manage your
risk appropriately?"

3. Exploring the Extent of Behaviour:

• "What exactly happens that leads you to trade when your model isn't there?"
• "How often do you overleverage compared to the number of trades you take?"

4. Investigating Cause and Effect:

• "What causes you to feel that you must trade, even when it's not according to your
model?"
• "How does overleveraging relate to the outcome you want to achieve?"

5. Assessing Beliefs About Ability to Change:

• "What makes you believe that this behaviour cannot be changed?"

6. Looking for Counterexamples:

• "Can you recall a time when you successfully followed your trading plan during a real
challenge?"
• "Have you considered that your consistent demo trading might be evidence that you
can control these behaviours?"

7. Identifying Resources and Abilities:

• "What strengths have you demonstrated in your two months of consistent demo
trading that you can apply to live challenges?"
• "What strategies or resources could you use to prevent overtrading or
overleveraging?"

By asking these questions, the Meta Model helps to dissect the limiting belief, revealing that
it might not be as pervasive or unchangeable as it seems. It opens up possibilities for change
by highlighting inconsistencies in the belief, past successes, and potential strategies for
improvement. This process is not just about asking questions, but about creating a dialogue
that facilitates self-reflection and encourages a more empowering and resourceful state of
mind.

The Milton Model In ACTION

Negative Self-talk Case Study : “A trader often speaks negatively about themselves, sees
negativity in every trading outcome, and feels they are not good enough for trading success.”

Milton Model Techniques and Application:

1. Use of Metaphor:

"Imagine your trading journey is like a seed planted in fertile soil. It’s natural to face the
darkness as you grow roots. Every trader, no matter how successful now, started as a
seed and faced the same darkness, but it's not the darkness that defines them. It’s the
growth towards the light, the resilience to push through the soil, and the blossoming
into a strong tree that stands tall, regardless of the changing seasons.”

2. Positive Presuppositions:

"You may not have noticed yet how each trade, even those that don't go your way, is
adding to the richness of your experience, just as every painter adds to their skill with
every stroke of the brush, whether they keep the painting or paint over it.”

3. Future Pacing:

"As you continue to trade, there will come a day when you'll look back at these early
challenges and realize they were the stepping stones to your success, each one
perfecting your approach, your strategy, your mindset.”

4. Reframing:

"It’s often when we think we’re not moving forward that the most growth is happening,
like the times of stillness in nature right before a bud bursts into bloom.”

5. Embedded Commands:

"And you can allow yourself to acknowledge your progress, to feel the strength of your
dedication, and to embrace the learning each trade brings."
 6. Indirect Suggestion:

"Consider the possibility that what you perceive as not being good enough might just be
the foundation of a profound understanding of the markets that you are building, piece
by piece."

7. Utilizing Ambiguity:

"And as you're sitting there, trading, you might find yourself surprised by how feelings of
competence and adequacy begin to emerge, often when you least expect it.”

By incorporating these Milton Model techniques, the trader is invited to shift their perspective
without direct confrontation. The suggestions and metaphors used allow the subconscious
mind to explore new ways of thinking and being, which can lead to a more positive self-
assessment and a hopeful outlook on trading.

All the best!

P.