Temperature

Perhaps the most frequently noticed sub-modality is that our temperature rises when we’re excited and lowers when we are bored. We use terms like “hot blooded” or “cold bitch” to describe behaviors.

Since all behavior is a result of thoughts, and most thoughts are the conclusion of memories, you feel what you think due to what you remember, and that has an effect on your perceived body temperature.

Your actual physiological temperature (normally at 37C) might not change at all, although you may feel “hot” or “frozen” inside.

Texture

Our world is experienced mostly in 3D. Texture as a kinesthetic sub-modality is the fabric of that memory – What do you sense it could be if you touched it? Rough? Smooth? Bumpy?

degree of adaptability

That is also a mental attitude and not only a visible piece of information. Could you change the movement of emotions you feel inside, or is it too rigid and “out of your control”? Road rage is often described as a total lack of flexibility in a specific context and time frame.

Vibration

The familiar sensation of shivering (with excitement, or due to cold). How rapid and intense is it?

Pressure

When you remember a memory, it might cause a certain pressure in your body, usually felt above the eyes or on the lower lip (notice that many people who spend time in emotional day fantasies, their lips are swollen and their lower lip especially is dropped).

Tension

Tension is felt similar to pressure, but it is a definite uncomfortable feeling that causes the desire to “release the tension.” Also, tension can be described by its location in the body.

Movement

Emotions move. Emotion can be described as energy in motion. At most times, if you feel a strong emotion, it does not just lie motionless. It moves around, up and down, left and right, in crosses, in circles, in half-moon circles, or an infinite spiral…

If you feel the movement, you can also find a pattern. In NLP seminars, we work a lot with this sub-modality, because it is a very effective modality for gaining control over fears and phobias.

Breathing

The breathing pattern is a kinesthetic sub-modality. How deep, from where to where, how low, or shallow is your breathing?

Weight

Here we don’t refer to your body’s weight, but to the “weight” of the experience. Does it feel heavy, unbearable, or light?

Confinement

We can also define some feelings as “confined,” which means they are not only manageable and light-weighted, but we can block them to a specific location, usually between our hands. These are the kind of emotional experiences that we can turn on and turn off almost on cue, without being overwhelmed. Sadly enough, in most cases we found that “love” or “passion” gets confined while “rage” and “anger” do not.

Change Of Size Or Shape

That is related to the Movement Submodality, since sometimes as the sensation moves through your body (or beyond it), it might change its size and shape accordingly. You may be able to “confine” it if it’s a foot ahead of you and feels like it’s less than the length of your shoulders.

Direction

Where did it go? Where is it going? From where?

Triggers

Just as certain words can trigger emotions, a certain touch can also be an “anchor” for an emotional roller-coaster. It is physically observable in rape victims, when a certain movement and touch can send them into a trance and a fearful internal experience in less than a brief second.