Cortico-limbic technique for targeted communication (CLTC)

In the course of evolution our brain has developed as a predictive machine, constantly engaged in detecting potential threats or danger. Therefore the ability to detect any potential signals indicative of such conditions is part of our most basic and primitive brain, the limbic system (more about the emotional and the thinking brain).

One of the best predictors of potentially dangerous situations is if someone else nearby is in such a situation.  Our brain becomes engaged then to identify the other’s stress responses and respond immediately, even unconsciously.

The information detected in the emotional brain area is physical and non-verbal.  It detects face expressions and body gestures. Body gestures, even more than facial expressions, transfers information that can guide your own behavior. Fearful faces signal a threat, but do not provide information about the best way to deal with it. By contrast, fearful body positions signal a threat and at the same time specify the action undertaken by the individuals fearing for their safety (you start to run away when you see others escaping, even before you see the lion chasing them). Therefore body-gestures comprise a considerate aspect in our communication, and due to its crucial relevance to our survival it is encoded in our most innate and unconscious areas of the brain.

Our brain has developed a wonderful ability to detect gestures associated with the internal state of the person. Just as the immune system, which can detect pathogens by identifying some basic proteins that the pathogen just has to create for its own survival, our brain can detect the gestures that are innately accompany different mental states; only few people can tell a lie with their hands against their chest- and our brain knows that. Obviously, those who can do that can create an enormous trust and deceive people. Similarly, even the best poker players, might have somebody gesture that indicates their real internal feeling.

Like many other emotional processes, they not often reach our consciousness. We are often left with a hunch, or unexplained good or bad feeling. Our brain detects and analyses every person on different levels and eventually we can end up saying “wow, he is a great guy, but I don’t know why, I just don’t feel we are right for each other” or in a better situation “It feels like we have known each other forever”. Well, its not since ever, its just that he passed the test of your emotional brain- and there it is, it is all about non-verbal communication.

In order to gain conscious control over these signs detected by your brain, the right circuits have to be made. You need to create a conscious representation for each gesture in your “thinking brain” the cortex. The Body language Cards do just that.

We divided the different body gestures into categories. One of the main features of our brain is categorization. By using this feature we can now teach the brain a wide variety of gestures stemming from these main categories. Each gesture is represented by a card; this serves several purposes; first, body language is a visual language and it has to be learned via similar mode. Second, by isolating each gesture (and you can see the minimalist drawing style of the cards), we can emphasize each category. The cards are represented with icons that accompany each gesture- this is aimed to create an immediate conscious association with the meaning of the gesture. On the back of each card a sentence capturing the main psychological meaning is provided. Our brain catches these sentences better then the explanation. It also puts the attention of the user into the correct frame allowing better acquisition of the more detailed information below.

The unique technique of use is designed to maximize the learning potential of each card. Follow the instructions.

Now days, our main stressful and dangerous conditions are no longer in the woods or the savanna escaping from lions, but rather on a meeting with the boss or on a romantic date. In these cases, we no longer need our ancient emotional part of the brain to take over our responses and direct our behavior (more about “emotional hijacking” ), on the contrary, we need to take control and understand the situation. This is exactly what you can achieve by the Body language Cards.

The conscious responses are mostly generated by a sophisticated brain structure, the neocortex. The neocortex is an external layer enveloping the emotional, limbic system. These systems interact with each other and information travels back and forth. In some cases, information integrated in the limbic system is further analyzed in the higher cortical level where it induces a conscious response, understanding or opinion. In some cases, however, things do not reach our consciousness, resulting in a poorly limbic response leading to what is known as “emotional hijacking.”

The cortex analyses the input and makes sense. It also integrates inputs from different sources "Aha," it says, " I am standing beside my gardening equipment, then this must be a watering pipe and not a snack- I can relax”.

But jumping in response to the feeling of a long tube will make you jump first.