The Mental Map of the Gaze

The Involuntary Eye Movement

Our eyes not only move to observe the outside world; they also move involuntarily in specific directions depending on how we are processing information internally.

These movements, known in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) as "eye cues," give us clues as to whether a person is accessing a visual memory, constructing an image, hearing a sound, feeling an emotion, or having an internal dialogue.

The eyes can give us a way to verify what the person is "doing" in his or her head at that very moment.

While many people focus only on the words that are spoken, they miss this "gold mine" of information.

The Visual Axis (Up)

Generally, when a person looks up, they are accessing their visual channel.

In the standard NLP model for a right-handed person, this breaks down as follows:

Up to your left (Visual Remembered - Vr): The person is accessing an image from their memory.

He is "seeing" something that has already happened, such as the color of his first car, the face of a loved one, or the route he takes to work.

Top right (Visual Construal - Vc): The person is creating an image that he/she has probably not seen before.

He is "imagining" something, such as a purple elephant, what his boss would look like in a ridiculous outfit, or how his kitchen would look painted a different color.

The Auditory Axis (Lateral)

If the gaze moves horizontally, at ear level, the person is processing auditory information:

Lateral to his left (Auditory Recalled - Ar): He is remembering a sound from the past, such as his favorite song, a previous discussion with a colleague, or his mother's voice.

Lateral to your right (Auditory Constructed - Ac): You are creating a new sound.

For example, imagining what the national anthem would sound like sung in the voice of a cartoon character.

The Kinesthetic and Internal Dialogue Axis (Down).

When the gaze is directed downward, it accesses internal dialogue or emotions:

Down to your right (Internal Dialogue - Ad): This is the most common access. It indicates that the person is talking to himself, analyzing himself, asking questions or reflecting on what has been said.

Bottom left (Kinesthetic - K): Means that the person is accessing an emotion, a feeling or a bodily sensation (touch, taste, smell).

Warning about Laterality and Calibration

It is absolutely critical not to use this model to jump to conclusions, especially about lying.

Why? First, this standard pattern may be reversed in left-handed people.

A left-hander might look up to the right to remember an image and up to the left to construct it. Therefore, before interpreting, you must "calibrate" the person.

Ask him memory questions whose answer you know or can verify (Visual Remembered) such as "What color is the door to your house?" or "What was the last co-worker you saw today?" and note which way his eyes are looking.

Then, ask them construction questions (Visual Constructed) such as "What would a car with wings look like?".

Only after establishing your personal baseline pattern can you use these cues to detect inconsistencies.

Practical Application: Tailored Questions.

Once you understand this concept, you can dramatically improve your communication.

Instead of being a passive observer, you can adapt your ques