Filtering is not a passive activity. We actively scan for evidence to confirm our existing world-views, thereby creating the self fulfilling prophecies that form the illusion of an objective experience of reality.

Our individual filters are determined by our perceptions of time, space, matter and energy, as well as the language we use, our understanding of words and gestures, our memories, the unique way we go about making decisions, the patterns we look for when selecting information, our values and beliefs, plus our overall attitude.

The 5 filters include - Metaprograms, values, beliefs, memories and decision.

These five filters will determine how we internally represent an event that is occurring now. It is our internal representation that puts us in a certain state, and creates a certain physiology. The state in which we find ourselves, will determine our behavior, and the NLP Communication Model will determine how we process all the information from the outside world.