Reframing: Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the Transformation of Meaning

Still relevant and a gold mine., April 1, 2002 Reviewer: John Schertzer (NY, NY USA) A careful reading of this book will unearth a wealth of information, not only about remedial and generative models developed in early NLP, but also how and why models were designed as they were to begin with. If one keeps that in mind, as well as the primary presupposition (map/territory), there will be no vast discrepancy between old and new NLP, nor even DHE. You can see the roots right here. The authors themselves make a point in saying that the Six Step Reframing pattern, for instance, was only structured the way it was as a teaching tool, and that it should be forgotten once it was integrated with other communication processes. The Parts metaphor, they say, is only a one of a number of ways of mapping "as if," perhaps only a way of "chunking" behavior. Bandler is cleverer than everybody thinks: if he doesn't use parts as a metaphor, then what are all the "machines" he's talking about? What about the spacial/visual representations of decision making strategies, et al? Aren't they essentially the same thing? The problem is people tend to forget that these are not actuallities but only useful ways of talking. This book takes the simpler version of reframing from "Frogs" and really opens it up, describes how it can be used in conjunction with anchoring and linguistic patterns, until it begins to disintegrate as a specific and separate model and becomes a direction. For another possible view of these issues, see Anti-Oedipus: capitalism and schizophrenia, by Deleuze and Guattari, which dances along to similar music, including the contradictions.. --------------------------------------------------------- An Important Step for NLP, March 19, 2001 Reviewer: Karl (England, Great Britain) I think it sometimes helps to think of Bandler and Grinder as intrepid explorers. ?That is to say, much of the early development of NLP consisted of tracking known experts - Perls, Satir, Erickson, Korzybski, etc. - sifting through a wealth of information and finding those vital bits that provided the key to everything else. In the case of reframing, this was already a well-established concept in certain circles when B&G started to develop NLP. The three founders of the Brief Therapy unit at Palo Alto (Watzlawick, Weakland and Fisch) had brought out "Change", which also covers reframing in some detail, back in 1972, for example. But the value of the B&G book is not to be measured by how well it tallies with earlier works. It's importance lies, I suggest, in what it tells us about how NLP developed as it did. As you can see from earler reviews, the idea of "parts" (partly! derived from Virginia Satir's "parts parties") is not to everyone's taste. ?Joseph Riggio, a well respected NLP trainer, suggests that this approach can produce "fractionation and fragmentation". Yet there are lots of people who find that dealing with "parts" fits very well with their view of the world.?And after all, NLP is first and foremost about what works *for you*. Over the last few years it has become clear that there is no such thing as "bog standard NLP". Everyone who gets involved will have their own ideas, views, techniques and methods. My advice would be that this book is just one of several key texts that trace the history of NLP. Whether or not, in the end, you decide that the ideas herein are suitable for you, I think this book will inevitably help you to gain a greater understanding of what lies at the heart of NLP.

As a sales trainer, I look for potent concepts and techniques from psychology to help sales pros improve influence skills. So "Reframing" a buyer's beliefs or comments is a powerful tactic to change the direction of a conversation. Early on, the authors give you a great example of a reframe. Woman cleans her house 5-7 times a day (!). Obsessed with cleanliness. NOBODY walks on the carpet, no footprints allowed. The counselor tells her to think about those pristine, clean white carpets and realize that it means she is all alone. Nobody you love is around you. How's that for a reframe? Great book, fun reading, fascinating stories layered with strategies. Counseling or Selling? You should own this book.

Not sure about Mr. Bandler as I've seen him on video somewhere and thought he was rather a showman: like he may have been a con artist when he apparently hypnotized this woman. Why? Because it was so hard for me to believe or imagine she could go under that quickly! However, I thought this book a real winner. I will re-read it again (read it quite a few years ago) along with the other book I bought at the time, Trans-formations by Grinder, which I'll review after I read it again. Got a lot out of both books and now that I'm writing it, am going to read them again. This time I'll read them and take notes. Though I have my doubts about the writer, it shouldn't retract from the value of his books. I am probably no great judge of character so don't let me prejudice you. Just appreciate the messages rather than look closely at the messenger.

Along with "Frogs into Princes", this book has had the power, and demonstrated it, to change the lives of everyone on the planet. The simple key to communication with the mind, with the intent to change behaviors and emotions is revealed simply as perspective, that is, reframing. It has opened up all paths of possibility of change, even in the face of severe trauma, by leading the suffering or mislead mind into a walk in different shoes.

I gave Reframing 5 Stars because it was easy to read and contained many NLP Techniques which were easy to understand and do. I recommend Reframing to all Hypnotists and Change Work Practitioners who want more tools in their tool box to help their clients change unwanted habits. I especially liked the Creating a New Part Technique.

Item as expected...

This is a hard book to follow and read. However I have learned a lot and it has changed my worldview to understand my experiences and life a hell of a lot better. I understand people a lot better now.

This book was huge for me. It's given me a new tool for personal and relational work.

Good book, postage perfect, will buy more books from infinite books

何が起ころうが 起こる現象に意味はありません。あなたが意味をつけるまでは。フレームを作り直すのがリフレーム リとは再びということ。つまり いままでの感情を作りなおしましようという工夫です。感情が変化すれば世界が変わります。

In this book ‘reframing’ develops a channel to the unconscious, which becomes “the part of the person forcing him to do the behaviour he consciously wants to change, or prevents him from doing the behaviour he consciously wants to be able to do.” Though over 35 years later Bandler has stated reframing is not something he usually does any more (hard to believe I know) - provocatively advocating re-blaming as the better way (!) - one could argue if modern-day NLP coaching is going to succeed as a manifestation of generative change, rather than follow an extended series of ah-ah moments, then there might be a reason for the primacy of the presupposition - ‘the ability to change the process by which we experience reality is often more valuable than changing the content of our experience of reality.’ Though reframing may appear at first an NLP term it was referenced eight years earlier by Watzlawick et al (an influence on Grinder) who defined the ‘gentle art’ as “changing viewpoints in relation to which a situation is experienced and to place it in another frame which fits the 'facts' of the same concrete situation equally well or even better, and thereby changing its entire meaning.” B&G call this classic approach ‘content reframing’, described by Koestler as ‘bisociation’ (the ability to connect an event in two separate and different contexts) and they concentrate on certain areas of attaching new responses to sensory experience by either a: 1. meaning reframe, i.e. a new complex equivalence including to a larger frame (“you can make it mean anything some how”). 2. context reorientate, i.e. comparative generalisation (“every behaviour will be useful some where”). These two types of framing could be expanded to incorporate Dilt’s logical levels (with personal preference for the choice of adverbs) as follows: 1. value redirect: (motivation-permission) - why? 2. belief reconstruct: (convincer) outcome - how? 3. strategy restate: (capabilities-energy decision) - what? 4. behaviour repattern: (metaprograms) part/function - which? 5. context reorientate:(e.g. chunking laterally) - where? Often the authors demonstrate working the levels in a sort of rudimentary coaching fashion (one would assume prior to Dilt’s famous model); with the process of ‘dragging down’ the clients’ responses from the why? to the what?/which? layers a repeated maneuver. This is particularly evident in uncovering the distinction between primary and secondary gain that can be related to motivational psychology’s notion of ‘functional autonomy’ (Allport): the recognition behaviour can become detached from the outcome it is supposed to achieve, that does not serve a useful function for the person any more. Such an approach is encapsulated in the Advanced 6 Step Reframe (a staple technique of NLP) provided its own chapter that details the necessary steps to separate the inappropriate behaviours/parts from the positive intention (what you are trying to achieve). A chapter on Negotiating Between Parts is also covered with the key message of: “the more carefully you specify exactly what a part is going to do, the less you are likely to get objections from other parts about having it exist.” The founders have openly stated all the stuff they make up is quite literally made up (!) and Bandler often refers to NLP as “his” hallucinations. Such a zen-like attitude to my mind captures the freedom-loving nature of reframing that I think Bandler, particularly, discovered the repercussions of in his attempt in the nineties to assert traditional authority on the field. These actions dramatically back-fired since they suffered from a lack of moral regularity in the creation of legal standards, and opened up NLP to the vagaries of charismatic and/or traditional authorities (Weber) - there are now at least eight different Boards and Associations. According to B&G the reframing method differs markedly from the usual maneuvers in psychotherapy because the change agent is “a conscious consultant and the client their own therapist and hypnotist.” Though NLP ‘syntacticians’ know what goes where and in what order (sorting and sequencing) - a theme revisited from Magic 2 - changing the frame is for the most part a meta-awareness trip for the client. To this end there are plenty of everyday therapeutic applications to ponder upon that demonstrate, in the hands of a skilled practitioner, the utilisation of reframing in the context of couples, families and dissociated states (e.g. bingeing) work; and even beyond the first generational material, which the book is really target at, there are plenty of wider applications to consider to make this a really useful book to pick up and read.

NLPの創始者による講義を起こした内容。 物事の事実は変えられないが、それをどのように捉えるのかの枠組み（フレーム）を変えることによって、 意味づけを変えることができるということ（リフレーミング）について相当詳しく学ぶことができる。 NLPを学んでいる人やカウンセラー、コーチなどの対人援助職の方にはとても良い本だと思う。 逆に特にそうした下地がない人は少しとっつきにくいかもしれない。いわゆる専門書ということになるのかなと思う。 ただ、だからといってそれでこの本の評価が下がるということはなく、間違いなく良書である。 NLPの美しいところの1つは、「対人関係の交渉」と「自分の癖の修正」といった一見関係がない事案に関して、 同じアイディア、法則によって解決することができるという点にあるのかなと感じた。 おそらく人は、限られた法則を様々に応用することによって、高度な知的活動を行っているのだろう。 その1つの法則がリフレーミングであり、この本はまさにその法則について書かれている本である。

Excellent book, prompt delivery