Richard Bandler - Reframing. Neuro–Linguistic Programming™ and the Transformation of Meaning

Man: Just now I wasn't sure I could tell you that I thought I had succeeded in building that part without getting in trouble.

Did you?

Man: Yes.

OK. Well, what else did you learn to do that you are not quite sure you can do?

Man: I learned to elicit a strategy completely enough so that I know that one step of the strategy moves logically to the next step.

Good. I'd like you to teach a group about that tonight for people who don't understand it, here in this room at 7:30.

Man: All right.

OK. Anybody else?

Man: I have a part that allows me to speak in a group situation. This is the first time I've heard from him! How did it feel to talk? Man: Fine.

I recommend that each of you try building a part for someone else at least once before you leave this seminar, to find out what happens. There are a lot of people in the seminar who weren't here in this session. Go and test this model on somebody during lunch and find out how it works.

1) Identify the desired outcome, the function of the part. «I want a part that will achieve X.»

2) Access any historical experiences of doing X, or anything similar. Step inside each experience and access all aspects of doing X or parts of X. Go through each memory in all representational systems.

3) Create a detailed set of images of how you would behave if you were actually demonstrating whatever this part of you is going to have you do to achieve the outcome X:

a) First create a dissociated visual and auditory constructed movie.

b) When you see a whole sequence that you're satisfied with, step inside the image and go through the whole sequence again from the inside, feeling what it is like to do these behaviors.

c) If you are not satisfied, go back to 3a and change the movie. Do this until you are satisfied with that fantasy from the inside as well as from the outside.

4) Ecological check. «Does any part object to my having a part which will be in charge of making that fantasy a reality?» Make sure you check in all representational systems to find all objecting parts. For each objecting part:

a) Ask that part to intensify the signal for «yes» and decrease for «no.»

b) Ask «What is your function for me?» «What do you do for me?»

c) If the function doesn't tell you what the part's objection is, ask «What specifically is your objection or concern?»

d) Make a complete written list of all the parts that object and their functions.

5) Satisfy all the objecting parts:

a) Redefine the part you are creating to take into account all the functions and concerns of the objecting parts.

b) Go back to step 3 and make a new or modified fantasy that will satisfy the concerns of each part that objected.

c) Check with every part to make sure that each one is satisfied that this new representation of the new part's behavior will not interfere with its function.

6) Ask your unconscious resources to analyze that fantasy and to pull from it the essential ingredients. Your unconscious is to use this information to build a part and give it entity.

«Get what you need to know from that fantasy to be able to build a part of you that can do this exquisitely and easily, and at every moment that it needs to be done.»

7) Test the part to make sure it is there:

a) Go inside and ask.

b) Future–pace, repeatedly.

c) Behaviorally engage the part to find out if it responds appropriately.

Now that you've all had some practice using other reframing models, we're going to return to the basic six–step reframing model in such a way that you learn to have more finesse with it. Lots of things happen when you reframe your clients, and we want you to have many behavioral choices for dealing with a wide range of responses. I want you all to pretend that you have me as a client, and I want you to reframe me. I'll role–play a truck driver named Ken.

Woman: What do you want?

Ken: I'm not sure what I want, but I can tell you I don't want Y. Y is a real mess, I'll tell you.

Man: What do you need so that you don't have to Y?

Ken: I wish I knew!

Woman: Who has it?

Ken: Y? I have it. I don't want it.

Woman: No, who has what you need?

Ken: I really don't know.

Man: Is Y ever useful to you? (Ken shakes his head «no.») Never ever?

Ken: Never. It's sure gotten me into an awful lot of trouble.

Woman: What is it that you would rather do? What would you like to do instead?

Ken: Well, I've tried to do a lot of other things, but every time I try to do anything else, Y still happens. It's like I don't even have control over my own behavior. I know that sounds silly.

Woman: If you had the choice, what would you like to do instead?

Ken: Well, I don't have the feeling that I've made myself clear to you. I'm here because of what I don't want to do.

Woman: OK. Pick something you'd rather do instead. Make it up.

Ken: OK. I'd rather do Z.

Woman: You think Z would be useful to you in those situations?

Ken: Yeah. It would sure be a hell of a lot better than Y.

Man: Have you ever Z'd?

Ken: No.

Man: Do you know somebody who can?

Ken: Don Juan, I guess. I really don't know that he does these things, but I read some books by Carlos Castenada. Man: What do you see Don Juan doing that makes you think he is able to Z?

Ken: I've never seen him. That's what I was saying. I read about him in a book, and he could apparently do anything he chose to do. I'm sure that if I had that kind of power—it's called personal power in the book—I'd be able to do anything. I'm not talking about my whole life, you know. I do pretty good. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just talking about this one area.

Dick: So Don Juan does it? And how would you know if you were doing it? (Ken changes his posture, breathing, etc., as he accesses what it would be like if he had «personal power," so that he can answer the question.)

Let me step out of role for a moment. I hope you appreciate that Dick just accessed the desired state in me. That's the point at which you want to anchor my response so that you can use it later. What he is doing now—going for an access of the desired state—is definitely a useful thing to do. You could try anchoring in the state you've just elicited or having me use Don Juan as a model and taking me through the procedure for building a new part. However, you haven't yet gotten enough information to know if that would be appropriate.

Rather than going in one of those directions, I want you to assume a six–step reframing format. That means you don't even need to know what the desired state is. You know that I don't want Y, and that's all you need to know to begin. That's step one of six–step reframing. You've identified the behavior to be changed. I'm going to give you practice at dealing with some of the difficulties that could come up when doing six–step reframing. I'll do this from the position of the client, so that you can try out different ways of dealing with these difficulties. Now I'm going to step back into role again.

Woman: Will you ask yourself if Y is willing to communicate with you, the part that is responsible for Y?

Ken: «The part that is responsible for Y?» Look, I'm just a truck driver. I—you know—

George: What is it like when you are doing Y?

(Ken accesses Y behaviorally in order to answer the question.) Well, I don't … you know, I feel sort of like I'm out of control.

George: Where do you feel that in your body?

Ken: Uh … here. (Ken touches his belly.)

George: You feel something in your stomach? (Ken: Yeah.) Now I could anchor that, and use that as a specific access to the part responsible for Y.