Nlp Wellington Practitioner, Sandy Denize On How To Use Re-framing

Who would have thought a volcano erupting in Iceland would affect thousands of people across the globe? I was lucky enough to be in the Philippines at the time and was able to get back to my Wellington NLP business in NZ. Some relatives and others were not so lucky.

There was chaos that followed and various news stories showed the many that were stranded. Some people took advantage of the situation to get an extended holiday and could not believe their luck, whilst for others it was a the worst nightmare come true.

Same situation, different meaning! Creating a different meaning to one that is more empowering is something NLP practitioners call, 're- framing'

Just as you look at a picture frame which has borders and boundaries around a picture, our experiences every day are also framed as a result of our beliefs, values, perceived image of ourselves and the world. The frame of reference that we choose for your experiences can limit us in what we see, or open up a new frame of possibilities. Just like in the example above with being stranded...the situation is the same, but the meaning that people give to it affects their experiences. They can have an extended good time, or not.

Content Re-frames and Context:A context re frame deals with the behavior of people. 'I am too vocal to do this work' or ' she is far too loud'. Now we can change the context of these limiting experiences by re-framing.

For example: 'In what way being too sensitive means that you can do this job even better?' OR 'in what other situation is being loud an advantage?' Notice how the person making the statement thinks the behaviour has no value which is limiting the experiences, and by re-framing it, we open up other possibilities for a more resourceful experience.

Content re-framing is all about the what we focus on in a situation. 'Whenever my girlfriend asks me to cook dinner, i get annoyed' Or 'whenever x occurs, I will react y.' If we can think of an opposing frame or different meaning, this can be useful. Because we attach our own meanings to the situation,whether true or not, we limit our experience by the association we imply.

A useful re-frame here could be: 'Could it be that your boss wants to help but he does not know how to go about it?', or you could see the value in it: 'Isn't it good that you know your job well and can work easily on your own without requiring help?'

Re framing is very useful and we do it every day already, without always realising. It is a great way to gain perspective or change perspective in a situation where we may not feel resourceful.

Why not give it a go for a few days and see how it could transform your experiences. If you find yourself in an unpleasant situation, annoyed or if you wish someone would not behave in a certain way, try re-framing and watch how it changes the way you respond. Its fun, easy and won't cost you anything. Give it a go and watch new possibilities and experiences open up to you