Time-Line-Reframing Variant 2

Reframing is the ability to look at a behavior or situation from different angles. Reframing frees up and energizes our minds. By reframing, we can train ourselves to see meanings more flexibly and greatly expand our options in challenging situations.

Presuppositions:

• All behavior makes sense in some context.
• All behavior is assigned a meaning.
• There is a positive intention behind every behavior.

Detailed Steps:

1. Problem and Timeline:
   A moves along the timeline to one (or more) negative experiences.
   “Please lay a timeline on the floor.” … “Now move from the present backward into the past and locate unbalanced experiences.”
2. Reframe the Experience:
   A reframes the experience from a meta position.
   “Think about what positive outcomes this experience has led to.” … “Is there a belief that can dissolve the negative conclusions you drew at that time?” … “What was the positive intention behind your behavior then?” … “What might have been worse, and was avoided by your behavior?”
3. Anchor:
   A anchors the positive aspects spatially.
   “Now place these positive aspects on one side of the timeline, at the point in time when they became available as a resource.”
4. Deficits:
   A identifies, from a meta position, any deficits resulting from the experience.
   “Look at the deficits you associate with that past experience.” … “What was missing at the time or later?” … “What harmful or incorrect conclusions did you draw?” … “What is still wounded or needs support?” … “What else might you need to learn?” … “Is there also a positive outcome to this?”
5. Anchor Deficits:
   A anchors the deficits spatially.
   “Now place these deficits on the other side of the timeline, at the point in time when they became noticeable.”
6. Address Deficits:
   A addresses the deficits with the resources found.
   “Now please go step by step into each resource and bring it to the deficits—however you’d like to do that.” … “You can also stack resources and deficits separately, then merge them.”
7. Test:
   Check the outcome.
   “How do you feel now regarding that past experience?”

Suitable for: negative past experiences that still burden A.

Distinction: Change History, which directly supplies the needed resources from a meta position to an earlier negative experience with the question, “What did you need back then?”