Reframing In Hypnosis: What Is It & How Does It Work

Reframing is essentially a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) technique to change a person’s interpretation of a situation or event.  The technique is often used in hypnotherapy because when used under hypnosis, the technique can be put straight to the unconscious mind and its effect can therefore be stronger.  Reframing is better explained using examples, so we will run through an example to explain when and how it is used.

Imagine a worker has been moved from a large, busy department to a smaller department or maybe asked to work alone on a project.  This worker may start feeling undervalued and subsequently lose confidence.  However, one day his boss makes a passing comment that he’s so glad this worker is in charge of that project as he couldn’t trust just anybody to do it.  All of a sudden, the worker realises that he isn’t undervalued at all and that the move is a vote of confidence in his ability and he now sees it as an opportunity to impress and prove himself.

The situation is still the same but the worker feels differently about it.  The situation has been reframed.

Our present frame depends upon our perception of a particular situation or event and so reframing is about changing our perception.

To give an example more in line with the context of hypnotherapy, imagine that a client visits a hypnotherapist to help them with weight loss.  This particular client can’t seem to motivate herself to start again and complains that she ‘just keeps putting it off’.

Under hypnosis, a hypnotherapist could communicate with the client’s unconscious mind and suggest that putting things off could be a great skill to have and that she could use this skill to put off over-eating or eating desserts (or whatever food the client most wishes to stop eating).  If the client’s unconscious mind accepts this, the client will have no problem starting on their diet.