Clean Language

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Clean Language is a Questioning technique that is used especially in Psychotherapy and Coaching. Clean Language is optimized to have the client discover and develop personal symbols and metaphors, without contamination or distortion of the developing metaphor landscape through the way the questions are put.

Clean Language was developed by David Grove in the 1980s as a result of his work on clinical methods for resolving clients' traumatic memories. As Lawley & Tompkins describe it, "He realised many clients naturally described their symptoms in metaphor, and found that when he enquired about these using their exact words, their perception of the trauma began to change."

Clean Language also is the basis of Symbolic Modelling, a standalone method and process for psychotherapy and coaching, which was developed by James Lawley and Penny Tompkins.

Contents

[edit] Clean Language in Detail

Clean Language combines four general elements of communication in a very specific way, that is syntax, wording, vocal qualities and nonverbals.

[edit] Syntax

The question structure consisting of three parts is called "full syntax":

And [client's words/nonverbals].
And when/as [client's words/nonverbals],
[Clean Language question] ?

[edit] Wording

Clean Language questions are 'cleansed' of anything that 'comes from' the questioner's maps i.e. metaphors, assumptions, paradigms or sensations, that could direct the questionee's attention away from increased awareness of hir own (metaphorical representation of) experience.

Clean Language offers a template for questions that are free of the questioner's inferences, presuppositions, mind-reading, second guessing, inferences, references and metaphors.

Clean questions use all (or some) of the speaker's specific phrasing and might also include other auditory components of the speaker's communication such as, sighs, pitch, tonality, etc.

The questioner might also mirror any non-verbal signals that coincide with the client's auditory output e.g. a fist being raised simultaneously with a sigh, that might also represent elements of the client's metaphorical representation of experience.

[edit] Vocal Qualities

Where client's words are used, the vocal qualities of the client's words are repeated. The questioner's words are given slower and with a rhythmic, poetic and curious tonality.

[edit] Nonverbals

Besides words of the client, also his/her nonverbals are repeated or referenced in the question, as far as the questioner noticed them and if they might be of symbolic significance.

[edit] Clean Language questions

Clean Language questions are pre-formulated questions that are optimized for not including any metaphorical elements.

[edit] References

  • Lawley, James & Tompkins, Penny. Metaphors in Mind: Transformation Through Symbolic Modelling. Developing Company Press, London 2000, ISBN 0-9538751-0-5

[edit] External links

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