Symbolic modeling
Encyclopedia
Symbolic modeling is a therapeutic
and coaching process developed by psychotherapists Penny Tompkins and James Lawley, based on the work of psychotherapist David Grove
. Using Grove’s Clean Language
, a progressive questioning technique using clients’ exact words, the facilitator works with a client’s internalized metaphors to clarify personal beliefs, goals, and conflicts, and to bring about meaningful change.
Regarding the individual as a self-organizing system that encodes all feelings, thoughts, beliefs, experiences etc. in the mind/body as metaphors, the five stage symbolic modeling process guides the client through an exploration of these metaphors, their organization, interactions, and patterns. Using the client’s internal metaphors, the ones s/he‘discovers’, means you are working in the language of the client’s subconscious, bypassing cognitive awareness and its limitations. These embodied metaphors may be restricting a client’s ways of viewing the world and his/her coping strategies, due to the metaphors’ prescribed inner logic. Without shifting these, lasting change is difficult, as the mind/body continues to work from this old paradigm. By helping the client determine how these metaphors can change to meet their desired outcomes, transformative shifts can occur within a client's “metaphor landscape”, bringing about meaningful change on cognitive, affective and behavioral levels.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
and coaching process developed by psychotherapists Penny Tompkins and James Lawley, based on the work of psychotherapist David Grove
David Grove (Clean Language)
David John Grove was a New Zealander and the originator of the therapeutic and coaching communication process called Clean Language. He died of a heart attack in Kansas City, USA on 8 January 2008, aged 57 years...
. Using Grove’s Clean Language
Clean Language
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...
, a progressive questioning technique using clients’ exact words, the facilitator works with a client’s internalized metaphors to clarify personal beliefs, goals, and conflicts, and to bring about meaningful change.
Regarding the individual as a self-organizing system that encodes all feelings, thoughts, beliefs, experiences etc. in the mind/body as metaphors, the five stage symbolic modeling process guides the client through an exploration of these metaphors, their organization, interactions, and patterns. Using the client’s internal metaphors, the ones s/he‘discovers’, means you are working in the language of the client’s subconscious, bypassing cognitive awareness and its limitations. These embodied metaphors may be restricting a client’s ways of viewing the world and his/her coping strategies, due to the metaphors’ prescribed inner logic. Without shifting these, lasting change is difficult, as the mind/body continues to work from this old paradigm. By helping the client determine how these metaphors can change to meet their desired outcomes, transformative shifts can occur within a client's “metaphor landscape”, bringing about meaningful change on cognitive, affective and behavioral levels.