SOME USEFUL FACILITATION TOOLS

Peter Graham

29 September 1994

There are a number of basic facilitation handlings that are extremely useful and provide a range of effective tools for handling or relieving a variety of situations that may be encountered in sessions or in life. Most of them are fairly simple and easy to learn and use. These are, of course, not the only handlings for the phenomena or experiences specified.

Resolving a situation may require the use of more than one of these handlings. Based on the data available, select an appropriate handling and use it, then (if needed) select another. One handling may lead to or suggest another. Start with Simple Discussion if it is unclear what the exact situation or experience is. The questions given below may be varied if required to attain the desired result. Get all the available answers to each question.

(a) 	Simple Discussion (a light, general-purpose handling):

"Tell me about that" or "Tell me more about that" and/or "Is there anything (else) you would like to say about that?" and/or "What thoughts or ideas do you have about that (the thing or item)?"

and (now and again) [and, if appropriate, after each of these handlings]: "How does that seem (to you) now?" or "How do you feel about that (now) ?"

(b) 	Remind Questions (a standard handling, if something may be restimulated):

"Does that remind you of something?" and " Does that remind you of anything else?"

If appropriate, also ask: "Is there anything (else) you would like to say about that?" or "How does that seem (to you) now?" or "How do you feel about that (now) ?"

Conditional: If the person hangs up on an earlier incident or person, find out when and where it occurred and ask "What about (the current thing, person or incident) reminds you of that (the earlier incident, person or thing)?" (or a similar wording).

(c) 	Meaning Questions (for upsets and emotional responses):

Get what the upset is and what happened when or just before it started, then ask: "What does that mean to you?" and "What else does that mean to you?" and then: "How did that seem to you at the time?" and "How does that seem to you now?" Optional (if appropriate): "What meaning could you give to that (the occurrence or thing observed)?"

(d) 	Describing (a right-now feeling or sensation):

"Describe what you are experiencing (or feeling) right now" and/or "Tell me what it feels like (right now)" and/or "What are your perceptions of that?"     and/or "Describe that sensation (or feeling) exactly as it is (right now)" (or similar).

If persisting, get it described "in as much detail as possible". If needed, get his/her perceptions of it, where it is, its size, shape, intensity (on a scale of 1 to 10), consistency, colour, and so on. Now and then, ask "How are you going with this?" "Anything changed orshifted?" Keep the person describing it (as it is now) while it is changing.

(e) 	Response Questions (for problems, situations and current experiences):

"How did you handle (or respond to) that?" or "How are you handling that?" and/or "How have you attempted to solve (respond to, deal with, cope with) that?" "How are you responding to (solving, dealing with, coping with) that?"

Optional: "What were the consequences of that (a primary response or solution)?" Optional (if appropriate), run: "How could you respond to that (problem or similar)?"

(f) 	Service Questions (for a response or solution or a belief or attitude):

°What is right about that?" and "How does (or could) that help you?" and "Does it solve something for you?" and "Does it help you avoid something?" and "Does it justify something for you?" and "Does it serve you in some other way?" and "Is there any way that it doesn't help (or serve) you?" and other similar questions.

(g) 	Problems Situations (current problems):

Establish whatthe problem is and who is (or are) the main person(s) involved: "If (the person) was here right now, what would you like to say to him/her?" Get the person to talk as if really talking to the other person in the present. Optional, then ask: "How would you like (the person) to respond to that?"

(h) 	Wrong Indications (including invalidations and evaluations):

Identify whatthe "wrong indication" was and confirm it with the person.

Then get when and where it occurred, and ask: "How did that seem to you at the time?n and "How does that seem to you now?"

Then, establish what the correct indication, statement or evaluation is (or was).

(i) 	Responsibility (for a harmful action or harmful response):

Get what it was, when it took place, where it took place and who was involved. "What was right about that?" and "What else was right about that?" and/or "What were the consequences of that?° and "Were there any other consequences?" "What part of that can you be responsible for?" (to no more answers or a success).

j) 	Unresolved Experiences (including trauma):

Establish when and where the incident took place and when it started and ended.

"Go to the beginning of that incident" and "Move through to the end of the incident (and tell me what is happening). "

Repeat the above two steps as many times as needed to resolve or reduce the incident. When substantially discharged, ask: "In this incident, did you make a decision?" (get them all) and "Did you come to believe something as result of this experience?" and then "What have been the consequences of that (the belief)?" "Any other consequences?"