If you “collect” change processes, listen up! I’ve just uploaded a video demonstration of Clean Space – one of the most powerful processes around.
When I need the “big guns” – to help my clients change several things at once, or perhaps to sort out for themselves how to handle a bind – this is frequently my technique of choice.
The late David Grove, creator of Clean Language, devised Clean Space to help his therapy clients to make dramatic breakthroughs. He felt it helped them to “nail their history to the floor” so that they could move without it, enabling them to free up their thinking and come up with new insights.
Some people feel this process has similarities with various spatial anchoring processes from NLP, such as Robert Dilts’ SCORE model. However, others take the view that this process has some striking differences from NLP.
Indeed the (possibly apocryphal) story goes that when Dilts was facilitated through SCORE by someone trained in Clean Space, he didn’t put the spaces in that order, or in a line… but came up with something new.
After spending some time working with Clean Space, David Grove moved on to invent and use a group of processes called Emergent Knowledge/Powers of Six. Depending how you categorise these things, Clean Space is either the first of the EK processes, or an interim stage.
Please note this is “real life”, recorded over skype – the quality is low, there is background noise and skype lag. In fact the lag meant that for most of the process, I was working blind, unable to see my client in real time. But I’m used to doing this process on the phone, audio only!
If you would be interested in a higher-quality video of the process, let me know: I’ll consider creating something more formal if it seems there is a demand. If you would like to experience the process for yourself, then why not book a session with me.
Many thanks indeed to demonstration client Brian Lagoni of powerlanguage.org. His report on the real-life effects of the session is included at the end of the video.
Shows the value not only of clean space and clean language but also “clean silence”. It reminded me that the what makes the music is the silence between the notes and makes me reflect that there is a need to be unhurried and to tolerate silence without rushing to fill it.
Thanks
Thank for this one (too) and I definitely hope that you’ll go on with your idea of making a more formal video.
And… I have some comments/questions!
Upon watching again I found myself wanting to ask some more “traditional” CL questions in the style of “what kind of place is that place”, “and when you are at that place, what happens”?, etc.
So not just asking questions only about “knowing”.
Why is it that “knowing” has taken so much the cetntral stage in David’s later work?
Thanks both!
A lot of facilitators – including me – often mix Clean Language questions with Clean Space. And, I think it’s important to be aware of the difference: the Space and Emergent Knowledge processes, with their questions about “knowing”, seem to elicit a different kind of information for many clients.
Some clients can do CL in a very “heady” way. Usually with my clients I unCleanly don’t let them do that, by focusing my questions on reported “feelings”.
It seems to me that Clean Space and EK provide a different way of “forcing” the body to join in with the head in sorting things out.
If the facilitator is not comfortable with not knowing, it’s worth noticing that they will do a *lot* more not-knowing with Clean Space/EK than with Clean Language. The advantage is that not-knowing forces the facilitator to focus on process in preference to content.
My guess (based on very little experience..) is that such Clean Space work lends itself very well to “self-help”; which is important for me: I like to give clients tools so that they can contine to process on their own.
about 3 months ago
Shows the value not only of clean space and clean language but also “clean silence”. It reminded me that the what makes the music is the silence between the notes and makes me reflect that there is a need to be unhurried and to tolerate silence without rushing to fill it.
Thanks
about 2 months ago
Hi Judy
Thank for this one (too) and I definitely hope that you’ll go on with your idea of making a more formal video.
And… I have some comments/questions!
Upon watching again I found myself wanting to ask some more “traditional” CL questions in the style of “what kind of place is that place”, “and when you are at that place, what happens”?, etc.
So not just asking questions only about “knowing”.
Why is it that “knowing” has taken so much the cetntral stage in David’s later work?
about 2 months ago
Thanks both!
A lot of facilitators – including me – often mix Clean Language questions with Clean Space. And, I think it’s important to be aware of the difference: the Space and Emergent Knowledge processes, with their questions about “knowing”, seem to elicit a different kind of information for many clients.
about 2 months ago
Yes, for me that also transpires a bit from this session…
And how would you describe that difference, Judy?
about 2 months ago
Some clients can do CL in a very “heady” way. Usually with my clients I unCleanly don’t let them do that, by focusing my questions on reported “feelings”.
It seems to me that Clean Space and EK provide a different way of “forcing” the body to join in with the head in sorting things out.
If the facilitator is not comfortable with not knowing, it’s worth noticing that they will do a *lot* more not-knowing with Clean Space/EK than with Clean Language. The advantage is that not-knowing forces the facilitator to focus on process in preference to content.
about 2 months ago
Unexpected and very interesting, reply,Judy…
My guess (based on very little experience..) is that such Clean Space work lends itself very well to “self-help”; which is important for me: I like to give clients tools so that they can contine to process on their own.
about 2 months ago
Thank you to both of you for sharing (I piggy-backed a little!!).