HEALING
THE WHOLE PERSON: A SOLUTION – FOCUSED APPROACH TO USING
EMPOWERING LANGUAGE, EMOTIONS, AND ACTIONS INTHERAPY
Robert B. McNeilly
I like your book very much, and it is well written. [It] is
a timely addition to the professional literature. Well
conceived and artfully written, it offers to both the
novice and advanced therapist a vision of faith - faith in
the ability of clients to change, faith in the ability of
clinicians to promote change. Eminently practical and
always on target. Highly recommended.
Jeffrey
K. Zeig, Ph.D.
Director
The Milton H. Erickson Foundation
3606 N 24th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85016
USA
Healing
The Whole Person by
Robert McNeilly, a Melbourne psychotherapist, is a
presentation of some of the central tenets of
solutionoriented therapy as he has come to practice it.
Focussing largely on language, the book also has extended
chapters on emotion and action as seen from the therapeutic
context, and two small closing chapters on affirmations and
declarations, and on ethics.
McNeilly
begins by stating that 'There has been a change in our
social values away from an archaeological digging up of the
past toward designing future options' (p. xvii). However he
is careful not to discard the old through mere infatuation
with the new, cautioning that 'Solution-oriented
therapy is another effective tool to choose when we work
with clients. Older more time intensive methods such as
psychoanalysis may sometimes be warranted but not always'
(p. xvii). He then
presents the strategies that he has found to be useful.
What is
new about Healing
The Whole Person is McNeilly's
focus on language; the chapters on emotion and action
contain much that has been said before, although seldom so
elegantly. But much of the book comes down to a discussion
of the linguistic category of 'performatives', although
McNeilly nowhere uses that term. A performative may be a
comment such as 'It's
very warm in here', for
which the proper response as understood by native speakers
is an action such as opening the window to cool the room
down. Such a remark is understood as a request or command
due to the background understandings of both speaker and
listener, but the request or command to action is not
implicit in the words. Hence to ask 'How is your problem
today?' results in a focussing of attention on the problem
whereas to ask 'What improvements have you noticed this
week?' inclines the attention, and also, McNeilly would
argue, action
and emotion, towards
solutions.
I found
McNeilly's discussion of presuppositional questions both
striking and novel. A question such as 'What is good about
this book?' presupposes that one has indeed noticed
something good, whereas a question like 'Is this a good
book?' invites negativity, and a statement such as 'This is
a good book' almost challenges an argument. McNeilly is at
his best when discussing these atoms of therapeutic
conversation and showing their larger implications.
Perhaps the loveliest thing about Healing
The Whole Person, and
which clearly lifts it above similar works, is the
directness and simplicity with which McNeilly presents his
argument. There are dozens of boxes embedded in the text,
each containing examples and exercises which invite the
reader to test the ideas presented. With some lovely
anecdotes (the one on pages 2728 is a classic) and a very
simple style, all in all this is the most straightforward
introduction to solutionoriented therapy 1 have seen.
Review
by Kate Lansdown, a Family Therapist in
Sydney.
"Dr. Rob McNeilly has written a clear and practical guide
for to the latest, most effective developments in the
counselling field. His material on solution-oriented
methods, as well as the shift from focusing on problems to
focusing on concerns, are amazingly simple, but profound
and useful. This book can help anyone with a busy clinical
practice suffer less stress and frustration with previously
frustrating patients and rapidly produce more satisfaction,
both with patients and within themselves."
Bill O'Hanlon, M.S.,
author/co-author of 17 books, including A Brief Guide to
Brief Therapy and Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and
Over Again (and Expecting Different Results)
Very
impressive. You have shown, in a practical way, with your
vignettes, personal and otherwise, that we can language ...
and I like the demonstration of this in your examples. I
see therapy as being the unconcealing (Heidegger's uses the
word aletheia = truth) and revealing the being concealed.
Your techniques allow for the unconcealment of the truth
about the other in such a way that they see that they are
able and can express themselves through a truthful
expression of themselves which is also always an expression
of love, since this is at the core of our being.
Traditional therapy locks one into getting better, but you
have explored that in your book. You are inviting a step
beyond that, to a recognition of the truth about oneself
which psychologising masks.
Bill
McLeod Melbourne Psychiatrist
Once
in a while I look at my bookshelf and wonder if I ought to
stop reading new books for a while. If I only mastered what
I have, surely that would be enough to fill one or more
lifetimes. But, invariably I'm seduced by a new title and
that was the case with Healing the Whole Person by Robert
McNeilly. After 25 years of seeing wave after wave of
counseling approaches that claim to do miracles, I've
become something of a skeptic. However, I have become
familiar with McNeilly's work and find resonance with his
thinking. In addition, he doesn't claim to do miracles, so
I decided to give him a try.
The first 50 pages present a summary of solution focused
therapy. There is not much new here, however it is a very
real readable summary and lays the groundwork for what is
to come. The rest of the book presents an application of
solution-focused principles that differs from the bulk of
solution-focused writing in that the primary topic is the
emotions and how to use them to foster therapeutic change.
In McNeilly's words: "by observing the body in a variety of
undesirable emotional states, we can speculate about what
emotion the client may prefer; then, by shifting the body
into that position, we can facilitate the emergence of that
preferred emotion." McNeilly discusses many emotions in
detail and presents detailed instructions on how he reads
clients bodies. He then clearly explains how he intervenes
to evoke different emotions by suggesting that the client
change posture, facial expression, etc. Interventions are
illuminated with numerous case examples. This result is a
unique mixture of Milton Erickson, solution focused therapy
and Robert McNeilly. If finding a new tool for teaching
clients to access their own resources appeals to you, you
are likely to find this book valuable.
As much as I enjoy being challenged to work in different
ways, this is not the main reason I like this book.
McNeilly cites research to support the claim that only 15
percent of the successes in counseling is the result of the
therapist's technique. Of the techniques he recommends,
McNeilly says, "This guide is offered, not as a substitute
for the many effective approaches already used, but as an
additional tool, for the more options we can offer our
clients, the more useful we will be to them…" McNeilly
understands that the relationship between therapist and
client is far more important than technique. What I like
most about this book is that the character of McNeilly
comes through his writing. His straightforward and
unpretentious presentation makes it easy to understand how
he is able to develop a therapeutic relationship with his
clients. Of particular interest is the way McNeilly uses
his humor and personal experiences to develop a personal
and warm [relationship with the client]. I get a very
strong sense that McNeilly feels he is in the struggle on
the side of his clients rather than struggling with them. I
think there is still room on my bookshelf for any book that
can help me learn more about doing that.
Gary
Schultheis [Author - Brief Therapy Homework Planner]
Psychotherapist, educator and writer Robert McNeilly is at
the forefront of the evolution of communication and change.
He has an understanding of human behavior, developed
through his career as a family physician, founding The
Center of Effective Therapies and his work as a
psychotherapist, teacher and educator. He has combined his
knowledge from clinical practice, along with his experience
as a trainer and educator, to write a book that clearly
demonstrates to the reader the application and the
principles of Solutions-Focused
Psychotherapy. His
association with Milton Erickson inspired Robert, and this
association is reflected in his book where he combines
language techniques from Milton Erikson, Steve de Shazer
and Bill O’Hanolon.
The book explains and explores language and the art of
conversation.. The reader is encouraged to examine the use
of words and the impact conversation has on others. The
outcome of a psychotherapy session is most often determined
by the way the practitioner develops the conversation with
the client. There are examples of questions and responses
in the book that allow for conversations to become positive
and optimistic. These conversations assist people to seek
positive solutions for their concerns. To learn to enjoy
language and conversation and to expand on the art of
conversation is an essential aspect of improving
counselling skills. How these improvements in language and
expression will lead to positive outcomes both for the
client and the therapist are explained in the book.
There are chapters devoted to assisting the counsellor and
psychotherapist to develop the abilities to working with
the body and emotions. However the author promotes
interconnectedness of language, the emotions and the body.
Robert provides ideas, regarding working with emotions and
the body and there are interesting examples of this work
and techniques that can be applied in the clinical setting.
The book pays attention to the fact that brief therapy is
not superficial and harsh. Robert describes his work and
portrays to the reader his compassion, creativity and humor
that is an important aspect of this practice, leading to
people finding satisfactory solutions. By exploring health
and the functional aspects of life, therapist can assist
people to find solutions to their concerns. So much of the
training of health professionals involves learning about
and treating pathology and the whole person is often
ignored. Valuing wholeness is a refreshing change from a
world that is inclined to patholagising the human
condition.
Robert acknowledges how resourceful and skillful human
beings are, and how minimum intervention can assist people
to find their own resources. The therapist, as a companion,
can assist in guiding people to finding creative solutions
from their own resources. The book provides simple
exercises to assist to build positive outlooks and
behaviors without having to necessarily looking into “Why?”
and extensive exploration of the past. However, when the
past is in the way of the present and future planning,
these areas of life are also addressed in
Solutions
Orientated Psychotherapy. The
strength and experience of the client is used to manage or
resolve the past.
Areas such as creating a therapeutic relationship, dealing
with stress, treating depression, fostering healthy
relationships; relaxation and sleep are addresses with
simple and effective solutions. There are guidelines,
examples and suggestions. All of these are easily applied
in the day to day life, of a councellor and the client
This book will be a welcomed addition to a practitioner’s
library. “Healing
the Whole Person-
Solutions
Orientated Psychotherapy’’ offers
an art that can be developed by using the exercises and
notions explained in the book. Psychotherapists,
counsellors and health workers will find that there are
many aspects of this work that can be incorporated into the
clinical setting.. Easily followed instructions, in
addition to interesting and innovative solutions, result in
a book that is congruent, demonstrating consistency between
Robert McNeilly’s ideas and practice..
Review
by Annette Fisher who is a psychotherapist and counsellor
in private practice. Director of the Psychodrama Training
Institute of the ACT, the President of the Australian
National Network of Counsellors, a Psychodrama Trainer,
Educator and Practitioner and an Occupational
Therapist.
Want to
learn about both the essence and artistry of counselling?
McNeilly shows, rather than tells, you how to do it - and,
more importantly, how to do it effectively. Grounded in the
dynamic, interactive relationship between language, body
and emotions this book is not only an enjoyable read but
also a constructive goal-oriented approach for finding
one's way through the maze of human emotions.
This is not a book to leave sitting on the bookshelf. It
needs to be in the hands of every counsellor.
George
Burns - Author [101 healing stories, etc]
HEALING
WITH WORDS
by
Jenny Brown & Rob McNeilly
This
book offers much in the way of assisting people to
communicate more effectively using conversations. In that,
the conversations we participate in become healing within
themselves. Dr McNeilly states that it is not a book that
is written in a "scholarly way - rather a book about
emerging understandings".
The book has been written in a very warm and informative
way. Throughout this book the author is not afraid to use
himself as an example which works exceptionally well. It is
a book about communication and how we can learn to use
language more effectively. Whilst reading this book it is
obvious that the author has truly embodied what he writes
about as the book flows so beautifully and reads like it is
written from the heart.
Dr McNeilly begins the book by looking at the "Evolving
Language". He talks about a man by the name of Milton
Erickson who Dr McNeilly had the privilege of working with.
Dr McNeilly learned from Milton Erickson to move away from
the ``trap of holding the idea of people as their labels,
illness and condition (in language).
Dr McNeilly looks at "Language as Action"; he explores the
way in which we can use language to coordinate new actions
and generate future options. Examples are given of some of
the ways in which to do this. He talks about moods as
emotions and how by living in certain moods certain actions
are not possible.
"Education" reflects briefly on the education Dr McNeilly
received and how he felt incompetent at his job. Stating
the when he trained in medicine he was totally unprepared
as far as people skills, all of the theory was there but
that was not enough. He speaks about the education system
now and how it is changing to provide education in the area
of resourcefulness to cope with the real world. At the end
of this chapter Dr McNeilly invites you to browse over a
list of questions and to journal your observations and
thoughts to these questions. Although very simplistic,
exploring the list of questions for me proved to be so
powerful, I actually began to map out the future I wanted.
"The Self" examines the way we use language to label, such
as Catholics and
Protestants and how these labels have caused years of
conflict. Dr McNeilly writes that ``........the only way
human beings can kill other human beings is through
conversation in which the enemy is spoken about in an
emotion of hate and bitter condemnation. He also gives an
example of how labeling a child as different is likely to
precede the child. Stating that it is only when a teacher
starts to ``work with the individual child, not the label,
that a change in identity becomes possible. Again Dr
McNeilly offers questions for you to explore and observe.
``Relationships" explores into areas such as intimacy and
sexuality to name a few. How many times have we been in
arguments and how many times have such arguments caused
damage. But by doing something different we can change the
mood thereby making different actions available. Dr
McNeilly invites you to browse a list of questions
regarding the type of relationship you have, how it can be
changed if needed and what is happening in the relationship
that you would like to continue. This area provided me with
more options for when I am counselling couples and also for
the type of relationships that I want.
``Work, Money and Career". Here Dr McNeilly explores the
area of unemployment and the issues surrounding it. At the
end of this chapter there are questions that once read and
observed will allow you to view things differently.
Last but not least is ``The Future", which looks at
reexamining the conversations that we have had,
highlighting what has been useful and what was not, and
learning from this. By taking what has been of use and
doing more of it we can invent our future, we are the ones
in control.
In ending Dr McNeilly invites you to be interested, curious
and to wonder how to create the future that you want.
BOOK REVIEW by Linda Harland
Book Review. Healing with Words. Dr Rob McNeilly and Jenny
Brown.Hill of Content. 1994.
For many years Rob Mc Neilly has been bringing the work of
Milton Erickson and the Solution Oriented therapists to
Australian practitioners. His new book, Healing with Words,
a collaboration with journalist, Jenny Brown, now makes his
experience as a teacher and therapist available to a wider
audience. If you haven't yet been to one of Rob's workshops
to learn some of the skills that have come out of the
post-structuralist evolution in psychotherapy, this book
will give you a taste of the new agenda.
Written in the form of an extended interview, the book is a
good introduction to the latest in constructivist thinking.
A brief historical review establishes Rob's sources.
Starting with Aristotle, the action quickly moves on to
Heidegger, Fernando Flores, Humberto Maturana, Werner
Erhard, Bob Hoffman, and Milton Erickson. This might sound
like heavy going, but Jenny Brown keeps you so close to the
source that from the beginning the narrative reads like a
fireside chat. Chapter One sparkles with insight and
anecdote.
From here though it gets harder. Rob wants to show how we
are continually creating reality in language. To do this he
introduces new words and new meanings for words. It all
makes good sense, it's just that terms like languaging and
emotioning, for this reader at least, still sound
artificial. And for me, dignity has something to do with
nobility and honour, rather than, as Rob suggests, being
about a congruence between public and private selves. But
these are quibbles. And my discomfort, of course, is part
of Rob's broader post modern purpose to shake me up, make
me aware that I really do have my own hands (or mouth) on
the wheel of my life.
The rest of the book touches on the core issues of
Education, the Self, Relationships, and Career and all with
the same breezy style that makes the idiosyncratic use of
language more understandable. Just when you think maybe
you've lost the plot, Rob breaks into another illustrative
anecdote and you begin to see the relevance. Here is Rob's
talent for making difficult ideas accessible, a skill he
uses so effectively in his training workshops. And Rob
hasn't forgotten his commitment to experiential learning
either. Each chapter includes exercises to take the reader
beyond the didactic.
Healing with Words is an impressive collaborative effort.
Refreshingly succinct, it is authentic, congruent
(dignified even), presenting Rob McNeilly and his work
exactly as it is.
Ivan Milton.
Clinical Psychologist,
Private Practice,
Melbourne.