Seminar review - Provocative Therapy with Frank Farrelly

After reading the book Provocative Therapy by Frank Farrelly I was intrigued enough to want to see the man in action. The seminar was with Tranceforming NLP in Leeds. Since Leeds is a city I have good memories of living in, that was an added bonus.

I wasn't sure if I was going to get a weekend of stand up comedy - or something practical. In fact I got both. Frank is very funny, and I laughed until my cheeks got cramp. Yes, the cheeks on my face.

The seminar was essentially a lot of stories, some of which Frank finished, and some of which he didn't. I wondered if they were cunningly designed nested loops. But he claims he says the first thing that comes into his head, and I believe him. Of course both could be true.

Watching and listening to him it's clear Franks style (and some of the content of his stories too) has had a great influence on Richard Bandler (Richard Bandler is oe of the founders of NLP).

In between the stories there were interviews where Frank provokes the hell out of the lucky/poor person up on stage with him. After the interview people get to ask questions about the what the experience was like for the victim/client and about Frank's techniques.

As I watched I found that though there were similarities between what Frank was doing and NLP or hypnosis there were also great differences. I thought the best way to learn from Frank was to deep trance model him rather than try and analyze what he's doing.

He has deeply refined skill and he does so much at the same time that consciously there is a huge amount to miss. I was picked for the last interview of the weekend - which was the biggest learning experience for me.

While watching from the outside I thought I had a clue what Frank was doing. From the inside it was something else again. I remember reading about doctors descriptions of how they did lobotomies in the 1950's- inserting a pick into the front of the head and swishing it about a bit. Being interviewed by Frank felt a bit like that - with Frank as the twinkling eyed pick wielder.

Sound gruesome? It gets better I also remember reading about how you can cut open a newt, liquidise it's heart and close it up again. Instead of dying the newt regenerates its heart. That's the other half of my experience.

Sure I felt that parts of my brain had been liquidized - I also had the sense that the liquid would reconstitute itself according to a wiser and healthier pattern.

Now I have no idea if Frank ran a provocative pick through my brain, or made some more directed and precise intervention.

One thing I was glad to find out was that he has a very large frame of reference. Though he often explains his work in terms of social dynamics, he also has a sense of the spiritual and non-material in what he does. In Stephen Gilligan's terms he's working very much with 'the field.'

Alongside this Frank came across as an exceptionally warm and big hearted human being.

It has been a week since the seminar and my perceptions of many things in my life has changed. I'm glad I went on the seminar. I am incorporating parts of Frank's approach into my work and enjoying it immensely.

I have bought the dvd's of last year's seminar but have not had a chace to watch them yet. I suspect that when I do the learning and lauging will continue in equal measure.