The Essential Roles of Scope and Categorization in Changework – The Anatomy of Changework Episode #1

As a practitioner of various change-work modalities, I recently had the pleasure of discussing the crucial roles that scope and categorization play in facilitating personal change and transformation with my colleague, Rafael Verdiguier Sanchez PBICSc . In this article, I'll share some of the key insights from our conversation and explore how these elements are utilized in different approaches, including Metaphors of Movement (MoM), Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Provocative Change Works (PCW). By understanding how scope and categorization influence our perceptual experiences, we can gain valuable insights into the process of creating rapid and profound shifts in emotional responses and behaviors.

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Understanding Scope and Categorization

Scope refers to the dimensions and boundaries of a specific frame or location. It can be as vast as the entire planet or as narrow as a particular room. In the context of changework, scope often relates to the mental landscape in which experiences are organized and perceived.

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Categorization, on the other hand, involves grouping things based on common properties or similar actions. For example, while chess and soccer are both categorized as games, they belong to different subcategories - chess is a mental game, while soccer is a physical game.

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The interplay between scope and categorization determines how fully an experience or concept fits within a given category and how it relates to other elements within that mental landscape.

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Scope and Categorization in Action

During our discussion, I shared a case study with Rafa to illustrate how scope and categorization can influence emotional responses. I worked with a client who believed she had a phobia of snakes. However, after watching a recording of her own reaction to a snake, the client realized that her emotion was actually disgust rather than fear.

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While both disgust and fear fall under the broad category of feelings, recognizing the response as disgust instead of fear altered the scope of her snake reaction. As a result, when the client later encountered a real snake, she no longer experienced a phobic response, but rather a manageable sense of disgust from a tolerable distance.

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Scope and Categorization in Changework Modalities

Different changework modalities employ scope and categorization in unique ways to create perceptual shifts:

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1. Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT)

In IEMT, eye movements are used to shift the positioning and intensity of an emotional memory within the mental landscape. This process automatically alters the scope of the experience, allowing the brain to make adjustments without conscious effort from the client.

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2. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

NLP practitioners guide clients to manually adjust submodalities, such as size, distance, and volume, of their internal representations. By consciously manipulating these elements, clients can change the scope and categorization of their experiences, sometimes leading to shifts in emotional responses and other times not.

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3. Metaphors of Movement (MoM)

MoM focuses on surfacing the metaphoric images and scenes within a person's perceptual scope. By exploring how these metaphors relate to different emotional states across space and time, practitioners can help clients gain new perspectives and create movement toward desired outcomes.

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4. Provocative Change Works (PCW)

PCW examines and expands the categorization of a person's internal responses to sensory input. By updating these categories, practitioners can help clients experience rapid shifts in their emotional responses and behaviors.

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The Power of Extending Scope

During our conversation, Rafa shared a powerful personal example of how extending the scope of one's perspective can have a profound impact on emotional well-being. While working at KFC after moving to England as an engineer, Rafa found himself in a challenging situation. However, by realizing that his current circumstances were part of a larger journey - "I don't know what will happen yet, but in 5-10 years things will be different" - he was able to place his challenges into the perspective of an ultimately positive future trajectory, reducing his anxiety and distress.

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This example resonated with me, as it highlights how some religious beliefs leverage an even vaster scope, framing life on Earth as a proving ground for an eternal spiritual afterlife. This expansive scope can provide comfort and motivation for believers, as exemplified by the ancient Egyptian practice of provisioning departed pharaohs for their expected needs in the world beyond.

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Contracting Scope for Motivation

Just as extending scope can relieve anxiety, contracting scope can be used to create motivation and spur action. Rafa shared an insightful example of how his changework mentor, Nick Kemp, prompted him to narrow his preparation scope by provocatively stating, "In just 20 more years, you'll really get good at this!"

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This challenge pushed Rafa to start applying his decade of training immediately instead of perpetually delaying his professional progress. By contracting his scope of preparation, Rafa found the motivation to take action and move forward in his changework practice.

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Through my discussion with Rafa, it became clear that scope and categorization are essential components of creating rapid and profound perceptual shifts in changework. By skillfully manipulating the space, time, and groupings in which experiences are mentally organized, practitioners can help clients transform emotional responses and behaviors with minimal direct intervention.

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By exploring scope and categorization in various changework modalities, we can gain a deeper understanding of how these elements shape our perceptual experiences. As practitioners and individuals seeking personal growth, learning to extend or contract scope and update our categorizations can help us harness the power of these concepts to create lasting positive changes in our lives.

Have you ever experienced something similar in your personal or professional life?

You can watch the full video here - The Anatomy of Change Episode 1