What is Provocative Therapy?

Provocative Therapy is a system of psychotherapy in which the therapist plays the devil's advocate, siding with the negative half of the client's ambivalence toward his life's goals, his relationships, work and the structures within which he lives. The therapist also plays the 'Satanic' role by facetiously agreeing with the doom and gloom feelings and expectations of the client, and "tempting" him to continue his "sinning," his self-defeating attitudes and behavioural patterns.

The purpose of this therapy is to change the client. One of the therapist's main tools to implement this change is warm-hearted humour in its varied forms -- exaggeration, irony, self-deprecation, Daliesque absurdities, etc. With a twinkle in his eye, a smile playing about his lips, and genially employing the style of affectionate banter between friends, the therapist uses humour both to sensitize and desensitize the client to problematic cognitive, affective, and behavioural patterns.

This is the key to Provocative Therapy -- humour. Jocular, whimsical, caring, supportive humour. The root meaning of provocative is pro + vocare, to "call out", and there are five different types of behaviours that are "called out" in the client in this approach. Every single interview with every single client does not elicit all five of these, but each interview with each client demonstrates at least some of these five. The client, then, is provoked by the therapist to:

• Affirm his self-worth, both verbally and behaviourally.
• Assert himself appropriately both in task performances and relationships.
• Defend himself realistically.
• Engage in psycho-social reality testing and learn the necessary discriminations to respond adaptively. Global perceptions lead to global, stereotyped responses; differentiated perceptions lead to adaptive responses.
• Engage in risk-taking behaviours in personal relationships, especially communicating affection and vulnerability to significant others with immediacy as they are authentically experienced by the client.

 

The assumptions of Provocative Therapy

• People change and grow in response to challenge
• Clients can change if they choose to do so
• Clients have far more potential for achieving adaptive productive and socialised modes of living than they or most clinicians assume
• The psychological fragility of clients is vastly overrated by both themselves and by others
• Client's maladaptive unproductive antisocial attitudes and behaviours can be drastically altered. However severe or chronic
• Adult or current experiences are at least as significant as childhood or previous experiences, if not more so, in shaping client's values, attitudes and behaviours.
• The client's behaviour with a therapist is a relatively accurate reflection of his or her habitual patterns of social and interpersonal relationships
• People make sense; the human animal is exquisitely logical and understandable.
• The most important messages between people are nonverbal.

 

Articles & Downloads

The Farrelly Factors  |  The Origins Of Provocative Therapy  |  Provocative Reflections

Free Interview with Frank Farrelly  |  Recording 'Me & God'  |  First Chapter of 'Me & God'

 

The History of Provocative Therapy - Video Clips (View parts 1 - 4 here)

View Parts 1 - 4 of the History of Provocative Therapy here

 

View Video Clips of Frank in Action

These clips require Quicktime download

What others are saying about Frank Farrelly?

“If you think I’m wild, you should meet Frank!” - Dr Richard Bandler

"The first NLP trainings I ever attended represented a massive paradigm shift for me. So did spending 4 days in a workshop with Frank Farrelly. I've been studying NLP since the mid-90s, and have trained with lots of people, but Frank Farrelly was a whole new ballgame. His approach is extraordinary: he combines warmth and humour with an unerring ability to uncover the real issues that limit a someone, then takes the person into new territory - a territory where it becomes more & more difficult for them to hold onto their problems. He is able to say the unsayable, and manages to meet people at their model of the world so completely, that they move themselves in a positive direction. Farrelly embodies so many of the presuppositions of NLP (meet people at their map of the world, everyone has all the resources they need, people aren't broken so they don't need fixing), yet puts it all together in a way that is fresh and invigorating. Perhaps not so surprising when you realise the extent to which Grinder and Bandler were influenced by him (people who have trained with Bandler will be amazed at how much of what shows up in Bandler's output originated with Frank - experiencing the source was quite uncanny). Frank has been practicing Provocative Therapy (the field he created) since the 1960s, and has an enviable track record (with clear-up rates of more than 90% for clients suffering from everything from obesity to schizophrenia). His teaching style is funny and engaging, and his client work is awesome (as well as being hilarious). If you get even a sniff of a chance to see Frank Farrelly, take it!" - Jamie smart, Director of training, Salad Ltd.

 

Watch Video Testimonials

These clips require Quicktime download

When is the next Provocative Therapy Workshop?

Dates: 1st / 2nd November 2008
Price: £549 plus VAT (includes exclusive Provocative Therapy Manual)
Early Bird Price: £459 plus VAT (includes exclusive Provocative Therapy Manual)
Venue: The Oueens Hotel, Leeds (2 mins walk of Leeds Station) view map   hotel info

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For more information or if you have any questions, contact us using the email form or call 01274 622994

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