Reframing Your Thoughts
Seeing Things in a Different Light
Have you ever noticed how the same event can look very different depending on the angle you take? One person might call it a disaster, another might see it as a lesson, and a third might barely give it a second thought. This difference is not in the event itself, but in the frame around it, the way the mind chooses to look at it.
This is what we call reframing. It is the art of changing the meaning you give to an experience so that it no longer holds you back. Instead of being stuck in the same thought loop, you create a new way of seeing it, which opens up new responses.
The Power of the Frame
Think of a picture in a gallery. Place it in a thin black frame, and it has one mood. Put the same picture in a wide golden frame, and suddenly it feels entirely different. The picture has not changed, but the way you look at it has.
Our minds work in much the same way. We cannot always change what has happened, but we can change the frame we place around it.
Psychology of Reframing
In psychology, reframing is recognised as one of the simplest ways of changing thought patterns. A person who tells themselves “I failed, so I am useless” may stay stuck in that thought. By changing the frame, the same event might be seen as “That attempt didn’t work, so I now know one way that doesn’t fit and I can try another.”
This is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about finding a new angle that allows movement instead of stagnation.
Reframing in NLP
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) takes reframing further by showing us that the language we use fixes our frame in place. If you say, “I have to deal with this problem,” your body feels weighed down before you start. Change the frame to “I have a challenge here,” and your body reacts with more energy.
Two main types of reframing are often used:
Context reframing: Changing the situation in which something is seen. For example, “Being stubborn causes arguments” becomes “That same stubbornness helps me stand firm when it really matters.”
Content reframing: Changing the meaning itself. “I made a mistake at work” becomes “I now have direct experience I can learn from, which makes me more skilful next time.”
Reframing in Hypnosis
Hypnosis uses reframing very naturally. When the mind is in a relaxed state, it is easier to loosen rigid patterns of thought. A skilled hypnotherapist might invite the subconscious to look at an old memory from a fresh angle not by erasing it, but by bringing in a new understanding.
For instance, a memory of embarrassment might, under hypnosis, be reframed into an early sign of courage: “I was willing to stand up and try, even if it went wrong.” This change in meaning softens the old emotional weight and allows healing.
Everyday Reframing
You don’t need to be in therapy to use reframing. You can start practising it in daily life:
Notice a stuck thought – “This always happens to me.”
Pause and ask – “What else could this mean?”
Choose a new frame – “This keeps happening because I haven’t tried a new approach yet, so now is the time.”
It takes practice, but over time your mind becomes more flexible, quicker to find new frames.
Why It Matters
Life will always bring challenges, but we are not at the mercy of how we first interpret them. Reframing gives you choice. It stops you from being locked into one meaning and lets you walk around the experience as if it were a sculpture, seeing it from all sides until a more helpful view appears.
By changing the frame, you change how you feel, how you act, and ultimately, the results you create.