blems and their hunger for attempted solutions.
2. Short-Circuiting
Vicious Circles
In our book, A Master Class in the Art of Performing Change (Keeney & Keeney, 2013), we
argue that a practitioner needs to be able to effectively relate to the circular patterns that orga-
nize recurrent experience. This follows from the understanding that each single action is found
inside a sequence of other actions that typically involves the participation of others. The sequence
that unfolds our daily dramas is not merely a simple lineal chain where antecedent events cause
subsequent events. Instead, there is a repetitive and circular pattern of interaction that, when
habituated, results in the recycling of the same form of choreographed performance. Any identified
problem or symptom is located and organized inside such a circular, spiral, or more complex loop.
What this means is that clients don't merely present problem behavior; they present vicious circles
where the identified problem is marked as one part of the greater circular pattern. A therapist
must treat the vicious circle, or risk missing the bigger picture that keeps the wheel of suffering
turning in a client's life.
From a practical perspective, all a practitioner needs to know is that any attention given to
any part of the pattern or context that holds the problem will pragmatically contribute to keeping
the problem in play. In other words, do not feed the circular loops that hold problematic experie-
nce. Such a loop is like an Ouroborean mythical serpent that feeds on its cyclicity. With respect to
a symptom, bad habit, or entrenched problem, a person is caught inside a vicious circle of proble-
m-solution interaction (see Watzlawick, Weakland, & Fisch, 1974). The art of being circularly the-
rapeutic asks that you do not get sucked too deeply inside the whirling circular motion of pro-
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This is easier said than done. Part of the reason a problem is a problem is because it is given
too much attention. If one could measure the amount of time a client thinks about a problem in
the course of a day, it would most likely top the chart of most highlighted themes. Such obsessive
attention feeds the vicious cycle of problem maintenance. Even a client's solicitation of a therapi-
st's help can be regarded as another way of keeping the focus on the problem situation. What
practically every therapy model has in common is an agreement to keep problem discourse highli-
ghted. It matters not whether a behavioral or analytic focus is delivered; both maintain the theme
of underscoring what is wrong with a client's life.
We face this challenge: Anything we do to keep a problem on center stage may not help the
client move past the incapacitating grip it has on her life. Therapists are caught in the dilemma
that they must respect the client's request for help and the metaphor she uses to express her
dilemma, while cautiously not feeding the vicious pattern of circular interaction that maintains and
exacerbates it. It is very easy to slip and become iatrogenic by offering another means of feeding
the presence of a problem. Again, the appearance of therapy in and of itself can contribute to the
existence of the problem which, after all, requires therapy in order for it to be taken more
seriously.
The exercises in this chapter aim to teach skills that help you avoid feeding the vicious circles
that maintain and amplify problems. We will demonstrate some direct ways of short-circuiting a
problem cycle. First, you have to be able to smell a problem trap when it is set in front of you in
a session. For instance, there are certain psychological clichés that can easily mesmerize a practi-
tioner and client, but any step toward them gets one caught inside a vicious circle that assures
that change will not take place. When you smell a trap, or a vicious pattern of interaction, you
can choose to starve it, that is, not feed it in any way.
We will then give you a practice for how to avoid getting engaged in pathological discourse,
doing so in a way that weakens its presence and importance in a therapeutic conversation. We
call this "starving a vicious circle." Finally, there are times when you can't help but get drawn into
the vicious circularity of problem talk. That is when you need a life preserver and a rope that can
pull you out. For this we offer "out of frame distractors." These refer to practical ways of getting
unstuck once you have stepped into a vicious circle of discourse and interaction. This practice uti-
lizes how conversation that does not fit "problem talk" can be used to draw you out of a situa-
tion that is drowning in oversaturated, non-resourceful discourse.
It is important to realize that the vicious circular patterns that hold problems also include
solutions. There are no problems without attempted solutions, as there are no solutions without
purported problems. From the view of circularity, solution talk does not lead one away from pro-
blem talk; it's the other side of the circular pattern that holds both. Therefore, solution talk is as
 potentially troublesome as a problem focus, for it feeds the vicious circle that holds the inte- likely forget all their petty disagreements, for they would pale in comparison to the experience of
raction. entering the infinite realm of the cosmos. Though not as outlandish as what took place in this
story, extraordinary circumstances do occur in people's lives, including unexpected catastrophes
Shifting the problem from one level to another also does not assure escape from a vicious
that suddenly reframe what is important. If you wake up tomorrow morning and hear that your
circle. Moving from individual problems to family or cultural problems or pathologies is funda-
country is going to war, your concerns about who will wash the car disappear in a second.
mentally more of the same—a pathological emphasis. Blaming the brain, psychological trauma,
social learning, faulty relationships, cultural narratives, or astrological signs are all examples of loo- One of the secrets of being an artist of change involves knowing that people's lives can be
king for the cause of a problem. This search for a pathogen maintains the pathology it is atte- dramatically and radically transformed the moment they transport themselves away from their
mpting to ameliorate. problem-focused lives. When you are able to ignore, starve, and move away from problems and
solutions, you will find that the room gets larger, so vast that a whole new universe of possibili-
In the exercises that follow, you will be shown how to not fall into the traps that keep a pro-
ties arises. This is when therapy enters an illumined creative space that can foster authentic and
blem alive. This includes how to avoid thinking about the origins of problems, whether they are
extraordinary change.
regarded as caused by internal or external circumstances. We suggest a therapeutic fast from pro-
blem talk, along with no conversation about solutions, historical origins, diagnosis, or anything that
contributes to clients doing what they already do—organizing their lives around a focus on their Practice: How to Smell a Trap
suffering. The way out is to walk away from all this and move to another way of contextualizing a
client's life. To do so, you must first rid yourself of the habits of thinking, acting, and interacting What follows is a practice geared toward helping you develop a better nose for therapy, one
that hook you inside the problem frame. that can smell a problem trap. Before we begin, however, it's important to point out that almost
any interaction in a therapy session has the potential to feed a vicious circle. There are no hard
Even if you theoretically don't believe the premise that problem- and solution-focused discou-
and fast rules that can be applied to all situations that dictate what actions will either feed or
rse too readily feed problematic interaction, utilize this exercise as a means of giving yourself
starve pathological discourse, or keep a session stalled inside entrenched problem frames. The art
more flexibility in therapeutic encounter. Develop the skill of being able to refrain from either
of therapy is found in the full complexity of its interactional choreography and cannot be reduced
problem talk or solution talk, and then use it whenever it seems appropriate. Be warned: you
to an isolated action, expression, or prescription for behaving in a session.4 Unlike some models
might be surprised how free you feel when you are problem and solution-free.
that impose a set of generalizations, developing a nose for discerning a problem trap will help
Imagine if a client came to a session and a therapist was able to successfully distract her from fine-tune your skill in making interactional choices that arise uniquely out of each interaction at
paying any attention to what she thought she came to talk about. Consider an invented science hand.
fiction case: A couple who can't stop arguing and making life miserable for one another enters a
We begin with an example from an actual therapy session we supervised in a training context.
therapy room only to find that the moment they sit on the couch, the ceiling starts to rise and
Working from this example, we ask you to invent subsequent exchanges between the therapist
continues to do so until the room is nearly 100 feet tall. At that moment, the ceiling and walls
and clients that feed pathological discourse and help keep the session trapped in the presenting
fall away, revealing the entire galaxy with all its bright and shiny stars, an entry into infinite
problem frame. Yes, we are asking you to invent actions that exemplify doing the wrong thing.
beauty and wonder. The couple finds that they are floating in outer space. A celestial choir sings,
This serves as a kind of self-assessment; your capacity to provide examples that illustrate a session
followed by a heavenly voice that announces: "You both have been selected by the universe to
headed toward a dead end recycling of problem talk helps exercise your ability to discern such a
become the couple that will help other couples who have lost their way. From this moment on,
trap. If you can purposefully create it, you can more easily notice it when you are conducting a
your lives will never be the same. You are to return to earth where instructions will be given for
live session.
how you can make a difference in other people's lives, knowing that this mission can only be
accomplished if you do it together. Perhaps we will see you later for another visit. Now go back
and get on with your lives. Hold out your hands so I can give you something that will remind you Case Example (A mother comes in to therapy with her teenage son):
of what has happened, so you will never forget that you have both been changed forever." Therapist: Can you begin by telling me what has been going on?
If this actually took place, whether in real time or hypnotic dream, the couple would most Mother: Ben has been suspended from school for getting into fights with other students. The

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 school has asked that we seek help for his anger problem as a condition for him returning.
Therapist: How long have you been struggling with this, Ben?
Ben: I don't know. Maybe it's been going on for about two or three years.
Mother: Ben has been through a lot. His father left a few years back and that's when all his
problems started. He has been in and out of trouble at school since then.
Pause and examine this very brief exchange. You may be surprised at the suggestion that
already the therapist faces a potential trap. Whether or not the session becomes stuck in problem
discourse depends on what the therapist does in the ensuing interaction. For the purpose of this
exercise, we ask that you intentionally invent subsequent exchanges that continue to help feed a
vicious circle. Your task, in other words, is to invent a session that keeps going round and round
inside the initial problem frame, "Ben's Anger Problem." We offer the following illustration:
Therapist: Ben have you been to therapy before for help with your anger?
Ben: Yes.
Therapist: How was that for you? What kinds of things did the therapist suggest you try?
Mother: It seemed to help a little, at first. But then Ben went right back to being out of
control. He's fine except when someone tells him something he doesn't want to hear. He goes
from zero to sixty in no time.
Ben: The therapist gave me some relaxation exercises that I can do on my own, and other
things to think about in the actual moment when I start to feel angry. We also talked a lot about
the kinds of things that set me off, and how I can avoid puffing myself in situations where things
can escalate. Also, we focused on the specific situations where I tend to get triggered the most,
and talked about how when I look at things logically it can help give me a better outlook and
calm me down.
Therapist: How did these strategies work for you?
Ben: I like the relaxation stuff, but sometimes I forget to do it. I don't want to be angry and
out of control, but I can't seem to get a handle on it. I know I overreact a lot.
Therapist: Your mom mentioned that you have had a rough time over the past few years. Tell
me about that. Ben: Yeah, my dad left us. I think that's got a lot to do with why I have so much
anger.
Mother: I always tell Ben that underneath anger is pain and hurt. When people are hurt, they
often get angry, and I think if Ben could deal with some of his past issues it would really help his
anger. He can't seem to let go of things. He's got so much going for him. I just want Ben to be
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happy.
Therapist: Let's talk about some of those feelings you might be holding onto, Ben.
Although the therapist could still choose to move the session in any number of directions, she
has thus far acted so as to keep the client's vicious circle of problem-solution discourse and inte-
raction alive and on center stage. Remember that all questions asked by a therapist in a session
contribute to either feeding a vicious or virtuous circle, and the choice presents itself the moment
the session begins. There is no "neutral ground" for therapists once they become part of the inte-
raction, and focusing on either problems or solutions runs the risk of trapping the session more
deeply inside an impoverished frame. Note that we are not suggesting that talking about suffering
in a session should be banned. It is the problem-framing and vicious circles that hold suffering we
aim to interrupt.
We suggest that you invent more examples of exchanges that pull you further into feeding a
vicious circle, either using the case example above or one from your own therapy practice. You
may begin to notice that you, like most other therapists, spend a lot of time feeding vicious
circles. Unfortunately, this is what practically all therapists are trained to do. Instead, develop your
own nose that can effectively smell a problem trap. It can be used to recognize an opportunity to
exit and move toward more resourceful frames, the first step toward feeding a virtuous circle.
Practice: Starving Pathological Discourse
Once you smell a trap, you can make the choice not to keep feeding the pathological discourse
that keeps a session stuck inside impoverished frames. In this practice we again ask you to use your
clinical imagination to invent therapeutic exchanges, this time those that starve the vicious circles of
problem-solution interaction. This exercise can be done alone or in a role-play. We begin using our
own example from the case of Ben and his mother, this time illustrating responses on the part of
the therapist that avoid feeding problem talk. Invent your own responses that do the same.
Example 1:
Mother: Ben has been suspended from school for getting into fights with other students. The
school has asked that we seek help for his anger problem as a condition for him returning.
Therapist: Ben, if you had to choose which thing about school you find less boring, which
would it be: fighting, laughing, or reading a book the teacher may not want you to read?
Here the therapist has opened another way of talking about Ben's experiences without proble-
matizing "anger." The above question introduces an alternative way of framing fighting as either
"boring" or "interesting," implying that perhaps Ben chooses to do it because it's less boring than
 class. Furthermore, it places it in the same class as other actions that can achieve the same
function, but are less likely to lead to trouble at school. Proceed to invent Ben's possible response
to that question, followed by the therapist's response, and so on. How would you respond, for
example, if Ben said he thinks fighting is more interesting? What different ways might the the-
rapist utilize that response to continue to starve problem talk in the session? Imagine a therapist
asking Ben, "Do you want to deliver a sting when you fight? Have you ever heard of 'figh-sting'?
This is fighting with an unexpected sting. I shouldn't tell you about it because it is only effective
outside of school, and it doesn't look anything like typical fighting."
Here's another example:
Example 2:
Therapist: What else do I need to know?
Mother: He's seen other therapists about his anger issues. It seemed to help a little, at first.
But then Ben went right back to being out of control. He's fine except when someone tells him
something he doesn't want to hear. He goes from zero to sixty in no time.
Therapist: I better fasten my seat belt.
The therapist sidesteps the mother's attempt to maintain presence inside a problem frame and
instead only pays attention to the part of her communication that does not automatically perpe-
tuate that emphasis. Here pathological discourse is starved by ignoring it and tangentially picking
up on another associated metaphor that does not necessarily carry a negative connotation. The
therapist essentially ignores the problem frame in mother's response and instead utilizes her
metaphor, "zero to sixty in no time," allowing a setup for future commentary about a strength in
Ben rather than a deficit.
Consider this alternative response to Mother's statement, "Wow, that's impressive. Sounds like
Ben has mastered the art of speedy response." Or, "It seems we've got ourselves a young man who
is truly alive. You know adults always complain about how distant and apathetic teenagers are these
days, but here you are so full of passion." A juicy metaphor like "zero to sixty" can also be brought
back at any time later in the session to help feed whatever resourceful frame has been initiated.
Example 3:
Ben: My therapist had me try relaxation exercises. I liked it, but sometimes I forget to do it. I
don't want to be angry and out of control, but I can't seem to get a handle on it. I know I ove-
rreact a lot.
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Therapist: Do you also overreact in the other direction? For example, when you like something,
do you go wild with joy? Or, when something is boring, do you go all the way and immediately
fall asleep and start snoring? I'm just wondering if you are such a larger-than-life performer that
no matter what emotion you are feeling, your response is really big?
Here the therapist is playing with Ben's metaphors, juggling and extending them to other realms
of action, helping establish alternative ways of framing his experience. There is no strategy at this
point other than to "soften" and "stretch" the stereotypical problem framing. We starve and mini-
mize the vicious recycling of problem indication while expanding the experiential territory to hold
more examples of larger-than-life performance, including those that are more benign. The latter
enables the conversation to shift into more creative, exploratory territory, away from Ben's usual
way of talking about his "anger problem." Once this happens, more openings for change are crea-
ted, even if the current line of questioning is eventually abandoned once something more interesting
arises. Be open to not knowing where creative interaction in a session will lead.
Example 4:
Ben: Yeah, my dad left us. I think that's got a lot to do with why I have so much anger.
Mother: I always tell Ben that underneath anger is really pain and hurt. When people are
hurt, they often get angry, and I think if Ben could deal with some of his past issues it would
really help his anger. He can't seem to let go of things. He's got so much going for him; I just
want Ben to be happy.
Therapist: Ben, were you and your dad close?
Ben: Yes. At least I thought so.
Therapist: It sounds like you loved him a lot, and that you still love him.
Ben: Yes.
Therapist: It makes so much sense that you can't seem to let go of things easily. That's how it
is when you love someone, even when they go away. Have you spoken to your dad since he left?
Ben: Only a few times.
Therapist: Does he know how much you love him and how much you miss him?
In the above example the therapist starves pathological discourse by not directly addressing
the mother's commentary (however well-intentioned) on the nature of anger or her explanation of
its underlying cause in Ben. Instead the therapist chooses to utilize her metaphor: "He can't seem
to let go of things" in a way that shifts it from being regarded as an anger-producing pathology to
 being a healthy response to losing someone he loves. The session can now shift from a discussion
about "Ben's anger problem" to exploring Ben's love and longing for his father. The latter is a
resource, even if it currently involves suffering. To ensure that Ben's mother is a part of the posi-
tive or virtuous circle that has begun to emerge, the therapist can later utilize her own expression
of love for her son, "He's got so much going for him; I just want Ben to be happy." Doing so
amplifies and feeds the resourceful expression found inside his mother's response.
Starving a vicious circle does not mean never talking about what is painful or difficult. Neither
does it involve focusing only on cliched solution talk, worn-out strategies for change, or being nai-
vely "positive" in a session. Arguably the ultimate virtuous circle that holds well-being and creative
living is that which respects suffering as something that feeds its turning every bit as much as joy.
Starving pathological discourse is an alternative to permanently fixing any aspect of human expe-
rience inside a problem frame. It is a metaphor for bringing a resourceful relationship to suffering
inside the larger frame of life, rather than contextualizing one's everyday in terms of tinkering with
solutions that aim to fix problems. In other words, it is more therapeutic to underscore living
rather than to fantasize repair. Life is to be lived rather than fixed.
Practice: Out -of-Frame Distractors
There are times when you can't help but get pulled into the vicious circularity of problem talk.
An "out-of-frame distractor" is our name for a practical out-of-the-box way of getting unstuck once
you have stepped into a vicious circle of discourse and interaction. You can think of this as a life
preserver or a rope that can pull you out of pathological quicksand. This practice utilizes how
conversation that does not fit "problem talk" can be used to draw you out of a situation that is
drowning in non-resourceful discourse.
This practice tests your interactive performance chops, as it requires both spontaneity and the
willingness to go out on a limb in your sessions, all in the name of rescuing the interaction from
sinking deeper in problem talk that is going nowhere. Begin improvising and experimenting with
out-of-frame distractors in your therapy. You can generate a list and invent exchanges in which
you use them to change the direction of a session. In addition, if you have an existing client
where the sessions are typically stuck in problem talk or simply feel dead, then come up with
several potential out-of-frame distractors you can use to take your work with him in another dire-
ction.
Conducting this practice in a face-to-face interaction is preferred, including a role-play, as it
exercises what is required to effectively deliver a distractor. You must develop good timing, an
appropriate speaking tone, effective postural choreography, among other things in order to inte-
rsperse a communication that does not fit what the client typically expects. Live practice gives you
an opportunity to work on the ways you express these interspersed interventions. If practicing with
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a colleague, you can each coach the other in what works and doesn't work in your performances.
Below we provide some examples of what can serve as an out-of-frame distractor (from actual
cases):
"Is that your cell phone ringing or mine?" Say this when you hear nothing, perhaps inspired by
your intuition that a sleepy conversation needs a wake-up call.
"I just had a flash! Do you think it's true that getting struck by lightning can give people spe-
cial powers?"
Get up and turn the lights off in the room. Say, "Sometimes it's good to look at things in a
different light." You can either turn them back on or leave them off and continue with the
session.
"Hold that thought." Now step out of the room and come right back. Or simply look as if
you're about to sneeze, or say something profound, or are listening intently. Then say, "Never
mind."
"As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Or what goes up must come down. Or
a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. And better late than never and a broken watch is
right two times a day."
"Did you know that the late great pianist Erroll Garner used to cook gourmet meals for his
dog?"
"There's that sound again!"
"I've got an idea. How about the two of you switch socks."
In Improvisational Therapy (Keeney, 1990), the suggestion was made that therapists fill their
office bookshelf with books that have interesting titles, and occasionally pull one out and hand it
to a client as a way of taking a session in a different direction. Imagine interrupting the session by
handing Tolstoy's War and Peace to your client and asking him to read the title. Invent an inte-
raction that might ensue. You can also keep a book or two on the table in front of you. Some of
our favorite distractor book titles (they really were published) include: How to Avoid Huge Ships,
Be Bold with Bananas, Fancy Coffins to Make Yourself, How to Be a Pope, Fart Proudly, The Bible
Cure for Irritable Bowl Syndrome, Nuclear War: What's in it for You?, The Do It Yourself Lobotomy,
Build Your Own Hindenburg, Trout Madness, Does God Ever Speak Through Cats?, Lumber Jack
Songs with Yodel Arrangements, The Radiation Cook Book, How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, and
How to Start Your Own Country.
How about handing one of these books to your client and asking her to open it at random
and read the first words she sees. It helps to think of therapy as transformative theatre. Make use
of the room and any props you have on hand. If you have none, get some.
 Remember that almost any action in therapy can serve as an out-of-frame distractor if utilized
at the right moment. The key distinction here is "out of frame." This means you must first know
what frame you are currently inside. In other words, know where are you in the plot line during
any given moment of a session, and be able to smell when a session has become stuck or has
reached a dead end. The three practices in this chapter constitute just one part of a more enco-
mpassing strategy to keep a session moving toward resourceful change. First you smell a trap,
meaning the session is either stuck or headed toward becoming stuck in a vicious circle of pro-
blem talk. Then you act so as to avoid feeding it. Vicious circles are equivalent to quicksand: the
more you struggle, the deeper you sink. Should you find the session drowning, throw in an out-
-of-frame distractor and lift your performance back into a movement toward change.

Thankfully there is more to therapeutic performance than starving vicious circles and rescuing a
dying session. In the next chapter we invite you to follow us into more resourceful territory where
the focus in a session turns to that which holds life force, creative possibility, and feeds virtuosity
both in a client's life and in your therapy.

So-called "evidence-based" therapy research assumes the opposite. In the effort to produce
standardized, "best practice" models, therapy is reduced to particular, isolated actions and seque-
nces of actions to be replicated across multiple clinical situations. It follows that clients' problems
must also be reduced to a set of isolated variables and lineal causal explanations in order to be
"treated" by the established model. The result is assembly line therapy that deemphasizes creating
skilled therapists who are able to work with the complexity of each unique client.

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