Most questions carry hidden assumptions. “What’s stopping you from being confident?” assumes something is stopping you. Clean Language tries to ask questions that don’t.
Where it comes from
Clean Language was developed in the 1980s and 1990s by David Grove, a New Zealand psychotherapist, who noticed how easily a therapist’s own words could shape what clients said, especially when the clients were describing traumatic experiences. He aimed to use questions as free of the therapist’s assumptions as possible.
Penny Tompkins and James Lawley later systematised the approach as Symbolic Modelling, working with Grove over several years. They combined his ideas with cognitive linguistics, systems thinking and NLP.
How it relates to NLP
Clean Language isn’t NLP, but it overlaps with it in the tradition of studying language and “modelling” experience. There are differences in philosophy. NLP generally aims to bring about change through techniques based on models of expert performance, while Clean Language emphasises the integrity of the person’s own symbolic world and avoids imposing a framework. Practitioners often train in both, which is why it turns up in NLP circles.
How it works
The facilitator uses a small set of standard questions, phrased with the person’s exact words, such as:
- “And what kind of [that] is that [that]?”
- “And is there anything else about [that]?”
- “And where is [that]?”
- “And what happens just before [that]?”
- “And that’s like what?”
They avoid paraphrasing, suggesting metaphors or offering interpretations.
Example
“I feel like I’m hitting a wall at work.” “And when you’re hitting a wall, what kind of wall is that wall?” “It’s a tall, grey wall.” “And is there anything else about that tall, grey wall?”
The person explores their own metaphor, and often gains insight from it.
What it’s used for
- Therapy and coaching, to help people explore their experience.
- Research interviewing, where researchers want to avoid leading participants.
- Education and team work, to improve listening and reduce assumptions.
- Self-reflection. You can ask yourself clean questions.
What the evidence says
- My search found no controlled trials showing that Clean Language therapy improves outcomes. Most descriptions come from practitioners and trainers.
- The principle is sound. Avoiding leading questions is a basic rule of good interviewing and of good therapy, and the risk of suggestion is well documented (see hypnosis series, part 32).
- It is a skill, not a cure. It is helpful for exploring and understanding, less obviously for treating a condition.
Limits
- It can feel odd. The repeated phrasing sounds unnatural at first.
- It may be slow, and not everyone enjoys metaphor.
- It doesn’t replace treatment for mental health conditions.
- Training varies. Check a practitioner’s background.
The bottom line
Clean Language is a careful way of asking questions that keeps the listener’s assumptions out of the way. It sits beside NLP, rather than inside it, and its main lesson is useful for anyone who helps others: ask, don’t tell.
Next in the series: EFT Tapping: The Technique Often Taught Alongside NLP
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.