Virginia Satir: The Patterns of Her Magic

This book provides a detailed analysis of how family therapy pioneer Virginia Satir -- one of the greatest therapists of our time -- helped people solve problems in relationships.

The first section of the book describes 16 key themes in Satir's work--the techniques and ideas she used to move people from their current situations to their desired outcomes. Satir skillfully reframed perceptions and attitudes, and installed useful presuppositions about positive intentions, alternative choices and learnings. She did this using physical contact, exaggeration, and humor. She directly challenged limiting beliefs and overgeneralizations, and used a wide range of hypnotic language patterns to help clients see events in new ways.

The second section is a richly-annotated verbatim transcript of a 73-minute videotaped session with Linda, a woman who started out with great resentment toward her mother, but who ended with a deep appreciation and loving understanding of her mother's behavior and attitudes.

A follow-up interview with Linda, conducted three years later, shows the permanent impact of the changes Satir had achieved with her. Steve Andreas' insightful commentary reveals the subtlety, precision, and wisdom of Satir's methods, both verbal and nonverbal. Therapists and other professionals who seek positive change in their clients can learn a lot from his book.

Steve Andreas, and his wife Connirae, are internationally known trainers and researchers in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Together they founded NLP Comprehensive, through which they conducted training seminars and Certification Programs for many years. Today they continue their work through Andreas NLP (AndreasNLP.com). The Andreases have written nine other books about NLP: Heart of the Mind: Engaging Your Inner Power to Change With NLP (1989), Change Your Mind-and Keep the Change (1987), Transforming Your Self: Becoming who you want to be (2002), Six Blind Elephants: Understanding Ourselves and Each Other, Vols I & II (2006), Transforming Negative Self-Talk (2012), More Transforming Negative Self-Talk (2014), Core Transformation: Reaching the Wellspring Within (1994), and Coming to Wholeness: How to Awaken and Live with Ease (2018). They have written many training manuals which are drawn upon by trainers world-wide. Their early contributions included editing four books by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, the co-developers of NLP: Frogs into Princes (1979), TRANCEformations (1981), Reframing (1981), and Using Your Brain-for a CHANGE (1985). Steve Andreas-under his former name, John O. Stevens-also wrote Awareness: exploring, experimenting, experiencing, based on his work with Fritz Perls and Gestalt Therapy. He edited Fritz Perls' Gestalt Therapy Verbatim, Perls' autobiography, In and Out the Garbage Pail, and Carl Rogers' book, Person to Person, coauthored by his mother, Barry Stevens. The Andreases have focused on developing new patterns of intervention for personal change that deal with common problems and challenges, including specific processes for resolving and healing grief, shame, guilt, anger, resentment, and being criticized. More Information at AndreasNLP.com