Reframing is based upon the theory that all behaviours and actions we conduct, we conduct with a positive intent in mind. Sometimes this positive intent may not be obvious to us, as we believe the behaviour or action to be positive from a subconscious level as opposed to a conscious one. Nevertheless, some part of us believes that everything we do, be it a bad habit, or a good habit, has a positive outcome.
What reframing does is it changes the means of achieving this positive outcome. For example, someone may be unable to stop biting their nails. If they attempt to stop biting their nails, they may have feelings of uneasiness or tension. This may be represented as follows -
A - Biting of the nails
B - No feeling of uneasiness or tension
C - Feeling of uneasiness or tension
In order to experience B (no feeling of uneasiness or tension), the action of A (biting the nails) must be done. If A is not done then C (the feeling of uneasiness and tension) occurs.
With reframing we are changing A, the biting of the nails, to a different habit. We can change the habit of A to something such as placing our right hand through our hair, or simply lifting our left index finger up for a brief moment. Simply put, we can replace the undesired biting of the nails with any other habit in order to achieve B, the positive result.
Whilst it may not seem obvious why we need to conduct any form of habit at all, or why such a habit is deemed to be positive, our subconscious interprets things in an entirely different manner to our conscious mind. If a habit has become such a part of our existence that we simply can't break it, then using reframing to change the undesired habit for something more desirable can be a good alternative. Once the habit has been changed to something else, other steps may be taken to eliminate the habit altogether, however these processes are much too complex to explain within reframing alone.
When used in an interpersonal setting, reframing can be used to help other people overcome negative thought patterns or bad behaviours.
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