Possible influence of reflecting on the tense of the client's utterances: A preliminary finding

Open Dialogue (OD), developed in Finland, has gained attention in psychiatric care for its emphasis on human rights. However, quantitative research remains limited, and its implementation in Japan is still at an early stage. Reflecting, originally developed in Norway, is a core element of OD's dialogical practice and has shown promise, yet studies on its mechanisms remain scarce.

This study examined how reflecting is associated with changes in the tense structure of client utterances. Audio from outpatient sessions was transcribed, and utterances were categorized into four tense types: future, present, recent past, and past. Changes before and after reflecting were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Wilcoxon tests.

Results showed that past-oriented utterances significantly increased in the reflecting group, while no significant changes occurred in the individual consultation group.

These findings suggest that reflecting may be associated with increased references to past experiences, which may be related to self-reflection as one aspect of a deepening dialogical process.