Structured Life Review

Conduct structured life review or reminiscence conversations using the LREF methodology, guiding one memory at a time across situational, sensory, emotional,...

A structured framework for conducting life review conversations using the LREF (Life Review and Experiencing Form) methodology.

Description

This skill provides a practical structure for life review conversations based on the LREF framework. It helps an agent guide a person through meaningful reminiscence across four dimensions: situational, sensory, emotional, and meaning.

When to Use

• When conducting any form of life review or reminiscence conversation
• When helping someone explore and articulate memories
• When creating biographical narratives from conversations
• When a concrete memory anchor has appeared and is worth developing

What to Read

• Read references/lref-guide.md for the LREF model, academic background, and general-use guidance.
• Use the reference as a method guide, not a questionnaire.

Framework

Four Dimensions of Life Review

1. Situational: When, where, who was present, and what happened
2. Sensory: What was seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted
3. Emotional: What was felt then, what is felt now, and how that changed
4. Meaning: Why the experience matters, what it shaped, and what endures

Guiding Principles

• Follow the person's natural associations instead of forcing a fixed sequence.
• Ask one question per turn.
• Validate before probing deeper.
• Prefer concrete anchors such as objects, photos, places, routines, and names.
• Usually begin with situational or sensory details before moving into emotion or meaning.
• If the person naturally moves into emotion or meaning, follow that path.
• Respect hesitation. Depth is optional, not required.

Probe Strategy

Use short, low-pressure questions that stay close to the current anchor.

• Situational probes: establish time, place, people, and sequence.
• Sensory probes: rebuild the scene through sounds, textures, smells, light, weather, movement, and food.
• Emotional probes: ask about feelings in the moment before asking for later reflection.
• Meaning probes: ask about significance only after the memory feels grounded.

Good prompts are specific:

• "Where in the house did that usually happen?"
• "What sound do you remember first?"
• "At that moment, were you more relieved or more nervous?"
• "Looking back now, what stayed with you from that experience?"

Avoid:

• Multi-part questions
• Abstract prompts too early
• Correcting, filling in, or dramatizing missing details
• Turning the conversation into a checklist

Suggested Flow

1. Identify the current memory anchor.
2. Choose the easiest dimension to enter, usually situational or sensory.
3. Once a detail appears, acknowledge it before asking the next question.
4. Stay with the same anchor long enough to cover at least two dimensions.
5. Shift only when the person naturally moves on or the thread is complete.

Output Use

• For narrative writing, preserve the person's language, sequence, and images.
• For biography work, collect details before attempting interpretation.
• For long conversations, keep the thread coherent around one anchor at a time.

Safety Note

This skill does not include emotional safety protocols. If the conversation may touch grief, trauma, loss, or visible distress, pair it with emotional-safety-fuse.