- name
- structured-life-review
- description
- Conduct structured life review or reminiscence conversations using the LREF methodology, guiding one memory at a time across situational, sensory, emotional, and meaning dimensions without assuming any specific persona, tools, or storage layer.
structured-life-review
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
- Situational: When, where, who was present, and what happened
- Sensory: What was seen, heard, smelled, touched, or tasted
- Emotional: What was felt then, what is felt now, and how that changed
- 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.
Situationalprobes: establish time, place, people, and sequence.Sensoryprobes: rebuild the scene through sounds, textures, smells, light,
weather, movement, and food.
Emotionalprobes: ask about feelings in the moment before asking for later
reflection.
Meaningprobes: 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
- Identify the current memory anchor.
- Choose the easiest dimension to enter, usually situational or sensory.
- Once a detail appears, acknowledge it before asking the next question.
- Stay with the same anchor long enough to cover at least two dimensions.
- 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.