Using Therapeutic Metaphors: A Practical Introduction

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is used to describe another to bring attention to the elements they have in common. For example, describing life as a ‘roller coaster’ makes a parallel between the physical ups and downs of the ride and the emotional ones of life in general.

What Are Therapeutic Metaphors?

In therapy, metaphors can be a powerful way of helping clients explore their thoughts, emotions and experiences. A therapeutic metaphor may be as simple as a sentence or as complex as a full story. Although many hypnotherapists use metaphors within trance, they can be used equally effectively in conversation. This makes them useful for therapists of many different kinds.

Using the Client’s Metaphors

To improve the communication we have with our clients we can listen out for their own metaphors. Clients often use metaphors to:

• express complex ideas more easily
• express abstract ideas or feelings for which they have no specific words
• talk about experiences which are too difficult to face directly or literally

A client who describes their issue as a ‘heavy weight’ is using metaphor, as is one who says it’s a ‘wall, blocking my way forward’. By stepping into the client’s own metaphors we can get closer to their way of thinking and improve rapport.

You can ask these clients, “what would help to make it lighter?” or “what would help you move past that?”. If you’re still not sure how powerful this technique is, imagine swapping the responses.

Using Therapeutic Metaphors in Your Sessions

You can introduce your own metaphors into the session as well, if you think they’re appropriate for the client. These will help you to

• engage the client’s attention
• offer messages, solutions or reframes without giving specific advice
• encourage the client’s unconscious mind and imagination to work on the problem

Short metaphors like the ones in the previous section often arise in the pre-talk or conversational part of a session. These can then be expanded into anecdotes or full-length stories. Hypnotherapists may deliver longer metaphors in trance, but they can also be used as guided imagery or simple relaxation exercises.

Neuro-science is now allowing us to see how stories and metaphors are processed by the brain. This helps us to understand why they can be so effective in creating change. You’ll find more on this in my article on how healing stories work.

How to Create Therapeutic Metaphors for Clients

There are many books and websites offering ready-made metaphors for therapy. One is my book The Metaphor Toolbox. It provides not just the stories themselves, but notes on how to tailor each one to fit the person in front of you. One of the strengths of these is that clients will take their own meaning from the story. Each person uses the symbols in their own way.

However, the most powerful metaphor is often one created specifically for your client. To do this you need to:

• understand the client’s current problem, focusing on behaviour or emotions
• identify the desired outcome based on what the client has told you
• create a story which mirrors the journey from the current situation to the desired one

The best stories reflect something personal about the client, helping them identify with it. Your protagonist might share an interest, a hobby, or a small detail that makes the story feel relevant and meaningful.

There is no need to spell out the underlying message of the metaphor. In fact, leaving some ambiguity encourages the client to find their own meaning and conclusions.dentification and see the relevance.

Developing Your Storytelling Skills

I often introduce metaphors within sessions with something like “As I was listening to you telling me about yourself today, it reminded me of a story I heard/an article I read recently …”. Which, of course, makes them wonder why this particular story jumped into my mind. In 20+ years as a therapist, only one client has ever said, ‘You didn’t just read that story, did you?’.

Not all of us are natural storytellers. And not all of us can instantly see the right metaphor for a client. However, the good news is that it’s a skill that can be learned, and you get better with practice.

Start by asking the client to expand on the metaphors they already use. For example, if their issue is like a wall:

• What kind of wall is it?
• What’s it made of?
• What could be on the other side?
• Who or what put it there?
• What needs to happen to get past it? (Or under/over/through it).

As you ask these questions, you and the client will begin to develop a story together. Adding solutions or reframes within the logic of the metaphor will help your client move forward.  

There are lots more practical tips on developing storytelling skills in another article on this blog. You can find it here.

Developing Your Own Metaphors

If you’d like more structured guidance on developing metaphors and other session content based on your client’s words and experiences, my book Your Words, Their Worlds will help. It takes you step by step through the process of creating a full metaphor tailored to an individual client.

Disclaimer
The information and ideas shared on this blog are based on the author’s professional experience, research, and training. They are intended for educational purposes and to support reflection and professional development. Therapists should always apply their own professional judgment and consider the needs of individual clients when using any techniques or suggestions discussed here.
While every effort is made to ensure the information is accurate and helpful, no responsibility can be accepted for any loss, damage, or difficulties arising from the use or misuse of material contained in these articles.