Four Metaphors In Acceptance And Commitment Therapy

In psychotherapy, it is very common to use metaphors to help patients get in touch with their problem and better understand what the therapist is trying to say. Telling simple stories will somehow help with understanding and empathy. Metaphors for acceptance and commitment are simply a valuable tool for therapists in acceptance and commitment therapy.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is based on two basic principles: acceptance and activation. Thus, the goal is not to avoid suffering or pain, but to accept it.

However, this does not mean that the person must stop feeling pain and suffering. On the contrary, it means committing oneself personally to one’s goals and following them despite the difficulties one may encounter along the way. This is precisely why activation or action is particularly valuable.

In this sense, metaphors are very useful because they tell a story that the patient can identify with. Of course, it is crucial that the therapist knows which metaphor they should use so that they can offer a solution that fits with the patient’s values.

An effective metaphor

Metaphors in acceptance and commitment therapy can be adapted to different problems. The important thing is that the patient finds them useful and that they simplify the necessary therapeutic changes.

The metaphor must be effective, and not just a story that has nothing to do with the patient. Consequently, the metaphor should meet the following criteria:

• The metaphor should be consistent with the patient’s level of development. The patient must understand the metaphor. It should be related to the patient’s direct experience, or to things that are common knowledge in their social group and age (McCurry and Hayes, 1992).
• There should be a clear connection between the person’s problem and the story.
• The metaphor must be action-oriented. It must somehow outline the steps that the patient should take in real life to change their behavior.
• It is important that the metaphor offers a solution. In this way, the patient will be able to see behaviors they did not see before and reinterpret something, or solve their problem.

Some metaphors that can be used in acceptance and commitment therapy

Shark pool and polygraph test

“Imagine that you are sitting on the edge of a pool surrounded by sharks and that you are connected to an extremely sensitive polygraph machine (lie detector).

Your task is to avoid feeling any kind of anxiety. If you feel anxious, your seat will drop you into the water and you will fall directly into the shark pool. What do you think will happen?

As you can probably imagine, you will probably experience anxiety. “

This metaphor is perfect for those who have panic attacks. You start to feel a little anxious, but you want to avoid anxiety. However, you can not stand this feeling, and think that “This is horrible, I can not feel anxious!”. However, this makes you even more anxious. When you understand what’s going on, you’re already down in the shark pool.

The metaphor of the hungry tiger in acceptance and commitment therapy

“One morning you wake up and when you open the front door, you see a cute tiger cub. You adopt the tiger and let it live in your home.

The cute tiger starts to meow and you realize it’s hungry. You give it some hamburger meat. Every time it meows, you give it more.

As the days go by, your pet starts to grow and hamburger meat is no longer enough. Now you need to give it whole ribs and large pieces of meat.

The same thing happens with your mind. The more you feed them, the more they grow, just like the tiger. In other words, the more value you give to your thoughts, the bigger they become. If you feed your mind, they will end up controlling a large part of your life.

Chinese finger trap metaphor

“If you’ve ever played with a Chinese finger trap, you know that they are woven straw tubes that are about as wide as your fingers. When you put a finger at each end and pull, they extend and become narrower.

The harder you pull, the narrower the pipe becomes, and it becomes impossible to get your fingers out. However, if you push your two fingers against each other, you will get loose.

Now, think of how life is like a Chinese finger trap. The more you fight against it, the more boundaries you have. If you stop fighting, you retain your freedom to make your own choices. ”

The metaphor of the hole and the spade in acceptance and commitment therapy

“Imagine you fall into a pretty deep hole, and the only thing you have to get out is a shovel. Since you do not know what to do and you feel desperate, you start digging your way.

Little by little, you end up deeper in the hole. When you remove dirt, the hole gets deeper and it’s harder to get out. Wouldn’t it be better to use the shovel in a different way? Couldn’t you wait to see if anyone came by to help you? ”

This is exactly what happens when avoiding experiences. The anxiety you feel about getting out of the difficult situation makes you dig even deeper into the problem. However, acceptance can help you find new alternatives. You may have to suffer at first, but the long-term solution will be more beneficial.

As you can see, the ACT metaphors can be very helpful in understanding certain aspects of your life. They can at least help you reflect and sometimes help you see the situation from a different perspective. It is easy to get stuck where you are if nothing comes in from the outside.