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Metaphors for Life - an invitation to consider your own experience of relating to thoughts, feelings and actions from a different perspective. Encouraging psychological flexibility with content inspired by the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). A collection of ideas, short stories, fables or parables designed to pose questions and help you navigate life using similes and metaphors. Using a bite-sized, 'Pause for thought' or 'Though ...
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Thanks to Russ Harris for his willingness to share this exercise, called "Dropping Anchor", in this guest post on the 'Metaphors for Life' podcast. In his most recent book, this exercise was described as "the single most useful and versatile technique in the whole of ACT" (that is, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Dr Russ Harris is a peer-review…
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#13 Illustrating your mind with Louise Gardner
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In this guest post from professional Illustrator, Louise Gardner AKA @ACTAuntie on Twitter, and "Your ACT Auntie" on Youtube, we learn about her drawing of a human mind as a 'Safety Observing Sponge'.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLi8-Mi6eqAIf you'd like to see more of Louise's work, check out www.louisegardner.com…
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In episode #12 of the 'Metaphors for Life' podcast, we're reflecting on the idea that "thoughts in your mind are like vehicles on a road". To bring this to life I recorded this on location, near to where I live.I have posted a video to accompany this episode on YouTube - check it out! https://youtu.be/MKXG-2gck1YIt can be noisy and distracting to h…
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Opening up after having been shaken up can be painful and messy. If you did choose to lift the lid, for some reason, what's your mind telling you about what could happen?From my perspective, I can see that problems arise, both within ourselves, and, in my view, within society, if we keep ignoring and "bottling up" our emotions rather than acknowled…
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Have you ever thought about the kind of relationship that you have with your own self? Relationships need work and attention, kindness, respect, compassion and tolerance, whether it’s with a partner, a child or a friend. Becoming frustrated, having unrealistic expectations and speaking down to a person who you spend a lot of time with risks them th…
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Your supposed to avoid and escape from uncomfortable feelings and circumstances, right? In my experience, this is not always possible. When you're trying to cope with a difficult situation it's worth checking in with your sense of how well a strategy is working for you. You might find that while feeling stuck you're making things more difficult for…
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For this episode of 'Metaphors for Life', I met up with David Gillanders from Edinburgh University to talk about the use of metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and in particular his invention of the sailing boat metaphor. Whilst often helpful in the delivery of psychological therapy with clients, metaphors can also show up in the …
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What is the purpose of a snow globe? If you were to make your self one, what would it contain? Something meaningful or important to you perhaps; a collection of figures or a landmark of sorts. Most so called 'snow globes' contain snow, settled or suspended within it, depending on how 'shaken up' it is. The snow is an integral part of the experience…
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#6 Steve Hayes on using metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
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In this episode of 'Metaphors for Life', I had the opportunity to interview Professor Steve Hayes, and ask him about the use of metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Along with an explanation of how and why metaphors can work in the context of psychological therapy, he unpacks some examples, including 'anxiety is like quicksand', 'c…
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It's often difficult to 'put into words' the experiences that we have in life. We resort to describing abstract or unfamiliar concepts in terms of things that are concrete or we think will be familiar to the listener. Analogies and metaphors help us to develop and expand our understanding of a subject or situation, for example, the challenges that …
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"How long is a piece of string?" Whilst we may need to agree upon standard criteria in order to make and communicate measurements, in some cases it may not make sense to measure, compare or judge things at all. Considering the ways in which our minds are prone to jumping to the conclusion "I'm not good enough", isn't it worth questioning whether th…
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Imagine if you only had one tool or strategy to deal with problems that you came across in life. You might be tempted to use it for everything! It may be useful to experiment with other ways of approaching things, and some situations just can't be controlled or fixed. You wouldn't keep trying to use the same old tool that just wasn't working to fix…
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There is a a difference between having a goal, and knowing what your values are. Where you are just now and where you would like to be may be two quite different places. Expectations of an ideal target destination and contrast with present circumstances can be frustrating and unhelpfully distract from the experience of the journey itself. Rather th…
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When we reach out, we take a risk; it costs us something. There are obstacles that can get in the way when we engage with those things that are most important to us. In accepting this discomfort perhaps we have an opportunity to be present, open up and do what matters?By James Hardie CBT
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