15 metaphors for acceptance and commitment therapy

Psychotherapy and, especially, acceptance and commitment therapy, The use of metaphors is very common so that the patient connects with their problems and understand what the therapist wants to convey to you. Well, in some way, the telling of simple stories promotes understanding and the adoption of another perspective on what happened.

Metaphors allow patients to observe and recognize their suffering from another perspective., one more focused on acceptance and validation than resistance and avoidance. In this way, and together with other techniques and strategies, the person assumes another way of facing their suffering.

Acceptance and commitment therapy

Now, before continuing to talk about metaphors and their therapeutic power, it is pertinent to take into account what acceptance and commitment therapy consists of.

This is based on two fundamental principles: acceptance and activation. Thus, from this perspective, the goal is not the avoidance of suffering or pain, but rather the acceptance of it.

However, this does not mean that the person has to resign, but rather that they commit to their personal values ​​and pursues them despite the suffering they may experience by the way. For this reason, activation or action acquires a very important value.

In this sense, the metaphor is very helpful, since through it a close experience is transmitted to the patient with which they feel identified and understood. Yes indeed, It is important to know very well which metaphor to use, to offer an alternative solution according to the person’s values. Let’s dig deeper.

The metaphors of acceptance and commitment therapy open our minds to create new perspectives on problems.

An effective metaphor

First of all, we must keep in mind that a metaphor is a rhetorical figure through which a reality or concept is expressed through a different reality or concept, where what is represented can form a new meaning in the world.

Now, the metaphors of acceptance and commitment therapy can be adjusted to different types of problems. The important thing is that they are useful to the patient and facilitate the therapeutic change they need.

They should not be used indiscriminately, but in a way that is calculated and timely for the patient’s experience. It is necessary that these act as a reflection for the person, as if it were a mirror. As this article published by Hayes in Clinical Psychology Review points out, it is advisable that the metaphor meets the following conditions:

That is consistent with the person’s experience: the patient has to understand it. Therefore, it has to refer to their direct experience or common knowledge in society and at their age. It must be related to the person’s problems and their personal experience. The metaphor has to help the patient identify new actions, steps. alternatives to those he has been giving to modify his behavior.You must generate or offer a solution. In this way, the patient accesses a behavior that he had not seen before and that reinterprets or solves his problem.

9 metaphors of acceptance and commitment therapy

Below, we mention some of the most interesting acceptance and commitment therapy metaphors.

1. Shark Tank and the Polygraph

«Imagine you are sitting on the edge of a tank surrounded by sharks and you are also connected to a sensitive polygraph.

Your task will be to avoid at all costs presenting any hint of anxiety. If you experience this sensation, the seat you are sitting on will tilt and you will end up in the shark tank. What do you think is going to happen? As you may have already imagined, it is very possible that you will end up experiencing what you should have avoided feeling.

2. Hungry tiger metaphor

«One morning you wake up and in front of the door of your house you find an adorable little tiger cub. You adopt him and keep him at home.

Your precious tiger starts to meow and you sense that he is hungry. You give him a piece of hamburger meat and repeat this same operation every time you hear him cry.

When the days go by, your pet begins to grow, you can no longer give him a little hamburger, but you have to provide him with whole ribs and large pieces of beef.

This is what happens with thoughts: they grow and grow like the tiger the more you feed them., that is, the more value you give them. Thus, you give them greater power and they end up controlling a large part of your life.

Thought is like a hungry tiger that grows as you feed it.

3. Chinese trap game metaphor

«If you have ever played Chinese trap, you will know that this game consists of a tube of braided straw the thickness of your index finger. When you place both forefingers inside, one at each end, and pull out, the straw shrinks and tightens.

The harder you pull, the narrower the tube becomes and the more it traps you. However, if you push your fingers inward, you will have more freedom of movement.

Now he thinks that life is like a Chinese trap. The more you fight, the more limited your movements become. But if you stop fighting, you get greater freedom to make new choices.

4. Metaphor of the hole and the shovel

«You fall into a deep hole and the only thing you have to get out of there is a shovel. Since you don’t really know what to do and you get desperate, you start using your shovel.

Little by little, you sink deeper into the hole, since as you remove dirt, it gets deeper and it is much more difficult for you to leave. Wouldn’t it have been better to use the shovel in another way? Couldn’t we have waited for someone to come by and help us out?

This is what happens in experiential avoidance. The desire to get out of the discomfort causes us to bury ourselves even deeper in that discomfort. However, its acceptance could help us look for alternative strategies. We may have to tolerate the suffering at first, but in the long run the solution will be more beneficial.

Digging a hole while inside it is the direct path to sinking deeper and deeper.

5. Two climbers

«Imagine that we are two climbers who are climbing two different but opposite mountains. I can see a path you can climb, not because I know that mountain, nor because I am smarter; but because I am situated in a different position where I can see things that you cannot.

I am climbing my own mountain and you, if necessary, could give me directions on the path that awaits me. My only advantage over you during therapy will be perspective. Although there are things I cannot know about your mountain; You’ll have to tell me those.

In addition, Although I can advise you on the path I see, I will not climb the mountain for you. Therefore, you will have the most difficult task.

The goal of this metaphor is explain the role of the psychologist within the therapy and the context of the relationship that will be established during treatment. In this case, the therapist is a guide and a companion, but he will never be the one to solve the patient’s problems, since it is the latter who must do it.

6. Gargoyle metaphor

«Imagine that you carry a gargoyle on your shoulder. Since the gargoyles are made of stone and, therefore, heavy, it makes it difficult for you to move to carry out any type of activity.

In addition, he whispers negative, humiliating messages in your ear, and blames you for everything.. If you feel bad, the gargoyle tells you that you will always feel that way. And the worst thing is that you believe everything he tells you.

In the coming weeks you will have to learn to identify what these messages are and recognize that they come from the gargoyle. It is impossible not to listen to her, but if you are aware of what her messages are, you will know that these are her opinions and you will stop believing her.

There will come a point where the gargoyle will shout more to convince you, however, over time, If she doesn’t feel heard, she may walk away from your shoulder.

Generally, this type of metaphor is used for the patient to identify their negative beliefs, thoughts or ideas that are affecting their way of feeling, their self-concept and self-worth. It is very useful for people with depression and low self-esteem.

7. Heat metaphor

«Negative thoughts, sensations and emotions are like heat: very unpleasant. But I’m sure you don’t blame yourself for being hot.. You are not thinking all day that the heat is horrible, unbearable, etc. It’s annoying, but we know that from time to time we have to go through that, especially in the summer, and we don’t give it any more importance than that.

This metaphor It is useful when the person blames themselves for the negative thoughts that plague them.. The idea is to recognize that we are thinking beings and that we cannot stop thinking.

8. Quicksand

«If you were trapped in quicksand. The first thing you would try to do is get out of them, but The more you try to escape, the deeper you become. The more you fight, the deeper you sink.

The more we try to fight a thought, an emotion, an external fact or situation, etc., the bigger and heavier it becomes, and the more we sink.

This metaphor of acceptance and commitment therapy refers to how people often strive to feel good at all times, resorting to avoidance. However, this has not given them good results.

It is important to keep in mind that, in our daily lives, there are many emotions or thoughts that we do not want to have, but The more we avoid or fight them, the more they will stay with us.

The other option is to live with them, accept them and observe them for what they are: thoughts, emotions, sensations. We have to approach the content of our mind without judgments and evaluations.

9. The donkey and the farmer

«Once upon a time there was a farmer who had a very old donkey. One day, the donkey fell to the bottom of an abandoned well. When the farmer saw it, he thought that the donkey was old and could no longer do any work on the farm. On the other hand, the well had dried up many years ago and was therefore of no use either. So, the farmer decided that he would bury the old donkey at the bottom of the well.

When he began to shovel dirt on top of the donkey, it became more restless than it already was. Not only was he trapped, but he was also being buried in the same hole that had trapped him. As he shook with tears, he shook himself and the earth fell from his back so that it began to cover his paws.

Then the donkey raised his hooves, shook them, and when he put them back on the ground, they were a little higher than they had been moments before.

The neighbors…