Metaphors to help explain rationale

A The Fish
We're the fish, and language is the water. How would a fish know if they were wet if they'd never been out of the water? Jumping out of the water helps you to notice the water, but we all still must swim in it.

Joanne Steinwachs

 
A Battlefield

You've been trying to win the war with your mind, with your anxiety, with your urges [add whatever is relevant]. True? (They always say "yes."). Well, ACT is about letting the war roll on while you leave the battlefield.

Steven Hayes

The Sh*t Metaphor

A client and I were talking about what minds do and I pulled the idea of using the comparison to organs. I think this is from Out of Your Mind.

Anyway, so the client says: "I get it, intestines make shit. Minds make thoughts."
We laugh and then start fooling around with the metaphor, like this:
What happens if your intestines stop making shit? Not a good thing.
What happens when your intestines do make shit? We agree that most people tend to check it out to see if things are working all right, and then they flush it.
Do your intestines make shit sometimes when you don't want them to? Yes and sometimes won't make shit when I DO want them to.
Would it make sense to scoop your shit up, put it in your pocket, carry it around with you, and check on it all day? Ewww, no!

Joanne Steinwachs

The Titanic metaphor

Here's a metaphor I've been using to describe the difference between ACT and other therapies.

What if you're on the Titanic? Some approaches might suggest moving the deck chairs around.
(laughs all around)
What would be a better approach?
Client usually comes up with the idea of steering better.
My offering to them is perhaps it would be a good idea to get off the boat completely.

Joanne Steinwachs

Two Mountains Metaphor

"It’s like you’re in the process of climbing up a big mountain that has lots of dangerous places on it. My job is to watch out for you and shout out directions if I can see places you might slip or hurt yourself. But I’m not able to do this because I’m standing at the top of your mountain, looking down at you. If I’m able to help you climb your mountain, it’s because I’m on my own mountain, just across a valley. I don’t have to know anything about exactly what it feels like to climb your mountain to see where you are about to step, and what might be a better path for you to take."

Twohig, M. (2004). ACT for OCD: Abbreviated Treatment Manual