Why are metaphors so popular as tools for therapy? And how do they really work?
Clients rarely turn up at our offices with a single,
clear-cut problem that is isolated from the rest of their lives. Most often
there is a complex web of experiences, beliefs, feelings, thoughts, and
behaviours involved. Raymond Berger [a] suggests that, rather than dealing with these piecemeal, a story or metaphor provides a
‘cognitive package’. In other words, it breaks things down into simple patterns
and themes that make finding solutions easier.
One reason that metaphors are so popular with therapists is pretty much common sense. Even stories that contain a deliberate, underlying healing message are arguably less likely to ‘press the rebel button’ than issuing instructions since you are just putting an idea out there for your client to think about.
It’s also because stories are more engaging and easier to remember than a list of facts or rules. They help us pay attention, to understand and focus on the information we’re being given, and they give us the freedom to make our own interpretation of what’s being said.
But did you know that, beyond that, when we listen to a story there is more going on inside our brains than responding to auditory information?
A few facts about metaphors and the brain
- We respond emotionally to stories, and this creates observable physical changes in the body, in terms of facial expressions, breathing rate changes and so on – think of your own response to a scary, sad, or happy story. (Or watching a film. They’re stories as well, just a visual version.)
- Listening to a well-told story causes the release of oxytocin [b], a brain chemical involved in positive emotions and empathy, and a reduction of the stress hormone cortisol [c].
- Listening to a story creates a kind of synchronicity between the brain of the listener and that of the storyteller. Mirror neurons create a process called neural coupling, in which the listener’s and storyteller’s brain waves start to match one another’s. This has an ongoing, beneficial, effect on empathy, communication, and understanding.
- Our brains use many more areas to process stories than factual communications. For example, brain scans have shown that when we are presented with a metaphorical description such as someone having ‘a rough day’, or being a ‘sweet’ person, the areas of the brain that process the relevant physical experiences (in my examples, touch or taste) are activated, as well as those that deal with verbal communication [d]. Isn’t that amazing?
So, the responses our clients have to the metaphors and stories we tell them are not simply going on in their imaginations.
Their emotional and neurological reactions to this internal ‘virtual reality’ are just as real as the ones they have to physical or social experiences and thus can help to change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours.
This blog was adapted from Chapter One of The Metaphor Toolbox: scripts and stories for hypnotherapists, counsellors and coaches, which you can purchase from Amazon. As well as this chapter on becoming a better storyteller and developing your own metaphors, the book contains over 30 metaphorical stories to use with clients, each one with notes about how to adapt it to the client in front of you.
References
[a] ResearchGate. (n.d.). (PDF) Therapeutic Storytelling Revisited. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6080623_Therapeutic_Storytelling_Revisited.
[b] Zak PJ. Why inspiring stories make us react: the neuroscience of narrative. Cerebrum. 2015 Feb 2;2015:2. PMID: 26034526; PMCID: PMC4445577.
[c] Brockington, G., Moreira, A.P.G., Buso, M.S., Silva, S.G. da, Altszyler, E., Fischer, R. and Moll, J. (2021). Storytelling increases oxytocin and positive emotions and decreases cortisol and pain in hospitalized children. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, [online] 118(22). doi:10.1073/pnas.2018409118.
[d] Lai, Vicky T. Howerton, Olivia. Desai, Rutvik H. Concrete processing of action metaphors: Evidence from ERP. Brain Research, 2019; 1714: 202 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.03.005
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Author: Debbie Waller is an experienced hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy trainer. She is the author of The Hypnotherapist's Companion, Their Worlds, Your Words, and The Metaphor Toolbox, all available from Amazon or direct from the author, and a co-writer of the Hypnotherapy Handbook.
Find out more about Debbie's services on
Yorkshire Hypnotherapy Training - multi-accredited hypnotherapy practitioner training, taster days and foundation levels.
CPD Expert - accredited CPD and other therapy training (online and workshops options), expert and qualified hypnotherapy supervision
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