Four Metaphors In Acceptance And Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and commitment therapy is a valuable tool for therapists, but what is it really?

In psychotherapy, it is very common to use metaphors to help people understand their problems better, as well as to understand what the therapist is trying to say.

Telling simple stories simplifies understanding and empathy.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is based on two fundamental principles: acceptance and activation. The goal is therefore not to avoid suffering or pain, but to accept them.

However, this does not mean that the person must avoid the suffering and pain. It means instead that you undertake to follow your goals despite the difficulties you may encounter along the way.

This is why activation and action are especially important.

Metaphors are therefore very helpful, because they help to tell a story that the patient can recognize themselves in.

It is of course important to know which metaphors can be used, so that you as a therapist can offer a solution that is in line with the patient’s values.

An effective metaphor

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

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

• The metaphor should be in line with the patient’s level of development. The patient must understand the metaphor. It should relate to the patient’s direct experience or things that are general knowledge of the person’s social group and age (McCurry and Hayes, 1992).
• There should be a clear link between the person’s problem and the story.
• The metaphor should be action-oriented. It must explain the steps that the patient should take in real life to change their behavior.
• It is important that the metaphor offers a solution. The patient will then be able to see behaviors that he did not see before and reinterpret and solve the problem.

Some metaphors in acceptance and commitment therapy

The shark tank and the polygraph test (lie detector)

Imagine that you are sitting above a tank full of sharks and that you are connected to a very sensitive polygraph machine.

Your job is to avoid feeling anxious at all. If you feel anxiety, the chair will tip over and you will end up in the shark tank. So what do you think will happen?

As you can imagine, you will probably experience anxiety.

This metaphor is perfect for people who suffer from panic attacks. You start to feel a little anxious, but you want to avoid the anxiety.

However, you do not stand and think that, “This is awful, I feel anxious”, and it makes you even more anxious. When you realize what’s going on, you’re already in the shark tank.

Acceptance and commitment therapy: The metaphor of the hungry tiger

One morning you get up and open your door and find a cute little tiger cub outside the house. You adopt the tiger and have it at home.

Your nice tiger starts yelling and you realize that he is hungry. You give it some hamburger meat. Each time it moans, you give it more.

As the days go by, your pet starts to grow, and the hamburger meat is no longer enough. You must now give it larger pieces of meat.

The same thing happens with your thoughts. The more you feed them, the more they will grow, just like the tiger. In other words, the more you concentrate on your thoughts, the bigger they will become.

If you feed your thoughts, it will end up controlling a large part of your life.

Acceptance and commitment therapy: The Chinese finger trap

If you have ever played with a Chinese finger trap, you know that this game means that you have a woven straw roll around your finger. When you place a finger at each end and pull, the straws will stretch and become thinner.

The harder you pull, the thinner the tube becomes and it becomes impossible for you to get your fingers out. However, if you just squeeze your fingers together, you will come loose.

Now think of what life is like a Chinese finger trap. The more you fight, the more limitations you will have. If you stop fighting, you will have the freedom to make your own choices.

The metaphor of the hole and the shovel

Imagine that you fall into a deep hole and the only thing you have on hand is a shovel. Because you do not know what to do and you feel desperate, you start shoveling.

Slowly but surely you dig into an ever deeper hole. As you remove the soil, the hole becomes deeper and it becomes more difficult to get up.

Wouldn’t it have been better to use the shovel in some other way? Couldn’t you wait and see if anyone came by to help you?

This is exactly what happens with experience avoidance. The anxiety you feel when it comes to getting out of a difficult situation makes you bury yourself even more in this situation.

However, acceptance can help you find new alternatives. You may have to suffer in the beginning, but in the long run it will be easier.

As you can see, the ACT metaphors can be very useful in understanding certain aspects of your life. In any case, they can help you reflect and sometimes they help you see the situation from a different perspective.

It’s too easy to get stuck where you are if you do not get any help or information from outside.