Metaphors

There's nothing like a good metaphor to reveal something you can't see.

I'm taking a class to become certified as a Martha Beck life coach and learning to use all sorts of interesting tools for discovering personal truths. Byron Katie's Work feels very natural to me (uh, perhaps that's due to my background). It's a more left-brained, analytical, linear tool that guides you through a series of questions that result in a non-linear flip in thinking. Very cool. Very effective. I believe it fits with Western-societal thinking norms with it's methodical approach. It's a strong tool that can feel rather blunt, even when used with love, and it requires a ready client.

Metaphors though. Wow. Completely non-linear and creative. An end-run on your ego and whatever is blocking you from your truth. I LOVE using the metaphor tools. The idea is to recognize a thought that blocks someone from enjoying ease in their life. In fact, you don't even have to be able to identify the thought precisely, the way you do with Byron Katie's Work, you just need to be able to identify the concept at the core of the thought. Then you ask your client what that concept looks like. From there you explore the world of the concept. Incredibly powerful, incredibly gentle. The trick is to stay out of analysis and in the scene. The analysis happens naturally by the client as the scene unfolds.

I have tried this tool with four clients in the past week with truly stunning results. For me, it's been magical to witness the movies created by my clients creative minds as they explore the metaphor world around the concept creating stress for them. I feel as though I have done so little, and been so hugely honored to be invited to witness self-discovery. And at the end of a session I know that my experience and understanding pales in comparison to what my client's have gained.

So after working with my clients and being blown away by the results I decided to try it on myself - which is not as straight-forward as I will now make it sound. As I sat to meditate last night, I calmed and centered myself, then shifted gears a bit and asked "If motherhood was a thing or place what would it be?" Overwhelming and cathartic barely begin to describe the next 20 minutes. The depth of understanding, the magnitude of healing, the volume of tears, the expansion of self are beyond words. It's like intentionally walking off a cliff in the dark and discovering you can fly to the stars.