The Difficult Art of Self-Compassion
The Difficult Art of Self-Compassion “To survive in this high-pressured, crazy world, most of us have to become highly adept at self-criticism. We learn how to tell ourselves off for our failures, and for not working hard or… Read More
The Grizzly Momma
Grizzly Momma Imagine that a mother grizzly has five cubs, conveniently named Cub Number One, Cub Number Two, Cub Number Three, Cub Number Four, and Cub Number Five. At first they don’t do much. They stay in the… Read More
Why Long-Drawn-Out-Therapy (LDOT) is not the way to go
Have you ever thought about trying therapy but been concerned about getting drawn into a long-drawn-out therapeutic process? Well it turns out that your instincts are probably correct. There is now a body of evidence to suggest that Long-Drawn-Out-Therapy (LDOT)… Read More
Poison Ivy
Poison ivy is a plant that produces a strong skin irritant. Most people avoid touching the plant because they know what theyʼll get: a nasty, red, blistering rash that itches like hell. If youʼve been unlucky enough to… Read More
Switchbacks
An Acceptance and Commitment metaphor Suppose you are taking a hike in the mountains. You know how mountain trials are constructed, especially if the slopes are steep. They wind back and forth; often have “switchbacks”, which make you… Read More
Fish on a Hook
An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Metaphor Your feelings about this person/situation is like having a fish on a hook. As long as the person/situation is there in front of you, you can see that he/she/it is wriggling and… Read More
Dead Man’s Goal
An Acceptance and Commitment Metaphor Many of our goals involve getting rid of something or stopping something. We might call these “dead man goals” because a dead man could achieve them perfectly well. What would it be like… Read More
Mosquitos with megaphones
Mosquitos with Megaphones Based on a metaphor submitted to ACBS by melwright Sometimes it seems almost impossible to sit with our feelings. I’d like you to imagine something that might help you understand what I mean about “making… Read More