He's a musician, and just last night he was pointing out why he prefers a particular microphone. "When I sing into it you can hear all the nuances in my voice. That's because the mic leaves air around my voice, especially at the top end."
Today, I'm sitting with two parents and their teenager. The teen has been angry with them for a long time, and behavior problems have been the result. But things are going better, partly because of a great metaphor. It's the one about the helicopter. It describes the type of parent who constantly hovers and buzzes around their teen, asking if homework's done, grounding a kid who walks in one minute past curfew. These parents have worked hard to stop doing that. It was the metaphor that clinched their understanding.
Now that they have removed much of the negativity, I want them to stop what they think is helpful behavior: using every conversation with their teen as a "teachable moment." I want them to see that if they're doing the talking, even when what they're saying is positive, healthy, and character-building, the teenage can't process and think. A teenager needs to hear the sound of his/her own voice. So I tell them the microphone metaphor. There's silence for a moment, then Mom says, "Oh, I get it! We're not leaving enough air at the top!"
I'm not a poet. Many of my chosen clinical metaphors are, well, clunky. I am exceedingly grateful to all the clients who have endured them. But clunky or not, metaphors work. They become a shorthand for profound moments of "Aha!" I still hear about them from past clients, who will say things like it was the "teacup thing", or the "rowing away looking back" or the "bull and the matador" that helped everything fall into place.
Are there some metaphors that have helped you crystallize a problem or discover a solution? I'd love to hear about them.
Copyright 2007, starfishdoc
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2 comments:
Your title, The Unexpected Metaphor, really caught my attention.As a poet, I try to stay alert to the unexpected metaphor.I've noticed that they arrive on a fairly regular basis.Unfortunately, we often miss them through lack of conscious awareness...they arise, wink at us , and drift away, taking with them all of their creative power. They don't seem to care if we've missed them or not!Here's what I have learned to do:pay attention to the 'tingle' that tells you that something important has arisen.Try to stay "inside" with it,if you can.
Ask yourself "what does this feel like? The answer that comes will often surprise and delight you.OK ,you may have a simile instead of a metaphor, but it's just as useful!
Thanks for the inspiration.
Likewise, Maine Poet! Your thoughts inspire me, too, to stay tuned for that next metaphor.
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