10-2-16
Metaphor can be very powerful in reflecting on your life. Say, for example, that you feel anxious a lot of the time. Can you use an image of something else to describe this anxiety or your anxious self? It may feel like being on a roller coaster. Or like being in a bad dream. Your anxiety might feel like there are creatures in your innards. You might feel like a hamster on a wheel, or like your head is in a vice.
Let’s pick one of these metaphors and go deeper. Let’s say you feel like a hamster on a wheel. Add some detail to this image. You’re a hamster on a wheel scurrying frantically with no end in sight. Keep going. You’re a bedraggled and lonely hamster. Add more. You’re sleep deprived and overworked.
Now I’m going to ask this hypothetical you some questions. Here’s the first question: Do you want to get off your wheel? Another: Why are you feeling bedraggled? Still another: Are you in a cage? And: Is anyone looking into the cage? How about: Who owns you?, or Who put you in the cage?
Metaphor allows us to access deeper insights in our life that aren’t always available, especially when we’re on autopilot in life. I encourage you to reflect on your life using metaphor and ask a few questions that relate to this metaphor. You might be surprised at what you learn about yourself.
