Thanks to Russ Harris for his willingness to share this exercise, called "Dropping Anchor", in this guest post on the 'Metaphors for Life' podcast. In his most recent book, this exercise was described as "the single most useful and versatile te

#13 Illustrating your mind with Louise Gardner

Oct 16th, 2018 3m

In this guest post from professional Illustrator, Louise Gardner AKA @ACTAuntie on Twitter, and "Your ACT Auntie" on Youtube, we learn about her drawing of a human mind as a 'Safety Observing Sponge'.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLi8-Mi6eqA

#12 Mental Traffic

Aug 29th, 2018 10m 1s

In episode #12 of the 'Metaphors for Life' podcast, we're reflecting on the idea that "thoughts in your mind are like vehicles on a road". To bring this to life I recorded this on location, near to where I live.I have posted a video to accom

#11 Bottling Emotions

Jun 9th, 2018 4m 50s

Opening up after having been shaken up can be painful and messy. If you did choose to lift the lid, for some reason, what's your mind telling you about what could happen?From my perspective, I can see that problems arise, both within ourselves

#10 Introducing Yourself

Apr 25th, 2018 3m 27s

Have you ever thought about the kind of relationship that you have with your own self? Relationships need work and attention, kindness, respect, compassion and tolerance, whether it’s with a partner, a child or a friend. Becoming frustrated, ha

#9 Digging holes

Mar 26th, 2018 4m 30s

Your supposed to avoid and escape from uncomfortable feelings and circumstances, right? In my experience, this is not always possible. When you're trying to cope with a difficult situation it's worth checking in with your sense of how well a st

#8 Sailing boats with David Gillanders

Jan 31st, 2018 26m 58s

For this episode of 'Metaphors for Life', I met up with David Gillanders from Edinburgh University to talk about the use of metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and in particular his invention of the sailing boat metaphor. Whil

#7 Snow globe

Dec 1st, 2017 3m 15s

What is the purpose of a snow globe? If you were to make your self one, what would it contain? Something meaningful or important to you perhaps; a collection of figures or a landmark of sorts. Most so called 'snow globes' contain snow, settled

#6 Steve Hayes on using metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Aug 8th, 2017 17m 50s

In this episode of 'Metaphors for Life', I had the opportunity to interview Professor Steve Hayes, and ask him about the use of metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Along with an explanation of how and why metaphors can work in

#5 Metaphors for life

Aug 1st, 2017 4m 4s

It's often difficult to 'put into words' the experiences that we have in life. We resort to describing abstract or unfamiliar concepts in terms of things that are concrete or we think will be familiar to the listener. Analogies and metaphors he

#4 Measuring up

Jun 13th, 2017 3m 52s

"How long is a piece of string?" Whilst we may need to agree upon standard criteria in order to make and communicate measurements, in some cases it may not make sense to measure, compare or judge things at all. Considering the ways in which our

#3 Coping tool box

May 24th, 2017 4m 12s

Imagine if you only had one tool or strategy to deal with problems that you came across in life. You might be tempted to use it for everything! It may be useful to experiment with other ways of approaching things, and some situations just can't

#2 Navigating life

Apr 24th, 2017 4m 24s

There is a a difference between having a goal, and knowing what your values are. Where you are just now and where you would like to be may be two quite different places. Expectations of an ideal target destination and contrast with present circ

#1 Reaching out

Apr 1st, 2017 3m 1s

When we reach out, we take a risk; it costs us something. There are obstacles that can get in the way when we engage with those things that are most important to us. In accepting this discomfort perhaps we have an opportunity to be present, ope

Rate