Although metaphors are typically associated with literature, stories are inherently metaphorical, and metaphors can be healing. Simply telling your clients or patients what they need to do often creates resistance, so when you want to change someone’s attitude or behavior, a metaphor is the best way to do that. Especially when the story is relevant, people will listen attentively.
Metaphors don’t have to be “fancy” to be effective. Children may respond well to stories about plants, animals, and even rocks in conversation about health matters, but adults (most of them, at least) prefer stories about people, especially people who had similar problems and found a way (with your help) to solve them.
• Last year I had a patient who also had severe back pain and was contemplating surgery. She decided to give XYZ a chance, and it was able to alleviate her pain. After just six treatments, she….
• Mesotherapy is a treatment you might not have read much about, but it has helped a number of people who had the same problem you have been experiencing. Within weeks, many people have reported….
Encourage your clients or patients to visit the Imagine Healing website and other websites where they can read about other people who have recovered and gone on to have good lives. Supplementing your prescribed treatment plan with relevant stories helps your clients or patients focus on the value of what you have to offer rather than simply on the costs associated with treatment.
Send your questions about how other-than-conscious communication skills can hurt or help your patients and clients to Joel P. Bowman (Joel@SCS-Matters.com) or Debra Basham (Debra@SCS-Matters.com), co-developers of Subtle Communication Systems. We will provide answers to those for you. For more information about Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy, or about the Imagine Healing Process, visit:http://ImagineHealing.info or http://SurgicalSupport.info.
Healing with Language: Your Key to Effective Mind-Body Communication is available for a limited time for $10 plus $5 shipping within the U.S. For volume orders and overseas shipping, check with Debra. See the Table of Contents and List of Exercises in PDF format for more information about this comprehensive text and training manual.