There is No Place Like Home
When thinking about what to write about today, I was thinking about my summer lecture programme in the United States at the 2017 National Guild of Hypnotists Convention in Marlborough, Massachusetts. I will be doing one of my favourite workshops which is on therapeutic metaphor.
Metaphor is my favourite pillar of the Ericksonian model of hypnotherapy which I tend to employ the most. When one thinks about it, metaphor, myth and ritual are the ways that humankind mark their lives as well as make sense of the world around us. Erickson was really on to something when he employed metaphor with hypnosis as a means of therapeutic change work.
I said there is no place like home in reference to one of my favourite metaphors which I use which of course is the Wizard of Oz. Now whether L. Frank Baum considered the metaphoric implications of this story or not is open for debate. However, as far as helping a client to work through their own issues and to realise that they ultimately have the power to reach their resolution cannot be denied. As a metaphor, it has all the ingredients to map out change work in a manner which the unconscious can understand completely. Remember if you are struggling, the power is within you to change. We therapists are simply the Wizard of Oz, we are not magical, but what we have is the insight to help.
