Ericksonian Metaphor Technique: Walkthrough and Sample Wording

Milton Erickson did not always tell his clients what to do. He told them stories. A farmer who could not get a horse into a barn. A student who learned to write by forgetting she knew the alphabet. A tomato plant that grew despite unfavorable conditions. Each story was crafted to parallel the client’s situation, and the client’s unconscious mind did the work of applying the lesson.

At a glance

• Type: suggestion technique using indirect, narrative delivery
• Typical length: 3 to 15 minutes depending on the story
• Experience level: intermediate to advanced
• Works well with: absorbed clients, clients who resist direct suggestion, creative or imaginative individuals
• Less suitable for: very concrete thinkers who may find stories irrelevant; short, protocol-driven sessions

How it works

Therapeutic metaphor works through several mechanisms:

1. Bypassing resistance. A direct suggestion (“stop worrying”) can trigger argument. A story about someone else who found a way to worry less does not trigger the same defense.
2. Parallel processing. The conscious mind follows the story. The unconscious mind maps the story onto the client’s situation.
3. Solution seeding. The character in the story discovers a resource or solution that parallels what the client needs. The unconscious registers this as a possibility.
4. Engagement. Stories are inherently absorbing, which deepens the hypnotic state during delivery.

Lankton and Lankton formalized the construction of therapeutic metaphors, identifying key elements: an isomorphic character, a parallel problem, matching resources and a resolution that maps onto the desired outcome [2].

Constructing a metaphor: step by step

1. Map the client’s situation. What is the problem? What resources does the client have? What outcome do they want?
2. Create a parallel character. Not the client — someone or something else in an analogous situation. A gardener, a sailor, an animal, a child learning a skill.
3. Match the problem. The character faces a challenge that structurally resembles the client’s.
4. Match the resources. The character has access to something that parallels the client’s resources.
5. Resolve the story. The character finds a solution using those resources. The resolution parallels the change the client needs to make.
6. Tell, do not explain. Deliver the story during trance. Do not say “and that gardener is like you.” Trust the unconscious to make the connection.

Sample wording

Written for this library. This metaphor is for a client who feels stuck and unable to start something new.

“I want to tell you about a garden I once knew… it had been neglected for a long time… the soil was hard and dry, the beds were overgrown, and anyone looking at it would have said there was nothing there worth saving… [pause]

But underneath the surface, things were happening… seeds from years before were waiting… roots from old plants were still alive, just dormant… the soil still had its nutrients, even though it looked exhausted… [pause]

One spring, someone decided to start… not to redo the whole garden at once — that would have been overwhelming — but to clear one small bed… just one… [pause]

They loosened the soil… pulled the weeds… and planted a few things… and within weeks, that one bed was green and growing… [pause]

And here is the interesting part… once that bed was thriving, the rest of the garden began to change… not because anyone forced it, but because life is like that… one patch of growth encourages the next… [pause]

The garden did not go from neglected to perfect… it went from neglected to started… and that was enough to change everything… [longer pause]”

Adapting it

• Nature metaphors. Seasons, weather, rivers, trees, seeds — natural processes offer rich parallels for growth, change, patience and resilience.
• Skill-learning metaphors. Learning to ride a bicycle, swim, read — useful for clients who need to trust an unconscious process.
• Journey metaphors. Paths, crossroads, maps — useful for clients facing decisions.
• Nested metaphors. A story within a story, Erickson’s signature technique. The outer story introduces the theme; the inner story delivers the suggestion; the return to the outer story creates closure.
• Client-generated metaphors. Ask the client: “If your situation were a story, what kind of story would it be?” Build the metaphor from their answer.

Cautions and scope notes

• Do not explain the metaphor. The power of the technique lies in the unconscious processing. Explaining the parallel (“that garden is like your life”) collapses the metaphor into a direct suggestion and loses the bypass effect.
• Match the client’s world. A farming metaphor means nothing to someone who has never seen a field. Choose imagery from the client’s experience.
• Not a script to read. Therapeutic metaphors work best when told naturally, with pauses and variation. Reading a metaphor word-for-word lacks the spontaneity that makes stories absorbing.
• Practice storytelling. This technique requires narrative skill. Practice telling stories outside of sessions. Timing, pacing and vocal variation matter.

Who it’s for. Ericksonian metaphor is an intermediate-to-advanced skill. Learn direct suggestion and standard scripts first. Once you are comfortable delivering structured sessions, metaphor adds depth, flexibility and artistry to your practice.

Related entries

For conversational induction, see Conversational Induction Approach. For session structure, see How to Structure a Hypnosis Session.