Using Metaphors

Metaphors help us give voice to what we don’t yet know how to say, or say it in a way that is more vivid, powerful, and true than a literal description might be able to. They bypass analysis and speak directly to intuition. They reveal the emotional shape of a client’s experience and open the door to deeper insight.

When a client uses a metaphor, such as “It’s like I’m stuck in mud” or “I feel like I’m on a treadmill,” they are revealing something deeper than a description. They are expressing their inner world in a way that can be seen or felt. And when you reflect it back, you help them see it more clearly. You can also build on it to support new insight by asking something like, “What would it take to step off the treadmill?”

You don’t need to be clever or poetic to use metaphor in coaching (although it can be fun to tap into your creative or poetic side when it feels authentic). The key is to listen for images, sensations, or analogies the client naturally offers, and to invite them to explore those further. You can also offer a metaphor yourself, gently and with curiosity, without attachment to whether it lands.

Prompts to use to explore metaphor

• What is a metaphor to describe this situation?

• What image represents this challenge?

• What color, texture, or temperature comes to mind?

• What symbols, poems, songs, or objects are you drawn to right now?

• If this experience were a kind of weather or landscape, what would it be?

• What’s coming to me is [coach shares a metaphor]. How does that land for you?

Coaching application: In your next session, listen for metaphorical language your client already uses. Reflect it back and invite them to explore it further.

Life application: Think of a current situation that feels unresolved or hard to name. What image or metaphor comes to mind? What is the impact on you of describing it with a metaphor?

Relevant Upbuild content: [Podcast] The Masks We Wear (Apple / Spotify)