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2.4 The "Key" to the Unconscious: The Power of Metaphor

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2.4 The "Key" to the Unconscious: The Power of Metaphor

In the last article, we explored the "Felt Sense" as a royal road to body intelligence – a path that leads us beyond language through "stumbling." But the transcript suggests a second, equally powerful communication channel to the right hemisphere: the metaphor.

When clients say, "I'm stuck," "I'm hitting a wall," or "I'm carrying a heavy burden," they aren't speaking literally. They are using the language of the left hemisphere to present a complex, holistic experience from the right hemisphere. These images are not random figures of speech; they are the "synthetic thought" that summarizes an entire inner world in a single image.

The trap we can fall into as coaches is the same as with mere talking (Article 2.1): We hear the metaphor, and our left mind wants to control it. We analyze it ("Ah, a wall, that means resistance") or offer a solution ("Then let's find a way around the wall!"). With that, we are once again caught in the positive feedback loop of the left hemisphere – we reinforce our own map instead of exploring the client's.

The Trap of Interpretation

Our left hemisphere loves to re-present. It takes the rich, living image from the right hemisphere (the "wall") and turns it into a flat abstraction ("resistance"). The problem: The client's metaphor is infinitely richer than our interpretation.

When we interpret the metaphor, we signal to the client that their non-verbal experience (presentation) is wrong or incomplete and must be corrected by our verbal analysis (re-presentation). We stay on the surface of language and prevent the very "stumbling" that is necessary for deep insight.

Clean Language: The Space for Unfolding

This is where the work of David Grove and the development of "Clean Language" comes in. Clean Language is a method that works radically with the client's inner world by picking up exclusively on the client's exact words and metaphors.

It is the linguistic counterpart to the open, curious attitude we need for the Felt Sense. Instead of interpreting or leading, the coach asks simple, "clean" questions that direct the client's attention to their own metaphor and give it space to unfold – just like the Felt Sense. This process is non-linear and creative.

Examples of "clean" questions: If the client says, "I'm hitting a wall."

  • Focusing: "And what kind of wall is that wall?"

  • Locating: "And where is that wall?"

  • Attributes: "Is there anything else about that wall?"

  • Process: "What happens just before you hit that wall?"

From Image to Change

Through these questions, the client is invited to explore their inner, non-verbal world (the domain of the right hemisphere) in detail. The metaphor is no longer a problem to be analyzed, but a rich experiential space.

Similar to gestures that arise before the word, the metaphor is the primary, holistic thought. By letting the client dwell in this metaphor, the right hemisphere can feed new information into the system.

Suddenly, the client might realize: "The wall isn't high at all," or "It's made of sand," or "There's a door in it." This insight doesn't come from the coach but arises directly from the client's non-verbal intelligence.

Our task as coaches, therefore, is to create the conditions for this unfolding. Whether we gently guide the client to their Felt Sense or let them navigate through their own metaphors with Clean Language – in both cases, we trust that the profound answers are already slumbering in the "silent," holistic wisdom of the right hemisphere.

Sources

Glossary