How to use Dynamic Spin Release to
Work with Unconscious Metaphors

Spinning Limiting Metaphors - How She Broke Out of Her Self-Imposed Box...

by Kris Hallbom

I worked with a 47-year old woman who came to see me, because she was really depressed about her life. She was a manager at a bank, and was married to a successful businessman. She also had a teenage daughter who she loved dearly. From the outside this woman looked like she had a charmed life. However, deep down she felt like she was trapped in a meaningless life. She had been in a miserable marriage for almost 20 years, she felt constantly demeaned at work; and worst of all, she felt like she was doing a lousy job of raising her daughter.

“I feel like I’m living inside of a box and I can’t break out of it,” she said with tears streaming down her face. From the way she talked, it was clear to me that the box represented all of the self-imposed limitations she had set for herself throughout the duration of her life.

“I always feel like I’m under the radar screen and not living up to my full potential,” she continued. “I am simply existing, and that's it. I go about the daily motions in my life… I get up, I go to work, I go to bed and then it starts all over again the next day.”

“You sound like you're living a zombie-like existence. Are you a zombie?” I asked her, with a curious look on my face. She laughed, and replied, “Yes, I do feel like a zombie at times... I’m just existing, and that is it. There is nothing more to this life.”

I was hoping I could help her to shift her state, by asking such a silly question. And it looked like it worked, because she started to loosen up after that. I then moved the conversation to the mysterious box that she was living inside of. Interestingly, when she told me that she felt like she was living inside of a box, she literally drew an imaginary box around herself with her hands, to show me what she meant. I thought this was really fascinating because I had seen her several times before, and suddenly realized in that moment, that the box was a “limiting metaphor”. Or what NLP developer Steve Andreas, aptly calls a "metaphor of identity".¹ 

Many metaphors are an unconscious expression of one's identity, or the relationship between themselves and the world. In the case of my client, the box was directly connected to her larger issue of always feeling like she was under the radar screen, and not living up to her full potential. Hence, she was literally trapped inside of a box and couldn't see or experience what the outside world had to offer her– and this made her feel hopeless and depressed.²

I asked her to remove the metaphorical box that had been surrounding her, and to push it out about 10 feet in front of her, so that it was floating in space. Once she was able to clearly see the box floating out in front of her, I then asked her to identify which way the box was spinning. She told me that it was turning clockwise, as she traced her finger in a circular motion to show me what she meant.

I told her that it was great she could see which way it was turning, and I continued to say, “Now, go ahead and spin the image of the box counterclockwise as fast as you can, until it explodes into a bunch of little particles floating in space. As soon as this happens, you’ll see a big cosmic vacuum come in and suck away all the particles... and a symbolic gift will instantly appear where the particles were. Now tell me, what kind of a gift do you see in front of you?” I asked.

She continued to spin the box faster and faster with her mind’s eye, until it exploded into a bunch of tiny particles. As soon as the particles were gone, she told me that she saw a golden-blue raindrop instantly appear where the box had been.³

“What does the raindrop mean to you, and what healing message does it have for you?” I asked. “The rain drop represents rejuvenation, new beginnings, and a deep cleansing of the spirit,” she said with a gentle smile.

“Good, that is a really nice metaphorical gift for you right now in your life. Now, go ahead and send the golden-blue raindrop out on a mission to the outer rims of the universe to collect all of the healing energy and wisdom throughout the universe,” I said in a hypnotic voice tone.

“When the rain drop returns, it will bring you back another gift or it will transform into another healing metaphor that is special to you. Remember that time is simultaneous, and these gifts come back very quickly. So, look in front of you right now, and tell me what your new gift is?” I asked.

“Well the rain drop came back with a golden egg,” she said with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. “Ahhhh, eggs, are really good,” I said in a confirming way. “Not only do eggs represent new beginnings and a new life, they also have a nice protective shell around them that can always keep you safe.”

In that moment, I noticed that the muscle tonus in her face began to relax. She also had more color in her face and a soft smile on her lips. Which was way different from the nervous smile that I had seen so many times before. I asked her to take a good look at the golden egg and the beautiful raindrop, and to add some sparkles to the images. She chose creamy white sparkles, and surrounded the egg and the raindrop with the sparkles.

“Now go ahead and reach your hands out in front of you," I said, "and imagine the raindrop and the golden egg, and all the sparkles floating back into your hands. As soon as they are all in your hands, you can bring all of that healing energy into your body, letting the essence of the egg, the raindrop, and the white sparkles float into every cell in your body–though out all of your DNA, and your entire being.”

As I was saying this, she pulled her hands towards her chest as if she was bringing all of it in, and she began to fall into a deep trance. Her eyes closed in that moment, and her entire body softened and relaxed. I continued to do a 10 minute hypnotic trance with her, in which I tied together all of the healing metaphors from her gifts, with her overall goals and dreams of living up to her full potential.⁴

When she came out of her trance, she looked really different from when she first walked into my office. She literally looked like she had let go of something, or released something big. Her face looked softer, her eyes sparkled, she seemed more comfortable in her body, and her overall essence was brighter.

I didn't hear from her for a couple of months, and couldn't help but wonder if our "spin" had made a difference. Then one day I got a phone call from her and she was crying. She told me that she found out her husband had been having an affair, and that she was going to leave him. Even though she was crying, she sounded more alive and more vibrant than she had ever sounded in all of our previous communications. It was as if she had finally woken up and truly broke out of her box, she was no longer a zombie.

I talked to her again a couple weeks later, and she was getting ready to file for her divorce, and feeling more hopeful than ever about her future. She had already found herself a nice apartment, and was getting her personal and professional life in order for her big change in life. I asked her if she had ever thought about leaving her husband, prior to working with me. She said that it had never crossed her mind, not even once. Even though she was miserable in her marriage and her husband had been emotionally abusive towards he, it didn't ever occur to her to leave him.

I have to admit that I was surprised to hear that she was leaving her husband, because she had never mentioned any problems with him in our previous sessions. The majority of our sessions focused on her depressed feelings of being invisible, and her boredom with life. It wasn't until I heard her use the "living in a box" metaphor, that I truly understood the depth of her despair.  She also painted it out for me, by literally drawing a box around herself with her fingers. Hence, she had been living inside of a box for years and years, to the point of oblivion– where she didn't even notice her husband's extramarital affair.  

It wasn't until she spun and changed her limiting metaphor that she could clearly see and experience what was going on around her. It was like something opened up for her in a big way and she wanted to have a new life– where not only could she be seen and heard, but where she could also see and experience all the wonderful gifts that life has to offer... including her beautiful teenage daughter!

I talked with her one last time, after she left her husband, and she was the happiest she had ever been in her life. She felt more connected with her daughter, she was excited about her future, and she was clearly no longer a zombie. She was now like the gift of golden blue raindrop that she received from her unconscious mind... she felt a deep cleansing of her spirit, and rejuvenated about life!

Note:  Some of the details in this article were altered to protect the privacy of the client.

References

1. Six Blind Elephants: Understanding Ourselves and Each Other (Volume II) by Steve Andreas. (Real People Press, 2006) Metaphors of Identity, page 246.

2. Ibid, Six Blind Elephants (Volume II).

3. Dynamic Spin Release and the Energy of Your Mind by Kris Hallbom, NLP California (Burlingame, CA 2008).

4. Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. (Volume I) by Richard Bandler and John Grinder (Meta Publications, 1975).

Kristine Hallbom is the co-founder of the NLP Institute of California is a principle author and developer of Dynamic Spin Release™ and the WealthyMind™ Program. Recognized for her ability to translate complex ideas into practical skills, and for her warm, approachable style, Kris has trained and coached clients throughout Europe, South America, Australia, Canada and the United States. She is a long time student of NLP and Systemic Thinking, and holds a degree in Psychology and Languages.