Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Earth as Metaphor

Photo by Rick Hustead

The metaphor of earth—and Earth, the planet we live on—are also useful images in hypnotherapy. 

In addition to providing stability under our feet and the ground we stand on, earth also represents growth, fecundity and prosperity. For example, trees, grass, vegetable crops, etc., grow in and from the earth. When the rich soil is rich, it provides the nutrients they need to create and grow sources of nutrition that humans and other animals need to survive. When the soil is arid, however, such growth is more difficult and may result in starvation or at least, deprivation.

Earth also represents strength and power. Consider the force produced when tectonic plates several miles below our feet move: Just a shift of one or two inches up, down, right or left creates a ripple effect that can be felt around the world as a powerful earthquake. Similarly, when a significant event happens in our own lives we might use this earthquake metaphor to describe how it felt as though “the earth moved” when it occurred. Or, when we are willing or have expended significant effort to achieve a goal or accomplish a particularly daunting task, another popular earth metaphor comes to mind: “It felt like I had to move mountains/draw water from a stone, but I got it done!”

And then there are those times when we take on more jobs or responsibilities that we are not physically or emotionally equipped to handle at that moment. In our willingness to appear flexible and accommodating, the subconscious mind absorbs more and more pressures and stresses without expressing the discomfort that are actually, silently building up. Suddenly and to even our own surprise, that final small request to do something that we would not even notice or even register as an inconvenience becomes that final pound of pressure that releases a cascade of pent-up emotions in a potentially damaging outburst. After the dust has settled we are left wondering what happened and what could have been different had we addressed the first, second or even third issue before the compound weight of those pressures became so overwhelming. Perhaps that earth-shaking emotional outburst was needed to effect change, anyway.

Finally, there is the metaphor of the planet Earth, the person/place/profession or any other metaphoric center of our world. How often do we put the greatest importance or value on something or someone other than ourselves and our own well-being? Learning to appreciate, love and respect ourselves the way we deserve to be appreciated, loved and respected often produces the greatest (emotional) tectonic shift of all. The ability to incorporate all of these aspects of positive self-regard requires a solid foundation of personal awareness that hypnotherapy can help everyone realize, actualize and reinforce in our daily lives.

© 2017