The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. Brandon Sanderson, fantasy and science fiction writer [1]

Tip One: Use personalisation and scene-setting

Remember that the same story will elicit different responses from different people, but they need to identify with it for that to happen. You can personalise a metaphor by adding words or phrases that your client has used or choosing a story based on their hobby. I have also used a simple introduction like: ‘What you said about your situation made me think of something I read in the paper the other day…’ Or I might say it’s something I read to my kids recently if it has a fairy tale format, or whatever else sets the scene. 

The client instantly thinks ‘This is about me’. In over twenty years of using this framework, I have only ever had one person say to me, ‘You didn't just read that in the paper, did you?’ - and it worked anyway.

Tip Two: Prioritise emotions

Keep your focus on the emotions and the journey the client wants to make, not the literal situation. Just because the client wants to quit smoking doesn't mean you have to use a story about someone who smokes. 

Tip Three: Take your time

Don’t rush through your story, let the client enjoy it. When you have asked the client to do or imagine something in their head, pause to let them do it before moving on.

Tip Four: Humour

Jokes, puns and comedy can add interest to a story, but peoples’ sense of humour can be unpredictable, so use them with care and respect.

Tip Five: Tone and volume

You may use a calm or monotonous voice to lull your clients into a hypnotic trance or relaxed state to prepare them for the metaphor. But once you get to the story, tell it with expression. Vary your tone, speed, and volume to reflect what you’re saying. If the story’s exciting, make sure you sound as if you're excited, and so on. Whether you go as far as different voices for different characters is entirely up to you!

Tip Six: Involve the client

Use words like imagine, think about, remember, consider, and not just visualise. Not all of us see internal images. (You’ll find more detailed tips on dealing with non-visual clients in my book ‘The Hypnotherapist’s Companion’.)

Ask questions, like ‘What do you think happened then?’ or pique their interest with comments like ‘You will never guess what happened next’.

Tip Seven: You don’t have to be obvious

There are two ways of delivering metaphors, one is to simply tell the tale and let them draw their own conclusions about what it means. The other is to end with something like ‘And that is just like your situation because…’ You may feel explanations are needed but remember that one point of using metaphors is to avoid the client using conscious reasoning. You could always ask the client later what they thought of the story or why they thought you chose it.

Tip Eight: Familiarity breeds confidence, not contempt

You certainly don’t need to memorise hundreds of stories. But you do need a certain familiarity with the story you’re going to use with a client. If you're not extemporising, read it through a couple of times before your session, perhaps out loud. 

This blog was adapted from Chapter One of The Metaphor Toolbox: scripts and stories for hypnotherapists, counsellors and coaches, which you can purchase from Amazon. As well as this chapter on becoming a better storyteller and developing your own metaphors, the book contains over 30 metaphorical stories to use with clients, each one with notes helping you to adapt it to the client in front of you.

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 References

[1] Bergner, Raymond. (2007). Therapeutic Storytelling Revisited. (Page 4) American journal of psychotherapy. 61. 149-62. 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2007.61.2.149.

Author: Debbie Waller is an experienced hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy trainer. She is the author of Anxiety to Calm: a Practical Guide to a Laid-Back Life, The Hypnotherapist's Companion, Their Worlds, Your Words, and The Metaphor Toolbox, all available from Amazon or direct from the author. Find out more about Debbie's services on
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