Balloon metaphors haves been used in books, films, songs and of course hypnotherapy for probably as long as balloons have existed. Which is actually a very long time as balloons date back to medieval times (inflated pig’s bladders).  Apparently, the Aztecs made balloon sculptures with cat’s intestine. The modern, and less gruesome, balloon dates back to 1824 when Michael Faraday (better known for cages) developed it for experiments with gases, and it was quickly popularised as a toy.

Balloon metaphors – examples

Balloons are a universal experience in the western world which makes them an excellent tool. Today, balloons have become a metaphor for the innocence of childhood and the lightness and impermanence of things. There are a number of uses a hypnotherapist can put them to;

• Balloon as stress build up – A good metaphor to explain to a child how pressure can build up within them from emotions and stress. Tell them that emotions and stress build up like air in a balloon, a little can be good but too much can result in popping (tantrum, panic attack). What then follows is an explanation about how talking about problems, assertively expressing, asking for help, etc (insert appropriate resource) is like having a hold of the balloons opening and releasing a little air. This can be accompanied with fun noises to emphasis the air coming out if it’s likely to raise a giggle.
• The released balloon – When working with people who feel stuck in some way I have used the image of a balloon trapped in the branches of a tree. I will explain that the balloon appears to be in a precarious position, and yet it has been stuck in this way for some time and it has neither burst nor deflated. Rather, it is waiting for a change in the breeze when it will dislodge and fly free. As an alternative you can have the patient become an active participant by releasing the balloon.
• Balloon as a signifier of youth – I have used them in inner child work. In one case the patient found the inner child was trapped in a hedge maze. I asked them to look for the balloon that the child was holding which floated above the tops of the hedges to help find the them.

Balloon metaphor for clearing the mind

Probably the most common use of the balloon metaphor is a as a visualisation for letting go of thoughts and emotions. This makes a great self-hypnosis exercise or recording. I use this with patients who have difficulty getting to sleep, have busy minds or just have a lot of emotional material floating about. Here is my version of this classic approach.

Induce trance and deepen

1. Take the patient walk along a path to a place looking out on the sea. Tell them it is a warm day and the sun is in the clear blue sky.
2. Ask them to sit down looking out on the sea.
3. Describe the scene using all their senses. Tell them a light breeze is blowing over their shoulder and out to sea.
4. Tell them that they have in front of them a small pile of parcel tags and a pen.
5. Invite them to write on one of the tags a thought, feeling or memory that they don’t need right now.
6. Tell them that in their other hand they notice they are holding the string of a helium balloon, its cord wrapped around their hand. Invite them to see its colour, to see it bobbing gently around in the breeze, perhaps feeling the tiny tug of its string.
7.  Guide them to attach the tag to the balloon, and with a blow or gentle tap to launch it seaward, where the breeze will take it out to sea.
8. Invite them to watch it floating and drifting out to sea. To see it get gradually smaller, duller and more distant as it does so.
9. Tell them that eventually it will disappear over the horizon. (If appropriate add) that any important thoughts required for work / life / safety etc will be brought back when appropriate (morning, tomorrow etc) when the wind changes direction.
10. Repeat steps 5-9 as appropriate, or invite them to do it for themselves. Tell them that each time a balloon disappears over the horizon they notice that the sun has dipped a little in the sky. Tell them that the sun will only set when all the balloons they need to let go of have crossed the horizon. Suggestions can be made directly for sleep.

The author – Matt Krouwel is a hypnotherapist and post graduate researcher into hypnotherapy at University of Birmingham (UK)

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I recently found myself sitting across from a grown man, a notably manly man, who was weeping. At the end of the session he told me how good he felt. Not an unusual situation for a therapist I admit, but this was a little different because I’d done something which I normally wouldn’t.

You are probably familiar with Lego, the small colourful plastic interlocking construction toy loved by children of all ages and vilified by bare foot parents. Lego has been especially big in the public consciousness of late because of several smash hit movies (Lego Batman, Ninjago, and of course The Lego movies 1 and 2). Within the developed world Lego is a ubiquitous experience. There are an average 62 Lego bricks for every person on the planet and kids are spending an annual 5 billion hours playing with Lego each year.

I have always employed Lego in work with younger children. Sometimes I’ve used it as a distraction, something to do whilst we talk. Something to prevent the child from shutting down under the adult gaze. In particular boys tend to conduct social interactions around play rather than directly.

Other times I’ve used Lego as a metaphor both in and out of trance. Lego is by its nature versatile and thus can be used to transmit concepts of change; impermanence, development, deconstruction and reconstruction. Lego can also be used as a way into dissociation work, such as chair work or mask therapy.

I’ve restricted the use of Lego as a metaphor to children and adults who have expressed an engagement with it. However, nearly everyone played with Lego as a kid(1). This was the thinking which led me to use Lego as a metaphor with an adult male patient, who had never mentioned Lego.  His relationship had recently broken down after a long tempestuous period and he was coming to me to help come to terms with this fact, so I was treating it as grief.  Here’s roughly how it went.

Lego as a metaphor – in practice (example)

·         Induce trance

·        Go to favourite / safe place

·         Introduce the concept of a table, however unusual this is. Tell them that on the table they will find Lego pieces. Explain that these are the pieces of their past life, a life that has collapsed and lays in pieces before them.

·         As they approach the table you may enhance the experience with the use of the sensory experience of Lego; colour, texture, the sound it makes as someone rummages through it and so forth. Some people say that it has a plastic scent which they may be able to access.

·         You may invite them to attempt to rebuild their old life. In the case of grief the  mind is often attempting to reconstruct their old life but cannot do so, which causes great stress. Remind them that this is will not work as some pieces of the old life are gone.

·         Tell them they have not got all the pieces of the old life. They do however have thousands of pieces.

·         Tell them that they can build almost anything from the pieces they have. The only thing they cannot build is what they had before. One day they will build something new.

With my patient/client I choose to suggest that he will build something new in the future and that for today he should organise the Lego by colour so that it is ready when he is. This was because the grief was in its very early stages and the aim of the session was to lift him out of hopelessness and not to interrupt the natural process of grief. If used at later stages, it could be taken further.

1.Did I mention that there are over 400 Billion Lego bricks in the world and more Lego figures than people in China)

Lego as a metaphor – the author

The author – Matt Krouwel is a hypnotherapist and post graduate researcher into hypnotherapy for IBS at the University of Birmingham (UK)

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