Highly Commended in the Psychiatry Category, BMA Medical Book Awards 2011

The business of cognitive therapy is to transform meanings. What better way to achieve this than through a metaphor? Metaphors straddle two different domains at once, providing a conceptual bridge from a problematic interpretation to a fresh new perspective that can cast one's experiences in a new light. Even the simplest metaphor can be used again and again with different clients, yet still achieve the desired effect. One such example is the 'broken leg' metaphor for depression. Clients with depression are understandably frustrated with their symptoms. They may often push themselves to get better or tell themselves that they should be better by now. As a therapist, it is fair to ask, would the client be so harsh and demanding on herself after getting a broken leg? A broken leg needs time to heal and you need to begin to walk on it gradually as it builds up in strength. "You can't run before you can walk", and if you try, you are likely to make it worse. For many clients this simple metaphor is enlightening, changing their view of their symptoms as a sign of their own laziness and worthlessness, to a view of them as part of an understandable illness, that while open to improvement, cannot get better over night. This book shows just how metaphors can be used productively in CBT as an integral part of the treatment. It describes the use of metaphors for a wide range of problems, including anxiety and depression, and provides countless examples of metaphors that have been used by others in CBT. It brings together in one place hundreds of metaphors that experienced therapists have used to great success. It will be a valuable sourcebook for all cognitive behaviour therapists, as well as those training in CBT.

"This was a thought-provoking book for me. For those who practice CBT, it provides a rich resource of metaphors to use in sessions with patients. Being organized by disorder makes it easily applicable to specific patients and as much a book to read as one to use as a reference. For analysts or those who practice psychodynamic therapy, it not only provides ideas of how to discuss illnesses with patients through metaphors, but it also forces one to think about the nature of therapeutic action, the many uses of metaphors with patients, and the nature of collaboration. For any therapist, it also gives a view into the evolving nature of cognitive behavioral therapy, with its many emerging branches and potential for them to either enrich each other as they currently are, or fight for hegemony, which has scarred the history of psychoanalysis." - Psychiatry