Hypnotic metaphors are the best way to do change work with people in therapeutic settings, persuade people, alter their belief systems and win them for a cause.

Metaphors or nothing but carefully drafted stories that create a new frame for reality. Mastering metaphors is one of the most valuable - yet, most underestimated - skills a hypnotist can possess.

Milton H. Erickson was a master of using metaphors like a master.

In fact, he created action-metaphors at times. One example was the he made his patients climb a nearby mountain, which was quiet a tough climb. Once they reached at the top, they were supposed to find something of extraordinary beauty.

He made his patients participate in the therapy. Because they climbed that mountain, they agreed to "do the work".

And when you climb a mountain and look for something beautiful - what do you do? You make a lot of effort, and then you see things from a different perspective. You widen your horizon literally - and (maybe?) also metaphorically. If one is narrow-minded, feeling overwhelmed and lacking goals and visions for his life, that would be a desirable outcome, wouldn't it?