The Dandelion - a metaphor in action.

Earlier this year, I bought a thing. Not a needful thing, but to me, a thing of beauty. It was a resin orb containing the preserved head of a dandelion clock, frozen in time, in all its geometric perfection. The order of nature, like a magnified snowflake, held as if frozen in ice. I saw it and was instantly drawn to pick it up, to hold this impossible bubble. It can sit comfortably in the palm of your hand, feeling warm and snug and solid, in a strangely satisfying way, and this compact sensation was part of the appeal of the object to me.

Those familiar with Neuro Linguistic Programming and its sub modalities of thinking could infer from my language that my primary mode of perception is kinaesthetic. I 'feel' my way around the world, sensing atmospheres, temperature, texture and weight. There are five sensory channels we use to represent our experience - visual, auditory (hearing), kinaesthetic (emotions, touch and bodily sensations), taste and smell. In addition, we can make sense of our experience in words. All of our memories, imagination and current experience are made up of elements of these six ‘representational systems’, as they are referred to in NLP. Most of us use one system more than the others, and it is apparent in the language that we use. My predominant representational systems of kinaesthetic and visual are apparent in my word choice of: orb, dandelion clock, frozen in time, geometric, magnified snowflake, held as if frozen in ice, bubble, sit comfortably in the palm of your hand, feeling warm, snug, solid in a strangely satisfying way. All are words that evoke image or feeling as I try to explain to you my urge to buy my 'unneedful thing.'

Hypnotherapists and practitioners of NLP are very aware of the importance of language - it is the tools of our trade as we seek the right words to establish a rapport with our clients, meeting them on the same wavelength, understanding how they make sense of the world around them. Perhaps your primary mode of perception is auditory, apparent in your language of: speaking of which, sounds like a plan, ringing any bells, thinking out loud. Auditory digital thinkers hear their stream of consciousness as words in their head.

All the best story tellers weave their narratives with their words - to employ your imagination, they need to evoke your senses, to entrance with words. No wonder word construction is called spelling. For those who are predominantly visual, using the right image as a metaphor is speaking the language of the unconscious mind, and my dandelion orb speaks to me. In fact, it is actually quite a needful thing in my clinic. It sits by the window, catching beams of sunlight, drawing attention to itself and often is commented on by my clients. Its image plants a seed in the mind of the imagination, as through visualisation meditation, the metaphor becomes active ...

"You notice a small blue butterfly fluttering across the meadow - you are totally mesmerised by the way the little butterfly flutters its wings, so fast, yet seems to move nowhere.

So much effort in those little wings, yet no progress - the butterfly just floats above a dandelion clock which is swaying in the softest of breezes - a breeze so gentle that you hadn't even noticed until you saw the dandelion clock moving - but now you can feel the gentle breeze on your arms - and your cheeks - and in your hair.

You walk towards the butterfly to take a closer look - but as you draw close it flutters away - you stop and watch for a while as it floats away from you - weaving in and out of the taller blades of grass. You watch it rise higher and you catch a glimpse of the sky -almost clear blue - but with one fluffy white cloud just sitting up there in the sky.

Looking back towards the ground, you notice the dandelion clock that the butterfly had been hovering over - you reach out and take it in your hand.

You can feel the cool stem in your fingers' grasp and you bring it towards your mouth to breathe very lightly on it - the little feather white fluffy seeds just move a little.

Then you breathe more heavily on it - and again - the dandelion seeds move a little more but stay firmly attached to their base.

Then you pucker up your mouth - take a deep breath - and gently blow at the dandelion clock.

Some of the seeds detach themselves and float off in the soft breeze.

You watch them as they go - and somehow - you know that every single seed that is blown away carries with it one of your worries ..."