ACT for OCD: The Tug of War Metaphor
Key Points
- The tug of war metaphor is a creative hopelessness exercise.
- It highlights the struggle with internal experiences and the exhaustion that can come from the struggle.
- Act this metaphor out in session because it can be more powerful when the client feels physically exhausted.
Materials Downloads
ACT for OCD Online Training
Expand your therapeutic skills for treating OCD beyond traditional exposure-based therapies.
Earn 8.25 CE Credits$297
Transcript
Now, let’s talk about the tug of war with a monster metaphor.
So this one, as I said, is a pretty common one that’s used to highlight this concept of creative hopelessness. And I’ll walk through this in the way that I would set this up with clients.
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.,Twohig, M. P. (2004). ACT for OCD: Abbreviated treatment manual [Unpublished treatment manual]. University of Nevada.
So I’ll say, “Okay, you have this experience that you would like to not have.” So let’s say, for this person, that they have a fear that they’re going to get a disease. “And so I want you to picture it in front of you. You have this monster that’s standing there that is saying to you, ‘You are going to get sick.’ There are lots of diseases out there. You need to learn how to manage this. You need to make sure that you do not do anything that is going to even put you at risk of being sick.”
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.,Twohig, M. P. (2004). ACT for OCD: Abbreviated treatment manual [Unpublished treatment manual]. University of Nevada.