--- title: 7 Ways to Idiomize in Metaphors of Movement description: What is Metaphors of Movement? This article answers the question what is Metaphors of Movement and dicusses how it can be used by coaches and therapists. image: https://metaphorsofmovement.us/hubfs/Making%20Idioms%20Easier.png --- [Skip to content](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphorsofmovementblog/7-ways-to-idiomize-in-metaphors-of-movement#main-content) ![Insta Logos (1)](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/hubfs/Insta%20Logos%20(1).png) - Metaphors of Movement Courses - [Metaphors of Movement Levels 1&2](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphors-of-movement-levels-1-2) - [Metaphors of Movement Levels 4 &5 - Business and Money](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphors-of-movement-levels-4-and-5) - Workshops - [Leveraging Metaphorical Communication for a Change](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/leveraging-metaphorical-communication-for-a-change-landing-page) - [Communicating Identity](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/communicating-identity) - Advanced Development - [Mentoring Plan](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphors-of-movement-mentoring) - [Practice Group](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphors-of-movement-practice-group) - [Blog](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphorsofmovementblog) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # 7 Ways to Idiomize in Metaphors of Movement [Dale Turnbull](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphorsofmovementblog/author/dale-turnbull) Oct 16, 2025, 9:14:38 AM   Metaphors of Movement is a remarkable way of communicating someone’s unconscious experience. It opens up a world of possibilities, but idioms, oh the idioms! For many students, idiomization is one of the toughest parts of the work. In this blog see 7 way to idiomize to help enhance you skills at communicating clients unconscious experience. ⬇️ Free 7 Way to Idiomize Handout Below ⬇️     When you sit with a client and they offer a metaphor, you might find your brain freezing, wondering: *how do I give this metaphor life, meaning, and resonance?* That’s where idiomization comes in. Before we look at **7 initial ways to idiomize**, it helps to understand the **three overarching categories** of idioms used in Metaphors of Movement: - **Idioms of Effect**: sympathetic idioms that connect to the client’s plight. - **Idioms of Cause**: idioms that suggest agency or responsibility within the metaphor. - **Idioms of Identity**: the rarest and most challenging — idioms that reflect who the client *is* in the metaphor. Within these broad categories, there are many ways to work. The seven methods below are fundamental. They are not the only ways — but they are the best place to start if you want to get past the “brain freeze” and learn to idiomize with confidence. 7 ways to Idiomize - Free Handout In this handout you will get:![7 Ways to Idiomize - Handout](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/hs-fs/hubfs/7%20Ways%20to%20Idiomize%20-%20Handout.png?width=150&height=188&name=7%20Ways%20to%20Idiomize%20-%20Handout.png) - 7 ways to Idiomize to help improve your confidence - Examples to see how they work - Cut out section so you can have the prompts close to hand.   ⬇️ Download 7 ways to Idiomize - Free Handout ⬇️ Download - Handout ## 7 Initial Ways to Idiomize  ## 1. Direction This is the foundation — the backbone of Metaphors of Movement work. Direction provides orientation: front, back, left, right, up, down, above, and below. - **In front**: What lies ahead? What’s in the way? Example: “You’re up against a brick wall.” - **Behind**: Your past, your background, or what “has your back.” Example: “Your boss is behind you — maybe supportive, maybe ready to stab you in the back.” - **Left**: What’s left for you? What remains? Example: “There’s a path left for you — winding, natural, but not straightforward.” - **Right**: What’s right for you? What feels aligned? Example: “A couple stand on carpet to your right — comfortable, maybe eye-to-eye, maybe in opposition.” - **Underneath**: What supports you? Example: “You’re standing on grass — a natural grounding.” - **Above**: What’s hanging over you, what’s on top of you? Mastering direction gives you the basic structure to start idiomizing any metaphor. --- ## 2. Qualities Instead of focusing on the *thing itself*, focus on its adjectives. - Example from the video: to the right, instead of saying “there’s a pink fluffy bunny,” notice the qualities — it’s colourful, comforting, playful, maybe childish. - To the left, a picket fence: stable, structured, dividing. - Behind, a monster: scary, unreal, monstrous. Qualities allow you to deepen and expand the metaphor beyond the object itself. --- ## 3. Relationships How do elements relate to one another? Who comes first? Who follows? - A glass placed in your hand: what you put first is fragile, easily broken. - A boss behind you: you lead, they follow — but they could also undermine you. - Two people talking to your right: aligned with each other, but perhaps leaving you out. Relationships make metaphors dynamic, showing power, precedence, and positioning. --- ## 4. Support & Understanding What holds you up? What foundations exist — both literal and metaphorical? - Grass: natural support, grounding. - Carpet: manufactured, comfortable, but also easily pulled away. - Concrete: solid, immovable, rigid. Support isn’t only physical — it’s about shared understanding too. What structures hold the metaphor (and the client’s experience) together? --- ## 5. What Could or Would Happen Metaphors are alive, and you can explore them by asking: *what happens if…?* - Step forward into the wall → collision, resistance. - Step left into the forest path → a winding, natural but uncertain journey. - Step back → a sheer cliff, falling into water, struggling to keep your head above. - Step right → caught between two people in conversation, stepping into their dynamic. This invites movement and consequence into the metaphor. --- ## 6. Senses Metaphors aren’t just visual — they’re sensory. - The wall feels rough, unyielding. - The forest smells woody, sounds rustling. - The cliff has wind, height, vertigo. - The couple to your right can be *heard* in conversation. When you idiomize through senses, metaphors become embodied and real. --- ## 7. What It’s Not Sometimes meaning comes from exclusion. Define what something is *not* to sharpen its shape. - The forest is not a clear direction, not man-made, not constructed. - The wall is not a doorway, not a path forward. - The cliff is not supportive, not stable. Polarity helps make metaphors precise and powerful. 7 ways to Idiomize - Free Handout In this handout you will get:![7 Ways to Idiomize - Handout](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/hs-fs/hubfs/7%20Ways%20to%20Idiomize%20-%20Handout.png?width=150&height=188&name=7%20Ways%20to%20Idiomize%20-%20Handout.png) - 7 ways to Idiomize to help improve your confidence - Examples to see how they work - Cut out section so you can have the prompts close to hand.   ⬇️ Download 7 ways to Idiomize - Free Handout ⬇️ Download - Handout   --- ## Practice Makes Perfect The more you play with these lenses, the easier idiomization becomes. Once you know how to idiomize a wall, you know how to idiomize a fence, a door, a mountain, or a person. Once you know a path, you know a road. You’ll develop faster when practicing with others. Join community practice sessions see where you can practice below: - [Metaphors of Movement Practice Group – US](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphors-of-movement-practice-group) - [Metaphors of Movement Practice Group – UK](https://metaphorsofmovement.co.uk/) Each session is unique, because you’ll see idioms others spot that you would miss. Together, we build precision, playfulness, and power with metaphor. [Conversations in Metaphor](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphorsofmovementblog/tag/conversations-in-metaphor) ## Leave a Comment ## Related Posts ### [![Making the Unconscious Tangible: Hypnosis, Parts Work, and Metaphors of Movement](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/hubfs/Enhancing%20Unconscious%20Communication%20-%20Bringing%20Hypnosis%20and%20Parts%20Work%20to%20Conscious%20Awareness.png) May 22, 2025, 1:50:30 PM Making the Unconscious Tangible: Hypnosis, Parts Work, and Metaphors of Movement](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphorsofmovementblog/enhanced-unconscious-communication) ### [![Why Goals Can Be Tricky (and How Metaphors of Movement Helps)](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/hubfs/Exploring%20in%20Space%20-%20Fabric%2c%20Mind%20Scaping%2c%20Clean%20Language%20and%20Metaphor.png) Sep 18, 2025, 3:06:48 PM Why Goals Can Be Tricky (and How Metaphors of Movement Helps)](https://metaphorsofmovement.us/metaphorsofmovementblog/why-goals-can-be-tricky) ### [![To Feel or Not to Feel? 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