Unlocking inner healing through the power of metaphor

Do you ever feel there’s more to you than what you’re currently experiencing, but you don’t know how to access it? Or perhaps you find yourself stuck in confusion or overwhelm?

John O’Donohue beautifully describes this experience of feeling marooned on the surface of our minds, unaware of the vast, rich world that lies just below the surface—a world full of vision, memory, possibility, and life. In Doorway Sessions, we explore this deeper realm, allowing its transformative power to unfold.

Metaphoric images are the language of this deep, hidden world. These images naturally arise in our speech (words like “stuck” or “overwhelm” are metaphors!), but their true transformative potential emerges when we open space for them to fully reveal themselves. One powerful method for accessing these images is through fairy tales, which naturally connect us to the ancient, symbolic realm O’Donohue describes. These metaphors guide us toward healing, expansiveness, and new possibilities.

For example, common metaphoric images from Doorway sessions might include “standing on solid ground,” “weaving a tapestry,” or “flying freely on a vibrant bird.” These images aren’t created by our thinking minds; they arise from a deeper place within us. When we step into these images, they invite us into a new state of expansiveness, grace, and transformation.

One recurring image in Doorway sessions is that of a spacious, loving circle. While it may sound simple, the experience of stepping into this circle is deeply profound, embodying gentleness, love, and a sense of natural beauty. Below is a message from this circle during a recent session, offering insight into its transformative power:

The Voice of the Circle:

I am a spacious circle.
I am very gentle,
that’s what people don’t know about me… my gentleness.
The gentleness comes from love.
There is no forcing here,
it is about holding things
in their natural, beautiful state.
When people allow me to hold them like this,
their natural beauty expresses itself.
That’s where all the hidden beauty is,
in the hearts of these people
who are letting me hold them.

Through metaphoric images, we access a profound realm of healing, where hidden beauty and transformative possibilities unfold. What lies within you, waiting to be uncovered? Let the metaphoric realm guide you into a deeper state of being.