Recognise the structure
Hear the spatial, relational and embodied patterns inside everyday language, rather than treating metaphor as decoration.
Metaphors of Movement Level 1
Turn the metaphors your clients use into a structured way of working.
Metaphors in My Attic is Andrew T. Austin’s practical foundation course. It shows you how to recognise recurring patterns, ask cleaner questions and work with metaphor without imposing an interpretation.
One-year access
£149.99
One payment. 12 months’ access. No automatic renewal.
Secure checkout through PayPal. Access begins immediately.
Build confidence with the foundation model
Designed for therapists, coaches, NLP practitioners and clinicians who already listen closely to language and want a systematic way to work with what clients actually say.
- More than ten hours of focused video training
- Guided exercises and full client demonstrations
- Five recorded webinars, notes and diagrams
- Work through everything at your own pace for a year
Technical note: The videos are designed for a desktop or laptop computer. They are not designed for phones or tablets, where the viewing experience is poor. Use a current version of Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari.
Already have access? Log in to the course here.
Join 1,311 practitioners already working through the program.
The practical foundation
Move from noticing metaphor to knowing what to do with it
The course is built around practical distinctions, precise questions and examples you can revisit until the model becomes familiar.
Ask cleaner questions
Develop a client’s metaphor in their own terms, with less guessing and less pressure to supply an interpretation.
Make the model usable
Work through guided exercises and testing sections that turn the core distinctions into repeatable practice.
Watch complete client work
Study full sessions and follow-up discussions so you can see how the method changes in response to the person.
10+ hourscore video training
7 sectionsfrom foundations to sessions
5 webinarsincluded as bonus study
12 monthsto learn at your pace
Independent feedback
What practitioners say
“A really fantastic set of learning materials. Andy Austin lays out his Metaphors of Movement model in a clear, well-organized way that makes it easy to learn. This is a significant development and an excellent presentation of it. There’s more to it than you might think.”
Connirae Andreas, author of Core Transformation
“Andrew T. Austin demonstrates thoroughly how he masters the empowering nature of imagery language. There are more than enough videos, including client sessions, that give step-by-step guidance on how you can explore clients’ metaphors for rapid change.”
Gaye Gunes, Washington
“Well-produced video clips explain simply, with a surprising depth of information and plenty of written support material for the text-minded. A distinct lack of hype and a reliance on illustrative examples makes the program engaging and compelling to explore.”
Philip H. Farber, author of Brain Magick
Everything is organised into clear sections. Open any section to see the individual lessons and running times.
Full Program Curriculum
Section 1. Introduction
This opening section establishes what is meant by metaphor, why it matters in client work and how the model begins.• Introduction to Metaphors of Movement (12.29 mins)
“Walking a tightrope” exercise• A Minor Abreaction (6.34 mins)
“Mistaking effect for cause.”
• The First Question (18.25 mins)
“What is that like?”
• Metaphor Examples (22.10 mins)
“Typical metaphor examples.”
• Neurological Rationale for this Approach (13.45 mins)
“The brain stuff.”
• Kinaesthetic Denial – UPDATE (26.12 mins)
“Why a happy ending isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
• “And what is that like?” – UPDATE (10.12 mins)
“Discussion on why it doesn’t take so long to get to metaphor anymore.”
Section 2. Developing Themes
Learn how to follow the theme of a metaphor further into the client’s experience while staying close to their language and avoiding premature interpretation.• Developing the Metaphor and Issues of Scope (14.09 mins)
“The four directions – finding what is left…”• Boundary Violations and Chronicity (11.45 mins)
“When client jumps category.”
• Eliciting the Coping Behaviour (12.27 mins)
“Applying behaviour to the metaphor.”
• Creating Idioms for the Metaphor (29.43 mins)
“Tell, don’t ask.”
• Recapping: “It’s all about Feet!” (14.26 mins)
“Changing state is never enough.”
• The Issue of Outcomes (34.24 mins)
“Finding out where you stand.”
• Boundary Violations – 3 UPDATES (66 mins, 72 mins, 36.40 mins)
x3 audio files developing the themes of Boundary Violations
• Session Structure – UPDATE (23.44 mins)
“How to structure an MoM session.”
Section 3. Container Metaphors
Explore how container metaphors organise experience and how they can provide a focused way to work with problems that have felt longstanding or difficult to shift.• An Introduction to Container Metaphors (3.40 mins)
• Relationships as Containers (2.50 mins)
• Self as a container (7.50 mins)
• Fulfilments – UPDATE (14.27 mins)
• Childhood Themes (9.42 mins)
• Growing Up (6.54 mins)
• The Finer Points of Growing Up (18.51 mins)
• Bubbles (10.38 mins)
• Bubbles (ii) – UPDATE (4.51 mins)
• Containers – UPDATE (14.21 mins)
• Partial Containers – UPDATE (6.57 mins)
Section 4. Status
Examine the language of status, hierarchy and position, and the ways these patterns shape relationships and identity.• Status (32.26 mins)
• Centre of the Universe (12.34 mins)
• Status – UPDATE (15 mins)
Section 5. Stages, Treadmills, Objects and Obstacles
Study stages, treadmills, objects and obstacles: recurring patterns that reveal movement, blockage, repetition and the perceived route ahead.• Stages of Life (10 mins)
“Putting on a performance.”• Stages and Awkward Positions (5.58 mins)
“Under the Spotlight.”
• Treadmills (12.16 mins)
“The art of not getting anywhere.”
• The Object of Guilt (20.39 mins)
“A burden to be carried.”
• Dependency (12 mins)
• Obstacles (13.46 mins)
“Things getting in the way.”
• Edges (10.51 mins)
Section 6. A Testing Time
Apply what you have learned to brief client metaphors, compare your responses and test how confidently you can use the distinctions.• Introduction to the tests (6.05 mins)
• “In a hole.”
• “Feeling a bit of a jerk.”
• “Having an inclination.”
• “A gut feeling.”
• “In a goldfish bowl.”
• “Shouldering a problem.”
• “Donkey on the beach.”
• “Judgement day.”
• “In a cage.”
• “In a mess.”
• “Hanging around.”
Section 7. Demonstration Sessions and Discussions
Professionally filmed on location in Boulder, Colorado, USA
• Client Session and Discussion: “Hanging Around.” (50 mins)
Following up on a workshop experience that provided some very gruesome imagery.• Client Session: “Facing Monsters.” (50.28 mins)
Having clawed her way out of the pit of despair, this client is faced with dealing with monsters in her life.
• Client Session and Discussion: “Taking it to the Top.” (38.15 mins)
In this session, the client has an idea he wants to take all the way to the top.
• Client Session: “When it Hurts to Be You.” (82.55 mins)
At times this slow-moving session can be quite uncomfortable to watch.
• Client Session: “A Divided Self.” (66.22 mins)
Issues of identity can be some of the most painful aspects to deal with in therapy.
• Discussion: Skills to develop for MoM therapists. (20 mins)
“Andrew Austin’s Metaphors of Movement is a fascinating exploration into the world of Metaphor. If you have done anything with ‘metaphor work’ before, you will learn new insights and revelations that only someone with the real-world experience of working with dozens upon dozens of clients can provide. This is a very well-put-together course, with many layers of learning. Excellent Value!”
Colin G. Smith
“I have followed Andrew T. Austin’s work for many years with great interest. His “Metaphors in the Attic” is truly fascinating and the best yet-a rare, truly creative and very practical set of tools- invaluable to anyone interested in developing their communication skills. The presentation is first class, and I will certainly recommend this material to students and colleagues alike.”
Nick Kemp
“I’m not quite sure what it is that Austin does in Littlehampton HQ, but he presents a brilliant body of work here, adding to and fleshing out, not to mention making practical a lot of the work of Lakoff. This work should be more than double its price. I told him to change it but he ignored me – AGAIN.”
Alan Whitton
Complete foundation training
Core lessons, full demonstrations and additional study material in one program
Join for £149.99Included beyond the core lessons
More material to deepen your study
Return to the notes, webinars and demonstration footage throughout your year of access.
FIVE RECORDED WEBINARS
Your access also includes hand-written and hand-drawn lecture notes, diagrams and five online webinar recordings.- • Webinar #1 – “Q&A about the MoM model.” (86.20 mins)
- • Webinar #2 – “Business and money metaphors.” (38.32 mins)
- • Webinar #3 – “The problem of anxiety and boundary violations.” (35.18 mins)
- • Webinar #4 – “Metaphors of time and time constructs.” (38.30 mins)
- • Webinar #5 – “More Q&A on Metaphors of Movement.” (39.47 mins)
ADDITIONAL FILMED SESSION
Full studio-quality recording of one of the earliest filmed MoM sessions for severe depression. This is the “Depressed Guy” video from the Pragmatics of Change DVD series.Questions before joining?
Email Andrew at freshnewbrain@gmail.com