Demons on the boat - an Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Metaphor

An Acceptance & Commitment Therapy metaphor
from Russ Harris' book 'The Happiness Trap'
Download the full 30MB version here:
www.dropbox.co...
(cut and paste the link into your browser if if doesn't work)

[@ZombyMammoth]

the ocean is where you fill safe. the demons are social anxiety, the island is the outside world. Basically accept the feeling that anxiety brings on, accept the thoughts that are running rampant in your mind making you think that everyone is judging you, and journey into the unknown

[@lakshmis7632]

ZombyMammoth well said!

[@windmill99]

Awesome metaphor. Love having components of CBT and ACT in my toolkit to ease my mind

[@ThePickledStories]

Therapy in a Nutshell brought me here! Thanks for this video!

[@eternity828]

i suffer from severe Depersonalisation , im sure this video gonna help me a lot on my path to recovery

[@jonaichs1976]

Thank you,putting it in this way is comforting and reassuring. I've been battling mine for years. Thank you

[@jesusfreak316]

Thank you Mr. James for guiding me to this visual representation of Hope, resilience, and truth. I am eternally grateful sir.

[@glenbryan7740]

Good stuff Joe . Its really useful to remember that our thoughts are just scary demons , and roar louder when we try to make change(ie steer towards the shore ). Charming video !

[@JoeOliverContextualConsulting]

Thanks Glen : )

[@Anthony9471]

Beautiful story and metaphor! I loved the animations, and it speaks to my subconscious. Some people say this is not a miracle cure, but if you listen to it enough, well, it actually can be (and this is coming from someone who has GAD). Thank you!

[@ashleyransley3441]

I love this metaphor. I don't think of it so much a cure but as a way to learn to coexist & become less hooked by the anxiety, so that you can have anxiety but not be controlled by it--to have anxiety AND live your life. :) Hope you're doing well today!

[@monikalee5648]

What a good analogy. I'm sure it will help, especially if I revisit.

[@pthegirl]

One of the best analogies ever, thank you for sharing

[@jennifer8123]

Saying the monsters can’t “physically” harm you doesn’t help because emotional pain can absolutely exceed physical pain.

[@JoeOliverContextualConsulting]

Although it's probably true that emotional pain can exceed physical pain, it's a bit like comparing apples and oranges - they are two distinct types of human experiences. While physical pain serves as a warning that we are causing harm and need to stop immediately, emotional pain functions differently. Emotions provide us with valuable information, signalling what we care about, indicating loss or dislike. Physical pain has a clear purpose of self-preservation, whereas emotional pain serves as a guide for our values and relationships. It's important to recognise and honour both types of pain, understanding that they play different roles in our lives.

[@MajorCoin]

This is perfect, thank you 🙏🏾

[@NickSheridanVids]

Good metaphor and nice to see the Duke Nukem boss in there. I particularly enjoyed that there was no "there's demons on everyone's boat!" unhelpful equivalence. But erm... his hands aren't moving... is he steering with his wang?

[@JoeOliverContextualConsulting]

thanks for your feedback! if you're interested, i've created another ACT metaphor animation, on youtube "the unwelcome party guest" j

[@marcellabrady5723]

Perfect analogy.

[@farisib7593]

The demon is my boss. He can shout at me, threaten to fire me or even shame me in front of everyone. But in the end he cant touch me. He's only a powerless demon.

[@JoeOliverContextualConsulting]

Hi there, Ok, I'll work on putting together some subtitles. In the meantime, if you email me, I can send you the script.

[@suchitrarajeev1933]

Wonderful .

[@paddylulu]

Excellent - I've just finished the book.

[@thisisbob1001]

This is a great video. Many thanks for sharing.

[@bolognapate]

Love it - And the one about Brian. These really help!

[@cherylambrose8368]

the demons physically poke too much and give me a headache

[@gammypage]

cool enjoyed that thanks

[@lyskem]

hi! im having hard time to understand the spoken english (im italian) and i would like to read those words instead...is that possible?

[@hisawes0meness]

I really appreciate your work! - Thanks for sharing! And if you feel bored on a rainy day... "the chessboard" would be another GREAT one!;-]

[@LeviRoots2]

Mate, one of those demons is from doom.

[@richeco]

Hi Joe, what software did you use to create the animations ?

[@emilygarcia6331]

Excuse me, where did you get the gifs for those demons! I love them!

[@swanfrog22]

Thank you so much. I get it! It helped me.

[@thirtythreeflavors]

This is excellent. Thank you!

[@Dan-qp1el]

Then what ?

[@cajequartz1646]

Dan N You meet Jack Sparrow.

[@davezdragon]

Who are these demons? What games are they from?

[@paulgriffiths5389]

Do you have an updated version of this?

[@lorilane1666]

sound quality is low and difficult to hear.

[@pattypelella7495]

Vorrei sapere se c e tradotto in italiano

[@randyleerandyleerandylee]

scalawags never prosper

[@JoeOliverContextualConsulting]

no problem. give me an email and I can send you the script joe

[@marimarina74]

hi! please...also for me it's hard to understand the spoken english...sorry.... can i've something like subtitles?? thankssssss

[@sneakyninjamunkey]

I tried to download this video but the dropbox address you have gave me an error.

[@JoeOliverContextualConsulting]

I've updated the link, so it should work now. Joe

[@BlackenedNL]

noice one

[@jm2trash]

"the demons can't do you any physical harm" Yeah right. That's why not one cuts themselves or commits suicide because of internal demons. -__-

[@LordHRthend]

+Young Golden Girl But you are the one causing yourself the harm not the demons. That's like if you got so scared of the demons that you jumped off the boat. The demons didn't actually hurt you, you let the demons scare you so much even though they really can't do you any harm or you crashed the boat into the rocks to try to escape them. What this is trying to teach you is that you are separate from your thoughts, they are just going on in your head, there is no real physical threat, only an imagined one. This is proven to be the most effective cure for anxiety, better than any medication, which just numbs the anxiety. Also, this is a place where people are coming to seek help, so its very unfair to others with anxiety to bring this kind of negativity around. That kind of statement might trigger an anxiety attack to someone. I'm not saying don't speak your opinion, just be mindful of where you are.

[@quyenkelly9]

Young Golden Girl if you physical and mentally want to get better and to your goal, then no one, not even your demons can affect you.

[@someordinarydude9147]

@@quyenkelly9 There's clearly extraordinarily powerful drivers we don't even have the slightest grasp on that cause a person to terminate their existence. This is the most unnatural and irrational thing a conscious being can do yet people do it in the millions globally. I don't think anyone would kill themselves just simply because of slight discomfort. We are talking about levels of upset and distress so profound these people are exclaiming through action "I would rather not exist than continue experiencing this for even another second". That experience isn't the little harmless demons on this boat, that's Godzilla constantly terrorizing you and actually having the power to kill you. I think what this story is discussing is true for the vast majority of the population (at least 90%) but not for the ones that commit suicide.