I thought I'd share with you my initial impressions of "The Metaphor Machine" 2 CD Set from The Mastery InSight Institute.

There are 2 CDs. In the first Jonathan explains the difference between Isomorphic and Homomorphic metaphor and argues that the latter is a far more powerful and subtle device; warning that people may feel patronised by the Isomorphic variety. He goes on to expain "The Metaphor Machine", a step by step a technique for constructing Homomorphic metaphors.

On disc 2 first he runs through the technique on 5 different example cases, showing how the process results in each case in a metaphor that elegantly addresses the presenting situation. He ends the set with a stream of metaphors to fully engage our unconscious minds in the learning process.


Why do I think this set is excellent?

• The material is presented clearly and cleanly, the technique is deceptively simple.
• It seems easy to start using the technique to create useful metaphors immediately, with the exciting prospect that with practice and imagination the same technique is capable of delivering really masterful results (unconscious competence beckons!)
• It is completely focused on this one technique, there is no waffle and no distraction from the desired outcome.
• Jonathan gives the unconscious mind a clear step by step process to understand and then works at embedding the learning unconsciously, and for me this seems to work brilliantly. It seems that when I use the step by step process (the conscious bit) the results at each step "just come to me" (the unconscious bit) and the end result just seems to work.

This is what I produced in my first use of the "metaphor machine". The "problem"; a new powerful person joining an established business team resulting in culture shock and disharmony. I fed this into the metaphor machine, pressed the buttons, and to my surprise got a metaphor about FriendsReunited.com. At first I was dubious as to the value of this, but as I explored and developed the metaphor it started to feel a strangely good vehicle for what I wanted to achieve. Now I doubt that in the past I would ever have jumped straight to this metaphor without using Jonathan's machine. Furthermore I trust him when he says that with practice the step by step process will drop beneath the surface leaving the ability to quickly get straight to an excellent Homomorphic metaphor.

So, could this set be improved in any way?

One loose end for me is how Homomorphic Metaphors can best be used in combination. On disc 1 Jonathan differentiates between Isomorphic Metaphors which have a 1:1 relationship with the presenting situation, and Homomorphic where the relationship is less direct and the required outcome is achieved by a combination of sequenced metaphors. It's not clear (to my conscious mind !) how to use the Metaphor Machine to create a set of complementary metaphors. Perhaps you just run the process repeatedly with the same input and use the different outputs that result.

I also feel that Jonathan is perhaps too "black and white" in his dismissal of Isomorphic metaphor, which surely can be done elegantly and in a more subtle way than in the example he gives; although perhaps when an "Isomorphic" metaphor is subtle and elegant it is by definition "Homomorphic"!?

Overall, I'm delighted with "The Metaphor Machine". I've got plenty of NLP stuff on my MP3 player that helps me access positive states but this material is sharply focused on one sophisticated and powerful techique and it delivers practical results immediately. By far the best example of NLP training on disc that I've come across so far.


NLP Products: "Metaphor Machine" 2 CD Set!