Big Purple Elephant

An annotated example
To illustrate how multiple embedded metaphors might work, consider a case
where a person cannot give up smoking. The person feels helpless in being unable to
change, realises that smoking is socially unacceptable and is causing isolation, and the
smoking is noticeably affecting their health. The problem is that the person cannot
access the resources needed to change.
Using the Lankton methodology, an analysis of the problem situation would show
that there are four areas needing to be addressed.

Helplessness
Isolation
Becoming ill
Lack of resources to change

Each issue would have a metaphor created for it, and be embedded into a metaphor
structure:

First Metaphor - Helplessness

Second Metaphor - Social isolation
Third Metaphor - Increasing ill health
Direct Suggestion - Connection to resources
Third Metaphor - Problem resolution
Second Metaphor - Problem resolution
First Metaphor - Problem resolution

Using this template an original three part story was created to illustrate how the
framework is used. In this example an anthropomorphic style was chosen:

First Metaphor - Helplessness

There once was a doll who was sat high up on a shelf. The doll didnt know how she
got there, and the shelf was so high that she was afraid of falling, and so she sat very
very still and way afraid to move.
Second Metaphor - Social isolation
All day long the doll sat on the shelf and looked down at all the other toys on the
floor and wished that she could join them. But week after week the doll would sit
there, afraid to move and feeling very very lonely.
Third Metaphor - Increasing ill health
The doll had also realised something else. With all that sitting there and not
moving she was beginning to get ill. Instead of running around with all her
 friends she was getting no exercise at all and her arms and legs were getting
very very weak.
Direct Suggestion - Connection to resources - ask for help
Well one day the doll was looking down at the toys and there was another doll
lying there in the middle of the floor. This was the Dancing Doll. He had lost one of
his legs. He was lying there crying and trying to move but it wasn't working and all the
other toys, the teddy bears and the soldiers and the big stuffed tiger with the one eye
missing were not looking at him and pretending to be doing something else. When
suddenly the Big Purple Elephant appeared. The Big Purple Elephant was the oldest
toy in the house and all the other toys were afraid of the Big Purple Elephant. The
elephant went over to the Dancing Doll and asked what had happened. The dancing
doll explained that he had been trying to do a new dance when it all went wrong and
he came crashing down and broke his leg off. And now he was stuck and nobody
would help him. And he felt so unhappy, so useless and helpless.
Well roared the Big Purple Elephant, 'we'll see about that'. And the elephant
called the teddy bears over, and the soldiers and the big stuffed tiger with the one eye
missing. 'Why are you not helping the dancing doll?' demanded the elephant. 'Because
we didn't know what to do', they said. 'And we were embarrassed to ask' said the
stuffed tiger, 'in case it was wrong'. 'How can helping someone be wrong?' said the
elephant. And he ordered them to look for the missing leg. The soldiers marched over
to the window and the teddy bears looked in the corners and the tiger hid under the toy
box because he was ashamed of his behaviour. And guess what? The tiger found the
leg right there! And soon the dancing doll had his leg back on and was dancing as good
as ever.
Third Metaphor - Problem resolution
And as the Dancing Doll was trying out his repaired leg he leaned back and
noticed the doll on the shelf. 'Why are you sitting there?' he asked. 'Come
down and join us'. 'I can't', said the doll on the shelf 'My arms and legs are
weak and I don't feel well. 'Well, when you come down off the shelf your
arms and legs will get strong again, won't they?'
Second Metaphor - Problem resolution
'Well, yes, but what if nobody wants to play with me now?' 'Don't be silly' said
the Dancing Doll,' everybody wants you to come into the middle with them. They
have all missed you. And you remember how much fun we all used to have
together'.
First Metaphor - Problem resolution
'Well, yes', said the doll, 'but I am weak and it's so high and I don't think I can'. And the
Big Purple Elephant looked up and said 'I wonder if you can move just a little' "Oh,
yes' said the doll, 'I think I could move to the side just a little'. 'OK' said the elephant,
'See if you can move to the left a little'. And when the little doll did, he asked her to
move to the left just a little again. And then a little more. And a little more and
suddenly her weight caused the whole shelf to tilt up, because she had over balanced it,
and she slid down the slope to the shelf below, and she over balanced that one too, and
the next one, and suddenly she was sitting on the floor surrounded by all the toys.
'There', said the elephant, with a smile, 'you do know how to get down, don't you?'.
And all the toys cheered.

Lankton and Lankton state that they do not expect their metaphor therapy to cause
dramatic changes immediately, but do expect continuous improvement to be seen over
months or years without further intervention.