Light Up: The Science of Coaching with Metaphors
The latest book by author Lyssa deHart.
You will learn how the Client/Thinker brings the metaphor!
That’s the magic.
In session after session, I noticed something: clients weren’t just describing their experiences casually; they were creating idea containers to explain and make meaning of their experience.
“I feel like I’m paddling upstream.”
“I am at a fork in the road and I have to decide.”
“It’s like I’m standing in a hallway with a hundred doors and no idea which one to open.”
“I am struggling with my next step.”
They weren’t trying to be poetic. They were just trying to explain what it felt like to be them. What their mental, emotional, and somatic experience was.
Light Up is a book about paying attention to those moments.
Presence, attunement, listening, and leveraging the language of the client’s mind.
It’s about listening deeply to the metaphors clients already bring and learning how to work with them as powerful coaching tools.
Grounded in neuroscience and rich with real coaching stories, this book explores how metaphor becomes a kind of compass for transformation, helping people name what’s true and imagine what’s possible.
In Light Up: the Science of Coaching with Metaphors, You’ll Learn About:
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Research on how the brain processes metaphor and why it matters in coaching.
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Practical frameworks for working with client-generated metaphors in conversation.
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Stories from the field that show how metaphor unlocks clarity, curiosity, and change.
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Tools and prompts to deepen your own listening and reflection practices.
This isn’t about handing clients the right metaphor. Stop doing the work and learn to listen… the client has probably already handed you the keys to unlocking their awareness.
It’s about holding space while the thinker discovers the insights that are already alive inside them.
Once they name it, they can move through it with ownership. Think about it, have you ever said something in passing, only to realize later it was trying to tell you something deeper? What if someone heard you and reflected your insight back to you so you could anchor your awareness?
StoryJacking: Rewrite the Stories You Tell Yourself
We all live by the stories we tell ourselves. Some empower us. Others keep us stuck.
StoryJacking is about noticing those inner narratives—especially the ones that quietly tell you to play small—and learning how to rewrite them from the inside out.
Drawing from over 25 years as a clinical social worker and Master Certified Coach, I take you on a journey through the science of change, the psychology of belief, and the powerful role self-talk plays in shaping our lives. This book offers practical tools, deep insights, and real-world stories to help you challenge old narratives and claim new, more empowering ones.
Because when you change your story, you change your future.
As Kirkus Reviews puts it: “A refreshingly creative debut that focuses on taking control of one’s life…”
the Reflective Coach: A Journal for SUPERVision and Self-Discovery
Coaching others starts with knowing yourself.
The Reflective Coach is a twelve-month guided journal created for coaches who are in SUPERVision or simply seeking to deepen their coaching mindset through intentional reflection.
Inside, you’ll find monthly prompts, creative exercises, and space to explore what’s really happening beneath the surface of your coaching conversations.
This isn’t just about technique; it’s about noticing where you get hooked. Learning to understand yourself and how your judgments show up, where your edges are, and giving yourself permission to be softened or stretched.
Through writing, drawing, and inquiry, this creative journal will help you build greater self-awareness, refine your presence, and learn to hold space with even more courage and care.
This journal is your companion in uncovering what moves you… and what might be getting in your way.
Because the more reflective you are, the more impactful your coaching becomes.
