I use the power of metaphors for positive change in my hypnosis work. That is where being an English major has been a great benefit to my healing practice.
For example, consider cigarettes as
intruders or robbers
Fat as winter snow that can melt in the spring
The breath as a well that pumps an aquifer of strength and willpower into the conscious mind.
Hypnosis is using trance and language to change stuck behaviors. Metaphors are the levers that move the boulders out of the path.