The Trauma Knot

As a trauma specialist, I try to find creative ways to explain difficult topics.  I provide Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to children and teens, and I provided Prolonged Exposure Therapy to adults.  One time I was in a session trying to explain what PTSD is and how trauma treatment could help, and the image of a knotted necklace came up.  I though of my own experience of the frustration of trying to unknot the necklace by myself and how I gave up so many times.  I brought this analogy to session.  Example of how a possible conversation could go:

Me:  Have you ever had a necklace or a shoelace get a knot before (could be yarn, string, shoelace)?
Client:  Yes.
Me:  What was that like for you?
Client:  Frustrating.  I just get rid it.
Me:  Yeah.  It sounds like that was pretty stressful.
Client:  It was.
Me:  Trauma is kind of like the knot in the necklace or shoelace, accept we carry around this knot where ever we go.  You throwing the necklace or shoelace away is like avoidance.  What lead you to throw the necklace or shoelace away?
Client:  I didn't want to deal with it.
Me:  Right.  It caused you distress.  You tried to undue the knot on your own.  The difference here is, you don't have to undue the knot by yourself.  That's what I am here for.  To walk you through each step.  To help you hold the knot in your hand, to see it differently, and help you unravel the knot that was created by the bad things you have experienced. Have you ever stuck a necklace in a small space and it becomes knotted? Or  pick up a shoe wondering what happened to the shoelace?  
Client:  Yeah.
Me:  Trauma is like that.  Something happens and it changes us just like how the tight space changed the necklace.  Just like you would undue the knot, we will be attempting to change how trauma has you view the world and yourself, as well as helping you feel like you can cope with the distress.