Topic: Examine psychological support for using metaphor in language to facilitate change.
In his article, The Law of Metaphors, Thomas R. Hersh discusses very interesting findings on the use of metaphorical language in the field of psychology. He mentions, "something like 97% of all talk about psychological phenomena is metaphor." He discusses the fact that psychological talk likens individuals with objects because there is no other way to describe mental phenomena in an interesting and understandable way. Hersh concludes the article explaining that metaphorical thinking requires imaginative thinking and the knowledge created through metaphorical and imaginative thinking is different than plain physical knowledge.
It seems as though metaphors provide an opportunity for clients to look at themselves in a novel way and create new knowledge of themselves and their ability to handle life on life's terms. With Hersh's mention of the need for imagination, I wonder if clients with broader or more creative imaginations will be more successful or gain the most out of their experiences.
It appears psychologists recognize the benefits of utilizing metaphorical language in therapy. Goodtherapy.org provides information on an interesting therapist training program called "Mining Your Metaphors" by Gina Campbell; "Clean Language and Symbolic Modeling are largely language-based therapeutic processes that engage a client experientially with his/her internalized metaphors to foster clarity, enhance resources, and promote lasting change at the mind/body level." The description highlights the strong bond and trusting relationship that is created with this form of therapy. It mentions how this form of therapy promotes the client as the expert.
This type of therapist training and other forms of 'metaphor therapy,' appear to provide a wonderful opportunity for the co-creation of meaning by both client and therapist. Like I mentioned before, this element appears critical to successfully facilitating any sort of change in the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of clients. So, how can Adventure Therapists ensure that they have the tools necessary to properly facilitate such experiences? Should Adventure Therapists rely on their own experience or would it be helpful to develop a therapy training program like Gina Campbell's specifically for AT? I definitely feel this is the type of skill where practice makes progress, but how can professionals promote a speedy progression?
References:
Gass, M. A., Gillis, H. L., & Russell, K. C. (2012). Adventure therapy: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Goodtherapy.org (2013). Metaphor Therapy- Training. Retrieved from: http://www.goodtherapy.org/training-courses/clean-language-symbolic-modeling-metaphor-therapy.html
Hersh, T. R. Clinical Psychology: Psychological Thoughts. The Law of Metaphors. Retrieved from: http://www.psychological-observations.com/psychological-laws/law-of-metaphors
Hi Renee! Great post. When you started talking about imagination and metaphors I started to think about how much more our imaginations are probably at work when we're outside. So putting together nature and metaphors just seems like the best combination for therapy that causes change. Therapists definitely need to have good training in this area though so they can be effective.
ReplyDelete-Leslie Weaver
I really liked your post! I think it was really interesting when you talked about imagination and the use of metaphors. I didn't really think about how individuals who have more imagination may be better at using metaphors. Going off of that I wander if children may be able to use and get more out of metaphors because their imaginations may be a little better at a younger age. It is something cool to think about!
ReplyDeleteKelli Weinschenk
Yo Renee! I like how you mentioned that statistic, it's crazy how much can be communicated through metaphors. It seems like so much can be accomplished through letting people into a vision that they can help co-create in their own minds. I believe that people with more creative thinking skills could possibly have a advantage through this type of therapy. It is an interesting concept to think about nonetheless!
ReplyDeleteRenee, you opened up discussion with the topic of metaphors in psychology, which I thought was an interesting aspect. I know we were supposed to get psychological support, but I feel like you focused a lot on how it is used in this specific field, which was cool. Also, i never really thought about how people may react differently to metaphors. Obviously we would all relate situations and activities to different things in each of our specific life experiences, but you asked the question about how metaphors may be more productive to some and not to others. I think this is pretty significant! We must know when it is best and appropriate to discuss in metaphors to create change and when it is better to be more straight forward, and in the same way we need to make sure were using it with the right people!
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