Mining Your Metaphors

Year Founded: 2005

Model of Therapy: Clean Language, Symbolic Modeling and Metaphor Therapy

Every moment of every day we are flooded with new information, whether its source is external, through our senses, or internally generated by our mind/body.  Metaphor therapy contends that we make sense of what could be an overwhelming flow by encoding the information in metaphor: we find an appropriate image or symbol, imbue it with meaning and emotion, and file it away, as integral a part of our neural network as the original stimulus. Then, like an entry in an internal dictionary, it’s available to our mind and body to reference as to how to categorize and best respond to future challenges. Getting a detailed picture of these internalized metaphors gives both the therapist and the client a vivid map of core beliefs and patterns, conflicts and blocks, as well as of the client’s inner strengths and resources. Misconceptions and maladaptive solutions reveal themselves as metaphors, and can be addressed, re-imaged, and resolved at the symbolic level. 

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.  Initially developed to work with trauma survivors, Clean Language and Symbolic Modeling are now used with a wide range of clients dealing with most any issue that cause people to seek help, including anxiety, stress, grief, and relationship, career and existential challenges.

In addition to their therapeutic effectiveness, the therapies’ significant attributes are their fostering of trust and connection between client and therapist, their deep respect for the client as the expert, and how they help keep the clinician’s assumptions, biases, and  personal ‘stuff’ out of the session. Finally, working with images that emerge and evolve unexpectedly, with a sort of dream logic, is fun and fascinating for both client and therapist, helping to keep both committed to the therapy.  As highly flexible tools, they can be used by art, movement, and psychodrama therapists as well.

Courses are eligible for NBCC CEU credit hours.