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The metaphor has long been of interest, puzzling those who have studied it philosophically and linguistically, and capturing the attention of those who seek to understand its psychological and interpersonal meanings (Billow, 1977; Cowen and Feucht-Haviar, 1978; Ortony, Reynolds & Arter, 1978; Paivio & Begg, 1981).
Paivio (1979) and Billow (1977) suggest that the métaphore compacts information, evokes emotion, permits expression of nonliteral experiences, induces arousal, expands perception and cognition and stimulates recall. Such functions are important processes of the psychotherapeutic process. Thus the metaphor can become an important vehicle for the psychotherapy experience.
The metaphor can arise in the psychotherapeutic process from the client, from the therapist, or from other observers, as in group, dyad, or family therapy. As noted by Billow in referring to the psychodynamic approach, the metaphor exhibits considerable power to evoke ideas, images, and feelings formerly hidden. One source of its power may be in introducing and resolving paradox, and in evoking surprise. Ortony et al call attention to the "eureka" effect, deriving, according to the interactionists, from the blending of the elements into a new whole.
Therapeutic Approach
In some form, the metaphor appears in many schools of psychotherapy. In recent psychotherapy innovations it is directly recommended as a therapeutic approach.
According to Gordon (1978), the metaphor has been used for centuries to teach, to change ideas and to throw new light on an issue or problem. Samples (1976) suggests that the metaphoric way of thinking mirrors the rational mind and is more like play than work. He believes that integrating the metaphoric mind (right hemisphere) with the rational mind (left hemisphere) leads to growth and positive mental health:
When the metaphoric mind is acknowledged, accepted, and celebrated, there is no longer a distinction between rational and metaphoric minds. There is only mind.
Polster (1981) suggests that attending to personal metaphors heightens the connection between cognition and experience and is integral to psychotherapy.
According to Greenson (1967), the evolution of psychoanalysis has come about through further understanding of transference, which he defines as the projection of "feelings to a person which do not befit that person and which actually apply to another." A person in the present is treated as if he or she were a person from the...