Metaphor is a valuable resource in clinical practice which, when deftly placed, can be the difference between information that makes a difference and that which does not. Brian Cades co-author with Bill O’Hanlon of ‘A Brief Guide to Brief Therapy’ describes it is this way : “Metaphor can be defined as a word, phrase, story or action that literally denotes one thing by analogy suggests another”(1982). A paper published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy by Graham Martin in 1984, spoke of metaphor as a valuable joining and intervention process which ‘can lead to extraordinary and sometimes unexpected behavioural change’. While the paper is dated in many respects, it still has insights of value.
While metaphor is created with words it is a bridge between word and image and has the capacity to covey information by creating a picture. This case example demonstrates the value of a metaphor that resonated with the client by creating an image that made sense to him.
An Example of Metaphor
Mick was an ‘Aussie bloke’ who never imagined he would end up in a therapist’s office, but things had gone badly wrong, and he needed someone’s help. His wife had come the week before and following the session had made the decision to leave. She had been threatening to do so for months and while he did see it coming he didn’t think it would really happen. Now she was adamant and while he hoped she would change her mind, he knew that she wouldn’t. It really didn’t make any sense. Mick had worked hard at a physically demanding job as a mechanic to make money for the family. They had been building a home and now it was nearly finished it would need to be sold. Yes, it was true he had been grumpy with her and the children because he was so tired, and he probably did drink more than was wise, but did it really need to come to this?
Mick felt humiliated and immobilized and had withdrawn from his community and returned home to live with his parents. He was seeing little of their young children and having just completed his old job had little energy to begin the business he had planned. He said he had thought of killing himself but knew that he would never act on this. His request was for clarity, ‘I don’t know what to do’.
At the end of the session, I suggested that he needed to create a future by recapturing the best of himself from the past. I asked that he restore one thing about himself as a father, partner, friend, worker and son that had made him attractive. He may not be able to rekindle his marriage, but he could find himself and a future again. Mick looked dully at me and it was clear that this was of little value. I tried again. ‘It’s like this. If you are working with a large piece of machinery that has seized up and you need it to be turning again you need to drip oil into all the places that are stuck. I’m telling you to drip oil into the parts of your life that have seized up and are making you immobilized. ‘’Oh’, said Mick ‘of course, why didn’t you say that?’
Martin, G. (1984) Metaphor: Complete or Incomplete ANZJFT. Vol 5:2, pp. 125-140
