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The Therapeutic Power of Metaphors from the Natural
World
Adrian Juric, M.A, M.Ed., CCC #1143
www.cedarpathcounselling.comwww.innerlandscapes.org
"Come forth into the light of things,
Let nature be your teacher."
William Wordsworth
R.M. Rilke, “The Swan”
“Peak Experience”
* Turn to someone you don't know
* Describe a powerful, positive 'peak' experience you have had in
your life
Eg. first time on a roller coaster, holding your first-born, great chocolate/wine, an
amazing sunset, your first time on a snowboard/water-skis, etc.
Metaphors Influence Thinking Crime as a 'virus' vs. crime as a 'beast'
Participants who imagined crime as a ‘‘virus infecting the city’’ wanted
to:
- know its source
- educate residents about how to avoid or deal with the virus
- encourage residents to follow better
hygiene practices.
Participants who imagined crime as a ‘‘wild
beast preying on a city’’ all wanted to capture
the beast, then kill or cage it.
War on drugs In the 1980s Ronald Reagan declared a 'war' on drugs, with smugglers, dealers, and users
defined as the 'enemy to be fought'.
Results: longer, harsher sentences for drug-related crime, incarceration rates rose 4X
“...those who do not have power over the story that
dominates their lives, power to retell it, rethink it,
deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times
change, truly are powerless, because they cannot think
new thoughts.”
- Salman Rushdie, "One Thousand Days in a Balloon"
Metaphors Dominate Stories We Tell
Adversity strengthens
Stradivarius violin c.1700
Loss precedes renewal
Yeats, on 'remaking'
Lodgepole Pine cones
Chambered Nautilus
Growth is irresistible
“If you stay stuck for a period of time, this is given unto you by your soul to give you a
resting place. At this place, you judge it as stuck. See it as transition.” - Kuan Yin
Darkness is natural and necessary
Important things can emerge from it
Patience and trust are needed...
So that hidden potential can emerge
Working with Client Metaphors in Counselling
Helps build rapport and trust
Reveals clients' worldviews and beliefs about possibility for change
Gives clients an indirect way of communicating
emotions that are difficult (if not impossible) to express
otherwise Suggests new possibilities for change that don't
arouse defenses
Counsellor's Role:
Guide client's exploration of metaphors they choose, encourage associations, explore ones that lead to fresh possibility for action and healthy change
Summer and Fall Events:
'Life Transition Through the Lens of Nature'. The Haven Retreat Centre, Gabriola Island, BC. June 20-22, 2014. (11 CEC's)
'Life Transitions: Winter, Clarity, and Renewal. Sea to Sky Retreat Centre, Whistler. November 21-23, 2014.Registration online at www.innerlandscapes.org.