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Published on: June 12, 2020
[Metaphors and affect: their interrelation in the therapeutic process]
Myria Fabregat1, Rainer Krause
1Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, Universität des Saarlandes. m.fabregat@mmx.uni-saarland.de
Summary
Metaphors in therapy enhance treatment satisfaction and symptom reduction when used interactively. An optimal time window exists between emotional expression and metaphor use for therapeutic benefit.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychotherapy Research
Background:
- Freud's theory of primary process thinking suggests unconscious affective and cognitive integration.
- Metaphors may serve as a bridge between unconscious processes and therapeutic outcomes.
- Understanding the role of metaphor in psychotherapy is crucial for treatment efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate metaphors as tools for integrating unconscious processes in psychotherapy.
- To explore the relationship between metaphor use, affect, and therapeutic outcomes.
- To determine the curative potential of metaphors in short-term therapy.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of videotaped short-term therapies (10 x 15-hour sessions).
- Recorded therapist and patient facial affect and metaphoric language.
- Measured temporal distance between affect and metaphor production.
Main Results:
- Metaphor density correlated with treatment satisfaction, not symptom reduction.
- Symptom reduction significantly correlated with interactive metaphor frequency (therapist-patient).
- An optimal temporal window for metaphor production was identified.
Conclusions:
- Interactive metaphors are key to symptom reduction in therapy.
- Metaphor use is linked to patient satisfaction and therapeutic progress.
- Therapeutic interventions involving metaphor should consider timing relative to emotional expression.
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