Allegory Analysis from M. Theresa - A Case Study.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Allegory Analysis (AA) is a novel psychotherapeutic method.
• AA utilizes patients' allegories, defined as complex linguistic constructs of metaphors, to understand their affective perception and experience.

Observation:

• The case study focuses on Theresa, an outpatient client whose psychosis is viewed as an autopoietic self-healing attempt.
• Theresa's allegories revealed her ideological guidance by values like autonomy, freedom, honesty, sustainability, charity, and connectedness.
• Her allegories indicated a belief that global crises threaten existence and her psychological stability.

Findings:

• AA involves four steps: describing allegories, creating an allegory poem, therapist interpretation, and participatory interpretation with the patient.
• Theresa's psychosis was an attempt to recover inaccessible values threatened by perceived global crises.
• Her coping strategy involved externalizing these values through poetic-allegorical language to stabilize her crisis.

Implications:

• AA can be a valuable tool for therapists to understand the unique human psyche in clinical contexts.
• The method facilitates understanding how patients use creative expression, like allegories, to cope with psychological distress.
• This approach highlights the connection between personal values, perceived global issues, and individual psychological stability.