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.