I love the use of metaphor in therapy. It was love at first sight when I attended my first Sandtray therapy training with @Marshallyles. Marshall, you are amazing, but I'm referring to my love of metaphor. Life is hard. Life is complicated. Understanding it and sharing it with others is another level of challenge when our interpersonal system for connection has been hijacked by trauma. Metaphor allows us to touch the untouchable, understand and share the unthinkable, and connect with ourselves and each other on a mysterious wavelength.
I am in good company. Not only do many of our psychotherapy mentors also love and share metaphors; the love of my life, Jesus Christ, seems to have an affinity for metaphor. Metaphor is all throughout the Bible and Jesus uses metaphor to help h
is listeners understand and connect with Him. Jesus refers to himself as, "the bread of life," " the light of the world," "the lamb of God," the vine", the bridegroom," and others. Metaphor is often used throughout the Bible to communicate relationships including the relationship between the trinity and creation.
Another reason I love metaphor is because of this intersection of spiritual and scientific applications. Isn't that where the power of metaphor lies? Taking the intangible and injecting into the tangible. The intangible, (spirit) part of self can miraculously be "touched" through the use of metaphor in conversations, play, imagery, and sandtray. If you are excited to add sandtray as modality facilitating the use of metaphor, check out my in-person training in March. I would be thrilled to introduce you to my love and perhpas spark something inside of you that will bring new life to your practice of connecting and helping.
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