Metaphor and Meaning in Psychotherapy

When therapists hear patients talk of feeling "imprisoned," "burning with rage," "trapped," or "unequipped," they are witnessing manifestations of the symbolic attitude, the hallmark of all depth psychology. Most clinicians naturally respond to and use metaphors, but they often fail to understand the full potential of metaphoric images. This volume, in addressing the transforming power of metaphor, demonstrates how clinicians can deepen the therapeutic encounter.

With 20 years experience as a psychotherapist and consultant, Ellen Y. Siegelman currently serves as a Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco, and is an analyst member of the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. In 1983, she received an American Psychological Association Citation for Distinguished Contribution to the Media for her trade book, Personal Risk, and she has authored numerous professional articles on object relations theory and on psychology and literature. Siegelman has a master's degree in literature, a doctorate in psychology, and had post-doctoral training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. She maintains private practices in Berkeley and San Francisco.