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From: Tim Mackesey
Date: 10/2/03
Time: 8:25:33 PM
Remote Name: 68.211.53.6
Trudy,
I feel this is a very worthy post and that application of metaphors are an important tool in a therapists tool box. Metaphors are everywhere.
Ask a pws "what does stuttering mean to you?"
This will provoke a metaphor for an answer. It will offer a candid glimpse of how the person represents stuttering internally.
Guided imagery takes advantage of metaphors. For example, if a person says they "fear" stuttering, you might ask them to draw the fear of stuttering or close their eyes and tell you what the fear of stuttering looks like. An image usually pops up within seconds.
As you know, there is an entire sub group in psychotherapy and hypnotherapy using metaphors very artfully.
Two great books for those reading this post are: 1) Therapeutic Metaphors- David Gordon 2) Metaphoria- Rubin Battino
I have used things such as Pokemon and Digimon cards as a metaphor with kids. After they tell me how they feel about stuttering and their challenges, we will create a character with all the powers neede to speak differently and feel better. They draw it, name it, and then evolve the character to mirror how they want to talk in the future. Boys love it.
Cheers, Tim Mackesey