6 Metaphors for Healing

An example of kintsugi art.

Source: Marco Montalti/Shutterstock

I have often used six metaphors to help my adolescent patients better understand the nature of their psychotherapy and their healing journey.

A Plaster Cast

“When a bone is broken, what heals it?”

Answering this question allows my patients to recognize that the body heals itself with support.

I then explain that my role as a therapist is akin to a cast encasing a broken limb. The therapist helps stabilize the patient, which allows the patient to more easily heal themselves.

Skin Irritation

“What happens immediately after you scratch an itchy rash?”

If patients have experienced eczema, a rash from poison ivy, or even some irritation from a mosquito bite, they know that scratching at a rash initially feels good but then makes the rash worse. It’s better to avoid seeking immediate relief.

I explain that treating anxiety presents an analogous situation. Just like someone trying to relieve an itch immediately through scratching, many people try to make anxiety better by relieving it immediately through avoiding whatever is making them anxious. Unfortunately, such rapid relief comes at the cost of making the rash or anxiety worse.

A rash worsens because it is irritated from scratching. Anxiety worsens because the patient avoids its trigger, never learning how to tolerate and better cope with it.

A Tree

“Is it easier to correct a bent tree when it’s a sapling or when it’s old?”

Clearly, it is easier to support a sapling by securing it to a pole, while a full-grown tree cannot be straightened.

When we discuss the benefits of ongoing therapy, I point out that with regular meetings problems can be spotted and addressed before they become very difficult to manage. For instance, a teenager who is just starting to hang out with the wrong crowd might be encouraged to find a new friend group, rather than having to deal with the fallout from difficult circumstances that can arise among teenagers who are engaged in illicit activities.

A Wound

“Why is important to cleanse a wound?”

To heal properly, a wound needs to be cleaned. However, often the cleaning can hurt.

Similarly, therapy sometimes causes discomfort, but such a process can lead to healing.

A River

“Is going with the flow as simple as floating down a river?”

I often discuss with my patients that it is easier to go with the flow. Rather than becoming upset or fighting when things don’t go their way, many times it is more prudent to accept certain occurrences and move on. This is especially true if one has little or no control over such occurrences.

However, it is important to stir the boat gently so that it doesn’t hit the banks. Similarly, in life corrections occasionally need to be made to steer a good course.

A Cracked Pot

“How can a cracked pot be useful?”

There is an old Chinese folktale about a pot that was cracked so that it could not carry water the way that other pots could (a video of this fable can be seen here). The pot thought poorly of itself because of this defect. It did not realize that its owner utilized the crack to water the flowers on the side of the road which they passed as the owner carried water from the well to her home.

This folktale illustrates the importance of recognizing that often our flaws can be our unique tools that we can use to better ourselves and the world around us. A similar sentiment is reflected in the Japanese art of kintsugi, in which cracked pottery is repaired with a glaze made from a precious metal. The resultant repaired pottery can be displayed as beautiful art.

Takeaway

The use of metaphors can help patients become more comfortable with the therapeutic process and can therefore make therapy more effective.