Clients often come to therapy because of negative associations and patterns (negative metaphors). But in my own work, I find it helpful to go deeper… into a client’s innate positive (rather than negative) metaphoric associations. Fifty years of outstanding research by George Lakoff and others has demonstrated how metaphors form the basis of our cognition,…
Humans have been harnessing the power of inner images since pre-historic times, when tribes painted their visions onto cave walls. Psychologist David Premack noted, “The original and basic unit of mental activity, which remains the psyche’s preferred way of operating, is the image.” Across centuries, imagery has sparked innovation, with countless scientific discoveries emerging from…
For many years, I led creative writing workshops and observed a striking difference in how writers responded to various prompts. Exercises that relied on analytical thinking—such as using a random word or newspaper headline—often produced writing that was clever but lacked emotional resonance. The pieces felt heady and dry, rarely stirring the group or evoking…
Here’s an excerpt from my book Deep Knowing, published in The Psychologist It explores how metaphor acts as a powerful sense—like seeing or hearing—allowing us to intuitively comprehend our experiences and emotions. Through metaphor, we uncover not only the patterns that limit us but also the deeply personal, positive imagery that reveals our unique way…
When I work with a client’s deep inner images, I draw on the same visual language that artists work with, and so I find visual art, especially drawing, fascinating. I tell my students and workshop participants that we need to shift “how we are looking” to understand these potent inner images and allow them to…
End of content
End of content