I. Concepts and Definitions Metaphor, is a commonly used rhetorical device. Metaphors are divided into explicit and implicit metaphors. Explicit metaphor is the body and metaphor at the same time, they are formally similar relationship, say A (body) like (metaphor) B (metaphor). Commonly used: like, as if, for example, as if, as if, as if, as good as, let’s say, like …… like, as …… general, as if …… like, Metaphors such as …… like, …… like, etc. are used to relate. A metaphor is a simile that alludes to one thing in terms of another. Metaphors are ontologies and metaphors at the same time, and they are formally conjoined, saying that A (ontology) is (metaphor) B (metaphor). Metaphors are often served by words of judgment such as: is, is, became, became, became, and so on. Metaphors are also called metaphors. According to Webster’s Dictionary, Metaphor is a type of diction, usually by means of a word or phrase substituting one thing for another, and in so doing suggesting the existence of a similarity or analogy between the two; it is a condensed, explicit metaphor that reveals an implied comparison by means of an explicit metaphor. The Encyclopaedia Britannica further emphasizes that metaphor is a contrast between two different things, qualitatively different from explicit metaphor, involving a “range” of concepts, and is an essential feature of poetry. Anthropomorphism, metonymy, metonymy, allegory and symbolism are all metaphors. In English, Metaphor is a rhetorical device that, unlike explicit metaphors, does not use like or as, but rather makes “hidden comparisons”. Metaphor is the psychological, linguistic and cultural behavior of perceiving, experiencing, imagining, understanding and talking about such things under the suggestion of other things. Second, the psychological mechanism of metaphor Metaphor is a kind of similarity between two real phenomena. This kind of similarity, first of all, is the appearance of sensory similarity, and more importantly, is the inner feelings of the level of similarity. For example, people often say that “men are mountains and women are water” and “iron camps and flowing soldiers”. Daiyu buried the flowers, “Once the spring is over, the red face grows old, and the flowers fall and the people die without knowing”. Metaphor systematically and correspondingly mirrors one conceptual domain to another through human cognition and reasoning. Through metaphors, people can understand themselves and the external world. Subconsciously, when two different things bring people the same feeling, then one of them can represent the other. For example, “party” is one thing, “mom” is another thing; these two things bring people the same feeling, so we can say “party, dear mom! “. (Metaphor) Metaphor, the corresponding psychological mechanism, in fact, is what psychoanalytic theory calls the subconscious “primary thought process” in the analogy and symbol. Symbolization is a special type of metaphor. Symbol, is a concrete thing, on behalf of some abstract meaning. For example, the Red Cross stands for medical aid, the five-star red flag stands for China, and so on. (Conventional symbols) There are two other types of symbols: “accidental symbols”, which are related to the individual subconscious, and “universal symbols (primitive imagery)”, which are related to the collective unconscious. There are overlaps and differences between metaphors and symbols. The similarities and differences between metaphors and symbols are as follows. Similarities: Two different things that bring people the same feeling. Differences: Symbol is generally a fixed relationship; symbol often involves the relationship between abstract and concrete; metaphor, often the relationship between two concrete things, this relationship can be flexible with, for example, “life is money”, “the tree of life evergreen ” and so on. Metaphor focuses more on the similarity of the surface image. Symptoms of Neurosis and Metaphors Symbols belong to a special type of metaphors. Symptoms of neurosis are symbolic expressions of the subconscious mind, written in symbolic language. Therefore, we can also say that the symptoms of neurosis, themselves, have a metaphorical meaning. For example, OCD patients often have a fear of dirty washing behavior. The patient will say, “Don’t you move my clothes, your hands are dirty! “In this symptom, the patient’s “your hands are dirty” is actually a metaphor for “you are dirty”, and the deeper emotion is “I hate you!” “You’re a turd!” The deeper emotions are “I hate you!” and “You are a turd! Fourth, the reasons for using metaphor in psychotherapy In psychotherapy talks, no matter what kind of method is used, as long as it allows the visitor to self-awareness and express his inner feelings, it will achieve significant therapeutic effects. In literature and art, the use of metaphors can express the deepest feelings of the writer and the reader. Poets are masters in the use of metaphors. In psychological talks, the psychotherapist or counselor, can use empathy and emotional reflection techniques, as well as confrontation clarification and explanation, to help the visitor become self-aware, identify and express his deep emotions. However, very often the visitor will have psychological defenses or impediments that prevent him from directly describing the deep emotions in words. At this point, if the psychotherapist adopts metaphor, it is convenient for expression, communication and exchange, but also easy to traverse the defense, overcome the impediment, and go deep into the heart to express the visitor’s subconscious emotions and desires. Through metaphors, one is able to experience subconscious emotions and desires more clearly. Compared with confrontation, clarification and interpretation techniques, the operation method of metaphor will be easier to guide the visitor to utilize his/her inner motivation and promote his/her comprehension and cultivation. Fifth, the specific application of metaphor Metaphor can be seen as an emotional expression technique in psychological talks, used in many situations. For example, we can say to a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that you are hesitant and doubtful, and that you are “indecisive”, which makes you more cautious compared to someone who is learning to play chess for the first time. Several metaphors for OCD patients (1) High-speed train When an OCD patient repeatedly remembers and examines his own thoughts and behaviors, I can tell him a little story (metaphor): Nowadays, a high-speed train can reach a speed of 300 kilometers per hour under normal circumstances. However, the driver is uneasy and afraid of malfunctioning. As a result, he stops and overhauls the train every kilometer he drives. What do you think, how effective is this? The obsessive-compulsive patient will say thoughtfully, “Well, that’s what I do.” This metaphor can help the patient become aware of and reflect on his over-idealization and over-repression of himself. (2) Sowing Wheat A boy in his senior year of high school, after some hard work, his grades go up and all is happy. He then studies even harder and, in order to be more efficient, he begins to control all distractions; the result is that the more the distractions are controlled the worse they become, and his academic performance rapidly declines, for which he is greatly distressed. He suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), took a break from school for three years, and went to see a doctor everywhere without being cured. I asked: Why do you go to the doctor everywhere? He said: I think of curing OCD, and then participate in the college entrance examination. I asked: In the last three years, have you read books? Patient: No. I asked: In the questions of the college entrance examination, were there any questions about seeing the doctor? Patient: No. I said: You have spent three years like this on seeing the doctor without reading any books. What do you think the effect will be? Then I began to tell the patient a short story: Before the liberation, farmers worked hard to plant wheat, and when they were about to harvest it, the Japs swept in and took all the grain. The next year, all the men, women and children of the village, all went to stand guard and sentry, and fought off the Japs, but, when they came back, they found that, oh no, they had forgotten to plant the wheat. The patient was silent as he listened …… This metaphor may prompt the visitor to consider his use of “transference” as a psychological defense mechanism. (3) The Police Sometimes I tell my OCD patients the following story. You know, there are 1.3 billion people in this country. If I were the president, I would arrange for one billion people to be police officers, 200 million people to work in the fields, and 100 million people to work as laborers in order to maintain law and order. One billion policemen, divided into three shifts, take turns protecting the two hundred million farmers and one hundred million workers to ensure their safety. What do you think about me being president like this? Through such a metaphor, the patient can be prompted to reconsider his own “allocation and transfer of libido”. (1) A few ancient figures Depressed patients, when the self-idealization of the destruction, pain, often have a strong urge to suicide. At this time, we can tell him a few familiar characters from ancient times. In the national era, Xiang Yu, after losing a battle, felt ashamed to see his father and mother in the east of the river and committed suicide by cutting his neck when crossing the river. There was another man who lost a battle and became a slave of his country, but he had been lying on his back for twenty years, and three thousand Yuejia could swallow Wu. Zhou Yu, who was cynical and jealous, was eventually exasperated by Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang, ultimately by Sima Yi angry death. …… What about you? How do you live in the face of frustration? (2) Weightlifters Depressed people, often absolutely idealized, strive for perfection and aim too high, leading to excessive psychological pressure and self-defeat. At this point, the psychotherapist can tell the following metaphorical story to the depressed patient. A weightlifter is so ambitious that he wants so much to hit the ground running and win the competition. However, during the competition, the weight he wanted was too big, and as a result, after three lifts, he failed to lift it. What do you think, what should he do? (3) Airplane Takeoff During the recovery process of a depressed patient, the therapist will encourage the patient to gradually start doing something positive and constructive. However, patients are often in a hurry, leading to self-defeat and self-destruction. The metaphorical story told by the therapist is: An airplane, for sure, is capable of flying into the blue sky. However, when an airplane takes off, its initial speed must be very slow, and the runway must be long enough, and then, it gradually speeds up and flies into the blue sky. If the runway is shortened, it will become a “vertical take-off and landing”, and it will be too difficult for the airplane to take off. In fact, there are a lot of similar metaphors, are better to use: the fist back, and then hit out, will be more powerful; the old man lost his horse; the college entrance exam is a sprint, life is a marathon, not afraid of slow, afraid to stand; the long march; and so on. 3, used for romantic relationship counseling metaphors (1) Granny For the girl after the loss of love, the pain, the therapist can say this: There are two grannies, both more than eighty years old, panicked and asthmatic, on crutches. A grandmother said: my life, can be painful, there have been three times in love, each time invested in the whole life, each time fell out of love, each time the pain is unbearable, it is not easy, live until now. The other grandmother said: I am luckier than you, in my life, I have never fallen in love with anyone, and of course I have never experienced the pain of falling out of love. Then the therapist asked the visitor: Which grandmother would you like to be when you reach the age of eighty? (2) The Tree by the Roadside The girl, after falling in love, thinks that the only love of her life has left her, and is heartbroken, thinking that she will never again meet a man who makes her fall in love so truly. The therapist said: a girl, walking on the road, walked to a tree, she so loved this tree, so she stopped, under the tree to cool off, rest; she thought, in this life, in this world, only this tree. When she stayed under the tree for a while, she looked into the distance and realized that not far ahead, there was another tree,…… Metaphor: The beloved, like the tree by the side of the road, stopping, is the last one; keep going, not far ahead, you will find that there is another one. In short, metaphors can help people use the known as a metaphor for the unknown, the familiar as a metaphor for the unfamiliar, the simple as a metaphor for the complex, the concrete as a metaphor for the abstract, and the commonplace as a metaphor for the scientific, thus forming a means of abstract thinking. Metaphor, as a psychotherapeutic technique, can help visitors become self-aware, integrate past experience (subconscious) with current reality; using metaphor, we can better express our inner feelings and desires, change our cognition, stimulate our understanding, enhance our interpersonal communication and exchange, and promote the perfection and development of our personality. We welcome you to try to use “metaphor” as a therapeutic tool in your psychotherapy and counseling work, and to summarize and improve it continuously.