Chemical Reactions, Drowning Swimmers, Owner's Manuals: The Power of Metaphors in Couple Therapy

Over many years of working with couples, I have found that certain metaphors-drawn from images, films, stories, jokes, song lyrics, research findings, or events in my life-can be especially effective and memorable in clarifying and normalizing the diverse experiences of distressed couples. By likening events in therapy to more familiar situations, I have been able to strengthen the therapeutic alliance in a setting that otherwise might seem foreign, distressing, and even threatening. More broadly, metaphors have enriched my therapeutic repertoire, enabling me to help couples experience each other as more loving and mutually supportive. While many others have made this discovery and offered telling metaphors applicable to specific client problems (depression, procrastination, sexual dysfunction), this paper is unique as it provides metaphors targeted to help clients and students better comprehend the complex theories (systemic, psychodynamic, behavioral-psychoeducational) that underlie our work. Following a brief literature review, I describe metaphors that have proved especially useful to accomplish that goal. Having set the stage with these examples, I then explore the topic more broadly, outline the multiple benefits of employing metaphors in therapy and offer technical suggestions for their effective use.