What is Grovian Metaphor?
Metaphor is how we give meaning to the most important and complex aspects of our lives. As George Lakoff and Mark Johnson conclude, in their ear-opening book Metaphors We Live By: “Metaphors are not mere poetical or rhetorical embellishments … [they] affect the ways in which we perceive, think and act . Reality itself is defined by metaphor.” The Metaphor Therapy developed by David Grove is a process which facilitates profound change by working within a person’s own symbolic representation of their problem or issue. Client’s words, gestures, sighs, ‘lines of sight’ and other non-verbal cues provide entry to this out-of-awareness symbolic world. “Metaphor” David says “mediates the interface between the conscious and unconscious mind.” When a client says “I keep running up against a wall.” David Grove not only assume this metaphor is an accurate description of the person’s experience but also that it is the best and most complete description available to the client at that moment. Thus
