Beyond Simple Metaphor

Linguistic Patterns Beyond Simple Metaphor

While the Metaphors of Movement model focuses primarily on the foundational metaphors of location, direction, and obstruction that individuals use to describe their experiences (e.g., "I feel stuck," "I'm at a crossroads"), a client's language is often rich with other patterns of speech. Recognizing these patterns provides the practitioner with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the client's internal landscape and the structure of their problem.

These patterns can be broadly divided into two categories: Tropes (figures of thought) and Schemes (figures of speech).

Tropes: Playing with Meaning

Tropes are figures of speech where a word or phrase is used in a way that deviates from its literal meaning. Metaphor is a type of trope, but many others reveal the qualities and entities within a client's metaphorical world.

Simile

A direct comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as." While a metaphor states something is something else ("My depression is a heavy weight"), a simile makes a comparison.

Client Examples

• "It feels like I'm walking through mud."
• "My future feels as blank as a white wall."
• "This decision is like standing at the edge of a cliff."

Metonymy

Replacing the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. This reveals what concepts the client links together.

Client Examples

• "I need to listen to my heart, not my head." (Heart for emotion, head for logic)
• "The suits at corporate just don't understand." ("Suits" for business executives)
• "I need to earn my bread." ("Bread" for money or livelihood)

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole. This can highlight where the client is focusing their attention.

Client Examples

• "I need all hands on deck to get through this." ("Hands" for people or resources)
• "I've got too many mouths to feed." ("Mouths" for people)
• "He's the new face of the company." ("Face" for the person representing the company)

Personification

Attributing human qualities or actions to inanimate objects or abstract concepts. This is crucial in MoM as it often creates entities or actors within the client's metaphorical landscape.

Client Examples

• "My anxiety attacks me out of nowhere."
• "My guilt is a voice that follows me everywhere."
• "Depression tells me there's no point in getting up."
• "My procrastination is a thief that steals all my time."

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect. This is not a lie, but a way for the client to communicate the magnitude of their emotional experience.

Client Examples

• "I have a million things to do; I'll never get out from under it."
• "If I have to sit in that meeting for one more minute, I'll literally die."
• "I've told you a thousand times I can't do that."

Litotes

An understatement used to affirm something by negating its opposite. This can indicate emotional suppression or a particular cultural style of communication.

Client Examples

• When asked how they're coping, a client might say, "Not bad." (Can mean "fantastic")
• "Well, he's not the sharpest tool in the shed." (Meaning he is dull)
• "Running that marathon was no easy feat." (Meaning it was very difficult)

Schemes: Playing with Structure and Sound

Schemes are figures of speech that deal with the arrangement, ordering, and structure of words. They don't change the meaning of words but change their pattern. Listening for schemes can reveal the underlying logic, rhythm, and rigidity of a client's thought patterns.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. This often emphasizes a core, repeating belief or feeling.

Client Examples

• "I can't seem to get started. I can't find the motivation. I can't see a way forward."
• "It's always my fault. It's always me who has to fix it. It's always on my shoulders."
• "I want to be happy. I want to feel secure. I want a different life."

Epistrophe

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses. This emphasizes the consequence or the result of different actions.

Client Examples

• "When I try to talk to my boss, I get anxious. When I think about the presentation, I get anxious. Even just opening my email makes me get anxious."
• "When I was young, I felt unheard. When I got my first job, I felt unheard. Now in my marriage, I still feel unheard."
• "There is no excuse for this behavior. I will not tolerate this behavior. You must put an end to this behavior."

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in a balanced structure. This is a very common way for clients to express a state of being stuck or conflicted.

Client Examples

• "I want to move on, but I'm afraid to leave the past behind."
• "I know what I should do, but I only do what I want to do."
• "Part of me feels hopeful, and another part of me feels utter despair."

Parallelism

The use of similar grammatical structures for related ideas. This can reveal a client's "rules for living" or a series of connected beliefs.

Client Examples

• "I'm expected to be a good son, to be a successful employee, and to be a supportive friend."
• "I need to stop procrastinating, start exercising, and eat healthier."
• "She is unhappy with her job, dissatisfied with her marriage, and bored with her life."

Relevance to MoM Practice

By expanding our listening beyond just the primary movement metaphors, we gain a much richer picture. Tropes help us understand the inhabitants and qualities of the metaphorical landscape. Schemes help us understand the structure of the logic and the linguistic habits that create and maintain that landscape.

Identifying these patterns provides the practitioner with more precise information and offers new avenues for inquiry. For example, upon hearing a personification ("My fear is a monster"), the practitioner can ask, "And what kind of monster is that fear?" Or, upon hearing an anaphora ("I can't... I can't..."), ask, "What happens when you say, 'I can't'?" This expands the therapeutic toolkit beyond addressing the primary metaphor alone.