Overview
Over the centuries, clinicians have employed metaphors to describe disturbances of the mind. Metaphors can be helpful in communicating ideas and understanding patients’ experiences, but there is a danger if metaphors become idealised or taken too literally. We explore three perspectives on metaphors in clinical practice.
Derek Tracy offers a historical overview, considering how metaphors of the mind have changed and developed over time and reflected social fashions and politics. Adam Polnay employs music as a metaphor for engagement with others’ minds. Music may be wordless but emotive.
Adam provides clinical and musical examples to help tune into others’ emotional states. We also examine complex clinician emotions such as disbelief, hopelessness, or dislike and how these experiences too can serve clinical care. Peggy Series brings a contemporary neuroscience perspective, exploring the Bayesian Brain and predictive coding (and impairments thereof) as metaphors of the mind (and mental illness).
Peggy evaluates their validity as metaphors and explores the empirical evidence supporting them. Delegates will gain new ideas for formulating their patients’ presentations and inner experiences while enhancing their awareness of using metaphors and how to employ these therapeutically.
Objectives
- To gain new perspectives and ideas for formulating their patients' outward presentations and inner experiences, to complement neuro-pharmacology models of illness and distress.
- To become more aware of using metaphors in clinical practice.
- To gain insight into how metaphors can be used in the therapeutic context.
- To understand how metaphors of the mind have been used historically.
- To explore how music can give rise to emotions, and from this analogy, to deepen clinical skills in interpersonal dynamics.
- To gain insights into the mind and mental illness from contemporary neuroscience and computational psychiatry perspectives.
Speakers
Chair: Dr Gwen Adshead, West London Trust, London
Dr Derek Tracy, West London NHS Trust, King's College London, Imperial College London and University College London, London
Professor Peggy Seriès, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
Dr Adam Polnay, The State Hospital, NHS Lothian Psychotherapy Department and University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
