Metaphor and Narrative in Guided Imagery and Music
Bonde, Lars Ole - Volume: 7
This article suggests a hermeneutical framework for the understanding of the imagery in GIM based on theories of narrative expression and understanding. It discusses how the four phases of the GIM session have specific metaphorical tasks and identifies three levels within the therapeutic narrative of GIM: 1) the basic level of the core metaphor, the discovery of hidden meaning through the imagery; 2) the level of metaphors of ego and self, the discovery of the client's personal voice; and 3) the narrative level of joined metaphors, the discovery of plots and other configurations in the client's imagery and life story. The three levels are illustrated by clinical examples and references to the GIM literature