Leetz K L
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Am J Psychother. 1997 Winter;51(1):45-53. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1997.51.1.45.
Metaphors are widely utilized in psychotherapy to effect change in patients. Psychotherapeutic metaphors, in their various versions, may offer new choices and ways of viewing oneself to the patient which are more palatable than straight discussions or sterile insights. By addressing resistances indirectly, metaphors can be an effective tool for the therapist to use, regardless of theoretical orientation. Abraham Lincoln, a master of metaphor, utilized this tool effectively in dealing with crises and the ultimate fragmentation, disunion of the national identity. The author argues that Lincoln was able to address complex issues (such as slavery, liberty, nationhood, union, and conduct of the war) with metaphors, much as a skilled psychotherapist addresses complex issues within his or her purview. Abraham Lincoln effectively disarmed his critics, established a means of communication with the people, and sought to make his points in an understandable nonconfrontational fashion. These are skills highly valued by psychotherapists. One might say that Abraham Lincoln conducted psychotherapy on a national scale. Without formal training, he was ultimately able to create a new and more stable sense of national self using a metaphorical approach.
隐喻在心理治疗中被广泛用于促使患者发生改变。各种形式的心理治疗隐喻，可以为患者提供新的选择以及看待自己的方式，这些比直接的讨论或生硬的见解更容易让人接受。通过间接应对阻抗，隐喻可以成为治疗师有效的工具，无论其理论取向如何。亚伯拉罕·林肯是隐喻大师，他在应对危机以及国家认同最终的分裂和瓦解时有效地运用了这一工具。作者认为，林肯能够用隐喻来处理复杂问题（如奴隶制、自由、国家地位、联邦以及战争行为），就如同一位熟练的心理治疗师在其职权范围内处理复杂问题一样。亚伯拉罕·林肯有效地化解了批评者的敌意，建立了与民众的沟通方式，并试图以一种易于理解且非对抗性的方式表达自己的观点。这些都是心理治疗师高度重视的技能。有人可能会说，亚伯拉罕·林肯在全国范围内进行了心理治疗。他没有接受过正规培训，最终却能够运用隐喻的方法创造出一种新的、更稳定的国家自我意识。
