Magnanimity, Mindfulness, & Metaphor Cultivating Balance in Clients and Clinicians Texas University and College Counseling Centers Conference February 6, 2014

Magnanimity  Means “greatness of soul”  Greatness results from exemplification of all virtues  Virtue = mean between two extremes  GREATNESS OF SOUL IS BALANCE!  This is what both clinicians and clients should aim for!  Metaphor and mindfulness embody balance and can therefore help us achieve and maintain equilibrium  Metaphor as liaison between visceral and cerebral man

Metaphor: Theory & Research  CS Lewis  Myth as balance between abstract and concrete  Balance between world of intellect and world of experience  Metaphor may be fundamental to the way we experience and think  Cognitive experiential self theory 1,2  Grounded cognition 3 and embodied cognition 4  Conceptual metaphor 5  Bridge between cognition and experience  Deeper level of processing

Metaphor: Client Care Applications  Metaphor as a vehicle for change  4 Phases/Stages  1. Enter the client’s metaphoric imagination  2. Explore client’s metaphoric imagination  3. Transformation of client’s metaphoric image  4. Connect metaphoric patterns and life problems  Buffer and bridge for approaching hard material  Art therapy, play therapy  Clinical examples

Metaphor: Self-Care Discussion  Chess match/ chess master  Dance/ dance partner  Journey/ fellow traveler  Saving the world/ superhero

Change Process Metaphor  The metaphor for how one conceptualizes the change process naturally affects and influences the therapists sense of and perceived need for self-care  Superhero vs. journey  Burnout  Compassion fatigue

Mindfulness  “Paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” 6  Psychological, neurobiological, physical, interpersonal  Increases awareness of bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions; unhelpful ways of coping with stress (avoidance, fusion)  Fosters curiosity, acceptance, interconnectedness  Rooted in Buddhist meditative disciplines

Mindfulness  Can be taught and practiced (neural plasticity)  Mindfulness-based approaches: MBSR, MBCT, DBT, ACT  Clients (i.e., ↓ depression, anxiety, psychosis, PTSD, OCD, ↑ pain tolerance, PA) 7  Therapists-in-training ( ↓ stress, NA, anxiety; ↑ PA, self-compassion) 8  Clinician/self as instrument: client outcomes of mindful therapists-in-training ( ↓ anxiety, anger, somatization, obsessiveness, paranoia) 9  Mirror neuron systems may enhance empathy  Mindfulness fosters intrapersonal attunement which may, in turn, enhance interpersonal attunement

Mindfulness Applications  Experiential exercises  How do we know when we’re feeling out of tune?  Body Scan  “Leaves on a stream”  How do we know how to proceed? How do we sustain our instrument?  “Retirement party”

Discussion, Questions, Thoughts? Justine Grosso Matt Breuninger

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