Metaphors of the Mind from History, Music and Contemporary Neuroscience: Implications for Clinical Practice

Activity: Academic talk or presentation typesOral presentation

Description

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 evolutionary psychology perspective, considering how the mind has developed the capacity for employing metaphors.

Peggy Seriès 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.

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.

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.
Period18 Jun 2024
Event titleRCPsych International Congress 2024
Event typeConference