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 theory1,2

Grounded cognition3 and embodied cognition4

Conceptual metaphor5

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
Justine_Grosso@Baylor.edu
Matt Breuninger
Matt_Breuninger@Baylor.edu
References
Epstein, S. (1994). Integration of the cognitive and the psychodynamic unconscious. American
Psychologist, 49, 709-724.
1
Epstein, S. (1998). Cognitive-experiential self-theory: A dual process personality theory with
implications for diagnosis and psychotherapy. In R. F. Bornstein & J. M. Masling (Eds.), Empirical
perspectives on the psychoanalytic unconscious (Vol. 7, pp. 99-140). Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
2
3 Barsalou,
L. W. (2010). Grounded cognition: past, present, and future. Topics in Cognitive Science,
2(4), 716-724.
4Wilson,
A. D., & Golonka, S. (2013). Embodied cognition is not what you think it is. Frontiers in
psychology, 4.
5Wickman,
S. A., Daniels, M. H., White, L. J., & Fesmire, S. A. (1999). A “primer” in conceptual
metaphor for counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 77(4), 389-394.
6Kabat-Zinn,
J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living. Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress,
Pain, and Illness. New York, NY: Random House.
7Hofmann,
S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on
anxiety and depression: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(2),
169-183.
8Shapiro,
S. L., Brown, K. W., & Biegel, G. M. (2007). Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of
mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education
in Professional Psychology, 1(2), 105-115.
9Grepmair,
L., Mitterlehner, F., Loew, T., & Nickel, M. (2007). Promotion of mindfulness in
psychotherapists in training: Preliminary styudy. European Psychiatry, 22, 485-489.
10Wise,
E. H., Hersh, M. A., & Gibson, C. M. (2012). Ethics, self-care and well-being for psychologists:
Reenvisioning the stress-distress continuum. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 43(5), 487494.