Metaphors in Mentalization-Based Treatment: Reintroducing the Language of Change in “Plain Old Therapy”

Metaphors, a central conduit of change in psychotherapy, have not been taken adequately into account in Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT). Despite successfully utilized by other evidence-based treatments for borderline personality disorder (BPD), MBT considers metaphors confusing for patients with low mentalizing abilities. For metaphors and teaching stories to stimulate growth within the window of tolerance, interventions should be responsively tailored (e.g., explained). Metaphors might be a route to making spoken matter more apprehensible, and bridge emotions with cognitive content. They hold the potential for challenging without being too confronting, and to translate knowledge between different range of understanding. This theoretical article presents why the use of metaphors in MBT—in the hands of a responsive therapists—may prove a powerful tool to open social trust, despite being considered a “high risk” intervention. The timeless lens of the metaphor may help us connect with archetypical versions of our own narratives, hence understanding our subjectivity in a larger perspective. By reaching towards concepts beyond our normal reasoning, typically denoted perennial philosophy or wisdom, they may substitute and/or supplement mentors in a memorable way.