E-Book of Articles - World Federation of Music Therapy

Bonde, Lars Ole: Analogy And Metapher In Music Therapy Theory ...
client. And the client’s imagery may seem transpersonal (cf. Lewis 1998) yet
still be stream-of-consciousness. Metaphors of defense and resistance are as
important to consider as metaphors of transformation. The quality and
potential of images and metaphors can only be determined in the narrative
context and configuration of the therapeutic process.
Theoretically I think the identification of the level of imagery -
especially the identification of the psychotherapeutic level of the imagery -
can be furthered considering the theory of metaphor by Paul Ricoeur.
Ricoeur’s theory of metaphors and narratives
existence”.
“When changing its fantasy a human being changes its
Ricoeur’s theory of narrative starts with a critique of Aristotle. In the
classical lexical theory metaphor is merely ornamentation in language. In
contrast, Ricoeur understands metaphor as “a semantic event made possible
by three kinds (levels or elements) of tension....Metaphor announces an
explosion of meaning (the text is broken open to the life-world [Husserl’s
“Lebenswelt”, comment LOB)] for the first time) to more.”(McGaughey
1992) He agrees with Ernst Cassirer in his view of the role of the metaphor,
when he asks: “Can one not say that the strategy of language at work in
metaphor consists in obliterating the logical and establishing frontiers of
language, in order to bring to light new resemblances the previous
classification kept us from seeing? In other words, the power of metaphor
would be to break an old categorization, in order to establish new logical
frontiers on the ruins of their forerunners?” (Ricoeur 1977, p. 197) Now, how
does the metaphor ‘break old categorizations’? It does it through semantic
tension.
The three levels of tension are:
“(a) tension within the statement: between tenor and vehicle, between
focus and frame, between principle subject and secondary subject;
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