Oxford Guide to Metaphors in CBT

The business of cognitive therapy is to transform meanings. What better way to achieve this than through a metaphor? Metaphors straddle two different domains at once, providing a conceptual bridge from a problematic interpretation to a fresh new perspective that can cast one's experiences in a new light. Even the simplest metaphor can be used again and again with different clients, yet still achieve the desired effect. One such example is the 'broken leg' metaphorfor depression. Clients with depression are understandably frustrated with their symptoms. They may often push themselves to get better or tell themselves that they should be better by now. As atherapist, it is fair to ask, would the client be so harsh and demanding on herself after getting a broken leg? A broken leg needs time to heal and you need to begin to walk on it gradually as it builds up in strength. "You can't run before you can walk", and if you try, you are likely to make it worse. For many clients this simple metaphor is enlightening, changing their view of their symptoms as a sign of their own laziness and worthlessness, to a view of them as part of an understandableillness, that while open to improvement, cannot get better over night. This book shows just how metaphors can be used productively in CBT as an integral part of the treatment. It describes theuse of metaphors for a wide range of problems, including anxiety and depression, and provides countless examples of metaphors that have been used by others in CBT. It brings together in one place hundreds of metaphors that experienced therapists have used to great success. It will be a valuable sourcebook for all cognitive behaviour therapists, as well as those training in CBT.

Winner of Highly Commended in the Psychiatry Category, BMA Medical Book Awards 2011.

“"This well-written and concise work should become a standard text for all training courses in clinical psychology and psychiatry." --Behavioural Psychotherapy”

Review from previous edition ... an excellent "hands-on" guide to the practice of cognitive-behavioural interventions. Of the various edited texts in existence, this is the most concrete and practical and likely will find good use in the libraries of beginning clinicians or therapists intending to expand their clinical interventions to include cognitive-behavioral therapies' Contemporary PsychologyPsychiatrists, junior and senior, will find this a useful practical guide to an expanding area of psychiatric treatment.'The LancetThe editors have done an excellent editorial job and all the chapters follow a straightforward format, introducing the disorder, discussing formulation, assessment, and treatment, and finishing with a summary of the relevant research evaluating the treatment... it should be useful for any therapists, whether they be psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, or psychiatric nurses, who want to get an idea of what actually goes on in cognitive behaviouraltreatments. It should also be recommended reading in training programmes in cognitive behaviour therapy.'British Medical JournalThis well-written and concise work should become a standard text for all training courses in clinical psychology and psychiatry.'Behavioural PsychotherapyHawton and his editorial colleagues have no reason to fear that their product will fail to be noticed, or to make an impact. Its sheer quality will ensure both. An ambitious undertaking, it is clearly the product of clear thinking and planning, careful writing of chapters by authors who are established experts in their respective fields, and judicious editorial handling. As a practical guide to the popular and growing field of cognitive-behaviour therapy,this compares very favourably with its predecessors, and is likely to be taken as a text of choice for some time.'Behaviour Research Therapy'Excellent... This book is a must for all those working in psychiatric and allied settings.'British Journal of PsychologyThis is an important and timely book ... the standard of writing is very good and I think the book succeeds admirably in its stated aims. It can be recommended fully to individuals and to libraries.'British Journal of Clinical PsychologyA very good addition to the burgeoning literature... will be a standard text on cognitive-behavioural therapy in Britain for some time to come.'British Journal of Medical Psychology'this book is excellent. It has some very nice touches, particularly the subsidiary references after each chapter...this book is not an in-depth academic treatise but a practical guide for the application of cognitive behaviour therapy techniques for a wide variety of psychiatric problems. In this respect it works extremely well, with down to earth practical advice. This book is a must for all those working in psychiatric and allied settings.'The Irish Journal of Psychology'a remarkable summary of the current clinical practice of cognitive behavior therapy.'American Journal of PsychiatryThere are several other books on the market that cover similar topics but this has to be seen as the market leader. It is easy to read, uniformly well written and the most comprehensive of the practical handbooks available. I fully recommend it.'British Medical JournalThe editors have done an excellent editorial job and all the chapters follow a straightforward format, introducing the disorder, discussing formulation, assessment, and treatment, and finishing with a summary of the relevant research evaluating the treatment... it should be useful for any therapists, whether they be psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, or psychiatric nurses, who want to get an idea of what actually goes on in cognitive behaviouraltreatments. It should also be recommended reading in training programmes in cognitive behaviour therapy.'British Medical JournalThis is an important and timely book ... the standard of writing is very good and I think the book succeeds admirably in its stated aims. It can be recommended fully to individuals and to libraries.'British Journal of Clinical Psychology`A very good addition to the burgeoning literature... will be a standard text on cognitive-behavioural therapy in Britain for some time to come.'British Journal of Medical Psychology

Richard Stott is Research Cognitive Therapy Specialist at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Warren Mansell is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Manchester, UK. Paul Salkovskis is Professor at the Centre for Anxiety Disorders andTrauma at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Anna Lavender is Clinical Tutor in the Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Sam Cartwright-Hatton is Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the School of Psychological Sciences at theUniversity of Manchester, UK.

The business of cognitive therapy is to transform meanings. What better way to achieve this than through a metaphor? Metaphors straddle two different domains at once, providing a conceptual bridge from a problematic interpretation to a fresh new perspective that can cast one's experiences in a new light. Even the simplest metaphor can be used again and again with different clients, yet still achieve the desired effect. One such example is the 'broken leg' metaphor for depression. Clients with depression are understandably frustrated with their symptoms. They may often push themselves to get better or tell themselves that they should be better by now. As a therapist, it is fair to ask, would the client be so harsh and demanding on herself after getting a broken leg? A broken leg needs time to heal and you need to begin to walk on it gradually as it builds up in strength. "You can't run before you can walk", and if you try, you are likely to make it worse. For many clients this simple metaphor is enlightening, changing their view of their symptoms as a sign of their own laziness and worthlessness, to a view of them as part of an understandable illness, that while open to improvement, cannot get better over night. This book shows just how metaphors can be used productively in CBT as an integral part of the treatment. It describes the use of metaphors for a wide range of problems, including anxiety and depression, and provides countless examples of metaphors that have been used by others in CBT. It brings together in one place hundreds of metaphors that experienced therapists have used to great success. It will be a valuable sourcebook for all cognitive behaviour therapists, as well as those training in CBT.

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