Research Information System
www.internationalnewyorkcongress.com, New York, United States Of America, 3 - 05 May 2026, vol.1, no.1, pp.541-551, (Full Text)
This study aims to comparatively examine the increasing use of therapeutic metaphors in psychological
counseling and psychotherapy in relation to the narrative structures embedded in the Anatolian wisdom
tradition. In contemporary counseling approaches, metaphor is considered a powerful intervention tool
that helps clients make sense of internal experiences, gain psychological distance, externalize problems,
and develop new frameworks of meaning. Cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment
therapy, narrative therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, and existential-humanistic approaches all
employ metaphor as a central mechanism of therapeutic change. However, the historical continuity
between these contemporary metaphor-based practices and the long-standing narrative heritage of
Anatolia has received limited scholarly attention.
The theoretical framework of the study is based on Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor Theory,
Jung's archetypal psychology, and White and Epston's Narrative Therapy model. Within this framework,
the narratives of Dede Korkut, Keloğlan folktales, the poetry of Yunus Emre, and the guidance tradition
of Akşemsettin were analyzed through a comparative qualitative approach. The study specifically
focused on parallels between contemporary therapeutic functions of metaphor and similar psychological
mechanisms found in traditional Anatolian narratives.
Findings indicate that the major functions of therapeutic metaphor—indirect communication, bypassing
resistance, creating safe narrative distance, separating the person from the problem (externalization),
reframing, generating hope, and accessing collective reservoirs of wisdom—are systematically present
within the Anatolian wisdom tradition. The role of Dede Korkut as an external witness and wise guide,
the transformation of disadvantage into strength in Keloğlan tales, the reinterpretation of suffering as a
path to meaning in Yunus Emre's poetry, and the holistic mentorship model represented by Akşemsettin
all demonstrate strong structural similarities with modern counseling practices. In conclusion, the study argues that the use of metaphor in modern counseling is not entirely a new
discovery; rather, many of its core functions have long existed in the cultural memory of Anatolia
through narrative forms transmitted across generations. Therefore, incorporating local narrative
resources into counselor education, developing culturally responsive counseling models, and conducting
empirical studies on the psychological impact of such narratives are strongly recommended.