A clinical cancer psychologist, diagnosed with breast cancer herself after years in practice, describes how a spontaneous metaphor for her cancer helped her cope with treatment and gain insight into longstanding issues. She discusses using patients' metaphors for cancer in psychotherapy to engage aspects of self that have been designated as “other” and to address feelings about mortality. She contrasts her personal metaphor with the more common battle metaphor for cancer treatment, and discusses the pros and cons of metaphorically battling cancer, or not, in terms of relating to the objectifying, invasive, and uncertain course of Western cancer treatment.
Karen Hurley (Tue,) studied this question.