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I consider myself fortunate to have had the experience of reading the article combined with the online discussion [The Psychoanalytic Connection, New York City] led by the author. This discussion helped me understand the “poetizing function of language.” I had always appreciated symbolism in dreams and free associations. However, Shawver awakened my appreciation to metaphor at a more basic level such as the bodily metaphors of common expressions, such as “shouldering responsibility,” “sticking his neck out,” and the meaning behind formal aspects of referring to mental processes such as “clear as a bell,” “enlightening,” “grounded,” and “grabbing attention.”
I also enjoyed a fuller discussion of “difference,” as a way of appreciating levels of meaning in more ways than I had previously recognized. The postmodernism discussion began to free me to notice how every focus on one aspect of communication simultaneously throws other aspects into shadow. In addition to noticing drives or motivations that are disavowed and can be inferred from associations, I began to think of the complexity of object relations that may be reflected in a simple metaphor. For instance, “Doing my own thing” might be simultaneously heroic and alienating, enjoyable yet isolating. I found that Shawver's discussion made me consciously aware of my own shifts in a way that was empowering for me and helped me recognize and respond more quickly to different communication styles in others.