A symbol transforms abstract concepts, ideas, and beliefs into tangible things that we can touch, see, hear, taste, smell, and understand. Symbolism brings power to the abstract concept and also to the object that symbolizes it.
Why a Pomegranate?
Throughout my years of private practice I have had a series of wood prints on the wall above the couch in my office. The pictures are three distinct presentations of a pomegranate. To me, they represent the process of psychotherapy and the things I want to remind myself of everyday.
Hello
The first print is the intact pomegranate. The fruit is ruddy, shiny, and solid. It is beautiful but reveals little about what is inside.
This reminds me:
- Of the first time I meet someone in the waiting room or watch a couple walk in to my office. I don’t know what is inside.
- That we humans are mysterious and unique.
- Not to make assumptions.
- That there is a deep inner world behind that first “Hello.”
Opening
The second print shows an opening in the pomegranate. It is not a very big section, but it is large enough for us to see that the inside is complex. We see an unknown number of seeds, striking colors, and shapes that almost appear endless inside. There is a promise of a multitude of layers.
This reminds me:
- That we are in a process of opening.
- To be careful and respectful because when something opens it is vulnerable.
- That as I work with an individual, a couple, or a group, I need to hold a sense of constant discovery.
- That the moment I “make up my mind” about how someone else experiences the world I have lost the mystery.
Connected
The third print portrays the pomegranate totally open but not apart. The fruit is in sections but still connected to the whole. There are seeds that spill out and there are portions we cannot see.
This reminds me:
- That no matter how long I work with someone there is a part of them waiting to be discovered.
- That when I work with a couple we are looking for the pieces that honor both their independent nature and the way they connect to each other. This helps them understand themselves and each other.
- That a group is like a small community that we have agreed to join for a while in order to understand ourselves differently.
Most importantly, it reminds me that each of us is like a star in a constellation.
What does this have to do with psychotherapy?
When I leave my office to go home, just like anyone else I will stop at the grocery store, worry about the lack of rain, and take the dog for a walk.
However, when I come back to my green office chair I am reminded that I have made a choice to work with people on the deepest level possible. I never take it for granted or forget what an honor it is. So, as I sit with clients and I see the pomegranates above them , I wonder how the mystery will unfold.
