Unlocking the Power of Symbols in Therapy — How Images, Dreams & Metaphors Help Us Heal

by Shifan Hu-Couble

Counsellor / Psychotherapist / Parenting Coach

I help adults and couples translate images, dreams, and metaphors into gentle, practical healing.

Unlocking the Power of Symbols in Therapy — How Images, Dreams & Metaphors Help Us Heal

When words fall short, symbols speak. In counselling or therapy, images, dreams, and everyday metaphors give shape to what feels vague or overwhelming, letting the unconscious come forward safely. Psychotherapist, Shifan Hu-Couble shows how symbol work can surface meaning, release stuck emotion, and support healing—at a pace your nervous system can trust.

• Is symbol work the same as dream interpretation?

  Not exactly. We explore your personal meaning, not a fixed dictionary.

• Do I have to be “creative”?

  No. Curiosity is enough. Simple lines, colours, or objects work beautifully.

• What if my symbols feel spiritual?

  We’ll honour your beliefs and integrate them gently, with consent.

• Can symbol work re-trigger trauma?

  It can stir feelings. We go slowly, use grounding, and stop anytime.

• How quickly will it help?

  Many feel relief from naming, drawing, or placing a symbol in the very first sessions.

We live in a world full of symbols. From the red “STOP” sign on the street to a simple gold ring that stands for eternal love, symbols are everywhere. But did you know they also play a powerful role in therapy? When words feel stiff or out of reach, symbols speak for us.

Symbols can become powerful tools for emotional healing and self-discovery. In this article, we will explore the effectiveness of symbol work in counselling or therapy.

So, What Exactly Is a Symbol?

A symbol is more than just a picture or object. It represents something deeper—a feeling, an idea, or an experience that might be hard to put into words. For example, when someone draws a heart, we instantly think of love. But in counselling or therapy, symbols go even deeper. They show up in dreams, in a client’s art, or even in the language they use—like saying, “I feel like I’m drowning.” That image might reflect anxiety, helplessness, or something from the past that’s yet to be processed. In counselling or therapy, a ‘drowning’ image might point to anxiety—or to a memory asking to be witnessed.

Why Symbols Matter in Counselling or Therapy?

Symbols speak the language of the unconscious. Unlike everyday conversations that rely on logic and facts, symbols connect directly with our emotions, memories, and intuition. Clients often pick symbols without knowing why. During the integration stage of symbol work, clients can discover things and/or emotions that feel too complicated, scary, or abstract to say outright. Symbol work leverages on the projection mechanism of the mind.

This is especially helpful when someone first starts counselling or therapy and struggles to describe how they feel. Symbols bypass debate and go straight to the feeling. A simple image or metaphor can open the door to a deeper understanding of what’s going on beneath the surface.

How Counsellors or Therapists Use Symbolism in Practice

Here are gentle, non-intrusive ways therapists invite symbols into the room. Let’s look at some ways symbols show up in the counselling or therapy room:

Art Therapy

A blank page becomes a safe space where feelings take form. Clients might paint, draw, or sculpt what they can’t say in words. The colors they choose, the shapes they create—they often reveal more than they realize.

Miniatures

Clients are invited to choose from a collection of miniatures to express their feelings and thoughts, representing relationships and people in their lives, describing situations they encounter, etc.

Dream Analysis

Dreams are full of symbols. That recurring dream about a locked door? It might represent something the client is avoiding or a part of their past that still needs healing. By exploring dream symbols, counsellors or therapists can help clients uncover unconscious thoughts and emotions.

Metaphors and Stories

People naturally use metaphors to describe how they feel: “I’m carrying the weight of the world,” or “I feel like a tree losing its leaves.” These stories offer a rich way to explore experiences like grief, change, or vulnerability.

How Symbols Help People Heal

Symbolism isn’t just fascinating—it’s deeply therapeutic. Here’s how working with symbols can help clients heal and grow:

Making the Invisible, Visible

Feelings like shame or grief can feel vague and overwhelming. But when someone draws their anxiety as a thunderstorm or paints their sadness as a black hole, they’re giving shape to something internal. Seeing it outside themselves gives them distance and, surprisingly, a sense of control.

Tapping Into the Unconscious

Many of our emotional wounds live in the unconscious mind. Symbols act like keys to that locked space. A recurring nightmare, a piece of artwork, or a familiar metaphor can help unlock memories and feelings that need attention.

Finding Meaning in the Pain

Humans are natural meaning-makers. Counselling or Therapy offers a space to reinterpret our personal symbols. A scar, once seen as a reminder of pain, can become a symbol of survival. That shift in perspective is where deep healing begins.

Letting Emotions Move

Sometimes, talking isn’t enough. Writing a letter you’ll never send, smashing clay as a release of anger, or placing stones to represent emotional burdens being “left behind”—these symbolic acts help release stuck emotions in powerful, often unexpected ways. Symbolic actions are always paced with consent and regulation so the body feels safe.

Bringing Symbolism Into Everyday Life

The beauty of symbolism is that it doesn’t have to stay in the counselling or therapy room. You can begin paying attention to the symbols in your own life—your dreams, the metaphors you use, the images that stick with you.

Here are a few simple practices:

Keep a dream journal

Track recurring themes or images. Record dreams the moment you wake up.

Try creative expression

Paint, sketch, collage, or even write poetry or short stories.

Notice your metaphors

What phrases do you use when describing how you feel? For example, “I am drowning.”, “I feel trapped.”, “I am suffocating.”

These small steps can deepen your self-awareness and help you stay connected to your inner world—even when life gets loud.

Symbols as Your Healing Compass

Symbols connect the outer world with our inner reality. They make the unseen visible. In counselling or therapy, they can be the bridge between past and present, between emotion and insight.

Whether it’s through a recurring dream, a powerful piece of art, or a metaphor, symbols help us find meaning, clarity, and strength. If you’re ready to begin your own symbolic journey, we’re here to help you discover what your inner world is trying to say—and how that wisdom can lead to healing. If symbolism carries spiritual or cultural meaning for you, we honour that respectfully.

When to seek extra support

Safety first: If dreams/images feel frightening, or if you’re coping with trauma, dissociation, or intense anxiety, a trained therapist can pace symbol work safely and help you stay grounded.

Ready to Explore Symbol Work?

At The Counselling Place (Singapore), we offer symbol-informed therapy with care and consent. Schedule a first conversation. Book a session with me.