Spontaneous symbolism in clinical supervision: Moving beyond logic

This article addresses the kind of spontaneous symbolism occurring during clinical supervision that defies logical explanation. Such symbolism, experienced by either supervisor or supervisee within the supervisory relationship, arises from immersion in a right-brain state and may take the form of visual imagery, “heard” phrases or words, or changes in sensation or affect. Key characteristics of the process giving rise to spontaneous symbolism include: forms of knowing that are in embodied symbolic form; a process that cannot be forced. symbols appearing as if “received”; the supervisor must be in a prepared and open state (“witnessing”); both supervisor and supervisee must tolerate “not knowing”; symbols require evaluation of their relevance to the supervisee’s work; both supervisee and supervisor experience a deep sense of satisfaction; the process depends on a trusting relationship between supervisor and supervisee. The question is posed: “what is going on here?” After briefly considering the embodied nature of the supervisory relationship, two dominant discourses derived from clinical work are explored, namely somatic countertransference and empathy. The first of these is found to be an inadequate explanation in the context of clinical supervision, while the concept of empathy offers some theoretical coherence, particularly when Rowan’s (2002) concept of “linking” is considered in the light of ideas derived from quantum physics and field theory. The implications of this debate for future research are considered.