THE COUNSELLING PROCESS: USING PLATO’S METAPHOR
People often seek therapy when they feel powerless in face of difficulties, in order to regain a sense of control. Therapy, however, is also a process of moving towards deep self-awareness. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato describes how a person who is restrained in a dark cave for his entire life would feel when unchained and let out in the light of the sun for the first time. The counselling process, therefore, is not just as a ‘road to recovery’ but also a ‘path to self-realisation’.