ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines how meaningful symbols may originate; once present in consciousness, there is good evidence that imagery and meaning–both key components of a symbol – can affect brain and body physiology. Like all metaphorical perceptions, archetypal symbols are “true and not true” – they represent relational patterns between things in the lived experience of the person. It seems that the difference in modern and ancient thinking on this subject is that ancient thinking was largely in symbolic terms. The chapter argues that the symbols (among others) can affect brain/body health, and that techniques such as symbol analysis may maximize a symbol’s therapeutic efficacy. The quality of mystery is an important component of maintaining a symbol’s life. Understanding why the universal symbols are mysterious is important to preserving and using a symbol in therapy. Other systems of symbols besides religious ones include the relatively newer disciplines of science and philosophy.
