ABSTRACT
Rosenbaum, Hoyt and Talmon note that an important task for the therapist is to demonstrate that they understand their client from the client's frame of reference. Rosenbaum et al. note that in music, "the pivot chord is an ambiguous chord that contains notes common to more than one key and so can imply several different 'directions' to the music and facilitate the transition from one key to another". Steenbarger discusses Tom, a financial trader, who came for help with his problem with work-related anxiety. He said that he was fearful of getting a stroke. Tom liked the idea of 'giving himself a stroke' and used this as a cue to dealing with his stress rather than becoming anxious about his own feelings of anxiety. Steenbarger concludes thus, "The 'stroke' metaphor, delivered at a time of emotional upheaval and following a shift to a warmer feeling, was the pivot chord that made the shift possible."
