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World J Clin Cases. Jan 16, 2023; 11(2): 332-341
Published online Jan 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i2.332
Use of metaphors when treating unexplained medical symptoms
Mary V Seeman
Mary V Seeman, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 1A1, Ontario, Canada
Author contributions: I am the sole author.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mary V Seeman, DSc, FRCP (C), MDCM, OC, Professor Emerita, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 27 King's College Circle, Toronto M5S 1A1, Ontario, Canada. mary.seeman@utoronto.ca
Received: September 30, 2022
Peer-review started: September 30, 2022
First decision: December 1, 2022
Revised: December 2, 2022
Accepted: January 3, 2023
Article in press: January 3, 2023
Published online: January 16, 2023
Processing time: 103 Days and 17.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a medically unexplained pain condition of complex aetiology. It is particularly prevalent in menopausal and post-menopausal women. Like many complex disorders, BMS has many treatments, but none work well. The use of metaphor in psychotherapy may aid recovery by increasing patients’ awareness of connections among mouth sensations, taboo emotions, and potential triggers in their personal and social environment.