Therapeutic consciousness as a semiotic and cultural field.
Keywords:
Consciousness, therapy, semiotics, culture, signifier, philosophy of mind, narrative, re-signification, metaphor, dialogueAbstract
This paper explores consciousness in the therapeutic context from a semiotic, philosophical, and cultural perspective. Consciousness is understood not as a fixed or purely neurocognitive phenomenon, but as a dynamic field of sign production constructed in the interaction between patient and therapist. The therapeutic setting is conceived as a cultural meta-space where meanings are negotiated and transformed, in contrast with crystallized social beliefs. The therapist, far from being a mere technician, becomes a cultural and semiotic agent who learns the patient’s language, reshapes interpretive frameworks, and draws on cultural resources such as literature, cinema, or theater. These external fields, in turn, feed back into therapy, expanding the repertoire of metaphors and narratives available for re-signifying experience. The conclusion highlights therapy as a symbolic laboratory of constant revaluation, in which consciousness emerges as an open, critical, and creative process.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Luis Ángel Ortiz-Catalán
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