Regardless of the issue of positions on hugging or not, saying "metaphorical" is horrible. It has the potential to undermine so much. Is now everything "metaphorical"--his concern, your feelings, the trauma? Has everything that happened before equally just pretend? I would be more than upset: I'd be firing so much at him to make sure that he responded and didn't evade. But then the person I see now is willing to tolerate and work through this type of thing and many are not.

I saw a therapist for a long time who was reserved, intellectual, and British. That combination meant that he simply didn't do anything very demonstrative. In the end we did good work, but I left. And chose a colleague of his who had a very much more relaxed and personal style. He loves hugs, but when traumatic issues come up he is mindful. Asks if he can touch my hand if he sees my distress, and that sometimes is more comforting than a hug. He also almost always asks if I would like a hug, instead of making me ask. It is now mostly a ritual end of session show of connection, but it has been more than 5 years and I don't think we did this regularly right away.

Point is that there is nothing wrong with wanting touch or asking for it and therapists should know how to handle it in detail before they ever even have a real client who brings it up. The awkwardness should not be something that the client ever sees. And weird language like "metaphorical" really has to be thought about, tested, and revised. The intent may very well have been there to support you. For example, if I call between sessions with something like that and we talk, my shrink may gesture toward what would sound like "metaphorical" touch, but what he says is really acknowledging my understandable need to feel held, whether really in person or psychologically. And over the phone it has to be the latter. I could see that as sorta "metaphorical" but he would never use that language. He really means that I do need to be physically held, the safety and reassurance that comes with traumatic issues. And he tries to approximate that on the phone to let me feel more soothed.

Don't know if that helps.