Session Five The Stories’ Therapeutic

Potential

The Stories’ Therapeutic Potential Determining the therapeutic potential of the story requires storytellers to have an intimate knowledge of the various stories at their disposal so they are able to choose one that will be most effective for the child. In order to assist the therapist in developing this level of understanding I have selected the story The Golden Bird to act as an example. This session will provide an outline for story analysis under the following headings and sub-headings:

Literal Meaning Metaphorical Meaning o Symbols o Story Paradigms

Problem Themes

Literal Meaning

Therapeutic stories contain two levels of information or messages for the reader: the literal and the metaphorical. The literal meaning simply refers to the story line, what the story is about. This is the factual level, the obvious, straightforward details of the story. Knowledge of the literal meaning of the story is useful since it may be used to act as a comparison to the child’s life experience. For example here is a literal interpretation of The Golden Bird. The King – is Ill and About to Die Quest to Heal the King – Golden Bird King’s Three Sons Take Up Quest o Oldest Son – First - Headstrong o Second Born – Follows Older Brother o Third Son Viewed as “Little Fool – Last to Embark on Quest Sons Encounter Fox on Quest o Oldest & Second Son Do Not Heed Fox - Fail Little Fool Befriends Fox Fox Provides Information to Attain Golden Bird Little Fool Encounters Barriers to Quest o Imprisoned

o Impossible Task o Deceived by Brothers

Fox Returns to Assist Little Fool

o Capture the Princess o Capture Golden Bird o Escape from Brothers

Little Fool Returns to Heal the King and Save Kingdom

Literally the story of The Golden Bird is about a King who falls ill. The only cure for his illness requires the impossible. His sons try to save him. His two oldest and most competent sons fail. Yet his apparently least competent son succeeds and saves his father, restores the kingdom, and attains the love of a “beautiful princess”. The youngest son accomplishes this “impossible” task by befriending and accepting the help and guidance from a wise creature of nature.

Metaphorical Meaning The metaphorical meaning of the story refers to what the story is implying through its symbolic and thematic content. It is the metaphorical meaning of the story that gives the storyteller insight into the healing and teaching messages for the child. The metaphorical level of meaning in the story contains the healing and teaching messages. It is at this level that the child is provided with the guidance to adapt, change, or transform negative and non-affirming thinking patterns and behaviours.

Story Paradigms

There are two main themes or paradigms that exist in all therapeutic stories and are central to the interpretation of the metaphorical meaning of the story. These two main paradigms are: a) masculinity and femininity, and their relationship to one another, and b) the child’s internal and external reality, and their relationship with one another.

Masculinity and Femininity

All that is created comes out of the union of the masculine and the feminine and therefore every living thing is a combination of both elements. The feminine element is said to carry the lamp. She sheds light onto problems, points out the weaknesses in barriers, and is focused on peace and dialogue. The masculine element is said to carry the sword. He cuts through and often

uses force (physical or cognitive) to solve problems. He is symbolic of the logical, linear, and physical nature of the

personality. The feminine is symbolic of the intuitive, holistic, and emotional nature.

Internal and External

Children experience their lives in two separate but interrelated realities. These two realities are life in the external world, in the physical world, and life in the internal world, in the intellectual and emotional world. The children experience what they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell in the external world as a way to make sense out of their experience. Children also experience life in their internal world. They see images in their mind’s eye (imagination), talks to themselves or replay conversations they have had in the past, experiences emotions, recreates the tastes and smells. Each reality can individually affect how children live, understand, relate, and behave

Symbols

Metaphorical communication is also contained within the symbols mentioned in the therapeutic story. To understand and interpret the vast array of symbols contained within therapeutic stories requires much study. For the purposes of this session, we will examine a few of the more common symbols used in therapeutic stories. This is by no means a complete list. o Sun = Father o Earth = Mother o House = Family, Refuge

o King, Queen, Chief, Sultan = Ultimate Self or Life o Cactus = Survivor o Rose = Beauty or Scent or Thorny o Lions = Power & Physical Strength o Foxes = Cunning & Resourcefulness o Rabbits = Timidity o Spider/Raven/Cow = Trickster o Numbers 3 = Incomplete – 4 = Complete o Gold, Silver, Diamonds = Precious/Ultimate o Messages from Nature = Wisdom o Birth – Creation of New Idea/Concept o Death = Loss or Transformation Metaphorical Symbols in The Golden Bird

Dying King = Serious Problem

Solution (The Golden Bird) = Precious

Attaining the Feather = Seemingly Impossible Task

Hero’s Journey – Quest = Attempt to Alleviate Problem

Three Brothers – 3 – Incomplete = Present Situation

Little Fool – Weakest/Inept = Child

Fox – Wisdom – Cunning = Internal/External Wisdom

Hero Captured/Imprisoned = Held Back Detained

Maiden of West = Introspection/Feminine Energy

Captures Bird – Feather + Maiden = Success

Deceived – Evil Forces = Difficulty Maintaining Success

Rescued by Fox = Nature Energy

Rescued by Maiden = Feminine Energy

Youngest Son Returns = Masculine Energy

Heals Kingdom and Marries Maiden = Resolution of Masculine & Feminine = Balance One translation of the metaphorical meaning of The Golden Bird might read; “There is a serious problem that can not be solved by anything that has been tried so far. Three forces set out to solve the problem – the oldest son, considered the most competent, and his brother, second born, also considered capable, are unable to solve the problem by using force and deception (immature masculine). The youngest and most inexperienced son (considered a fool by most) takes direction from characters in nature (fox) and from the mature feminine (Maiden of the East). After much hardship and struggle he is able to resolve the problem and restore balance.

Problem Themes Determining the problem theme, and often there is more than one problem theme in the child’s life, begins with analyzing the information gathered in the preliminary meetings with the parent and the child. The storyteller assesses this information and then applies it to the descriptions of the various problem themes outlined in the following pages. These themes encompass the major negative life experiences of children. They are defined in broad terms and reflect a theme or re-occurring issue in the child’s life.

Abandonment

Abuse

Addiction

Betrayal

Oppression

Lack of Initiation

Abandonment

Abandonment, which is defined as desertion or being forsaken, refers primarily to the child being left alone physically or emotionally by a parent or parental figure. A parent who leaves

her daughter to live somewhere else, either temporarily or permanently, either through her own volition, by force, or by necessity, is said to have abandoned her child. As well, a parent that is emotionally unavailable to the child, even though she is in close proximity to the child, is said to have emotionally abandoned her child. Abandonment also includes neglect, death, separation, divorce, and inadequate parenting. The child can also abandon her self by lacking respect for her dignity, ability, or sense of worth. When any

of these conditions have occurred in a child’s life, she is said to suffer from abandonment. The extent of the abandonment, and the degree to which it affects the child, is determined by the individual case. Below is a list of all the stories from Into the Dark Forest that address abandonment. They are listed beginning with the story that most addresses this theme to the one story that has the least relevance. House in the Forest, Hunter and Son, Handless Maiden, Nixie, Vasalisa, Psyche, Frog Prince, Furball, Red Shoes, Conn Eda, Jack, Parsifal, Three Golden Hairs, Iron John, and Faithful Abdul.

Abuse

The problem theme Abuse is divided into two sections, victims of abuse and perpetrators of abuse. Victims are defined as those who have suffered or are suffering from one or a combination of physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional abuse. Perpetrators of abuse are those individuals who are abusive in a physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional way. The individual child, who is being abused, can also be self-abusive in any one of the four forms mentioned above at which time they become both victim and perpetrator. This theme includes self-mutilation, self-demeaning behaviour or thoughts, suicidal ideation, suicidal threats, and attempts, as well as dangerous acts that could lead to serious injury or death. Listed below are all the stories from Into the Dark Forest that address abuse directly. They are divided into abuse from a victim’s perspective and abuse from a perpetrator’s perspective. They are listed beginning with the story that most addresses this theme to the one story that has the least relevance. Victim Perspective: Bluebeard, Handless Maiden, Furball, Skeleton Woman, Shape-Changer, Gilgamesh, Goose Girl, House in the Forest, Frog Prince, Nixie, Vasalisa, Jack, Two Sisters, and Conn Eda. Perpetrator’s Perspective: Bluebeard, Furball, Gilgamesh, Hunter and Son, Skeleton Woman, Red Shoes, Nixie, House in the Forest, Goose Girl, and Jack.

Addiction

This theme includes all forms of behaviour which constitute an over-involvement in certain activities, activities that have become compulsive in nature and that seriously detract from the individual’s life or the lives of those entrusted to her care. This theme includes the obvious addictions such as alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, sex addiction, eating disorders, and violence but also includes workaholism, over-involvement in sports, hobbies or other interests that have become compulsive or isolating in nature.

Listed below are all the stories from Into the Dark Forest that address the issue of addiction. They are listed beginning with the story that most addresses this theme to the one story that has the least relevance. Red Shoes, Nixie, Faithful Abdul, Bluebeard, Conn Eda, The Violin, Frog Prince, Gilgamesh, Goose Girl, Jack, Two Sisters,

and Vasalisa.

Betrayal

Betrayal can come in many forms such as lying, stealing, omitting information, providing false information, conspiring against someone, disloyalty, divulging secrets, and leading one astray. This problem theme can also be compared to abuse and abandonment. Like the abandonment it can be devastating when it is at the hands of parental figures, close friends, or from an institution valued by the child.

Below is a list of all the stories from Into the Dark Forest that address the issue of betrayal. They are listed beginning with the story that most addresses this theme to the one story that has the least relevance. House in the Forest, The Golden Bird, Shape-Changer, Handless Maiden, Vasalisa, Conn Eda, and Bluebeard.

Oppression

Oppression can be defined as continuing unjust treatment that deters the child from living a vital life. It can come from the environment, a parent or parental figure, a government, a medical or psychological condition, or a repetitive (oppressive) way of thinking or behaving. Violent neighbourhoods are oppressive because they prevent the child from feeling safe. A rigid and controlling parent is oppressive because she prevents the child from being spontaneous and/or relaxed. A government is oppressive when it stops its people from living normal healthy lives. A medical or psychological condition can be oppressive when it prevents the child from functioning normally. Thoughts can be oppressive when they occur frequently and prevent the child from feeling safe or from functioning normally. Behaviours can be oppressive when they cause the child to become fearful or prevent her from functioning normally. Listed below are all the stories from Into the Dark Forest that directly address oppression. They are listed beginning with the story that most addresses this theme to the one story that has the least relevance. Bluebeard, Gilgamesh, Handless Maiden, Faithful Abdul, Frog Prince, Hunter and Son, White Tigress, Nixie, Shape-Changer, Goose Girl, Red Shoes, Jack, Skeleton Woman, and Three Golden Hairs.

Lack of Initiation

This problem theme refers to a condition where the child has not had those initiation experiences with adults necessary for her to grow and develop into healthy mature adulthood or where the child has had negative gender role models. The same-sex parent naturally has the greatest influence on the child’s gender behaviour but the opposite-gender parent has an affect as well. Initiation experiences, in this context, refer to a conscious (formal rite or ritual) or unconscious (not formally recognized) induction into gender maturity. In order for a girl to evolve into mature womanhood, she must feel accepted and recognized as a worthwhile member of her gender. And a male child must be so accepted and recognized by those of his gender. This does not require all women or men to affirm the child as a worthy male or female but almost always requires a degree of acceptance and recognition by the same-sex parent or parental figure. The aspect of negative gender role modelling is based on the parent’s definition of mature femininity or masculinity. If the child is initiated into a definition of femininity that is limiting or demeaning, she will not function in adulthood as well as a child who defines femininity in an affirming and empowering way. Therapeutic stories are often full of ideas, concepts, and definitions of healthy femininity and masculinity and some are written exclusively for female and male initiation.

Listed below are all the stories from Into the Dark Forest that address initiation. They are divided into initiation from a male perspective and from a female perspective. They are listed beginning with the story that most addresses this theme to the one story that has the least relevance. Male Perspective: Hunter and Son, Iron John, Parsifal, The Golden Bird, Jack, Conn Eda, Gilgamesh, and The Violin Female) Perspective: Psyche, White Tigress, Handless Maiden, Vasalisa, Frog Prince, Furball, Two Sisters, The Violin, and Goose Girl.