101 Healing Stories Using Metaphors in Therapy

by Burns, George W.

• ISBN13: 9780471395898
• ISBN10: 0471395897
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-05
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Using folktales and other metaphoric stories can aid the healing process Just as stories have the power to enrich our lives, shape the way we perceive and interact with the world, and reveal the wonders of the human spirit, so too can they play an important and potent role in therapy-helping people develop the skills to cope with and survive a myriad of life situations. 101 Healing Stories celebrates the rewards of using parables, fables, and metaphors in therapy as a nonthreatening means to help clients discuss problems and consider possible solutions. George W. Burns examines the healing value of using metaphors in therapy and provides 101 inspirational story ideas that therapists can adapt to share with clients for effecting change. He explains how to tell stories that engage the client, how to make them metaphoric, and where to find sources for such tales. Burns also shows readers how to build stories from personal experiences or their own imagination to use in session, making this thoughtful book an especially creative therapeutic tool. Contains 101 stories grouped by desired therapeutic outcome, highlighting each story's applicability to a variety of presenting problems Offers talking points for therapists such as speci?c insights, outcomes, or skills that are illustrated by the stories Features shaded tabs that index stories by therapeutic outcome for easy reference and selection

Author Biography

GEORGE W. BURNS is a clinical psychologist and Director of the Milton H. Erickson Institute of Western Australia. He is also a trainer of therapists and the author of Nature-Guided Therapy: Brief, Integrative Strategies for Health and Well-Being.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xv
Michael D. Yapko
Introduction	xvii
What This Book Offers	xviii
A Word or Two about the Title	xix
Oral Versus Written Stories	xx
The Structure of the Book	xx
How to Use This Book as a Future Reference Source	xxi
The Importance of Stories	xxiii
PART 1 METAPHOR THERAPY	1	(34)
The Power of Stories	3	(8)
Why Tell Stories	3	(1)
The Power of Stories to Discipline	4	(1)
The Power of Stories to Invoke Emotions	4	(1)
The Power of Stories to Inspire	5	(1)
The Power of Stories to Change	6	(1)
The Power of Stories to Create Mind-Body Feats	7	(1)
The Power of Stories to Heal	8	(3)
Effective Storytelling	11	(16)
Ten Guidelines for Effective Storytelling	12	(10)
Six Guidelines for the Storyteller's Voice	22	(5)
Stories in Therapy	27	(8)
Stories, Tales, Anecdotes, and Metaphors	28	(1)
Metaphors in Therapy	29	(2)
Why Tell Metaphors?	31	(4)
PART 2 HEALING STORIES	35	(180)
Enhancing Empowerment	37	(20)
A Tradition of Mind-Body Empowerment	38	(2)
Owning Responsibility	40	(1)
Counting on Yourself	41	(2)
The Importance of Accepting Compliments	43	(2)
Jim and the Joke Book: A Story of Self-Empowerment	45	(1)
Empowerment through Self-Assertion	46	(2)
Thanking Your Symptoms	48	(2)
A Model of Empowerment	50	(1)
Empowering Joe	51	(2)
Soaring to New Heights	53	(4)
Acquiring Acceptance	57	(17)
Accepting Life as It Is	57	(2)
Learning to Accept Our Circumstances	59	(2)
Remembering What Not to Forget	61	(2)
We Are All Different	63	(1)
The Ultimate Wish	64	(2)
Accepting What Life Brings	66	(1)
Accepting a Loss	67	(1)
Good Luck, Bad Luck. Who Knows?	68	(2)
Seeking Perfection	70	(1)
Life Is Not What It Should Be	71	(3)
Reframing Negative Attitudes	74	(17)
Looking Up	75	(1)
The Law of Nature	76	(1)
Good Follows Bad	77	(2)
Adjusting Your Sails	79	(2)
Choosing Your Model	81	(1)
Letting Go of the Past	82	(2)
A Journey of Unexpected Learning	84	(2)
When You Reach the End of Your Rope	86	(1)
We Are What We Believe	87	(2)
My Dad: From Problems to Solutions	89	(2)
Changing Patterns of Behavior	91	(16)
When Only the Best Will Do	91	(2)
The Beginning of Knowledge	93	(2)
Recognizing and Using Absurdity	95	(1)
A Gesture that Changed a Whole Village	96	(1)
If You Always Do What You've Always Done	97	(2)
Being in the Moment	99	(1)
What You Sow	100	(2)
When Actions Speak Louder than Words	102	(1)
Life Is Not So Bad	103	(2)
Are You Better than You Used to Be?	105	(2)
Learning from Experience	107	(19)
Use What You Have	108	(1)
Confronting and Befriending Your Monsters	109	(2)
Learning to Love Your Discomfort	111	(1)
Problems May Open New Options	112	(2)
Finding Treasures in Tragedy	114	(1)
Finding Peace	115	(2)
Drawing Boundaries	117	(2)
Getting Into, and Out of, Wrong Places	119	(2)
Trusting Your Abilities	121	(2)
Turning Pain Into Pleasure	123	(3)
Attaining Goals	126	(19)
Reaching the Ultimate Goal	126	(2)
Flying Free	128	(2)
Making a Difference	130	(1)
Making a Commitment	131	(2)
Writing a Book	133	(1)
Climb Every Mountain	134	(2)
Many Roads	136	(2)
Building a New Life	138	(2)
The Secrets of Success	140	(2)
One Step at a Time	142	(3)
Cultivating Compassion	145	(19)
The Futility of Bickering	146	(1)
Feeding a Fellow	147	(1)
Love and Let Go	148	(2)
Love, Version 4.0	150	(3)
Appreciating Each Other	153	(1)
Learning to Care	154	(3)
Learning to Give More	157	(1)
Take Her Hand	158	(2)
The Story of Compassion	160	(1)
Giving What Is Needed	161	(3)
Developing Wisdom	164	(18)
The River of Life	165	(2)
Creating Choices	167	(1)
Expectations of Others	168	(1)
Developing Choices for Survival	169	(2)
Knowing versus Doing	171	(1)
Taking a Different View	172	(2)
Using Wisdom Wisely	174	(1)
If I Only Had the Time	175	(2)
Call Off the Search	177	(2)
Finding the Source of Wisdom	179	(3)
Caring for Yourself	182	(18)
What You Give Is What You Get	182	(2)
Giving Your Best	184	(1)
Topping Up Your Reserves	185	(1)
Learning to Care for Yourself	186	(2)
Go with the Flow	188	(1)
Turning the Tide	189	(2)
Acknowledging and Using Our Abilities	191	(3)
Giving What You Want to Receive	194	(1)
Forming and Changing Beliefs	195	(2)
Negotiating Time for Yourself	197	(3)
Enhancing Happiness	200	(15)
The Secret That Will Never Be Known	200	(2)
Give and Take	202	(2)
Keep It Simple	204	(1)
If You Are Feeling Happy	205	(2)
Things Could Be Worse	207	(1)
The Problem of Looking for Problems	208	(1)
Being One with Everything	209	(1)
Make Use of What Life Offers	210	(1)
Celebrate Life	211	(4)
PART 3 CREATING YOUR OWN METAPHORS	215	(32)
How to Do It and How Not to Do It	217	(15)
Don't Do What I Have Done	217	(3)
How to Create Healing Stories	220	(9)
Guidelines for Using Personal Life Stories	229	(3)
Using the PRO-Approach to Create Your Own Healing Stories	232	(15)
Structuring a PRO-Approach	232	(1)
Steps for Administering Therapeutic Metaphors	233	(9)
A Concluding Comment	242	(2)
Why Do You Teach in Stories?	244	(3)
Resources	247	(8)
Index	255