Typology of therapeutic fairy tales to help the novice fairy tale therapist

(Typology of therapeutic fairy tales to help the novice fairy tale therapist)
Composing fairy tales for the purpose of self-therapy and development of our creative potential, we soon discover with surprise that the fairy tales we have composed benefit not only us. These tales are listened to with interest and asked to be told again and again by our children, our students, our patients. In the end, once a fairy tale, having come out from under our pen, immediately begins to live an independent life.
But you can compose fairy tales within the framework of fairy tale therapy training in different ways – spontaneously and vaguely or with knowledge of the matter. Knowledge, the ability to navigate the typology of anything – has not hurt anyone yet. So, let’s put our thoughts in order by approaching the types of fairy tales used in fairy tale therapy.
There are only five of them. Let’s start in order.
The first type of fairy tales. Didactic fairy tale A didactic fairy tale is the simplest and most unobtrusive. Most often it is used in work with children of preschool and primary school age. The goal of a didactic fairy tale is modest – to convey to the child some new knowledge, skill, skill.
Well, among other things – to show the meaning and importance of this skill. Most often, such a fairy tale ends with a small task (related to the theme of the fairy tale), which the child must complete at home.
The range of knowledge, skills and abilities that a didactic fairy tale teaches is extensive. This may be a simple story disguised as a fairy tale about
how and why you need to carefully cross the road,
how and why you need to congratulate your friends on holidays, for example, happy birthday,
how and why you need to learn how to dress yourself or make tea,
how and why you need to put away toys,
how and why you need to be polite to other people…
Most often, the function of a didactic fairy tale is performed by short cartoons, the plot of which is simple and uncomplicated and trains a single skill.
By the way, there are didactic fairy tales for adults too (for example, about the need to use condoms), but didactic fairy tales for adults are less common due to the fact that adults are already quite skeptical about attempts to “stir them up” through uncomplicated visual agitation in the style of “ sesame streets.”
A child is a completely different matter. Any routine and boring activity for him is filled with unearthly magic and meaning, if you tell a corresponding fairy tale about this routine thing, “revitalizing”, “animating” the objects and processes involved in it.
The second type of fairy tales. Psychological fairy tale Psychological fairy tale – a little more difficult and at the same time – a little easier. A psychological fairy tale is any author’s story containing fiction. This is where its simplicity lies. But at the same time, a psychological fairy tale aims to influence the personal development of the listener by conveying important information in a vivid metaphorical form. This is its complexity.
So what is the difference between a didactic fairy tale and a psychological one? Yes, actually, only by the fact that the first type of fairy tale concentrates on teaching useful skills, deeds, actions, and the everyday side of life.
And the psychological fairy tale completely removes everyday life from its goals and objectives. A psychological fairy tale will not teach you how to make fresh tea for your mother’s arrival. A psychological fairy tale will not tell you how to cross the street and how to inflate balloons for a friend’s birthday.
But she will focus on the psychological side of all these actions. She will focus on the PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT of the listener and explain to him – why love your mother, why love your friends and why take care of your young life at all.
That is, the psychological fairy tale “takes wider”. A person who has understood that mother needs to be loved can now come up with several things to do, in addition to making tea. A person who understands why you need to protect your young life, understood this not only in the case of crossing the street.
The third type of fairy tales. Psycho-corrective fairy tale Psycho-corrective fairy tales are composed and told with the aim of exerting a gentle influence on the behavior and attitudes of a person – both an adult and a child. First, in such a psycho-corrective fairy tale, an ineffective and unproductive style of behavior is demonstrated, and then an alternative is offered.
The events that happen to the heroes of a psycho-correctional fairy tale can be similar to the events of ordinary life, or they can sound like somewhat abstract metaphors.
For example, let’s take the well-known fairy tale about the baby Raccoon. When he grinned and grimaced, looking into the stream, it seemed to him that a monster lives in the stream. But as soon as he decided to smile at the stream, instead of a monster, a kind and handsome friend appeared in the stream. Here we are talking about the importance of smiling when meeting the world – very similar to the events of ordinary life.
And here is a psycho-correctional fairy tale that sounds like a more complex and more abstract metaphor.
“The Wolf is walking through the forest – sad, sad and crying. To meet him Bunny. “What are you crying, wolf?” – asks the Hare. “No one loves me here,” the Wolf answers him, “I’m leaving to live in another forest.”
“Do you take your terrible teeth with you?” – asks the Hare “
Fairy tales of this second type need discussion and clarification. Here it is important to let the first one speak – the one who listened to this tale. Very often the opinion of the psychotherapist may differ from the opinion of the listener. Then, by joint efforts, they come up with the version of the fairy tale that would suit both.
The fourth type of fairy tales. Psychotherapeutic fairy tale Psychotherapeutic fairy tale is a pearl in the crown of fairy tale therapy. These fairy tales have the greatest impact, they must be deep, beautiful and wise. The topics that are touched upon in psychotherapeutic fairy tales are the attitude of a person to himself, to the world in general and to other people. The purpose of a psychotherapeutic fairy tale is to provide timely support, relieve suffering, help in a problematic life situation, and cure psycho-emotional trauma. Most often, an arsenal of religious spiritual parables is used to create psychotherapeutic fairy tales.
I suggest that anyone interested in this type of tale first turn to the Buddhist Jatakas, as well as to the little-known tales of Andersen.
And finally,
The fifth type of fairy tale. Meditative fairy tale Meditative fairy tale is the most difficult one. It can be created and told (having received the desired effect from the audience!) only to those who are gifted from above with the gift of a storyteller, boyan, skald, aed, akyn, Scheherazade … well, in general, this road will be mastered by the one who “in his past lives, ”probably told stories to kings and shepherds, who were invited to palaces and to a night fire, and who already in this life, in his distant childhood, brought his neighbors to icy horror in their beds at the dead hour in a pioneer camp, and who will not be work, to keep the audience in suspense, telling, in general, some kind of spontaneous heresy …
So, what is required from a meditative fairy tale:
1. Creation of a rich emotional state among listeners
2. Creation of bright fabulous images that even those who cannot visualize can easily visualize.
3. Conversation with the unconscious.
4. Deep immersion of the listener in the fabulous process.
What is NOT required from a meditative fairy tale:
1. She is not required to have a clear and precise plot.
2. A strict beginning and a clear end.
The meditative fairy tale works with Jungian archetypes. Do you know what is the main feature of what is before us – the Jungian archetype? The main sign – nothing is clear!
Therefore, the more foggy and “crazy” the twists of the plot in a meditative fairy tale, the closer to Jung.
What should be guided by when trying to compose a meditative fairy tale? Focus on dreams, if you have complex, multi-stage dreams, then start with their artistic retelling.
Meditative tales work best when they are listened to in specially created conditions that promote a) relaxation and b) forcing certain psycho-emotional states.
Why tell meditative tales? A meditative fairy tale usually serves as a prologue, a mood for a psychotherapeutic session.
However, it can also perform an independent function – to raise “up” the material of the Unconscious, which needs to be worked out, to awaken the personal potential of a person, to serve as a hint for making an independent decision.
In this sense, I really like Tolkien’s short tales and J.K. Rowling’s collection of fairy tales, The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Although … meditative fairy tales are my favorite genre, which I give undisguised preference and in this regard, I want to warn you: the treasury where meditative fairy tales are stored is by no means exhausted by Tolkien and Rowling. Seek and find.