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What is a Therapeutic Story?

"God created people because He loves stories."

Yiddish Proverb

Long before written language became a formal means of transmitting information, oral stories were the vehicle used to transmit knowledge, information and tradition from generation to generation. Perhaps stories have always been such a part of human communication.

 

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Story Examples

Below you'll find one of four story samples by Dr. Nancy Davis.  Click the "Read More" link below to access additional story samples which are available in other languages...

 

Little Green Riding Hood

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pdf_icon.jpg English

 

 

 

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Suggestions for Using Therapeutic Stories
  • Do not interpret the stories as they are designed to talk to the unconscious which interprets the stories according to the needs of the listener.  Interpreting moves the story into the conscious mind and diminishes their power. Make sure that you change and individualize stories to fit the listener.
  • For children 7-8 years or younger,  make an audio tape of about 30 minutes with stories designed for the presented problem during the first or second therapy session.  If the child is young, tell “The Hero” first, inserting the name of the child.  Ask the child questions as you record stories, since a young child likes to hear their own voice.  If the child seems to have been traumatized and needs to talk about it, include the story “Rags” or “Taffy”.  Have the parent or caretaker play the story tape as the child goes to bed.  It does not matter if the child is asleep while the tape plays since the messages from the stories are heard by the unconscious.


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Therapeutic Stories that Teach and Heal

Table of Contents

  1. Stories that empower & treat the symptoms of trauma and PTSD
  2. Stories that empower & treat the symptoms of child abuse  
  3. Stories that develop healthy emotional reactions, thinking, perceptions, beliefs, self-image and social skills 
  4. Stories to aid in disclosure of traumatic experiences and or abuse 
  5. Stories for children who must testify in court proceedings 
  6. Stories to reduce and eliminate nightmares 
  7. Stories for children who have not followed a normal  developmental path 
  8. Stories to help with death, loss and illness 
  9. Stories to help with problems related to parents, siblings, adoption, foster care and divorce 
  10. Stories for adolescents and adults 
  11. Stories for school-related problems 
  12. Modern Day Fairy Tales

 

Drawings/Pictures:

Amy Biddle designed the covers of Therapeutic Stories to Heal Abused Children-3rd  Ed; Therapeutic Stories that Teach and Heal and Multi-Sensory Trauma Processing.  She also created the covers of the CD's and MP3 recordings available in the on-line store.  Mrs. Biddle can be contacted at: heybiddle@comcast.net
 

Therapeutic Stories to Heal Abused Children-Revised Edition

Table of Contents

Section One: Understanding, Using and Creating Therapeutic Stories

This section has been expanded and organized in far greater detail  than in the first edition of Therapeutic Stories to Heal Abused Children (1987) in order to provide  provide historical background as well as  the skills needed to create your own unique therapeutic stories.  The first seven chapters include:

  1. Types of stories
  2. Metaphors and symbols
  3. Interpreting the meaning of a therapeutic story
  4. The structure of a therapeutic story
  5. Use the stories as they are written
  6. Changing the stories in very simple ways
  7. Changing the stories in more complex ways
  8. Using a therapeutic story's main idea,  structure and/or metaphor of change to personalize and structure a new story
  9. Creating a unique therapeutic story

Section Two has many edited stories found in the first edition, along with many new stories

  1. Stories to empower
  2. Stories to empower & treat the symptoms of child abuse and other traumatic experiencesStories that develop healthy emotional reactions, thinking, perceptions, beliefs, self-image & social skills
  3. Stories to Aide in Disclosure of Traumatic Experiences and/or Abuse
  4. Stories for abused children who become abusers
  5. A story for children who must  testify in court  proceedings
  6. Stories for  oppositional and rebellious children & adolescents
  7. Stories for problems related to parents, siblings, adoption, foster  care and divorce
  8. Stories to Help Children Develop Age-appropriate Independence
  9. Stories to help with death, loss or illness
  10. Stories for Reduce and Eliminate Nightmares
  11. Stories for adolescents and adults

  Click here for Bibliography