SESSION SEVEN: COMMUNICATING THE STORY
Storytelling provides the therapist with the necessary flexibility to alter the theme, tone, affect, and pacing requisite to promoting maximum involvement in fantasy and suggested experiences. Judith Rhue & Steven Lynn
Creating the Mindset Creating the mindset refers to preparing the child both physiologically and psychologically for the messages contained within the therapeutic story. It is intended to provide opportunities for the child to relax and develop an open and receptive frame of mind. It also provides specific tasks for the conscious mind and unconscious mind to perform. Throughout the process of creating the mindset, the conscious mind is provided with a number of tasks, such as relaxing different muscle groupings or maintaining certain breathing patterns. While the conscious mind is occupied, the unconscious mind is engaged in assisting the child in learning from the underlying symbols and metaphorical messages contained within the story. Relaxation Exercise Guided Fantasy Affirming Change Introducing the Story
Relaxation Decrease Level of Physical & Psychological Tension to:
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Increase Hearing, Visualization, & Memory
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Increase Responsiveness to Novel & Creative Ideas
Child is asked to:
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Focus Attention on Breathing
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Relax Specific Muscle Groupings
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Become Conscious of Any Tension or Stress
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Allow the Mind to Wander
Guided Fantasy •
Further Assist Child in Creating a Relaxed, Receptive & Non-Threatening Psychological Environment
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Eliminate Negative Emotional States
Child is asked to: “Create mental images of a special place where everything is peaceful, safe, and warm--a place that is quiet and comfortable, and where you feel strong emotionally and physically.”
Affirming Change Statements, Anecdotes, Truisms, or Vignettes Intended to Prepare Child for the Therapeutic Storytelling Experience Theme of the Impossible Task Developmental Tasks Learning to Walk Ride a Bike – Skateboard Time When You Thought You Would Fail But You Succeeded Theme of Inner Knower – Internal Wisdom Change Knowing It Will Happen But Not Knowing When Child is asked to: Recall Life Situations that Seemed Impossible Contact the Inner Knower Continue to Relax – Feel Safe
Introducing the Story The final step in creating the mindset is introducing the therapeutic story and its theme. This step allows the storyteller to set the story in a surreal setting and this different world reinforces the creative and receptive state of mind. When the story is set in a fantasy world, it allows the child to continue to stay in her internal world and maintain the mindset created by the preceding three steps.
Verbal Communication It is the voice and how the storyteller manipulates it that makes therapeutic storytelling such an exciting and powerful medium for working with children. The storyteller can not only make the characters and experiences more meaningful with his voice, but he can also learn to use his voice to cue and communicate with the child at an unconscious level. The words of the story, along with their symbols and metaphorical meanings, can be presented to the child through the voice of the storyteller in such a way that their messages are irresistible to the child.
The Voice The voice of the storyteller is his individual contribution to the effectiveness of the story. He can make it more entertaining and more meaningful simply by training his voice to convey the emotion inferred by the words.
Non-Verbal Communication Here is where the storyteller can learn from the professional mime, who uses only his body to convey a story. By learning to use his body and its position in space in a dramatic way, the storyteller can make the stories more entertaining, easier to remember, more easily understood, and more meaningful. And whether the storyteller is aware of it or not, he is communicating nonverbally with the child all the time-–-he might as well make it as purposeful as possible. The Body Body language is most effective with the SemiResponsive Child who is paying attention to the storyteller’s body. Where the Responsive Child has his eyes closed and is turning his attention inward, the SemiResponsive Child has his attention focused on the outside world. The more meaningful the storyteller can make that world through his body language, the more responsive this child will be to the storytelling experience.
Advanced Communication Techniques Once the storyteller feels comfortable with his ability to use language, voice, and body to convey the story, it is time to look at other ways to make connections to the child’s experience and the experiences within the story. The advanced techniques that follow will allow the storyteller to emphasize specific messages contained within the story and to communicate personal messages to the child. Some of these techniques are ideal for the Semi-Responsive Child, others for the Responsive one, but all will serve to heighten the therapeutic effect of storytelling. The advanced techniques are:
• bridging • anchoring • affirmative statements
• stimulating questions and commands • asides
Bridging Bridging is a technique that puts the storyteller in sync with the child; it creates a strong connection between the child and the story. One form of bridging requires the storyteller to incorporate some aspect of the child’s behaviour into the story. For example, a child was sitting and listening to the story “Iron John,” and he was resting his chin in his hand. Instead of simply reading the story as written, the storyteller inserted bridging material-–-the words in brackets-–-and reads: “While he was sitting there, [with his hand resting on his chin,] his finger hurt him so badly that, without meaning to, he dipped it into the water.”
Another example of bridging occurred when a youth I was reading the story “Parsifal” to, was sitting with his back against the wall. I inserted the following bridging material and said: “When it came time for Parsifal to ask the question, he bowed to the king [who was leaning with his back up against the tree,] and asked, “Whom does the Grail serve?” Another form of bridging incorporates the use of the child’s proper name in the story. “The fire had gone out and both children shook from the cold. [Tom] put his arm around his little sister and said ….”
Bridging can also occur by incorporating one or more physical characteristics of the child into the story. Perhaps it is the colour of the child’s hair or the colour of his clothes. Any one of his characteristics can be written into the story. For example, the story “The Nixie” is being read to Neil, who is a redhead, and the storyteller says:
“The [red-haired] child grew to be a young man and was apprenticed to be a hunter.” Another form of bridging occurs when storytellers speak of universal roles or characters such as mother, god, angel, or devil, or when they tell stories that involve well-known characters such as Zeus, the Baba Yaga, or Allah. To speak of these characters suggests certain traits and characteristics that the child has a prior understanding of and appreciation for, creating another connection for the child.
Anchoring Any behaviour out of the ordinary that occurs while speaking a word or phrase draws further attention to it, and to the words and phrases that immediately follow it. Bandler and Grinder (1976) called this process “anchoring� and used it in both storytelling and other forms of therapy. Anchoring can be accomplished by raising the voice, pausing before speaking, gesturing with the hands, altering the expression on the face, moving from one spot in the room to the other, or banging on a drum. Like bridging, anchoring is to be used only at specific times in the story and not throughout the whole story.
Overt Anchoring My use of anchoring in the story “Bluebeard” with an adolescent female I was working with, illustrates this technique. I wanted to underscore in the story the youngest sister’s conversation with her brothers, the one that she had just before she left her home to go to live with Bluebeard. Because this was an important message for the adolescent, I wanted to make my actions more dramatic, to anchor this part in the story. The following passage, with the actions in brackets, shows this technique, using overt behaviours to anchor a scene in the story. “However, [Raise Voice Tone] on the day she was to leave her family, she began to feel frightened and wondered if she was making a mistake [Normal Voice Tone]. She called upon her two elder brothers [Wave Left Hand Gesturing the Brothers to Come] and said, “Dear brothers [Get Down on One Knee], if ever I send for you, wherever you are, [Wave Hand Across from Left
to Right] leave everything standing or lying, and [Stand Upright and Speak in a Pleading Voice] come to my aid.”
Covert Anchoring The storyteller can also use more covert and subtle forms of behaviour such as altering his voice tone, brushing back his hair with his hand, or clearing his throat as a way to anchor a message. For example, many of the significant messages and uses of symbolism in the story “Conn Eda” are communicated by the character the shaggy pony. With one particular child, to anchor the messages of the shaggy pony, I told the story using my normal speaking voice. Then, just for the words of the shaggy pony, I changed to a soft-spoken, hollow-sounding voice. This subtle but noticeable change in my voice further anchored this character and what he was communicating to this child.
A specific statement from a character, or a line(s) in the story, can be anchored as well. For an example of anchoring a statement in a story, read the following from the story “Vasalisa,” paying particular attention to the bracketed directions. “Slowly she returned her gaze to where the hut had been and noticed that it had moved farther back into the woods. [Lean your Body Closer to the Child as if You are About to Say Something Important] Vasalisa consulted with her doll, [Speak in a Whisper] “Is this the house we seek?” [pause] she asked. [pause] And the doll, in its own way, answered, [Nod Head Up and Down Twice] “Yes, this is what we seek.” [Spoken in a Clear Normal Speaking Voice].
Affirmative Statements Another way to enhance the therapeutic effect of the story is to insert a statement into the story that communicates an affirming statement about the child or conveys an important message to him. For example, I used the story “Red Shoes” to communicate to an adolescent male substance abuser a message about compulsive and addictive behaviours. I inserted affirmative statements such as, “You have the strength and the power,” and, “You are lovable and capable” throughout the story. Here is a passage from “Red Shoes” that illustrates this. “The mother of the shoemaker in her village took pity on her and saved cloth scraps whenever she found them and over time sewed her a pair of red shoes. [You Are Lovable and Capable.] They were crude but they fitted her feet and she loved them. They made her feel rich even though her days were spent gathering food in the dark forest or begging on the streets far into the night. [You
Have the Strength and the Power.]”
Stimulating Questions and Commands The storyteller can insert questions throughout the telling of the story that can stimulate the child to reflect upon something specific such as, “I wonder when I will be able to resist the temptation?” or “Will I learn from this today or will it take longer.” When questions are inserted strategically into the story they can enhance the message or the desired effect of the story. For example, read these two passages from the story “Skeleton Woman,” taking notice of the inserted question in brackets. I inserted these statements while working with an adolescent female who tended to choose abusive boyfriends. The first example comes early in the story to stimulate her to ask herself the question. “There was no way of knowing whether he dragged her to the cliffs and threw her over, or whether the tsunami picked her up and tossed her into the sea. But she was gone. [When Will I Be Free of This?] After the villagers had picked up their belongings and found that everyone else was safe, they began to
mourn her loss.”
The second example comes in the latter part of the story to further stimulate this type of questioning. “The people say that the gods of the sea took pity on her and gave her a new life. [When Will I Take Care of Me?] They say that she and the fisherman went away to live on their own. They say that they were always well fed by the creatures she had known in her life underwater. [Will I Stop It?] The people say that they can be seen sometimes travelling across the snow, their eyes sparkling in the lights that reflect off the water.”
Similarly, commands can be inserted into the story to allow the storyteller to communicate what he feels the child will need to do in order to succeed. Commands like, “I must stop now!” or, “I must learn to love myself,” are useful ways to communicate these messages to the child. Read the following example of a command I inserted into the story “Faithful Abdul” to assist a youth that was working as a prostitute. In the story the princess has been tricked and lured to the king’s ship with the promise of viewing his treasure. “Hours passed as she was looking at them from all sides, and in her joy did not know that the ship was moving.[Do Not Sell Yourself.] After examining the last piece, she thanked the merchant and decided to go home, but when she stepped on deck, she saw that the ship was far away from the shore, speeding over the high seas with flags unfurled. [Do Not Give In.]” These stimulating questions and commands are meant to be covert and subtle in nature and therefore should be used sparingly throughout the story.
Asides Asides are a form of affirmative statement or stimulating question/command that are used during the telling of a therapeutic story as a means of communicating a specific message to the child. The difference is that asides are accomplished by projecting the voice away from the child as if speaking to someone else. Examples would be such things as turning in the chair away from the child and speaking the statement, or clearing the voice just before speaking. Affirmative statements or phrases such as, “You will be surprised and delighted at how deep and restful your sleep will be tonight,” “ You know you are loveable and capable,” or “Sometimes life is a puzzle,” are all good examples of asides. Asides can also be quotes or statements that can have a specific message for the individual child. They can suggest specific behavioural or learning strategies such as “Stop,” “Think,” “Act,” “Relax,” or, “Slowdown.” Words of encouragement, love, confidence, and acceptance can also be used as asides.
The techniques bridging, anchoring, affirmative statements, stimulating questions and commands, and asides are all useful additions to the therapeutic storyteller’s art-–-especially when used at the right time for the right child. These, in conjunction with the other basic techniques discussed in this session, will ensure that the messages in the stories are so well conveyed that they are irresistible to the child.