ABSTRACT
In Chapter 4 the verbal interplay of clinician and client brings into being a metaphorical communication found within the context of story characters, plot, spheres of action, and denouement. In each case review, the client’s metaphorical meaning is evaluated while the shared story offers new choices that facilitate the regulation of anxiety, fears, and humiliations.
The power of storytelling lies in its natural ability to organize meaning and influence future behavior. Through the process of writing, clients become empowered to relate issues which affect them, their experiences, their identity, interactions, daily struggles, and ongoing relationships. As such, in this chapter, the client’s inner emotional life is illustrated through the fantasies of children, adolescents, and adults, and expressed through the creative medium of narrative symbolization. In all, this chapter reviews how to incorporate the client’s natural language, sensory preferences, and resources toward greater insight and growth. Throughout the chapter the following topics are explored: the overview of basic storytelling principles including The Mutual Storytelling Technique by Richard Gardner, the role of the therapist in the therapeutic session, an exploration of the defense mechanisms employed to protect the ego, and interpretation in the therapeutic hour through a comparison of established theories.
