The power of storytelling.
Albert Einstein once said ‘If you want to make your children intelligent then read them fairy tales, if you want to make them more intelligent then read them more fairy tales’
There is power in stories; to make us think, to make us reflect, to learn and sometimes, to help us heal. I use stories, imagery and metaphor a lot in my therapy work and fairy tales are definitely a brilliant resource for this sort of thing.
Last month I read a fantastic article, in the superb Happiful Magazine, all about the concept of bibliotherapy. This approach uses fiction to help us address our issues and challenges by hopefully prompting our thinking and problem solving.
There’s no doubt in my mind that there is something in this. Recently I’ve read two incredible books which have helped me reflect on dealing with trauma and loss, love, friendship and the power of the human spirit.
I can’t recommend these highly enough and I will certainly be thinking about how I incorporate bibliotherapy into my work for the future.
Reference
https://happiful.com/what-is-bibliotherapy/
