Like mythologies, fairy tales containing the same motives and motive c
hains can be found all over the world. In this paper some theories on
the occurrence of this archetypal phenomenon are presented, ranging fr
om the old migration theory to Sheldrake's theory of the morphogenetic
fields. An attempt is then made to show in how many ways fairy-tale m
otives can appear in analytical therapy though often in hidden forms.
We can find them in patients' dreams as well as in their fantasies and
associations. If the therapist is open to them, they will also appear
in his or her amplifications. The therapist can then just take note o
f the fairy tale or point it out to the patient, thereby probably prov
iding better access to the patient's problems and complexes as fairy t
ales are more complete and emotional because of their pictorial charac
ter. Finally the favorite fairy tale of one of my patients is describe
d and related to his symptoms, his crucial complex and his personal wa
ys of experiencing and behaving. This survey of how fairy tales can be
used in the therapy of children and adults is naturally far from comp
lete.