FAIRY-TALES IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

Authors
Citation
H. Dieckmann, FAIRY-TALES IN PSYCHOTHERAPY, Analytische Psychologie, 25(4), 1994, pp. 278-296
Citations number
36
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology
Journal title
ISSN journal
03013006
Volume
25
Issue
4
Year of publication
1994
Pages
278 - 296
Database
ISI
SICI code
0301-3006(1994)25:4<278:FIP>2.0.ZU;2-B
Abstract
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.