Fairytale therapy as one of the ways to deal with life's difficulties. Rules for conducting at home. Selection of fairy tales for children of different ages and adults.

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Fairytale therapy is one of the methods of psychological influence on a person, which contributes to the development of personality and the correction of already formed purely individual problems. The tool of this direction are fairy tales, in which one can trace a certain style of behavior and options for solving life situations from the outside. The use of this technique has no age restrictions and can influence both a child and an adult.

Description and functions of fairy tale therapy

The fairy tale therapy method provides an opportunity to get to know yourself through the abstractness and magic of a fairy tale. Re-reading a favorite story, the reader unconsciously identifies a hero close to himself, his behavior and actions are regarded as acceptable for the reader himself. This method has many directions, which are determined according to the goals set.

The following areas of fairy tale therapy are distinguished:

• Solving life problems. Helps a person develop a model of behavior in a given situation. In fairy tales you can see a certain problem and many effective proposals for overcoming it. Thus, the reader is given the opportunity to choose the best option for solving his life problems.
• Transfer of experience. Through fairy tales, elders pass on their life experiences to the younger generation, teach moral standards and goodness, and show “what is good and what is bad.” After all, the first teachers in a child’s life are his favorite stories.
• Development of thinking. Suitable for ages 3 to 12 years. When adults read a fairy tale to a child, they ask him to analyze the actions of the characters, tell him who, in his opinion, is a good character and who is not, or give him the opportunity to come up with a continuation of the story. Thus, the baby’s thinking, memory, and creativity develop.
• Medical and psychiatric direction. The therapeutic method allows a person to come up with his own fairy tale and show it to a psychologist. The latter carries out the interpretation and identifies problems that will have to be dealt with in the future.

The advantage of fairy tale therapy is that it contains many necessary technologies, from diagnosis, prevention, personality development and ending with correction. Psychologists identify the following functions of the technique:

1. Smoothing barriers between therapist and client. Allows you to quickly establish contact and get ready for further work.
2. Analysis of problems deeply hidden in memory. Childhood grievances that negatively affect a person’s life can be traced in the client’s favorite fairy tale or one invented by him.
3. Way out of difficult, ambiguous life situations. Using the examples of fairy tale heroes, you can find a way out of any trouble, because all stories carry an instructive meaning. It is quite possible that someone has already experienced the same problems and was able to overcome them in a certain way.
4. Updating personal aspects hidden by the client. Even if a person tries to hide the problems that bother him from a psychologist-therapist, not considering them particularly important, he will not be able to do this, because the subconscious will still reveal them in discussions or in the writing of fairy tales.
5. Displaying internal conflict. It gives you the opportunity to identify contradictions in yourself and reflect on them through a fairy tale.

Having examined the directions and functions of fairy tale therapy, it can be argued that this method helps to overcome phobias, instill basic everyday skills and a love for environment, develop imagination and lexicon, reveal individuality, warn against troubles, raise self-esteem, separate good from evil, teach how to overcome life’s difficulties.

By understanding the essence of fairy tale therapy and learning to use its technologies, parents of young children protect themselves from problems with teenagers in the future. Adults, sometimes afraid of not finding a way out of difficult life situations, find clues in ordinary fairy tales.

Features of fairytale therapy classes

Classes touch on several aspects of a person’s life, which in turn reveal his archetypes and social attitudes. Through the plot of a fairy tale you can find out what exactly lives in this moment the individual and what worries him. Only upon completion of this stage will it be possible to build further treatment.

Modern methods of fairy tale therapy:

• Working on an existing fairy tale. Everyone is covered in class famous work. The characters and their relationships with each other are discussed.
• Independent writing of a fairy tale. A person composes a story that helps the psychologist study in more detail his condition, social circle and relationships with friends.
• Dramatization or dramatization of a written fairy tale. This method allows you to be an actor and take on a role that carries a certain emotional meaning, to experience those frightening, exciting moments for people and to understand that there is nothing terrible about it, that all bad things come to an end.
• Working on the ending of a fairy tale. This could be a discussion of a famous fairy tale, the ending of which is proposed to be changed. In addition, you can come up with a continuation of it.
• Art therapeutic work based on the plot of a fairy tale. Here, visual creativity is taken as a basis, which involves drawing, sculpting or designing based on the content of a certain work.

In order for a fairytale therapy session to be productive, it is necessary to prepare for it in advance. Based on the chosen method, handouts are prepared (pictures, pencils, album sheets, plasticine, etc.), books, paintings, music, costumes, the optimal method of conducting is selected (sitting at desks, in a circle, on the floor), and built according to a certain structure. lesson plan.

Structure of fairy tale therapy classes:

1. Ritual of “immersion” in a fairy tale. The mood for collaboration is created - listening to fairy-tale melodies or meditating on the transition to a fairy-tale world.
2. Introduction to the fairy tale. You are reading or listening to an audio recording.
3. Discussion. The presenter asks questions related to the main character and the plot of the entire story. The value of the fairy tale and what it can teach the audience must be determined.
4. Art therapeutic work. Drawing heroes or the most interesting moment of a fairy tale.
5. Ritual of “exit” from a fairy tale. Close your eyes and count to 3 together, on the count of “three” you will be transported from the world of magic to the audience.
6. Summarizing. Based on the answers to the questions asked, the therapist interprets the personality of each participant. Upon completion, he conveys his conclusions to them, either individually or in front of the whole group.

Thus, having the skeleton of the lesson and the necessary material for it, the presenter can easily win over the child or adult and set him up for productive work.

How to use fairy tale therapy for adults and children

Fairytale therapy can be used in different ways depending on the characteristics of the person with whom the work is being carried out. Age, mental and physical abilities are taken into account. A fairy tale, due to its simplicity, is able to penetrate into the unconscious of every individual and influence his personal guidelines, under the influence of which many ways out of any problem situation are provided.

How to use fairy tale therapy in working with preschoolers

Fairytale therapy for preschoolers is the most effective method aimed at the comprehensive development of the child, and is one of the most interesting technologies of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. The lesson can be conducted either in individual form, and group (up to 12 people).

Fairy tales are selected according to the age of the child. Children aged 1 to 4 years are suitable for works where animals are the main characters. Children from 5 to 6 years old can already read fairy tales with non-existent characters, such as fairies, goblins and others.

Ways to help you achieve success when working with children:

• Practical activities based on a fairy tale. It is necessary to find out what the child is to a greater extent loves to study (draw, sculpt, design, etc.), and include his desire in the structure of the lesson. Thus, in the process of practical activity, a conversation is anticipated, the material is consolidated and the boundaries for psychoanalysis are expanded.
• Presenter's interest. While reading a story, the fairy tale therapist himself must immerse himself in the fairy tale, and only then will he be able to convey to the child the necessary meaning of the work and interest him.
• Emotional design of fairy tales. In order to interest preschoolers in a work, it is necessary to show those emotions that are inherent in the heroes of the fairy tale. They will help with this expressive reading, intonation, facial expressions, gestures.
• Working on your child's mood. If the baby is upset, did not get enough sleep or is tired, then the fairytale therapy session should be postponed, because he will not be able to immerse himself in work, but will only become even more sad.

Rules for organizing fairytale therapy work with preschoolers:

1. Consider the age of the children. When preparing for a lesson, you need to choose a work according to age so that the child can understand the content and comprehend it.
2. Dosage of information provided. Classes should be built according to a certain structure, remember that everything is good in moderation. Acquaintance with a fairy tale is accompanied only by looking at its illustrations.
3. Therapeutic focus. After reading, it is advisable to play out the plot, discuss it, or draw fragments from the fairy tale.
4. No moralizing. It is necessary to avoid pressure on the child and moralizing from an adult, because the atmosphere during the lesson should be unobtrusive and friendly.
5. Summing up. After reading, you definitely need to analyze the fairy tale, the characters and find out what impression it made on the children.

This method allows you to reveal the baby’s soul, enrich him with knowledge and shape his character. Taking into account all the rules during preparation for the lesson, the leader has the opportunity to achieve their goals and build trusting relationships with their students.

Fairytale therapy in working with school-age children

Fairytale therapy for children school age helps them open up and get rid of troubling problems. For younger schoolchildren, it is recommended to use fairy tales whose plots contain magic, and when working with older students, fairy tales and parables are introduced, because they carry the meaning of life philosophy.

Forms of fairy tale therapy:

• Telling or writing fairy tales. During the story, the child expresses the emotions he feels. Based on this, it is possible to analyze his attitude to a particular event and character. By inviting the student to compose his own fairy tale, the presenter gives the opportunity to develop fantasy and imagination.
• Drawing a fairy tale. This helps to express your attitude towards the work in colors and in some cases is a way of getting rid of fears.
• Making dolls. Creating characters with your own hands allows you to develop finger motor skills and improve attention. When creating a doll, children put their soul into it and think through the order of actions, which trains thinking. Next, the kids play with the characters, can dramatize a fairy tale and take responsibility for the role. This method develops communication skills and enriches the experience of interactions between people.

Fairy tales contribute to the development of personality and consciousness, they make you believe in miracles. By using various forms of conducting classes in their work and using them step by step, parents, teachers or psychologists will be able to develop children’s interest in this type of activity, which will save them from problematic manifestations.

How to use fairy tale therapy when working with teenagers

Adolescence is a stage of life during which personality development occurs. Fairytale therapy for teenagers is a tool that connects their external and inner world. Thanks to fairy tales, young people learn to interact with the world around them, make contact with people and show their individuality.

Work with teenagers is divided into three stages:

1. Initial. At this stage, teenagers come together in a group lesson and the rules of communication are discussed. If the participants do not know each other, then acquaintance occurs at this stage. Fairy tales are chosen to be simple in content and easy to understand, this will encourage children to engage in productive activities. First stage should include a transition to a fairy-tale world through a pre-selected exercise (magic word, counting to a certain number).
2. Main. Work is underway on the identified problem (fighting fears, increasing self-esteem, etc.). Here they use various exercises and play out plots based on the presented fairy tale. Works are selected whose content reveals the problematic nature of the characters, and the struggle with the presented situation must necessarily end positively. Drawing can be included in the main stage, which will help in identifying and overcoming the existing problem.
3. Final. Problem situations and ways to solve them are discussed, and the drawings are interpreted. At the end of the lesson, you must perform a ritual of leaving the fairy-tale world; it can be the same as entering, or you can add something new.

Thus, the method of fairy tale therapy is not limited to correctly selected fairy tales, but largely depends on the potential of adolescents who are attuned to positive result under the influence of a magical atmosphere.

Using fairy tale therapy in working with adults

Today, fairy tale therapy for adults has become popular; it is increasingly preferred in the diagnosis and correction of various diseases.

This type therapy can be used in the following ways:

• Discussion of an already written work. It opens up new facets of possibilities, a person explains the content according to his conviction, which reveals his essence.
• Writing a fairy tale. You can come up with your own work together with a specialist who will help you identify the problematic aspect of the content and get rid of it.
• Playing a fairy tale. With this method, a frightening situation is experienced, which contributes to the splashing out of all internal emotions.

The main aspect in working with fairy tales is awareness, which provides the opportunity to accept and control your mental processes. Entering the magical space allows you to transfer all the troubles and problems onto the characters. Often a person who has used fairytale therapy finds a purpose in life.

Which fairy tales to choose for fairytale therapy

Fairy tales for fairytale therapy are selected taking into account the age and goals of the person. If people have the desire to write a piece of work themselves, then that’s even better.

For children, you need to choose fairy tales that are not free of semantic background, for example:

1. Household fairy tales (“Porridge from an Axe”, “The Ryaba Hen”, “The Master and the Dog”, “Kolobok”, etc.);
2. Fairy tales (“Puss in Boots”, “Daughter and Stepdaughter”, “Morozko”, “Crystal Mountain”, etc.);
3. Cautionary tales (" gold fish", "The Fox and the Crane", "Devil's Tail", "Fedya's Toys", etc.);
4. Heroic tales (“Sivka-Burka”, “Ilya-Muromets”, “Dobrynya and the Serpent”, “Vavila and the buffoons”, etc.).

Stories that are selected for fairytale therapy must clearly distinguish between positive and negative characters; the main characters must face the same problems as children. If they are approximately the same age as the child with whom they are working, then such a fairy tale will be understandable and close to him.

In the selection of works, you can give preference to various types: Russian folk tales, parables, fairy tales of the peoples of the world and author's ones. Best choice may be stories written by psychologists personally, which are aimed at preventing certain problems.

For therapy with adults, you need to choose works that help get rid of inner turmoil. Having decided what the struggle will take place, an appropriate story is selected (to improve relationships, health, financial situation, love, etc.). You can use the books of Rushel Blavo, Razida Tkach, Elfika.

If there is a feeling that the work read finds a response in the soul, then the choice is correct, the person is already halfway to getting rid of the troubles that worry him, as a result of which the acquired knowledge is directed towards the desired result, options are provided on how to get rid of the problematic situation.

How to conduct fairy tale therapy - watch the video:

Fairytale therapy is a pleasant treatment method that helps both children and adults. Its use is not limited to psychologists and psychiatrists, but on the contrary is encouraged in preschool and school pedagogy, and especially in family education.

Fairy tales have existed for thousands of years and occupy a huge place in the lives of people, especially children. Fairy tales are part of children's education - this is important . But recent studies conducted by scientists from all over the world have helped to find out that fairy tales are useful and necessary not only for children, but also for adults. Nowadays it is becoming increasingly popular fairytale therapy for adults. What is fairy tale therapy and how can you use it to become better and happier?

What is fairy tale therapy for adults?

Fairytale therapy was created so that a person could understand his own soul and heal it. Fairy tales contain many important mental processes, and scientists study them from this side. They can have a beneficial effect on the human psyche. Fairytale therapy is good because a person can find himself in it; a fairy tale will certainly touch the necessary strings of his soul. Fairy tales will heal you from anxiety and help you find a way out of a difficult situation.

Benefits of fairy tale therapy for adults

Benefits of fairy tale therapy The list could take a long time. Thanks to fairy tales, a person gains spiritual freedom from his own phobias, obsessive thoughts, negative attitudes. Fairy tales help to understand what life values ​​are dominant for a person and how to live in peace with oneself. Fairy tales are a way to make the right decision and become a full-fledged part of society. With their help, a person gets rid of many of his shortcomings (hatred, envy, greed, etc.). Fairytale therapy helps to normalize or build relationships with people around you. - perhaps the main advantage of fairy tale therapy.

Ways to use fairy tale therapy

Advantages and benefits of fairy tale therapy described how to now use this method for mental well-being? A specialist, after communicating with a person, studying his psychological state and emotional state, chooses one or another method of influencing the client using a fairy tale.

1. You can work with a finished fairy tale, read the story out loud, analyze the words and actions of the main characters, and what consequences these actions led to.
2. You can write an individual fairy tale for a client that specifically addresses his problems and concerns.
3. You can try to create your own fairy tale story, where a person independently touches upon topics that are painful for him and looks for ways to get out of a difficult situation.
4. You can also organize a theatrical production of the story.

How to write your own fairy tale

To write a useful fairy tale yourself, you need to get comfortable, preferably in a place where no extraneous sounds can distract you. You can close your eyes, relax and let your imagination run wild. A person begins fairy tale therapy by imagining a magical land with its special inhabitants. Of all the inhabitants, certain images will periodically appear before his eyes, the most relevant of which will remain, and the rest will dissipate. A person gives the hero certain character traits, abilities and other characteristics. Then the thinking begins on the plot, which is closely related to the internal conflict of the author of the fairy tale. After this, you need to start describing the climax and come up with an ending to the story.

An example of fairy tale therapy:

In this case, the topic of self-confidence is being explored, the person is looking for ways to increase self-esteem.

Once upon a time there was one star in the Universe. She was good, beautiful, smart, but very modest and silent. She grew up surrounded by many other stars. Sometimes she looked at other stars and it seemed to her that they were shining brighter than herself. The star was often sad about this and almost never went to the star balls hosted by the main star in their galaxy...

Fairytale therapy is an opportunity to enrich yourself spiritually, become closer to creativity and solve a problematic situation, so it deserves the attention of adults.

Fairytale therapy and inner peace and silence...

As a rule, when an adult hears the word “fairytale therapy,” the first spontaneous reaction is something like “But I don’t have children!” or “My children have grown up a long time ago and they don’t need fairy tales!” The word “fairy tale” instantly takes a person back to childhood, makes him remember the smell of grandma’s pies on Sundays, the taste of warm milk and cookies before bed and “school” cakes on weekends. The world in childhood was simple and integral, but over the course of life it somehow lost its integrity, and in such a way that we ourselves did not even notice when and how it all happened. It seemed like nothing terrible was happening, nothing out of the ordinary—disappointments common to everyone, losses in some places, gains in others. Somewhere I had to bend my heart a little - but just a little and for the sake of the common good, somewhere I had to close my eyes to something, somewhere I had to come to terms with something and not respond as my feeling demanded self-esteem. Or maybe all this didn’t happen - life just happened, and this life beat us up a little and took its toll on us...

But it would be nice to be back in your naive twelve years, again - to discover everything again, again - not to be afraid of anything and to be sure that you are right. And - so that life experience does not weigh on your shoulders and past disappointments do not interfere with today's happiness. So that you can walk through the puddles with pleasure and not think about how your shoes will get wet, your tights will get dirty, or what others will think, because the water in the puddles is “so warm...”

You will say that these are pipe dreams, that this does not happen, that time cannot be turned back. And all this will be correct. Time really cannot be returned, but you can try to restore the freshness of perception and the integrity of your worldview. Fairy tales can help with this. Strange and paradoxical as it may seem, they are just fairy tales. The ones you read to your children and grandchildren, the ones you write for them and with them. You just need to make a little effort and understand that fairy tales are not for adults and not for children. They are for those who have not yet forgotten how to marvel at a miracle; how to believe that villains will definitely be punished and do everything to ensure that they are punished; who has not yet forgotten that happiness is not only in a career, business, salary, it is in some very simple and ordinary things: in the fact that you come home and someone is glad to see you, to have tea in the evening in peace and a pleasant conversation about anything and everything, so that parents are healthy and children grow up smart and happy... Happiness is when, like Clive Lewis, “a burning fireplace, old worn slippers and - more You don’t need anything.” Happiness is when children are happy not because you gave them money for ice cream or a new car, but because you are going to the zoo with them. Happiness is when it is good where we are, and not where we are not. For happiness, in essence, you need very, very little: peace of mind and peace in the family. This is quite a bit and this is so easy to achieve, but for some reason this is exactly what so many of us don’t have... And how often do we ourselves disturb this peace, bringing in everything that irritated and oppressed us during the day, getting irritated with those who are nearby who loves and who therefore cannot answer... How often in our house there is no peace, no peace, no silence, but we have no one to blame but ourselves...

Entropy of the soul

One day, Maxwell's gatekeepers went on strike in one heart. There were two of them: one older, the other younger, and it was they who decided who and when to open the door to the human heart.

Usually the older one opened the door for all the affairs and worries that tried to get into the soul, and the younger one opened the door for those who tried to leave the soul. The older gatekeeper was more experienced and wiser and did not let everyone who knocked on the door inside. The younger gatekeeper was more cheerful and reckless, and he let anyone who wanted to get out free at any time of the day or night. This is how they managed to achieve peace and balance in the human heart between good and evil, peace and turmoil. Cares and anxieties could not always get into him, but they could leave a person at his first desire, no one was holding them back.

Everyone got used to this and no one thought about what keeps order in the human soul.

But suddenly they went on strike. Why, why? Unknown. They didn't explain anything. They just stopped opening and closing doors. They opened the bolts, greased the hinges, and sat down to drink tea and play dominoes.

At first the human heart rejoiced. He's been tired of these grumblers for a long time. One barely let him in, reluctantly, as if doing hard work, constantly commenting and expressing his opinion where he was not asked at all. Another, on the contrary, released it immediately, at the first request, without giving the opportunity to admire, savor this or that thought before releasing it to freedom.

“Now I can decide for myself when and who to let in and out,” my heart rejoiced, admiring how the doors open and close in the wind.

“Now I can easily get into the human heart,” Vanity of Vanities rejoiced, whom until now the senior gatekeeper had not only not allowed in, but had not even allowed to just look over the threshold.

“Now we can calmly leave and return at any time convenient for us,” rejoiced various thoughts and little thoughts that always lacked air in the human heart and therefore they sought to get out at least for a short time - to breathe, to smoke. But they couldn’t get back: the harmful gatekeeper wouldn’t let them in, he drove them away.

What chaos began here at the door!... Thoughts and little thoughts ran back and forth like herds of heffalumps of different calibers. Sometimes they got stuck in the doors and created a small jam there. There was a lot of noise, but the gatekeepers did not hear anything; they played dominoes and sipped tea and sugar (wherever they managed to get lump sugar according to our modern life?). Vanity and vanity settled firmly in the heart and brought a lot of noise and din into the chaos that reigned around. It was simply impossible to hear anything in this bedlam.

It was impossible to hear, so no one heard how quietly the heart cried. My heart cried and grieved because it realized too late that it simply did not know how to operate doors. It can neither open nor close them. The doors lived their own lives and did not obey the desires of the heart. The heart grieved because the former order was replaced by entropy. Entropy of the soul. And entropy is destructive to the human heart. The heart cried because it wanted the gatekeepers to return to their work, but in this noise they could not hear the tears of the heart and continued to drink tea and play dominoes... Difficult times came. Difficult and sad...

Fairytale therapy and self-knowledge...

An adult is essentially the same as a child, only this child has forgotten the sense of freedom that he had as a child. A psyche overloaded with problems, a constantly turned-on mind tuned to the materiality of existence, do not provide the opportunity to express one’s feelings, deplete internal resources and a person often finds himself on the verge nervous breakdown. One of the ways to return the Joy of Life to a person is fairytale therapy. You can use different fairy tales for fairytale therapy, both folk and original, specially developed psychocorrective and meditative fairy tales. Fairy tales calm you down, relieve stress, help you relax and calmly, a little detachedly, think about existing problems and the current situation.

You can read fairy tales yourself and try to comprehend the true meaning hidden behind the images familiar from childhood. You can read fairy tales to your children, listening attentively to the text being read and thinking about it long after the fairy tale has ended, the tired child has fallen asleep, the “Time” program has already been watched, but your favorite series has not yet started. Fairy tales can be composed independently or with some help from a fairytale therapist.

Writing your own fairy tales is the basis of fairy tale therapy for adults. While composing a fairy tale, an adult involuntarily reveals feelings and experiences that he himself is not always aware of or is simply embarrassed to admit to them, much less discuss them with anyone. Writing your own fairy tale is a kind of unmistakable test for identifying your attitude and sense of yourself in this world. When writing a fairy tale, it is almost impossible to lie. Your true attitude towards people, towards the world, towards yourself will definitely manifest itself in one way or another in your fairy tale. Try to compose a fairy tale, if it turns out to be joyful, it means that you are ready to make your life happy. And yet, a fairy tale can help with the most important thing - to understand who you are and what you are looking for in this world...

Temples of the Great City

"The seat of the Spirit is His temple..."

What is a temple - dead stones or a living spirit?.. What makes cold stones hot and so desirable - the beauty of their decoration or the warmth of human hands and the heat of hearts that put themselves into finishing it?

Sweat, blood, sleepless nights, confusion of spirit, suffering, sorrows and joys brought under the stone arches of majestic cathedrals, sincerity of heartfelt emotion and simplicity of prayers raised to heaven, sincere repentance - this, and not gold and precious stones, illuminates and protects the temple of God both from worldly vanity and from the decay of the earth...

Raising spiers and domes into the sky - they stand, the majestic and silent temples of the Great City... Erected by the cruel will of a spirit striving for light, they are alien to a calm and well-fed life, alien to tranquility, tranquility and complacency... The Great City gives shelter to everything new and unusual and its temples are consecrated by the flight of the human soul. Terrible in their grandeur, darkened by harsh winds, strict and restrained, they guard the streets of the Great City, attracting all those who suffer, pointing the way either to the eternal gray steel sky, or to the kingdom of the demanding and living Spirit...

They have great wisdom and understanding that one cannot follow a bad path without betraying oneself, understanding that the main thing in human life is comprehension of oneself and loyalty to one’s true essence, to the Divine breath embedded in the dust of the earth.

“The ability to think correctly is more important than the ability to find the right answers” ​​- many centuries before Christianity, the philosopher formulated the essence of the human path... Finding the right answer is not always important, not always possible and not always necessary. It is much more difficult and important to ask correct question. The only important one, the search for an answer to which you can devote a good bit of your life. The only question you need to ask...

"The world is divided into the real and the visible..."

"Seek and you will find..."

"I did not bring peace, but a sword..."

“My temple will be called the temple of prayer...”

"Where two or three are gathered together in My name..."

And in the silence and twilight of the temple, a person learns to see with his heart, not to rush with an emotional impulse, a well-aimed word, quick condemnation and categorical rejection. One learns to see and hear not words, but their essence, to see not the fragile outer shell, but what it hides from an inattentive, cursory glance - that inner essence, which is the only true one, both in a person and in any thing... Seeing the inner , abstract from the external; penetrating into the main thing, sweeping aside meaningless details, the only purpose of which is to protect from an idle and unkind gaze... To understand those who are nearby, to understand oneself...

Fairytale therapy and trust...

It is unusual for adults to trust other adults. Often they do not even trust themselves, building a kind of “tower of Ivory", which protects very well from invaders, but in which life is very boring and monotonous. Moreover, rats, mice and cockroaches, which tend to live in closed human dwellings, can turn out to be much worse than any, the most unexpected encounters.

The problem of trust is one of the most difficult psychological problems. The most difficult and most urgent. The problem of trust must be solved, otherwise life may lose all meaning or become very scant and limited. The process of restoring trust consists of overcoming the power of the past over oneself, overcoming the fear of repeating the same pain, having once experienced which I was barely able to piece myself together.

The most difficult thing is that the process of restoring trust is a long process, it takes some time, during which people do not stop deceiving you. It is possible that again betrayed trust is when a person - accidentally or intentionally - stirred up something that was hidden behind seven locks and the pain that you once experienced again hit you in the heart, in the eyes, tore your entire being into pieces and you understood that again - alone, again - defenseless in this world and nothing can protect you: damned humanity and the deceptive warmth of human relationships seeps through the strongest walls, it seemed, only to weaken your vigilance and whip you. Ruthless. Backhand. To the very core and depth. Precise and soulless...

And it doesn’t matter why the person deceived your expectations: on purpose, after preparing for a long time, by accident, out of stupidity, wanting to do good... Your whole being shrinks into a ball from a terrible, overshadowing pain and frantically repeats: deceived, deceived, deceived... again, again, again... You felt safe and relaxed, but you were hit, killed, destroyed...

And the only desire that lives in you is to turn around, like a compressed spring, and whip back. So that there, at the other pole of human relationships, they also shrink into a ball. So that they can see their ghosts there too, depriving them of sleep, peace and reason...

Everything has died inside you and only you can decide whether you will live on... Will you be able and want to hear and see the one who made you relive this hell... Even if he is not to blame. Even if it’s not your fault at all... Because now the subconscious fear of going through everything again will always live inside you: if you hit once, it will hit you again... and what if it wasn’t an accident... and why is all this necessary...

And if you stop trusting, then you stop trusting everyone, and first of all yourself - because you know what no one else can know - you know why and what you are afraid of and why it hurts so much. You don’t trust everyone except one or two of those closest to you, who may have caused a lot of pain, but who will never give you up to the will of others, and, most importantly, to the will of yourself. Who may be your worst enemies and your worst friends, but you, like Scarlett, say to yourself “I’ll think about it tomorrow”, I’ll think about it later, when I can again do the painful operation called “piecing myself together”, to regain the vague outlines of a person...

However, trust is perhaps the only thing for which it is still worth taking the trouble and building some kind of personal relationship with all the ensuing issues and consequences... Trust is the highest value that measures relationships between people, unmistakably dividing the world into its own and strangers. Therefore, you need to restore lost trust in all possible ways, and even better, try in every way to preserve it, not to lose it, not to squander it on trifles. Because when we trust, the world for us is colorful, diverse, and fascinating. When we trust, we can admire the stars, enjoy the beauty of nature, taste the beauty of human relationships, rejoice in our inner freedom and independence, enjoy today, not be sad about the past and not worry too much about the future.

A very short fairy tale

Once upon a time there lived a cat. He loved to fight and really wanted to have friends. He loved to fight because when he was a little kitten, children often pulled him by the tail, and adult cats constantly chased him so that he would not get under their feet. Therefore, when he grew up, learned to scratch and bite, he really liked to prove to everyone around him that he was stronger, more agile and faster. But he also really wanted to have friends.

One day he met a little bird.

“I’m looking for friends, let’s be friends,” the bird told him.

But the Cat didn’t believe her, tensed his paws and was just about to rush at the bird when it flapped its wings and flew away.

But why? After all, the Cat wanted to be friends so much... And also - he wanted to be the most dexterous, the fastest and the strongest... And - so that everyone knew about it...

Fairytale therapy and all the colors of the world...

A fairy tale allows you to accomplish another important task - it gives you a reason to reconsider the philosophy of your life, an opportunity to think, no matter how banal it may sound, about the eternal, an opportunity to appreciate everything that you have and what you strive for. The fairy tale appeals to our subconscious, and it is in the subconscious that most of our problems lurk, as well as their possible solutions. It is the information hidden in the subconscious that guides the course of our lives and it is with it that we need to work if you want to change something in your life. And a fairy tale can truly do a miracle - it can “pull” to the surface part of what is in the subconscious, help you realize what is tormenting you and understand how to deal with it.

So, an adult also needs a fairy tale in his life, it helps:

a) restore lost faith in miracles;

b) restore the damaged integrity of the soul;

c) turn to your subconscious in search of answers to vital questions (remember the sage: “A person cannot ask a question to which he does not know the answer”);

d) make explicit the problems that exist at the moment and thanks to the fairy tale “lose” possible options their decisions;

e) makes it possible to live to the end of situations that torment a person precisely because of their incompleteness and thus free oneself from their power;

f) restore lost relationships with others, first of all, with your own children

and this is far from full list what a fairy tale can do when legally returned to our lives, however, even the above is already enough to give it a residence permit in our soul, in our heart and in our consciousness...

For centuries, the older generation told the younger generation fairy tales, epics, all kinds of parables, etc. At the same time, they remain not only a means of entertainment and leisure, but also the transmission of life experience, rules of behavior and foundations formed in society. Fairytale therapy is also a method of treatment.

Fairytale therapy - what is it?

We are talking about a method that allows a person to develop creative abilities, expand consciousness, learn to interact constructively with the outside world and overcome internal fears and complexes. as a method of psychological correction, it was studied by many famous psychologists - Freud, Zinkevich-Evstigneeva, Lisina, Vachkov, etc. A fairy tale is of particular importance for a child, because an epic told at the right time can have the same effect as a psychological consultation for an adult.

Fairytale therapy in psychology

Fairy tale treatment helps a professional solve his daily problems. Fairytale therapy in psychotherapy is not just a special direction, but contains the achievements of pedagogy, psychology, psychotherapy, philosophy and traditions of many cultures. A variety of problems of children and adults - aggressiveness, isolation, phobias, fears and others - can be corrected by fairy tales. Metaphor plays a special role in the psychological impact. The effectiveness of fairy tale therapy depends on a precisely selected metaphor.

At the same time, for each client a genre corresponding to his problem is selected - detective, love story, fantasy, legend, epic, myth, etc. When working with a child, there is no need to analyze anything and draw conclusions: the work happens on a subconscious, internal level. At the same time, the specialist eliminates not the symptoms of the problem, but the cause itself, and this is the main advantage of fairy tale therapy.

Fairytale therapy - types of fairy tales

Fairy tales are divided by genre, by specific children's problems, etc. The following types of fairy tale therapy are distinguished:

• didactic tales;
• psychocorrectional;
• psychotherapeutic;
• meditative.

T.D. Zinkevich-Evstigneeva also includes folk, artistic, and original folk inventions in this list. Folk myths include myths and legends in which magic and miracles contribute, animals instill compassion, and all kinds of horror stories help to prepare and endure life’s adversities with firmness. Works of fiction contain all the experience and achievements of past generations, and the author's inventions help those who have lost hope and do not see a way out of the current situation.

Psychological tales

These types of fairy tales take on the following functions:

1. Raising a child. Through what he hears, the baby learns to live in society, adopts the rules and norms of behavior accepted in society, and learns moral imperatives.
2. Psychological fairy tales for adults teach responsibility, perseverance in the face of life's adversities, and care for others. After all, in such stories, good always triumphs over evil, but the main character has to work hard for the truth to triumph.
3. They are a tool of narrative – storytelling. At the same time, the listener superimposes the story of someone else’s life onto the scenario of his own, which forms the correct model of behavior.
4. Psychotherapy. Fairytale therapy helps a person get rid of problems.

Psychotherapeutic tales

These stories reveal the deeper meaning of the events taking place and help to look at the situation from a different angle. They don't always have a happy ending, but the meaning is always heartfelt and insightful. Such techniques of fairy tale therapy make a person think about the meaning of life, attitude towards loved ones and his soulmate, problems of death and existence, etc. The specialist uses such stories in cases where others do not produce results. By philosophizing on the chosen topic, it is possible to achieve the desired effect.

Psychocorrectional tales

The method helps the child understand his problem and find a constructive way out of it. When creating a story, it is based on an identical problem, but not directly similar to the existing one. During the course of the story, a substitute experience emerges, which the psychologist offers to the child to solve his problem. Those who are interested in what types of fairy tales the specialist uses can answer that in the plot main character always faces the same problem as the child. As a result, he finds the right solution, copes with difficulties and learns a lesson from his actions.

Meditative tales

Just by the name it is easy to understand that such stories are akin to meditation. They are read by creating certain conditions: dimming the lights, turning on music suitable for relaxation and taking a comfortable position. This technique of fairy tale therapy allows you to completely immerse yourself in the process to accumulate positive imaginative experience, get rid of psycho-emotional stress and create a better model of relationships, develop personal potential. A distinctive feature of this type of fairy tale is the complete absence of evil heroes and conflicts.

Didactic fairy tale

This type is the simplest and most unobtrusive. It is often used when working with preschoolers and primary schoolchildren. Fairytale therapy methods in this case have the goal of imparting to the child some new skill, knowledge or ability. A small task that the child completes at home helps to consolidate the result. Didactic fairy tales can also be intended for adults, for example, talking about the need to protect themselves. But they are mainly used in relation to children, helping them learn politeness and tact, learn traffic rules, etc.

Fairytale therapy for adults

You can work with a fairy tale in a variety of ways:

1. Discuss an existing epic.
2. Write a fairy tale yourself.
3. Dramatize an already written story. That is, act it out like in a theater.
4. Express your emotions with paper, brushes and paints.

Fairytale therapy as a method of psychocorrection great importance gives to writing, so-called client fairy tales. In this case, the writing of the story itself is carried out in three stages:

1. Slowdown. This creative process is designed to calm and motivate a person to write a story. The psychologist may suggest that he take a little break and draw a picture, do some appliqué, or work with clay. Reading a specially selected fairy tale also helps to get in the mood.
2. Writing a story. Fairytale therapy is the direct transfer of one’s emotions, feelings, and experiences onto paper, expressed in the form of magical creativity.
3. Reading the story, finishing. At this stage, the client reads his story to the specialist, and then together they figure out what the meaning of the plot is and what the person wanted to say.

Examples of fairy tales for adults:

Psychology of the victim - fairy tale therapy for adults

There are many manuals and techniques that use fairy tale therapy to help people with victim behavior attitudes. This kind of fairytale therapy for women is of particular interest. The famous author M. Odintsova called her book: “The Psychology of the Victim. Fairytale therapy for adults." In her work, she explains the very concept of “victim” and describes how such a model of behavior suppresses personal potential, preventing development and growth. The goal of fairy tale therapy is to overcome defeatist psychology and reach a new – constructive level of life creativity.

Fairytale therapy - self-confidence

Unconfident people are simply uninformed, because uncertainty is ignorance. However, it is impossible to directly dictate rules of behavior and say: “Do this and do that,” because this will cause a backlash. Fairytale therapy with adults and young children is about pushing a person to change. The fairy tale does not impose or dictate anything, but simply offers different ways to solve the problem.

Fairytale therapy in business

The practice of fairy tale therapy bears fruit not only in education, psychology, but also in professional activities. At various trainings and seminars, experts cite fairy tales as examples that teach how to communicate with colleagues and partners. The relevance of fairy tale therapy remains high, because it is a powerful tool for doing business. Fairy-tale stories illustrate the basic principles of teamwork, help to understand the destructiveness of manipulation techniques, etc. With their help, you can form a personal and team brand, promote your product or service on the market.

Fairy tale therapy - books

Popular publications include:

1. “Fairy tale therapy: Development of self-awareness through a psychological fairy tale” I.V. Vachkova. His books on fairy tale therapy are intended for teachers, psychotherapists, and students. They help develop potential abilities, realize dreams, and acquire knowledge that will help in life.
2. “Fairy tales and fairy tale therapy” by D. Sokolov. The book was written by a therapist by profession and a storyteller by life. The stories told are based on psychological theories and psychotherapeutic techniques that the author worked on himself. Many of them were used in real therapeutic work with patients.
3. “Psychotherapeutic fairy tales and games” by S.A. Chernyaeva. The publication contains fairy tales and guidelines on working with them. Examples of work and descriptions of games that can be used in psychotherapy are provided. Fairytale therapy can help parents with problem children, psychologists, teachers, etc.

The book by the famous St. Petersburg doctor and storyteller contains his fairy tales that help people cope with difficult situations for them - family problems, loss of loved ones, discover new strengths in themselves and find inner harmony. Andrey Vladimirovich Gnezdilov - St. Petersburg psychiatrist, doctor medical sciences, honorary doctor of the University of Essex in England, author of several collections of fairy tales, known to many as Doctor Baloo.

These unusual tales are therapeutic. They will take you to a mysterious and mysterious, bizarre and wondrous world. Everything described in these stories is reality, but reality is not external, but internal, psychological. Our thoughts, feelings, unrealized aspirations, impressions of relationships and travel become heroes.

The book will be of interest not only to specialists, but also to a wide range of readers.

The book is devoted to the practice of using games in the context of fairy tale therapy.

The authors talk about how to create games for working with children and teenagers; what games to use in various situations of counseling and psychocorrection; which game exercises offer “special” children in the process of developing social skills; how to teach a child the basics of literacy in a sandbox.

The book will be useful to both psychologists and parents.

A number of materials presented in this book were previously partially published in the collection “Workshop on Creative Therapy.”

A few words about the game................................................... ................. 5

Play therapy...................................................................................11

1. Play therapy and psychoanalysis .............................................. 13

2. Response play therapy....................................................14

3. Game therapy for building relationships....................................15

4. Non-directive play therapy...............................................16

5. Play therapy in school settings....................................17

Fairytale play therapy .......................................................................21

Gaming workshop................................................... ...................33

1. The art of debate................................................... ...............33

2. Six hats................................................... ....................48

3. “Magic Circle” ................................................... .............63

4. “Canvas of Happiness” .................................................... ...............89

Play therapy with children with developmental problems and disabilities....................... 100

1. Games with buttons.................................................... .......... 101

2. Fishing........................................................ ........................... 103

3. Aquarium........................................................ ....................... 103

4. Button necklace.................................................... ....... 104

5. Button Lotto................................................... ...............105

Games with matches..............................................................................111

1. Familiar stranger.................................................... ....... 111

2. The story of one match.................................................... ...... 112

3. Match pattern................................................... ............... 113

Communication games .................................................................... 115

1. An ordinary miracle.................................................... .......... 115

2. Stone and rope................................................... ............... 118

3. Magic hands.................................................... .............. 120

4. Clay and the sculptor................................................... ............ 121

5. Group sculpture.................................................... ......122

6. Wonderful pies.................................................... ............. 123

7. My palm................................................... .................... 124

8. Friend's palm................................................... ................... 125

Sandbox games...............................................................................128

General principles of interaction with the client.............................130

1. Projective psychodiagnostics in the sandbox....................................141

2. Series of games “Sand Letter” ..................................................... 175

3. Educational games.................................................... .......199

4. History of Russia in sand games....................................................202

5. Game-excursion around St. Petersburg....................................207

The purpose of this book is to introduce parents (present and future), teachers, educators, psychologists and other specialists in a fun way to the latest system of creative development, training, correction and personality adaptation. It will help you learn about “fairytale” techniques for communicating with a child, a teenager, or yourself; will talk about writing, rewriting and adding to fairy tales, about making special dolls for the home theater, about various forms of staging performances, about cooperative game in the sandbox and sand therapy technology, about meditations on fairy tales and other interesting things. Using the material from the book, specialists will be able to create their own fairytale therapy courses for children, adolescents and adults. Undoubtedly, the book will become a reference book for a wide range of readers.

Introduction........................................................ .....eleven

Chapter 1. The origins of magic The merits of fairy tales..........15

How a fairy-tale plot is built......23

Variety of fairy tale forms................34

Areas of fairy tale therapy, forms of working with fairy tales.................................47

Chapter 2. Elements of practical fairy tale therapy

Creating a fairytale environment. Introducing a Child to Fairytale Land...............123

Lesson scenarios. The first two journeys...................134

Registration methods...................................151

Chapter 3. New developments Staging fairy tales on the sand...................159

Systematization of observations and further “steps” ......179

Conclusion...................185

References...............189

Applications Holy water...................191

Fairytale therapeutic theatrical games (scenarios).......237

Let the fairy tale come true...................282

Playful fairytale therapy for “special” children (to help speech pathologists and parents)...293

Didactic games aimed at correcting the emotional sphere of “special” children........299

Scenario for the lesson “Journey to the world of fairy tales”...................................337

Fairy tales: secret meaning and philosophical significance.............342