In my practice as a community counselor, I often find stories help me reveal slippery truths to my clients. Sometimes I tell the story and ask the client for an interpretation. On many occasions the "live" client can process the issues of the story's character but not his or her own issues. In this way the story acts as a fictional mirror for the client, reflecting back some piece of his or her real-life struggle. It is not unusual for a client to gain a new perspective on his or her issues vicariously from the properly placed story.
Some of the best known stories in our W e s t e r n culture are the parables Jesus used to make powerful points with his audiences. Whether the visual was a lost coin, a lost sheep, or a lost son, Jesus grabbed the listener's attention with a common-word picture, and from these simple strands wove a moral "basket'' that held a living truth. In a sense, Jesus taught spiritual issues by analogy to earthly issues. This is how I see the use of poignant stories in therapy: They allow the client to go out of his or her currently stuck mind-set and observe a similar situation being resolved. Ideally, the knowledge gained by following the anaIogy will transfer back into the client's issue.
Below are several selections of stories that work to clearly illustrate several different points. The first focuses on how even a very tiny thing can poison someone. The next is an affirmation of hope. The third relates visually what happens when a person's absolute values are slightly off. The last two stories hold two tortured riddles about bitterness. It is hoped that the reader will make the transfer of the stories' lessons into clients' lives.
BUT IT'S JUST A LITTLE THING One of my favorite stories is a factual account of a former student we'll call "Mary.