FABULOUS STORY AS A CASE

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

FAIRY TALE HISTORY AS A CASE: PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF FAIRY TALE HEROES

… someday you will grow up to a day like this

when you start reading fairy tales again.

Clive Lewis. The Chronicles of Narnia

All fairy tales turn out to be true if you can read them.

Our book with Natalya Olifirovich was published by the Academic Project Publishing House "Fabulous stories through the eyes of a psychotherapist." The book is very important to me. I wanted to catch up again to write about our vision of a fairy tale and our approach to the psychological analysis of fairytale characters, implemented in this book.

A fairy tale can be viewed as the life story of a fairy tale hero. If we consider this story from the point of view of psychology, and its hero as a client, then we can talk about a fairy tale as a story of the client's life.

In this story, there is almost always a client (hero) who has a psychological problem, there is a history of this problem (anamnesis), there is a process of solving it (psychotherapy) and there is a rescuer (psychotherapist).

The phenomena described in the tale are analyzed and analyzed in the context of the events occurring with the hero of the tale. At the same time, we consider all fabulous events not literally, but as metaphors.

Let's consider more meaningfully the highlighted components using the example of the fairy-tale heroes described in the book.

THE HERO AND HIS PROBLEM (PSYCHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS)

Problems of the heroes of the fairy tale, as a rule, of the following three types: situationally conditioned, conditioned by the structure of the hero's personality, conditioned by fixation in development.

Situational problems associated with an unexpected situation in the life of the hero. An example would be Antoine Saint Exupery's fairy tale "The Little Prince". The hero finds himself in a situation of life crisis, which in the fairy tale is presented in the metaphor of a broken plane “Something broke in the engine”. Another version of the described situation is presented in the fairy tale "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen. Kai's story is an example of the aftermath of a traumatic event. In this case, narcissistic trauma. Highlighted stories are examples of problems associated with acute trauma.

Problems caused by personality structure are the "application" of the character's characteristics of the hero. There are many more such stories. This is the story of Nastya (Morozko), Cinderella (Cinderella), Alyonushka (Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka), Rapunzel (Rapunzel), The Little Mermaid (Little Mermaid), the Ugly Duckling (Ugly Duckling) …

Here we encounter another type of trauma - chronic trauma, or developmental trauma. Developmental trauma is the result of chronic frustration of early childhood needs - security, acceptance, unconditional love. In fairy tales, we can observe both the consequences of the action of a single trauma - rejection (Nastenka), and the result due to a whole complex of traumas: rejection, rejection, devaluation, ignorance … (The Ugly Duckling).

Developmental fixation problems. The problems of some heroes are the result of their inability to solve the problems of their personal development. So, for example, the problems of Rapunzel, the Dead Princess are the result of their failure to solve the problem of separation from the mother's figure.

HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM (PSYCHOLOGICAL ANAMNESIS)

Despite the fact that the narration in the fairy tale is conducted in the present tense, in the fairy tale story one can find the origins of the actual problem of the hero. In some stories, you can see a detailed description of those life events of the hero, which were the reason for the formation of his certain characterology. An example is Andersen's fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling", which describes the traumatic relationship (rejection, depreciation, rejection), which became the reason for the formation of a diffuse identity and low self-esteem in the hero. In the fairy tale Cinderella from the fairy tale of the same name by C. Perrault, the unfavorable situation of the development of the heroine is also described in detail with her constant devaluation and humiliation by her inner circle, which led to the formation of her inadequate self-esteem.

In most fairy tales, we can guess about such an unfavorable situation in the development of the hero. This is communicated in the tale through metaphor - mother-stepmother (Nastenka, Cinderella, Dead Princess, Rapunzel), adoptive father (Panda, Tailung "Kung Fu Panda"), absence of mother (Vasilisa "Kashchei the Immortal).

PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS (PSYCHOTHERAPY)

In fairy tales, which is especially valuable, contains not only the process of forming a certain problem of the hero, but also contains a description of ways to solve this problem. This process usually consists of a number of stages and is not easy. The hero needs to overcome a number of difficulties in order to reach a happy outcome - to defeat all enemies, free the princess from captivity (tower), wear down more than one pair of boots …

RESCUEER (PSYCHOTHERAPIST)

In fairy tales, you can find different options for rescuers - psychotherapists. Often in fairy tales, the role of the rescuer is delegated to the hero's partner (Shrek, Gerda).

Fairy Godmother (Cinderella) often plays this role.

In the course of the plot, the dead Princess initially goes through the process of initiation among seven heroes, and later her betrothed prince Elisha is engaged in her revival.

Sometimes a supportive, empathic environment (The Ugly Duckling) acts as such a therapist for the fairytale hero.

Another option for psychotherapeutic assistance is self-therapy - the hero's actions - feats (Kung Fu Panda).

Some fairy tales describe in great detail the stages of the work of a rescuer (psychotherapist). We can observe various options for psychotherapeutic assistance - from magical actions (Fairy Godmother in Cinderella) to complex, consistent help (Gerda in the Snow Queen). So Gerda, in order to save Kai from the ice captivity, it is necessary to perform many successive feats - therapeutic efforts.

EXAMPLE OF A PROPOSED ANALYSIS MODEL: GERDA'S THERAPEUTIC JOURNEY

As a concrete example of the analysis model considered in the article, let us turn to the fairy tale The Snow Queen.

The fairytale hero (Kai) has psychological problems. We can observe the symptoms of a traumatic client in him: anesthesia, alexithymia, dissociation of the emotional and cognitive spheres, obsession. It is the result of a narcissistic trauma - a trauma of depreciation that the hero falls into as a teenager. In the fairy tale, this trauma is presented in the form of a metaphor - fragments from the "crooked" mirror of an evil troll, which fell into his eyes and heart.

Gerda is Kai's friend and acts as a rescuer-therapist. The tale describes in detail the successive stages of her therapeutic work. The result of this work is the healing of Kai's trauma.

Gerda's journey to save Kai can be seen as a metaphor for therapy. We consider this story to be a good illustration of the specifics of the therapist's work with narcissistically traumatized clients. Such a client, despite the seeming availability for the therapist, is really in another world - the “world of the Snow Queen”, and it is very difficult to reach him. Freezing, anesthesia, alexithymia, splitting are the only way for a given client to preserve his conditionally integral identity, leaving the appearance of life. Losing sensitivity is a way to deal with severe trauma. This applies to all the components of his identity: the self-concept, the concept of the Other, the concept of the World. Kai does not feel his I (no feelings, desires), body (he is without clothes in the icy cold), is not sensitive to the Other (indifferent to Gerda, who is trying to save him) and to the world around him (he is busy with abstract activities and does not notice anything around except for ice pieces).

Gerda's difficult journey to save Kai illustrates the various obstacles that exist in the therapy of a narcissistically traumatized client. Gerda's meetings on the way to rescue Kai with various characters can, in our opinion, be viewed as contact with various aspects of the client's I split off as a result of trauma. It is no coincidence that in Andersen's story, Gerda does not meet with the real Kai throughout the entire journey (with the exception of the final meeting), but only with his “narcissistic counterparts” - the phenomena generated by his transformed identity.

Gerda's first meeting on the path to healing Kai happens with a woman who knew how to conjure, who has a garden full of flowers. This meeting reflects the stage of interaction with the client, which we called illusion of the well-being of the world. At the first meeting, a client with a narcissistic trauma, like a narcissist, presents his false, illusory world, hiding a “heart wounded by a splinter”. This false world is an opportunity for shelter and protection from re-traumatization, a way to avoid painful experiences.

However, the therapist always follows deeper the signs-symptoms, which simultaneously hide and show traces of the past experience. So Gerda finds a painted rose, which revives the associative array "rose - Kai". She tries to find real roses, but only her tears falling to the ground lead to the revival of rose bushes. Gerda's tears metaphorically refer us to the idea of the therapist's sensitivity, his ability to present his experiences in tune with the client's experiences. It is the therapist's authenticity that is a prerequisite for embarking on the journey to the client's traumatized self. As a result of this work, the first encounter with the real world of the narcissistically traumatized client takes place, which does not resemble the oasis of well-being he created. The therapeutic task of this stage is to help the client in meeting the real world, with its diversity, complexity, ambiguity, with its many colors and shades.

Gerda's next meeting describes another trap that a therapist can fall into, which we have named as illusion of well-being I … Gerda meets a crow and tells him the story of her search for Kai. In response, the raven reports that he saw Kai. All is well with him and he is going to marry the princess. Gerda decides to check it herself, sneaks into the princess's bedroom and discovers that this is not Kai, but another person. In real therapy, the client also presents his prosperous double and often appears before the therapist as a "prince" with everything in perfect order. By losing his vigilance, mistaking the artful façade for the real self, the therapist may decide that the client no longer needs his help. Indeed, narcissistically traumatized clients often present in contact the grandiose, idealized pole of their self. The client charms the therapist, and the latter may mistake his grandiose self for reality - it is no coincidence that Gerda almost mistook the prince for Kai.

For the therapist, who is faced with such manifestations of the client at this stage of therapy, delicate and careful work is important, since frontal penetration from the "front door" actualizes the action of psychological defenses. In Andersen's story, Gerd makes his way to the imaginary Kai from the back door under cover of night and finds him sleeping. A sleeping person is defenseless, which in the context of therapy means a weakening of defense mechanisms and the ability to see a person as he is. This is the debunking of another illusion, illusions of the false self, which is the first step towards meeting the real self of the client through rejection of the phantom not-self. Vigilance and flexibility are the therapist's resources at this stage of the work. Vigilance allows you to look behind the facade, not taking on faith the demonstrated well-being of the client, flexibility - the ability to change strategies and tactics in finding points of contact with him.

However, the situation where the therapist finds the client “naked” generates a lot of shame in the client. The client can “seduce” the therapist by continuing to pretend that everything is in order, and try to stop the therapist in his further advance, inviting Gerda, as in Andersen's story, to “stay in the palace as long as she wishes”.

Gerda does not give in to the next tricks and again goes in search of Kai. In the forest, robbers attack her, take away all her things, and Gerda herself becomes a prisoner of the Little Robber. The little robber is an aggressive, capricious, spoiled girl. At first, she threatens to kill Gerda, but in the end changes her anger to mercy and even helps her in the search for Kai. Thus, unless the therapist stops at the previous stage, described as illusion of well-being I, and does not give in to the client's attempts to charm and seduce him, breaks through to his shame, then inevitably faces the latter's aggression. We called this stage in our work "Illusion of destructiveness".

At this stage, the client himself and his methods of contact with the Other become extremely destructive and destructive. Aggression is the first feeling that a narcissistically traumatized client has, and it is this that carries the "load" of all other experiences. Love, affection, tenderness, envy, desire - everything is expressed through aggression. So, the Little Robber has warm feelings for Gerda, but at the same time, hugging the heroine with one hand, she holds a knife in the other and promises to stab her if she moves. Likewise, the Little Robber interacts with her mother, with a reindeer, and her other little animals.

The emergence of aggression is a positive moment in therapy. The therapist must understand that, despite all the destructiveness of the client, the fragility of the contact and various difficulties in interaction, through the opportunity to show aggression, sensitivity returns to that. A therapeutic mistake would be to literally understand the therapist's aggression and reactive behavior. In view of this, the therapist's interventions should not contain retaliatory aggression. At this stage of the work, there are two main types of interventions: mirroring what is happening and supporting the client in his expression of feelings. So, Gerda, who retells the story of Kai several times and does not respond with aggression to aggression, seeks to establish good contact with the Little Robber, which ultimately helps the heroine go further in search of Kai. In therapy, this is a testament to a good working alliance and the client's willingness to move forward on the path to re-sensing their self.

The above stage of work is very energy consuming for the therapist. He has to hold on to, contain a number of his own reactions and experiences. The client here can be very destructive, and often the therapist himself needs help, transforming, as K. G. Jung, the "wounded healer". The supervisor can provide this assistance to the therapist. Laplandka and Finka are just such assistants (supervisors) in our history. Laplandka warms, feeds and gives water to Gerda. Finka returns her self-confidence, informing her that she cannot make Gerda stronger than she is in reality: “Can't you see how great her strength is? Can't you see that both people and animals serve her? After all, she walked around half the world barefoot! It is not for us to borrow her strength! Strength is in her sweet, innocent childish heart."

Thus, in order to help the client regain his sensitivity, the therapist must be sensitive to himself. An environmentally friendly treatment of one's own experiences, attention to one's feelings, is a necessary condition for working with clients with narcissistic trauma, especially in the initial stages of returning their sensitivity.

Having received support from Laplandka and Finka, our heroine finds herself in the halls of the Snow Queen. Andersen gives a masterful metaphorical description of the traumatic world: “How cold, how deserted it was in those white, brightly sparkling halls! The fun never came in here! … Cold, deserted, dead and grandiose! … Kai turned completely blue, almost blackened from the cold, but did not notice it - the kisses of the Snow Queen made him insensitive to the cold, and his very heart became a piece of ice.

Further in the tale follows a description of the final stage of therapy. Gerda finds Kai and rushes to him. However, Kai continues to sit, still the same motionless and cold. “Then Gerda wept; her hot tears fell on his chest, penetrated into his heart, melted his ice crust and melted the splinter … Kai suddenly burst into tears and cried so long and so hard that the splinter spilled out of his eyes along with tears. Then he recognized Gerda and was very happy.

- Gerda! My dear Gerda!.. Where have you been for so long? Where was I myself? And he looked around. - How cold, deserted here!

Narcissistic trauma therapy occurs by re-experiencing stopped mental (and sometimes physical) pain. Kai's tears are the tears of a boy who was in pain when shards of a mirror hit his eye and heart. However, the “there-and-then” experience of pain was blocked. Restoration of all aspects of the traumatic's identity is possible only "here-and-now" in contact with the therapist. We notice how, as a result of catharsis, Kai regains sensitivity to the real world (how cold and deserted it is here), to another (my dear Gerda!.. Where have you been for so long?) And to himself (Where was I myself?).

The therapist's sensitivity to self (authenticity) and to the other (empathy) is especially important in the treatment of narcissistic trauma. This is the condition for returning the client's sensitivity. The “frozen”, insensitive therapist is unable to help the client escape from the “Snow Queen's palace”. It is curious that the client, having gained sensitivity, automatically receives a pass "to the exit": the pieces of ice themselves add up to the word "eternity", he becomes "his own master" without the Snow Queen and can give himself "all the world." Thus, only the restoration of all modalities of identity, the "resurrection" of emotions and feelings will allow one to gain integrity and productivity.

At the end of the story, there is another interesting point: the children of Kai and Gerda become adults. The time of an injured person stops, is fixed at the point of injury, as a result of which it gets stuck in its development. Healing the trauma re-launches the flow of time for the client, giving him a real opportunity to grow up.

Thus, as a result of working through the trauma, all modalities and aspects of identity (I-concept, the concept of the Other, the concept of the World) are integrated, emotions and feelings return, interest in people and the environment is restored, and I-Thou relationships appear.

SUMMARY

With the outward simplicity and seeming "transparency" of fairy tales, they contain many invisible, deep meanings that express the essence of human relations and the consequences of their violations, as well as contain "tips" for finding ways for the heroes to get out of the current situation.

Psychological analysis of fairy tales allows you to take a fresh look at the stories familiar to everyone and see behind the well-known plot those invisible threads that make Alyonushek save Ivanushki, Mermaids - to be silent and believe that they will be understood without words, Cinderella - to invest not in themselves, but in others …

"Fairy tales serve to lull children and wake adults!" (Jorge Bucay. Thinking Stories)