STORY 41
HEIGHTENING PLEASURE: A KID STORYTherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ A need to increase pleasurable experiences
■ A need to heighten sensory awareness and enjoymentResources Developed
■ Focusing on sensory pleasures
■ Appreciating the five senses:
Sight
Sound
Smell
Taste
Touch
■ Enjoying life’s simple pleasuresOutcomes Offered
■ Pleasure
■ Contentment
■ Happiness
■ Self-initiated self-caring
Do you enjoy your vacations? What do you usually do with them? Sandy was a boy I met who
looked forward to his summer vacation more than anything else. His family usually went to the
beach, and he loved it so much.
Sandy’s real name was Alexander, though everyone had called him Sandy for as long as he could
remember. When he did learn that Alexander was his real name, it came as a surprise. It was difficult
to understand how “Sandy” could be derived from “Alexander.” The two names sounded and, when
written, looked so different. He preferred to think that he was called Sandy because he loved the
sandy beach so much. Thinking that made it feel like he and the beach were meant to be together,
that they belonged together. The beach was sandy and he was Sandy.
At the start of the summer vacation, the family drove from their home in the city to the beach
house, usually arriving late in the afternoon. By the time the car was unpacked, everyone was settled
in, and dinner was cooked, it was time for bed. Sandy didn’t mind being sent to bed because he
couldn’t wait to get up early the next morning. He couldn’t wait to run along the beach and feel the
wet sand under his feet. He couldn’t wait to get down on his knees and feel his hands scooping up
the soft grainy sand. He knew the feel of patting it into a sand sculpture, of its growing firmer with
each pat, of smoothing his hands down the sides and shaping the creation that he was making.
Sometimes it was a castle, sometimes he might make a dinosaur, and sometimes he would cre-
ate a sandman. The sand felt coarse, heavy, and cool when damp, warmer and lighter when dry. He
was free to imagine and build whatever he wanted.
122 Healing Stories, Teaching Stories