nosaurs or an Everest mountaineer (Story 72) demonstrates the skills and the benefits of those par-
ticular styles in a way that makes it easier for the child or adolescent to absorb and adopt.
Many of the 101 healing stories in this book are based in evidence which is something you may
or may not have been aware of as you read them. While space does not permit me to revisit all of
them, I trust the above illustrates how metaphors are an effective, subtle, and potent tool for com-
municating the data from our research laboratories. It is possible for two playful young dinosaurs to
teach core cognitive-behavior therapy concepts.
METAPHORS BUILT ON HEROESMany contemporary, fictional characters from books and film contain excellent material for use in
therapy, as their stories often parallel the movement from problem through solution-seeking actions
to outcome. When you find that a child has a particular interest in a character like Harry Potter, Frodo
Baggins, or Ramona Beasley, you may use these characters in your stories to engage the child in the
therapeutic experience. If a child has just watched the video of Spider-Man (or you have recom-
mended it as a therapeutic exercise as described in Chap. 3), here is an opportunity to use the charac-
ter to weave a story about overcoming a disability, developing your skills, and helping others. If a child
has just seen The Hulk, here is a character who has problems of uncontrolled anger, finds ways to re-
solve them, and ends up using his energy gainfully. If your client has been reading the latest Harry Pot-
ter book or seen the film, you have the option to metaphorically explore how to face unexpected chal-
lenges, resolve difficult problems, and promote goodness. It may help to engage the kid in the story
itself, with questions like, “If you were the Hulk and experiencing such uncontrollable rage, what do
you think would help you feel calmer? Let’s make up a story about it,” or, “If you were Harry Potter
and facing the only thing you ever feared, what do you think you could do and who might help you?”
I have chosen not to use any such contemporary, fictional characters in the stories of Part Two,
first, because they are constantly changing with the release of the next new book or film, and sec-
ond, because of the copyright issue. To publish stories based on copyrighted characters could be invit-
ing trouble. To tell a therapeutic story woven around a heroic character for a child in the privacy of
the consulting room is not so problematic. The magic/wizard theme popularized by Harry Potter
can be incorporated into your stories without copyrighted characters. In Story 39, “Putting Yourself
in Someone Else’s Place,” Michelle is given a witch’s suit and spell book for her birthday, which she
uses to put herself in the place of her older sisters. This story builds on a hero-popularized theme
without using that particular hero character.
Other hero stories can be based on a child’s favorite sports idol, movie actor, or pop star. Story
82, “Managing Pain,” uses the listener’s favorite sports hero. In addition, it is possible to create your
own hero-type characters. To illustrate how this can be done, I have produced some characters of my
own. There is Wally the Wacky Wizard in Story 74, Clary the clown in Story 48, Grandpa and the
Four Bears in Stories 2 and 51, and the cross-generational favorite in my own family, Fred Mouse
(Stories 1, 37, 40, 44, and 69).
Linden (2003) claims there are archetypal figures that represent the array of human emotions and
that the use of such characters instantly accesses the associated emotions. For example, kings and
queens are representative of leadership and power, witches and wizards of magic, spies and soldiers
242 Creating Your Own Healing Stories for Kids