STORY	
  TELLING	
  IN	
  PSYCHOTHERAPY

Daniel Vazquez

Elements:

1. Challenge:

I	
  am	
  a	
  Jungian	
  psychotherapist,	
  with	
  a	
  Buddhist	
  and	
  psychogenealogy	
  orienta:on.	
  I	
  work	
   with	
  single	
  adults	
  and	
  couples,	
  which	
  usually	
  a<end	
  to	
  a	
  session	
  because	
  they	
  are	
   suﬀering	
  of	
  an	
  unknown	
  cause.	
  Their	
  ini:al	
  demand	
  almost	
  always	
  is	
  located	
  as	
  a	
  fail	
  in	
   communica:on.	
  But,	
  the	
  real	
  cause	
  is	
  always	
  a	
  diﬀerent	
  one,	
  they	
  can´t	
  even	
  express.	
  It	
   takes	
  me	
  between	
  two	
  or	
  three	
  sessions	
  to	
  really	
  ﬁnd	
  out	
  what´s	
  the	
  source	
  of	
  their	
   suﬀering.	
  I	
  have	
  tried	
  to	
  use	
  techniques	
  to	
  help	
  them	
  iden:fy	
  and	
  express	
  in	
  a	
  clearer	
   way	
  the	
  reason	
  of	
  their	
  suﬀering	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  start	
  their	
  healing	
  process	
  as	
  soon	
  as	
   possible.

2. Selec?on:

I	
  selected	
  Storytelling	
  as	
  a	
  design	
  tool	
  because	
  it	
  is	
  helpful	
  to	
  develop	
  deeper	
  empathy	
   with	
  human	
  beings	
  in	
  the	
  present	
  :me	
  and	
  create	
  neat	
  images	
  and	
  percep:ons	
  about	
   the	
  future	
  opportuni:es	
  and	
  resources	
  people	
  may	
  have	
  or	
  develop.	
  I	
  was	
  looking	
  for	
   some	
  sort	
  of	
  visual	
  technique,	
  which	
  could	
  be	
  useful	
  to	
  help	
  my	
  pa:ents	
  to	
  see	
  their	
   problems	
  from	
  a	
  diﬀerent	
  perspec:ve.	
  It	
  implied	
  to	
  detach	
  them	
  from	
  their	
  own	
  body,	
  to	
   help	
  them	
  see	
  their	
  problem	
  from	
  a	
  diﬀerent	
  angle,	
  to	
  iden:fy	
  many	
  other	
  possibili:es,	
   get	
  some	
  distance	
  from	
  their	
  original	
  ideas,	
  to	
  make	
  an	
  insight	
  of	
  the	
  real	
  situa:on	
  and	
   start	
  their	
  healing	
  process	
  with	
  they	
  assuming	
  full	
  responsibility.  To	
  achieve	
  this,	
  I	
  needed	
  to	
  make	
  the	
  same	
  movement	
  myself:	
  change	
  my	
  own	
  mindset	
   with	
  an	
  innova:ve	
  approach.	
  I	
  know	
  the	
  importance	
  of	
  the	
  family	
  tree,	
  but	
  it´s	
  hard	
  for	
  a	
   pa:ent	
  to	
  put	
  aside	
  his	
  immediate	
  suﬀering	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  tell	
  his	
  stories	
  about	
  ancestors	
   and	
  understand	
  the	
  dynamics	
  behind	
  the	
  family	
  tree.

3. Applica?on:

As	
  I	
  get	
  to	
  understand	
  the	
  George	
  and	
  Geoﬀ	
  cycle,	
  I	
  found	
  out	
  that	
  I	
  should	
  detach	
  from	
   my	
  own	
  percep:ons	
  and	
  data	
  about	
  the	
  pa:ents	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  discover	
  some	
  new	
  insight	
  I	
   couldn’t	
  see	
  un:l	
  now.	
  Instead	
  of	
  trying	
  to	
  put	
  the	
  pa:ent	
  in	
  my	
  mindset	
  track,	
  I	
  try	
  to	
   develop	
  some	
  empathy	
  to	
  detect	
  the	
  mul:ple	
  hidden	
  growth	
  opportuni:es	
  I	
  hadn’t	
  been	
   able	
  to	
  see.	
    I	
  used	
  two	
  diﬀerent	
  tools:	
  family	
  trees	
  and	
  constella:on	
  ﬁgures.  I	
  built	
  a	
  family	
  tree	
  in	
  small	
  wood	
  cubes	
  and	
  I	
  also	
  used	
  playmobile	
  ﬁgures.  I	
  tried	
  to	
  help	
  them	
  tell	
  their	
  own	
  family	
  stories	
  using	
  objects	
  which	
  they	
  could	
   manipulate	
  with	
  their	
  own	
  hands	
  while	
  trying	
  to	
  remember,	
  to	
  visualize	
  and	
  to	
  set	
  their	
   family	
  members	
  as	
  they	
  remembered,	
  while	
  expressing	
  their	
  emo:ons	
  and	
  memories	
  in	
   an	
  oral	
  language:	
  connec:ng	
  their	
  feelings,	
  thoughts	
  and	
  emo:ons	
  with	
  physical	
  objects	
   detached	
  from	
  their	
  own	
  bodies.

4. Insight:

I	
  try	
  this	
  storytelling	
  tools	
  with	
  a	
  two	
  new	
  pa:ents.	
  I	
  selected	
  them	
  because	
  of	
  two	
  main	
   causes:	
  they	
  have	
  never	
  a<ended	
  to	
  a	
  psychotherapy	
  session	
  before.	
  And	
  they	
  have	
  any	
   medita:on	
  experience.  First,	
  I	
  asked	
  them,	
  as	
  usual	
  in	
  a	
  regular	
  psychotherapy	
  session,	
  about	
  the	
  cause	
  of	
  their	
   visit.	
  What	
  would	
  the	
  try	
  to	
  solve?	
  Both	
  of	
  them	
  expressed	
  their	
  problem	
  as	
  a	
   communica:on	
  fail.  In	
  the	
  very	
  ﬁrst	
  session,	
  I	
  try	
  a	
  light	
  5	
  minute	
  medita:on	
  prac:ce	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  calm	
  down	
   their	
  anxiety.	
  The	
  goal	
  was	
  to	
  get	
  them	
  centered	
  in	
  the	
  present	
  moment	
  in	
  the	
  present	
   place.	
  Trying	
  to	
  avoid	
  any	
  other	
  thought,	
  emo:on	
  or	
  feeling.	
  Once,	
  they	
  ﬁnished	
  their	
   medita:on,	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  to	
  express	
  their	
  problem	
  trough	
  the	
  mobile	
  ﬁgures	
  by	
  choosing	
   ﬁgures	
  to	
  represent	
  the	
  member	
  in	
  their	
  family	
  involved	
  in	
  their	
  emo:onal	
  suﬀering.	
    Once	
  the	
  picked	
  the	
  ﬁgures,	
  they	
  were	
  asked	
  to	
  put	
  them	
  on	
  the	
  table	
  while	
  expressing	
   in	
  detail	
  their	
  problem.	
    When	
  they	
  ﬁnished,	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  to	
  take	
  a	
  5	
  minute	
  pause	
  to	
  see	
  the	
  image	
  of	
  the	
   ﬁgures	
  in	
  the	
  table.	
  Then	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  to	
  think	
  and	
  tell	
  the	
  same	
  story	
  again,	
  but	
   considering	
  the	
  posi:on	
  of	
  the	
  ﬁgures.	
    Both	
  of	
  them	
  told	
  a	
  very	
  diﬀerent	
  story	
  that	
  the	
  one	
  they	
  told	
  in	
  the	
  very	
  ﬁrst	
  :me.	
    Now,	
  they	
  could	
  see	
  some	
  details	
  they	
  had	
  not	
  been	
  able	
  to	
  see	
  before.	
    Then,	
  I	
  asked	
  them	
  to	
  take	
  the	
  family	
  tree	
  cubes	
  and	
  show	
  me	
  how	
  was	
  their	
  families	
   organized.	
  As	
  they	
  took	
  the	
  pieces,	
  it	
  was	
  easy	
  for	
  them	
  to	
  make	
  the	
  family	
  arrangement.	
   This	
  is	
  a	
  process	
  that	
  usually	
  takes	
  two	
  or	
  three	
  sessions.	
  They	
  could	
  make	
  it	
  in	
  a	
  ma<er	
   of	
  a	
  couple	
  of	
  minutes.	
  With	
  the	
  two	
  sets	
  of	
  images	
  on	
  the	
  table,	
  they	
  were	
  able	
  to	
   express	
  their	
  problems	
  from	
  a	
  diﬀerent	
  perspec:ve.	
    I	
  try	
  a	
  new	
  one	
  minute	
  medita:on	
  to	
  get	
  the	
  pa:ent	
  more	
  relaxed.	
  And	
  I	
  could	
  tell	
  the	
   story	
  he	
  had	
  told	
  in	
  a	
  new	
  fashion.	
  Now,	
  it	
  was	
  not	
  a	
  simple	
  communica:on	
  problem.	
    They	
  can	
  easily	
  see	
  the	
  dynamics	
  behind	
  their	
  suﬀering.	
  This	
  provided	
  an	
  excellent	
  frame	
   for	
  the	
  future	
  work	
  in	
  session	
  two.	
    In	
  just	
  one	
  session,	
  the	
  pa:ents	
  could	
  not	
  only	
  rephrase	
  their	
  problem,	
  but	
  to	
  seeing	
  it	
   from	
  a	
  diﬀerent	
  perspec:ve.

5. Approach:

I	
  had	
  only	
  an	
  opportunity	
  to	
  test	
  these	
  tools	
  with	
  two	
  pa:ents.  It	
  does	
  not	
  represent	
  enough	
  evidence	
  to	
  get	
  strong	
  conclusions.  I	
  will	
  try	
  to	
  share	
  this	
  experience	
  with	
  some	
  colleagues	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  test	
  the	
  tools	
  with	
  a	
   lager	
  amount	
  of	
  pa:ents.	
     The	
  design	
  thinking	
  course	
  in	
  Coursera	
  helped	
  me	
  to	
  see	
  a	
  diﬀerent	
  approach	
  to	
  the	
   problem.	
  I´d	
  love	
  to	
  go	
  deeper	
  in	
  the	
  understanding	
  of	
  this	
  mindset.


STORY TELLING IN PSYCHOTHERAPY Daniel Vazquez Elements : 1 . Challenge : I am a Jungian psychotherapist , with a Buddhist and psychogenealogy orienta : on . I work with single adults and couples , which usually a < end to a session because they are suﬀering of an unknown cause . Their ini : al demand almost always is located as a fail in communica : on . But , the real cause is always a diﬀerent one , they can´t even express . It takes me between two or three sessions to really ﬁnd out what´s the source of their suﬀering . I have tried to use techniques to help them iden : fy and express in a clearer way the reason of their suﬀering in order to start their healing process as soon as possible . 2 . Selec?on : I selected Storytelling as a design tool because it is helpful to develop deeper empathy with human beings in the present : me and create neat images and percep : ons about the future opportuni : es and resources people may have or develop . I was looking for some sort of visual technique , which could be useful to help my pa : ents to see their problems from a diﬀerent perspec : ve . It implied to detach them from their own body , to help them see their problem from a diﬀerent angle , to iden : fy many other possibili : es , get some distance from their original ideas , to make an insight of the real situa : on and start their healing process with they assuming full responsibility . To achieve this , I needed to make the same movement myself : change my own mindset with an innova : ve approach . I know the importance of the family tree , but it´s hard for a pa : ent to put aside his immediate suﬀering in order to tell his stories about ancestors and understand the dynamics behind the family tree . 3 . Applica?on : As I get to understand the George and Geoﬀ cycle , I found out that I should detach from my own percep : ons and data about the pa : ents in order to discover some new insight I could n’t see un : l now . Instead of trying to put the pa : ent in my mindset track , I try to develop some empathy to detect the mul : ple hidden growth opportuni : es I had n’t been able to see . I used two diﬀerent tools : family trees and constella : on ﬁgures . I built a family tree in small wood cubes and I also used playmobile ﬁgures . I tried to help them tell their own family stories using objects which they could manipulate with their own hands while trying to remember , to visualize and to set their family members as they remembered , while expressing their emo : ons and memories in an oral language : connec : ng their feelings , thoughts and emo : ons with physical objects detached from their own bodies . 4 . Insight : I try this storytelling tools with a two new pa : ents . I selected them because of two main causes : they have never a < ended to a psychotherapy session before . And they have any medita : on experience . First , I asked them , as usual in a regular psychotherapy session , about the cause of their visit . What would the try to solve ? Both of them expressed their problem as a communica : on fail . In the very ﬁrst session , I try a light 5 minute medita : on prac : ce in order to calm down their anxiety . The goal was to get them centered in the present moment in the present place . Trying to avoid any other thought , emo : on or feeling . Once , they ﬁnished their medita : on , I asked them to express their problem trough the mobile ﬁgures by choosing ﬁgures to represent the member in their family involved in their emo : onal suﬀering . Once the picked the ﬁgures , they were asked to put them on the table while expressing in detail their problem . When they ﬁnished , I asked them to take a 5 minute pause to see the image of the ﬁgures in the table . Then I asked them to think and tell the same story again , but considering the posi : on of the ﬁgures . Both of them told a very diﬀerent story that the one they told in the very ﬁrst : me . Now , they could see some details they had not been able to see before . Then , I asked them to take the family tree cubes and show me how was their families organized . As they took the pieces , it was easy for them to make the family arrangement . This is a process that usually takes two or three sessions . They could make it in a ma < er of a couple of minutes . With the two sets of images on the table , they were able to express their problems from a diﬀerent perspec : ve . I try a new one minute medita : on to get the pa : ent more relaxed . And I could tell the story he had told in a new fashion . Now , it was not a simple communica : on problem . They can easily see the dynamics behind their suﬀering . This provided an excellent frame for the future work in session two . In just one session , the pa : ents could not only rephrase their problem , but to seeing it from a diﬀerent perspec : ve . 5 . Approach : I had only an opportunity to test these tools with two pa : ents . It does not represent enough evidence to get strong conclusions . I will try to share this experience with some colleagues in order to test the tools with a lager amount of pa : ents . The design thinking course in Coursera helped me to see a diﬀerent approach to the problem . I´d love to go deeper in the understanding of this mindset .