George W. Burns 
Healing with Stories 
Your Casebook Collection for Using Therapeutic Metaphors

An invitation to observe and learn the therapeutic art of
storytelling

Healing with Stories brings together a stellar collection of some
of the world’s most prominent practitioners, taking you inside
their thinking and processes for working with metaphors. They
represent the panorama of metaphor practice in psychotherapy today
with considered, humorous, and compassionate case examples that
step you through the intricacies for replicating their work in your
own. This is a book for family therapists who work with children,
adults, and families, as well as for hypnotherapists, cognitive
behavioral therapists, narrative therapists, dynamic therapists,
solution-focused therapists, and child therapists. In fact, all
therapists who wish to communicate their therapeutic messages with
the greatest effectiveness will find this book to be an essential
and useful clinical tool.

Contributors include:

* Richard Kopp

* Julie H. Linden

* Mikaela J. Hildebrandt

* Lindsay B. Fletcher

* Steven C. Hayes

* Michael D. Yapko

* Valerie E. Lewis

* Gregory Smit

* Joy Nel

* Christine Perry

* Joyce C. Mills

* Rubin Battino

* Carol A Hicks-Lankton

* Wendel A. Ray

* Jana P. Sutton

* Robert Mc Neilly

* Roxanna Erickson-Klein

* Angela Ebert

* Hasham Al Musawi

* Teresa Garcia-Sanchez

* George W. Burns

Praise for Healing with Stories

‘George Burns has done an expert job of compiling a definitive work
that demystifies the ever-versatile metaphor. Whether you are a
novice or an expert clinician, you will find a treasury of story
interventions along with the ‘inside scoop’ on how each was created
and applied to bring success in nineteen unforgettable case
chapters. Better yet, you’ll be able to create your own healing
metaphors thanks to the expert guidance of a wide range of talented
storytellers. Don’t miss out on this one!’

–Maggie Phillips, Ph D, author of Finding the Energy to Heal and
coauthor of Healing the Divided Self

‘If you want to be inspired, entertained, and enlightened, Healing
with Stories is the book to read. George Burns, a master
storyteller, has assembled a creative, diverse group of clinicians
to share their ideas about how metaphor can be used with a variety
of problems and clients. The result is a fascinating array of
insights into metaphor’s role in the healing process.’

–Richard G. Whiteside, MSW, author of Becoming Dragon

Table of Content

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

What This Book Offers.

The Contributors.

The Contributions.

The Structure of This Book.

Following Your Gurus: An Opening Story.

Chapter 1 Metaphor and Therapy: Clarifying Some Confusing Concepts.

PART ONE IMPROVING MOOD.

Chapter 2 The Healing Is Complete: Outcome- Oriented Experiential Metaphors in a Case of Major Depression.

Chapter 3 An Empty Sadness: Exploring and Transforming Client-Generated Metaphors.

Chapter 4 And This Little Piggy Stayed Home: Playful Metaphorsin Treating Childhood Separation Anxiety.

Chapter 5 Climbing Anxiety Mountain: Generating Metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

PART TWO BUILDING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS.

Chapter 6 The Case of Carol: Empowering Decision- Making through Metaphor and Hypnosis.

Chapter 7 The Woman Who Wanted to Lie on the Floor: A Social Constructionist Use of Metaphor in a Tale of Two Clients.

Chapter 8 Trekking to Happiness–No Sherpa Required: AUtilization Approach to Transcending an Abusive Relationship.

Chapter 9 And the Two Snakes Fought: Storybook Therapy to Help Deal with the Divorce Monster.

PART THREE CHANGING PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR.

Chapter 10 Under Fire: Refl ection and Metaphor in Narrative Therapy.

Chapter 11 The Door Is Open, the Bird Can Fly: Merging Therapistand Client Metaphors in Child Therapy.

Chapter 12 Everyone’s Life Is a Story: Guided Metaphor in Changing Global Lifestyle.

Chapter 13 Scared Speechless: Goal- Oriented and Multiple Embedded Metaphors in a Case of Psychogenic Dysphonia.

PART FOUR ENHANCING HEALTH AND WELL- BEING.

Chapter 14 Scareless Ghost, Painless Pasta: Kids’ Own Stories as Therapeutic Metaphor.

Chapter 15 Befriending Your Problems: Metaphor with a Self-Mutilating Young Woman in Transition.

Chapter 16 Night, Night, Sleep Tight, Don’t Let the Sharks Bite: ‘What’s Missing?’ in Metaphors.

Chapter 17 The Metaphor That Sang Its Own Sad Song: Therapeutic Storytelling in Pediatric Hospice Care.

PART FIVE DEVELOPING LIFE SKILLS.

Chapter 18 Reclaiming Poise after Persecution: Client- Based Cultural Stories in Trauma Therapy.

Chapter 19 Of Goths, Fairies, Dragons, and CBT: Joining the Client’s World with an Evidence- Based Metaphor.

Chapter 20 That’s Not a Problem: Metaphor with a Disruptive Client in Ericksonian Group Therapy.

Using Your Loaf: A Concluding Story.

Reference.

Resource Section.

Further Reading Resources.

Contributors’ Favorite Metaphor Books.

Index.

About the author

George W. Burns is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist, author, and therapist trainer. He is Director of the Milton H. Erickson Institute of Western Australia and The Hypnotherapy Centre of Western Australia. He has lectured around the world and is an adjunct senior lecturer at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia. He has published several books, including 101 Healing Stories and 101 Healing Stories for Kids and Teens (both from Wiley).