Healing With Words | The Therapeutic Power of Storytelling

Once upon a time…

There was a little boy called Kai.

Kai loved school. He had a great time learning and playing with his friends, and he’d rush home each day to tell his mum and dad all about his adventures. 

But one day, Kai’s teacher noticed that he was rather quiet. Kai had also been playing by himself more and more, and hadn’t been joining in as much in class.

The teacher really wanted to help, so she suggested they read a story together.

When Kai said yes, they sat down to read a story about a hero who had a volcano in his tummy. 

‘Sometimes I have a volcano in my tummy too,’ Kai said.

He said the stuff inside was scary and it made him sad. Kai told his teacher how his volcano had gotten bigger and more swirly since his dad had become unwell. 

Reading the story made Kai realise that he could let his feelings out of his volcano. I mean heroes were doing it! 

And afterwards, he felt a little bit better.

This story is for everyone

It’s well understood that stories can help children to process their feelings, understand their emotions, develop empathy and have better relationships. 

Stories are often used in therapy to help children to express themselves and make sense of what they are feeling. 

But you don’t have to be a therapist in order to do this. 

The simple act of sharing a story with a child can give them a much needed opportunity to be seen, heard and understood.

Here’s how it works.

1. Quite Simply, It Feels Good

Humans love stories, it’s how we’re wired. 

When we disappear into a story, our brains release feel good hormones, dopamine, and oxytocin. Giving us positive feelings while reducing stress. 

A good story will take us on a journey, away from our current world and our troubles. Transporting us to places and creating vibrant, wonderful and terrible characters! 

But it’s more than that. 

There’s also the connection that comes with the shared experience of enjoying a story with someone. And with connection comes lowered anxiety, enhanced mood, higher self esteem, and even better health through improved immune system function. 

Ultimately, stories bring us together, and that’s never a bad thing. 

2. Exploring and Understanding Emotions

Stories ignite the imagination and help us to understand the human experience. Going on a journey with the characters in a story helps us develop empathy. 

Stories help us to understand emotions, those of the characters in stories as well as our own. 

Many narratives revolve around human struggles and often a conflict of some kind. When we learn along with the characters in a story we can then take this newfound learning into our own lives. Enhancing our relationships while reminding us that we’re not alone.

The result? We have more empathy, more emotional intelligence, and better coping skills. 

3. Emotional Release

When we encourage children to tell their own stories they have the chance to use metaphors for feelings they’re not yet able or ready to express. 

By holding space for a child to tell a story, without applying our own interpretations, we give them a wonderful opportunity to express themselves in ways and words that feel safe for them.

4. The Stories We Tell Ourselves

We know that the stories we tell ourselves are a significant part of what creates our identity. 

For example, if a child is told an origin story about how they were welcomed into the world as a wonderful being, loved and entirely wanted, that will go a long way to forming their identity as someone who belongs. 

On the other hand, a child might hear about how their birth was stressful, painful, perhaps unexpected.

Maybe they see their parents struggling to care for them, leaving the child believing they are the cause of the distress. This will of course impact how the child sees themselves.

Their story will be one of being unwanted, not belonging, not being worthy. 

The same thing happens when we go through a trauma or a challenging time.

The story we tell ourselves about the experience will help determine how we move forward. And crucially, what we carry forward with us.

For example, if we believe the experience was our fault we might hold onto shame.

Whereas if we are supported to process our feelings and explore our beliefs about what happened, we’ll be more likely to move past it.

Helping a child to reframe their story can be incredibly impactful and healing.

It can help them to drop unhelpful interpretations of events, support them to process their emotions, and ultimately lead to happier endings.

So, if you’re a teacher, a parent, an aunt, uncle or maybe an older sibling, don’t forget the powerful role you can play in a child’s life.

Sharing stories, whether reading them, making them up together or maybe even acting them out, can be a wonderful way to spend time together. As well as paving the way for better emotional wellbeing, increased empathy and better relationships all round.

And while we’re at it, this goes for you too. Maybe take a minute to ask yourself about the stories you’re telling yourself.  

And don’t worry, Kai’s dad got better. 

And they all lived happily ever after.