What story would you tell?

I just had to buy this little mirror and massive gemstone recently for my collection of Small World Figures. I could imagine the light glinting off the gemstone and being reflected by the mirror. Something about that spoke to me, quietly but clearly deep inside. I’m still listening to work out it’s meaning.

This got me thinking about some of the other figures in my collection. I thought I’d share with you some examples of how they might be used in therapy, and why.

Talking is the way that counselling often works – you and I talk, communicate, and together we find new perspectives, or make sense of things that are troubling you or … so many more things. But talking is not all that we do. We communicate with each other, yes, but not always in spoken word. And in the counselling space you also communicate with yourself, not always in spoken words.

One of the other ways of communicating is through the use of sand trays and Small World Figures. I don’t have a sand tray, but I do have a collection of figures that you can use to communicate, with me and yourself, and to explore the story that you’re telling. 

Let’s be curious about my language here – when I talk about a ‘story’ I don’t necessarily mean a narrative with a beginning, middle and an end. Although sometimes it is that. But it can be other things too – a snippet of a memory; an illustration of relationship dynamics; an exploration of dreams, wishes, fears; a rehearsal for future events, feelings, relationships.

(And using the word ‘story’ definitely doesn’t mean to imply I think it’s something you’ve made up, which is a real misunderstanding I’ve had to navigate with a client. Although I do believe that even something you have made up tells us something about you and can lead us to interesting and insightful discoveries.)

Sometimes we don’t really know the words that we want to say. And sometimes using only words, or any words, can keep us stuck in a thinking place. So using different ways to communicate, explore, think, can help us to access a feeling place.

Small World Figures offer an alternative. Absolutely not the only one, but one of many. And they can also tap into a playfulness, which can connect us to our child self. Or they can help us express things quicker or more meaningfully than words.

These pictures are examples of the ways that my Small World Figures can be interpreted or used, and they are not taken directly from work with real clients. (Any piece of creative work that is produced in therapy is subject to the same confidentiality as any information you share with me)  Every client brings their unique self to the work and finds ways to make use of these tools that fit their needs and their meaning. Which is what is so beautiful about these kinds of creative therapy tools, they are open to being used in an infinite number of ways.

This is a collection of creatures gathered round a flame, possibly signifying parts of the self being nourished and held together by a central, powerful Ego. The creatures here have been thoughtfully selected to represent various parts of the self, how they’re perceived by others, perhaps, or possibly the feelings that they bring up for the client.

Next is a group of stones, precariously balanced in ‘towers’, potentially representing the work involved in balancing the various demands of a client’s life. The experience of building the towers was an exercise in patience, resilience, and sitting with the discomfort of a near impossible task.

The last picture is a set of nesting dolls, separate but connected to each other by a ribbon. This could be interpreted as showing the self, at different ages, and how each of us carries our past selves inside us throughout our lives. Another interpretation of this could be to signify the way that we carry forward within us the wisdom or love of a lost loved one.

The process of creating these tableaux allows a client to explore these themes playfully and with curiosity. We might talk as you work, or save the discussion for after your work is complete; and sometimes the act of creating is powerful, private and sufficient with no need for conversation or interpretation.

Which of my Small World Figures would speak to you, I wonder? And what stories could you would you tell with them? What might you learn about yourself if you engaged in this type of playful exploration?