Therapeutic Metaphor Creative Writing Sample

When I saw Janet first, she seemed like any other woman in her mid-twenties. She was comfortable to talk to, only, she seemed a little quiet and pale. She worked part-time at a local grocery store. It is her story that makes her different from others. She was sexually abused by her step-dad when she was ten. I was part of the youth support service team appointed to help her out and get her life back on her track. After a couple of meetings with her, we were able to get her to communicate, and gradually her story unfolded. When our youth support service contacted Janet, I found her low on self-esteem and very quiet. During counseling, she admitted to seeing no way out of her hateful life. She attended our health class with other youth where they talked about sexual abuse. She kept sitting there, alone and silent, after the class. When I spoke to her later and asked her if everything was okay, she said that she simply felt overwhelmed and cried and cried for hours. I found that Janet’s relations with men were not good because of the fear of any intimacy associated with sexual activity. She wasn’t able to sustain long-term relationships as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Research shows a link between adult female sexual problems and childhood sexual abuse. Thus, it was no surprise to see Janet showing disinterest in sex. She was repulsed about her sexuality and was unable to initiate sex. She admitted her inability to trust men or to have a closer relationship with them. She reported during her counseling session that she was so disgusted by anyone touching her that she washed her body several times after a sexual encounter. Apparently, she was still rejecting her body and needed to familiarize herself with her body and her partner’s physical appearance. Her anger had turned inwards on her as she wondered why those events were allowed to happen to her. As a child, she needed protection that was never given to her. I knew it was hard for her, but she had to face that little girl inside her that had been failed by a lot of people, and for no fault of hers. Her innocence had been stolen from her. Her sexual abuse as a child was a strong contributor to her sexual dysfunction. She carried low self-esteem and often avoided sexual encounters. She expressed dissatisfaction with her sex life and was likely to experience difficulties with her own sexuality. She was emotionally drained out but had a quiet strength about her. However, with our counseling and support, she was able to get her life a bit more organized and for the first time she felt that she might have a future. I thought of reading out a story to her that was sure to motivate her and make her think more positively. I decided to tell Janet the story of a small, frail kid, Daniel, who lived in a small village. He was a gentle and a soft spoken boy, who kept to himself. However, he lived forever in fear as some older boys from a neighboring village harassed him wherever they saw or came across Daniel, as he went to his school. Daniel always froze in fear whenever he saw those boys approaching him, trying to have some fun at his expense. They surrounded him, pulled at his clothes, and threw away his school bag, saying nasty things to him. Daniel had to bear with this almost every other day. He was too scared of them to complain about them at home or school, as the boys had promised to teach him a lesson if he did. He felt trapped like a small animal in his situation. Fearful thoughts of those horrible boys and what they did or said to him pulled him down like some heavy weights, taking away all his energy. One day, as they were making fun of Daniel, a wizard was passing by the village. He watched what was going on and went over to Daniel once the boys left. He gave him a lion’s tail and told him to hang that from his belt. He explained to Daniel that the lion’s tail was a magical one and would turn him into a brave person and courageous as a lion. He told Daniel that he could get his life back on track with its help. The little boy believed the wizard and wore the lion’s tail around his belt. He thought that now when the boys turn up so, he can surely scare them off like a ferocious lion. However, the next day, when the boys came along, Daniel got scared like a little mouse and tried to run. But the heartless boys caught up with him, surrounded him and started the usual jokes. Daniel thought about the lion’s tail hanging from his belt and its magical powers. He summoned up all his courage, clenched his fists, tensed his body and looked straight with anger into the eyes of each of the boys. He gave them the hardest expression, warning them to leave him alone, or they would regret it forever. All the while, Daniel felt goose bumps all over and felt the lion inside him. He thought that perhaps he was really changing into a lion because of the magical lion’s tail. The look on the boys’ faces was definitely changing. They had fear in their eyes, and all took a step back. Silently they backed away further and simply ran off. Daniel wanted to charge after them, just like a lion. He truly felt that he had changed into a lion or it was impossible to scare those bullies away. But, he abandoned the idea as his legs were not like that of a lion and were short and normal. And, neither did his body look like a lion. The wizard as observing the scene from far off and smiled. He came over to Daniel, who was trembling with excitement and happiness. For him, he had just achieved something that was simply impossible, like playing darts with spaghetti or jumping across the mountain. However, he wished that his lion body had lasted for a longer time. The wizard explained that it was of no use to keep the lion’s body for a longer time as no one fights with lions. Just the look of them is enough to others, to remind them of how brave and ferocious they are. Everyone runs away when they see a lion. He asked if Daniel has seen or heard of lion fighting with other animals. Lions fought only with lions and not with other animals that were lesser of them. Daniel couldn’t remember ever having seen a lion fighting, and it was then that he realized. He looked at the lion’s tail and understood everything. It was just a normal tail, and there had been no magic. He had not transformed into a lion’s body. However, something magical did happen inside him. He had discovered his courage to face those bullies and scared them off. He felt like a brave lion, and those boys were like cowardly animals. The lion’s tail had helped him turn into a truly brave boy, and he felt courageous, unafraid of anything. He felt the strength of a mountain inside him to face any situation. Those cowardly animals will never dare to confront him as he had turned into a truly brave boy. There are situations and times throughout a person’s life when they get harassed, abused or bullied by others. Keeping a brave and plosive attitude is one of the best remedies to deal with this kind of behavior. Laura’s trauma may not be similar to Daniel or his problems, but the challenges were the same. She had to find that lion’s tail and make good use of the strength and energy that lay dormant inside her. She had to find the strength to shake off those claws of bad memories clenching onto her and held her in chains, preventing her from moving ahead. Still, she managed to survive and found her inner strength. The story made Janet feel special and the chosen one to discover her hidden strength and emerge a stronger person. Gradually, with therapy and comforting words of understanding and encouragement, she found her courage and will to survive the ordeal. She understood that something beautiful can grow from the pain given to us, as they challenge us, force us to look within and tap on that precious reserve of strength that lies unused. In a way, adversities in life are like blessings in disguise. By the end of those therapy’s sessions, Janet was a new person. I found her confident and smiling more often. For the first time, she is able to face those deepest secrets and fears deep inside her and talk about them. She is discovering her true beautiful self that lies buried under those years of pain and neglect. She need not be just a survivor, but could become a professional, wife and mother. She understood that what happened to her was no fault of hers.