Transforming Tales

List Price: £19.95
Our price: £18.95

“Pure gold both for adept storytellers and those for whom story making seems a mysterious art, this enormously rich book brings together the wealth of knowledge about stories that is currently mostly dispersed across different fields, such as education, psychology, psychotherapy, anthropology, folklore and entertainment. Much more than a manual for creating and telling stories, the book itself, with its 90 or more stories, has the capacity to transform, sowing subtle seeds of possibility in the mind of the reader. From the outset, there is an immediacy and warmth to Parkinson’s prose, which engages the reader in a very practical way. This book is, in my opinion, the crown jewel of storybooks, carefully constructed and a perfect joy to read.”

– Human Givens Journal

“An ambitious and significant attempt to draw together the deep values of oral storytelling and its contemporary contexts. The result is a wise, humane and practical primer which will be of interest to all those touched by the burgeoning renaissance.”

– Blethers Newsletter

“This book is certainly accessible; it is also articulate, entertaining and challenging. And it is most definitely the work of a consummate storyteller. Rob Parkinson has clearly achieved his stated aim in producing “a manual to which you can return over and again to try out new ideas”‘

– Pastoral Care in Education

Description

The power of story in our lives is far from adequately understood in contemporary culture. Equally the therapeutic power of storytelling, how it can quite literally entrance and even heal, has been largely ignored until recently. This book reveals the true impact of stories on our lives and how they can create feelings of hope, take away psychological distress and even stimulate the immune system.

Written by an expert storyteller, Transforming Tales brings together over 90 short stories, from traditional fables to fascinating modern yarns, identifying the hidden patterns storytellers use to captivate attention and revealing how truths are often encapsulated in myths, jokes and fairy stories. The book focuses on the therapeutic value of such stories and how they can instigate real change in people’s lives. Trade secrets are also revealed to show you everything you need to know to create vibrant, memorable, original stories and short metaphors for yourself.

This extraordinary journey into imagination and understanding will be an illuminating read for those professionally concerned with psychological and personal change and anyone who wants to learn more about the power and significance of stories.

To read an article based on extracts from this book click here.