The King’s Speech

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Stefan Hammel

When the king had spoken, everyone went home. “What did the king talk about?” asked the soldier’s wife. “About the strength of our country”, he answered. “What did the king talk about?” asked the salesman’s wife. “About the wealth of our country”, he answered. “What did the king talk about?” asked the poet’s wife. “About the beauty of our country”, he said. “What did the king talk about?”, asked the farmer’s wife. “About the fertility of our country”, he answered. “What did you talk about then?” asked the king’s wife. “About the diversity of our country”, he said.

Red Roses

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Stefan Hammel

She was divorced. She told me: “During our long marriage my husband brought me red roses. I never told him that the loveliest roses for me are cream-white. I always thought, if he really loved me, he would notice by himself.”

An Army for Peace!

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Stefan Hammel

Do you also find that there are too many unhappy people in the world? Then I would like to tell you a story related to this.. In a large town, there lived a man who had a special trait. He could not bear to see people in misery. Perhaps that would not be worth mentioning, since there are many people who see themselves in this situation these days. But this man had a second trait. He had done everything he could to relieve the misery of the poorest people. He had, together with his friends and later co-fighters, helped hundreds of thousands to lead a worthy life.

The man asked himself: Why are some people so successful, when killing and destruction are concerned? Why do armies work more effectively than churches and many social organisations? And he decided to create his own army; a strict organisation with officers and soldiers, with flags and uniform. An army for peace. The war aim of this army was, so it was said, “to save at all cost the population of the slums which is threatened to go under in a sea of debauchery, alcoholism and vice”. That certainly did not please many pub landlords and pimps. The “soldiers” of the Salvation Army were attacked and often wounded; three of them were even killed. Gradually the persecution stopped. The Salvation Army remained in existence and continued to work against prostitution and pimping, homelessness, and the consequences of war, according to their Christian conviction. Their position was: “We want peace. There are enough calls for peace, but the evil in the world does not react to well-intentioned appeals. Conflict, strife, fear and desperation cannot be fought with admonitions, they demand a true fight!”

Simon and the Lamp

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Stefan Hammel

The living room lamp had stopped working. The whole family was trying to get it going again. “No, Simon, don’t!” Simon had Down Syndrome. Too late! Simon had turned the bulb, and the light was burning again.

What does “HYPS” mean?

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Stefan Hammel

The name of the blog means “Hypno-Systemics” or also “Hypnotic Storytelling”. The term “Hypno-Systemics as well as “Hypno-Systemic Therapy”… or Hypno-Systemic Coaching, Consultation, etc., refers to a combined approach of Systemic Therapy and Coaching (i.e., all the methods which originate from family therapy) and Hypnotherapy (mainly in the tradition of the American therapy pioneer Milton Erickson). The term “Hypno-Systemics” has been introduced by a German trainer called Gunther Schmidt who is one of my teachers and who uses Systemic principles (like those of Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg) as well as Erickson’s hypnotherapeutic techniques. This type of consultation can be applied with families, teams and single people in relatively “awake” states, i.e. without explicit rituals of trance induction. My working style is called “narrative hypnosystemics” because it’s working a lot with stories, metaphors, inner films and so on. But mostly I call it “Therapeutic Storytelling” because for me most of what I hear, say and do in consultation is “a story” or “a game”.

The Loud Boy

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Stefan Hammel

“My parents never listen to me. They don’t even notice me”, the boy sighed. “He’s forever talking. He speaks long and often. He interrupts others and doesn’t want to be interrupted”, his parents reported. “The louder I got, the less they listened”, said the boy later. “And the less they listened, the louder I got.” Then he learned to speak in a low voice, and his parents listened.

The “Blade of Grass” book on amazon

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Stefan Hammel

Meanwhile, I have succeeded to get the “Blade of Grass” book on the website of Amazon.com. Strangely, the system wouldn’t allow me to state that the books are new. So I sell them as “used – like new”. Maybe I’ll get that changed in the next few days. They’re new anyway. Just in case anyone wonders why I’ve got 200 used books all with the same title on my shelf…

Stefan’s Stories in a Book

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Stefan Hammel

Not all but many of the stories I am relating in this blog are written down in my book and E-book “The Blade of Grass in the Desert” which was released this October. There will also be stories which I write as life goes on, and there may be some which are – unfortunately – otherwise only available in some untranslated German books like the “Handbook of therapeutic Storytelling”. If you are interested to discover which of the stories can be found in “The Blade of Grass in the Desert” you will find the table of contents in the preview of the “Blade of Grass” E-Book on amazon.com or on amazon.co.uk. The book is also available in a paper version. You can order it from me, from amazon.de or amazon.com.

Different Ways to deal with Dogs (or Life)

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Stefan Hammel

Today is a snowy day. Just some minutes ago I have been shovelling snow in front of the house and in the driveway. Ma neighbour who is American did the same. His two large dogs came out and greeted me happily. They seemed enthusiastic about the weather. They greeted a mother with her child just as happily. The girl got afraid and drew near to her mother.The dogs’ owner shouted to his dogs and they instantly ran back to him. He gave them a sign to go into the house which they immediately did.

“Why do these dogs run around here? What’s this all about?” shouted the mother. “They’re already going into the house. They’re nice dogs” I said. “Anyway. They shouldn’t run free! Whose dogs are they?”

I imagine that the woman tried to care well for her daughter who was afraid and that she had the very best intentions for her child. Yet, it is possible that the girl was not afraid because of the dogs. It seems to me that she was afraid because of her mother.

Welcome!

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Stefan Hammel

Welcome to my blog!

I’ve been writing a blog in German since a few years. Doing this in English is new territory for me. Inevitably, I will make some mistakes… Never mind! This is a blog about therapeutic storytelling and other means that can make therapy and any kind of counseling and self-counseling quick, effective, and fun! I am convinced that therapy should be quick, and that it should be fun, both for the therapist and for the client. There should be a lot of things to laugh about and to find interesting. I am aware that life is not always fun and that most of my clients are more in the mood for crying than for laughing when we meet. I remember a 30 year old woman in the hospital who, according to the doctors, was going to die very soon. When she heard that I was a chaplain (whatever she imagined a chaplain to be like) she told me that she didn’t wish to be supported. I told her that I would love to invite her for a dance tonight, but that this didn’t seem possible in the state she was in at the moment. In hospital I don’t believe in making a solemn face and carrying the patient’s depression from one room to the next like a multi-resistant germ, and in my therapist’s office I wish to enjoy my work, and I hope that my clients enjoy our talk as well. As for the woman in hospital, we had a lot of fun together.

Not to mention that therapy and consultation are at their best if they are not only fun but also highly effective. I would like to share my stories about how to effectively reduce suffering and increase happiness. I would like to share them not only with my clients or patients or with those specialists who attend my training seminars but with you!