Читать книгу DBT For Dummies - Gillian Galen - Страница 73

DBT often uses metaphors to teach. One type of metaphor is known as a short, which is similar to a parable, a short story that illustrates a point. One that we use is the story of the farmer and his horses, which goes like this:

 An old farmer had worked his crops for many years. He was considered wealthy by his neighbors as he had ten horses. One day, during a terrible storm, his horses ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came by to commiserate: “What bad luck you’ve had,” they said sympathetically. “Maybe,” replied the farmer.

 The next morning, the horses, hungry from being out in the wild, returned and brought with them ten wild horses. “How wonderful! You are a rich man!” the neighbors exclaimed. “Maybe,” replied the farmer.

 The following day, his son tried to tame one of the wild stallions. The horse bucked the boy off and he broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy. “Your son won’t be able to help you in the fields. What bad luck!” they said. “Maybe,” said the farmer.

 The next day some military officials came to the village looking to draft young men into the army as they prepared for war. On seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors again came out and congratulated the farmer on how well his circumstances had turned out. “Maybe,” said the farmer.

The point is that we never know exactly how things will turn out, and it’s possible for positives to be seen as negatives and negatives as positives. For many people who struggle with conditions like BPD, positives are often seen as negatives, and turning negatives into positives seems like an impossible task. The following sections can help.