From the author: How difficult it is to maintain balance in a family when its composition changes. How prominently the features of family communication are revealed. Metaphor is one of the ways to correct family relationships.. This is a MAGIC GLEADING that can “see, hear, feel, think and speak.” A family is like a system?! And like any of the systems, it strives for balance. The more levels there are in a family system (for example, three generations live together), the more difficult it is to maintain a calm, friendly atmosphere. What happens if one element is added/removed to the system? What will immediately change in the family if another child appears in the house or a husband’s/wife’s parent joins? etc.? Something interesting will happen: the family system will become temporarily unbalanced. And family members will begin to build relationships somewhat differently. Right? And at the same time, either the most useful strategies of family communication (a kind joke, restraint, patience) will begin to emerge. harmful and destructive (reproaches, aggression, stubbornness, etc.). I want to show this using the example of working with a family. Once upon a time there lived a father, a mother and two daughters, a younger schoolgirl and an older teenager. Their house was spacious and cozy. In the evenings, the family gathered on the ground floor, dinner was prepared, conversations were held about the events of the day, and sometimes heated arguments. On the second floor there are three more rooms where you can play, read, and then sleep sweetly in a soft, warm bed. And then one day a student settled in the house, a niece for her parents, and she is also a cousin for schoolgirls. The sisters were glad to meet. The guest was given one of the children's rooms. A little time passed, and the joy of the meeting gave way to mutual dissatisfaction. The parents reproached their niece: she scatters things, avoids doing homework, cares exclusively about herself. Observing minor conflicts, the eldest of the girls began to capriciously command her adult cousin, trying to turn her into a maid. But that was not the case... In response, she received a sharp rebuff. After all, the guest had a stormy temperament and, of course, like many of us, a sense of justice. The parents were worried and indignant, implicitly supporting their child. . Passions were running high. This went on for some time, and the guest had to leave her family home and begin an independent life. Work with the family was carried out regarding “mutual resentment.” Consulting each side contributed to “building bridges.” And to speed up the process somewhat, a therapeutic metaphor was compiled, which is given below. In Ericksonian hypnosis, there are rules for creating metaphors. This is the similarity of the heroes of the story with the prototypes, the achievement of the desired result, the presence of an option for solving the problem, etc. With the help of metaphor, we strengthen the work of the subconscious (sensory representative systems). And as a result, the internal conflict is mitigated or resolved. Metaphor-fairy tale for the family. The educational side of the metaphor is to show family members the beneficial and harmful consequences of their actions. The therapeutic goal is to achieve balance in family relationships, focusing on the internal resources of each family member. So,. story about the Magic Glade. “In one beautiful dense forest, among tall, spreading trees, there lived a Magic Glade. It had soft, pliable soil. The clearing was covered with silky grass. The wonderful flowers exuded a delicate scent. White, blue-blue, pink, purple and a variety of shades. Insects buzzed around, birds sang sweetly... But then the dry summer came. The earth hardened, the flowers lowered their heads, the buds dried up, but the Weeds began to grow. And even at night it was dry. Polyana was saddened. She wanted rain, at least a little. And the Sun was dazzling and hot, the sky was light blue, and not a single cloud. And then one day the wind blew and drove the White Cloud. “I want it to rain,” thought Polyana, “and let the Cloud serve me.” The Cloud heard this command and did not like it. The Cloud puffed up,?