Folk stories open

• a window to the past
  For centuries folk stories have illuminated people's lives, revealed patterns of human behavior, focused on human conflicts, problems and solutions, and documented the long history of domestic violence.
• a mirror of the present
  Often called "the language of the soul," folk stories reach people on a deep emotional level, allow serious discussion without intimate revelation, provide gentle, non-threatening ways of looking at difficult issues, depersonalize and universalize human problems, help people evaluate their own feelings and thoughts, and illustrate behavior of women and men in abusive situations.
• a vision for the future
  Folk stories encourage creative thinking, finding new solutions to age-old problems, remaking the script of one's life, establishing hope for the future, and empowering abused women.