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Archive Number 40 | ||
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Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 09:59:00 -0700
Hey Cristy -- Here's one poetry therapist who agrees with your description of the power of storytelling...nice to hear from you in this context. Mary Azoy Cristy West wrote: > Greetings! > > It's exciting to be part of this new listserv but also a bit unnerving > because I am not exactly sure who is out there reading this message! > > It is always so curious to me what people mean when they speak of "story" and > "storytelling." And, while I am fascinated by the varied personal > narratives that people carry with them, my great love is for folktale and > myth--"traditional stories." I would agree with Joseph Campbell who said > in the Power of Myth, "These bits of information from ancient times have to > do with deep inner problems, inner mysteries, inner thresholds of passage.... > When a subject catches you, there is a feeling from one or another of these > traditions, of information of a deep, rich, life-vivifying sort that you > don't want to give it up." > > I look to the old stories to carry me beyond the literalness my own story and > into the transforming world of metaphor, symbol, imagination. I also think > that these tales can be powerful doorways to change when used with skill and > sensitivity. > > Re. this there is now an interesting story, "The Cracked Pot," posted at the > "Forum" section of HASIG's website ( www.healingstory.org) In the essay > that accompanies this story, Mary Dessein tells how she uses the tale in her > work with substance abuse prevention. For those of you who don't know it > already, the "Forum" is an interactive feature and here > socialworker-turned-storyteller, Rocci Hildum, asks Mary, innocently enough > < > > Well, I'd say that the preparation is the point! Indeed, in a therapeutic > context, a story "performance" takes a lot of careful planning and, I > think, involves a lot more not just the telling of the story but more > importantly, shaping of the session--i.e., setting up a "facilitating > environment," setting goals, anticipating outcomes and at the same time > leaving room for the unexpected breakthough. The field of interactive > biblio/poetry therapy have evolved a model for talking about this. I believe > most poetry therapists don't really understand what storytelling is all about > but I hope that at least a few will be on this list to kick the topic around! > > I personally am, by training, an art therapist with additional training in > other creative arts therapies (like poetry therapy). I am also a storyteller > who has worked as an artist-in-residence in a variety of "therapeutic > settings" such as special schools and hospitals. I hope there are others of > you on this list who will want to get into what to me is an endlessly > fascinating subject, mainly, the power of traditional material and the > processes involved in relating this to the here- and-now. > > And three cheers to Andre Heuer who is the person who got this listserv going! > > Cristy West > Washington, D.C. | ||