This is a masterwork in Creative Arts Therapies by a seasoned artist/therapist. As a Jungian-oriented drama therapist, who has spent many years working with myth and fairy tale, myself, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It inspires, guides and educates. What a gift for the next generation!
- Stephen Snow, Ph.D., RDT-BCT, Professor of Drama Therapy, Co-founder of Graduate Drama Therapy Program, Concordia University,
<i>The Story Within</i> is a passport to the deep places in us. Yehudit Silverman speaks equally to seekers, therapists, and artists of all mediums. Yehudit's own story, La Loba, is a generous through line, teaching us how story move us and moves in us, weaving the golden threads of the archetypal realm into our contemporary lives to find meaning, resolve conflict and heal trauma.
- Pat B. Allen, Ph.D., ATR, Author of 'Art is a way of knowing' and 'Art is a spiritual path',
This book invites us on a journey through the landscapes of the deeply personal and the profoundly collective. Our guide is patient, steadfast and wise in her offering of transformation through creative arts. Personally, my experience with the Story Within has had an enormous impact on my education, my clinical trajectory and more recently my work as a trauma therapist - this is a valuable resource for anyone dedicated to the transformation and alleviation of human suffering.
- Dr. Kate Drury, Clinical Psychologist, Trauma-focused Therapy Program at the Jewish General Hospital,
Somewhere hidden in the depths of each story lies a treasure waiting to be discovered...
This creative arts therapies approach uses myth and fairy tale to explore personal challenges. Clients begin by choosing a myth or fairy tale character they feel drawn to, but don't know why. They and their chosen character then embark on a guided creative journey that leads them to discover hidden, unconscious, aspects of themselves.
The process is holistic, using all the arts. In addition to explaining the theoretical background of this approach, the book provides detailed step-by-step instructions for readers to follow for their own personal exploration, including specific creative exercises at each stage, and guidelines for using the approach with clients. Also included are clinical case vignettes, reflections from people who have experienced the process, and the authors own personal journey.
Whether you are a creative arts therapist seeking to expand your practice, or a health professional searching for a new, creative way of working with clients, The Story Within is an exciting new resource.
PART I: FRAMEWORK
1. Introduction
2. Creative Arts Therapies, Creative Projection, and Aesthetic Distance
3. Creative DNA and Perception Differences
4. Stages of Creative Process
5. Therapeutic Guidelines
Compassion, empathy, imperfection
Comfort and ability to work with story, myth and metaphor
Comfort with no interpretation, no agenda, entering the unknown
Comfort with creative process
The power of being a witness and containment
Safety First
Attention and Intention
6. Elements in Myths, Fairy Tales, Traditional Stories
7. How to go through the steps
PART II: STEPS OF THE PROCESS
1. Encounter
2. Chaos and Order
3. Finding the Story/Telling the Story
4. Making a Mask
5. Placing and Embodying the Mask
6. Finding the Moment
7. Soundscape
8. Environment
9. Directing Someone Else
10. Obstacle and Helper
11. The Edge
12. Final Presentation/Ritual
13. Afterwards
PART III: Alumni Writings
PART IV: Additional Resources, Training