Yehudit Silverman, a creative arts therapist, Professor Emerita, and award-winning filmmaker, draws from 20 years of ground-breaking work in exploring how myths, fairy tales, and personal creativity, can be a powerful tool for healing in her new book The Story Within – Myth and Fairy Tale in Therapy.
Engaging with our own creativity is life giving and active and builds resilience and hope.
Right now, many of us are feeling fear and anxiety about our health, our livelihoods, and uncertainty about the future. And perhaps a sense of deep loss in terms of social connections and intimacy. Maybe even anger at all we are missing out on. When we express these feelings through a creative medium, whether it be an art piece, dramatic role, music, poetry, or dance, they take on a form outside of us and become less overwhelming. Working creatively allows us to have a high degree of safety when working through difficult feelings, and the ability to discover new perspectives about our situation.
The power of myth and fairy tales is that they give form to our anxieties, fears, and longings.
For much of our human history, our fears have been expressed in our myths, fairy tales, and traditional stories. These stories from around the world speak of a quest: a journey fraught with obstacles, demons, and monsters. From Persephone to the Ugly Duckling, the themes of these stories still resonate today, and provide a remarkable tool for working with our own current obstacles and challenges.
The importance of being seen and having our creative work validated offers an opportunity for a new kind of intimacy and connection.
Finding ways to connect are particularly important now. And while Zoom chats and meetings provide a degree of connection, being able to express our feelings creatively and having them witnessed by others can be very life affirming and help us feel less alone. It also provides safety and a sense of order and containment for the chaos and uncertainty we are all going through.
The Story Within, includes a step–by-step guide through a creative arts therapies approach, with reflections from those who have gone through the process as well as the author’s own personal journey. The arts-based approach of The Story Within – creating masks, artwork, costumes, dramatic scenes, music and movement – is beneficial for anyone, even those who have not explored any creative mediums since childhood.
For therapists, artists, and seekers, who have a longing for personal creativity and reflection, and who work so courageously in helping others.
For more information: www.yehuditsilverman.com
-Yehudit Silverman