Dramatherapy with Myth and Fairytale

Jenny Pearson is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist (BPC) in private practice. Jenny trained as a dramatherapist and taught on the Sesame Course at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She also edited Discovering the Self through Drama and Movement: The Sesame Approach, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Mary Smail is Director of the Sesame Institute and has taught Myths and Clinical Practice on the Sesame Course. She is a dramatherapist and Re Vision trained psychotherapist (UKCP). Pat Watts was a psychotherapist and drama teacher. Pat led the Sesame Course and was its first Myth tutor.

• Foreword by Alida Gersie. Introduction by Jenny Pearson. Part I. Working with Myth and Fairytale. 1. Getting into a Myth Session: Warming up and Bridging in. 2. Entering the World of Stories. 3. Entering and Leaving the Place of Myth. 4. Making Space for Soul Talk: Recent Research. Part II. The Stories. Abu Kasem's Slippers, Iraq. Akinidi and the Coming of Happiness, Siberia. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Medieval Arabic, Arabian Nights. Amaterasu the Sun Goddess, Japan. Ash, Native American. The Bad People, Sesame Original. Beauty and the Beast, French Fairytale, Perrault. The Boy who Lived with Bears, Native American. Cap-o'-Rushes, English Fairytale. Chiron the Wounded Healer, Greek Myth. Coyote and the Land of the Dead, Native American. Creation Myth, The Mayans. Demeter and Persephone, Ancient Greek Myth. Elidore, Wales. Eurynome and the Egg of the Cosmos, Greek Creation Myth. The Flowering Tree, Native American. Forever-Mountain, Japan. The Great White Bird, Bushmen, South Africa. The Handles Maiden, German Fairytale, Grimm. The Healing Herb, Sesame Original. The Holy Grail, British Legend. The Hymn of the Pearl, Gnostic Story, Middle East. In the Beginning, Native Australian. Inanna in the Underworld, Ancient Sumer. Iron Hans, German Fairytales, Grimm. Jumping Mouse, Native American. Kaang, Bushmen, South Africa. King Laurin, Austria. Korozuka, Japan. The Lion, the Young Man and the Black Storm Tree, Bushmen, South Africa. The Little Earth Cow, Fairytale from Alsace. Loki and Baldur, Norse Myth. The Magic Drum, Canada, Inuit. Mella, African Story. The Mysteries of Orpheus, Greek Myth. The Myth of Er, Greece, Plato. Prince Ring, German Fairytale, Grimm. Psyche and Eros, Greek Myth. The Queen Bee, German Fairytale, Grimm. Rapunzel, German Fairytale, Grimm. The Sacred Gift of Song, Dance and Festivity, Inuit Legend. The Seal Wife, Scotland. The Snow Queen, Denmark, Hans Christian Anderson. The Star Woman, Bushmen, South Africa. Stone Soup, European Folk Tale. The Story Bag, Korean Folk Tale. The Tengu, Japan. A Thorn in the King's Foot, Scotland, The Travelling People. Thousandfurs. German Fairytale, Grimm. The Three Feathers, German Fairytale, Grimm. The Three Little Pigs, English Fairytale. Tiddalik the Frog, Native Australian. The Twin Warrior Heroes, Native American. Water Jar Bar, Childhood of the Human Hero, Pueblo Indian. Whisky Jack, Native Canadian. The White Snake, German Fairytale, Grimm. Appendix. References. Further Reading. Index of Stories. Index.

I found each chapter very readable, stimulating and I was left enthused and inspired to try some of these ideas... But the heart of the book are the stories themselves and they are a treasure chest of wonderful tales, rich in therapeutic metaphor. Presented in alphabetical order there are creation myths from all over the globe, a good smattering of Grimm's and other classic fairy tales, myths aplenty and some original stories. Many of the stories will be familiar to storytellers but there were plenty that were new to me also... All in all, this is a lovely book and an excellent resource for all those who work with stories therapeutically.