Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés made selkies famous in her book “Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype”. And more recently, Sharon Blackie explored selkies in her book “When Woman Rose Rooted”.
In this interactive workshop, we dive into the sea world of the selkies, and swim through some of the most famous stories involving selkies. We will deepen into one of the traditional stories and see how the story resonates with us on a personal level.
Stories have been with us since the very beginning of humanity when we gathered around the fire to listen to myths of creation to connect us with our inner selves, our clan and the universe. Stories have accompanied us through dark times, of war and plague and they are here to accompany us now, with their medicine, in this time of uncertainty.
In this workshop:
- We will call upon the wisdom of this traditional story to guide us.
- We will explore the story and the themes that come up using tools from the Story Arte creative toolbox. Gestalt therapy, expressive art therapy, journaling.
- We will learn about a case study where Psychodrama was used to accompany a client on her selkie voyage and consider how this story can be applied to work creatively with clients.
- We will explore the elements of Earth and Water.
- We will examine the rich symbology and imagery.
- We will explore the concept of belonging and not belonging to the community.
This workshop is experiential, and participants will be invited to explore the story in depth and actively engage in the activities. Paper and something to draw and write with is required.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- You will learn how to explore a traditional folktale and observe how it resonates with you on a personal and professional level.
- You will see how to work creatively with this story in a therapeutic setting and use it to discuss challenges that a client may be facing around the themes that come up in the session.
- You will learn about the symbolic language and the archetypes in the story and explore how they relate to our modern lives.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- This workshop is appropriate for Therapists, counsellors, storytellers, and anyone else with a deep interest in exploring the world of stories in a symbolic way.
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- The wisdom inherent in selkie stories is a powerful element to have in your toolbox. There are selkie stories for all publics. Working with this story may provide a symbolic way for clients to explore and express their inner world through the point of view of the different characters and symbols.
Course Content
Presenter
Jennifer Ramsay is a professional storyteller. She has told stories in more than 2,000 events and trained hundreds of people in the ancestral art of storytelling. She works with story medicine in private practice and as a group facilitator in unique workshops, weaving stories into Nature Based Art Therapy, Gestalt therapy, Symbolic Psychodrama and Embodiment work.
She has a degree in Biological Sciences and is part of the global network of Earth Storytellers. The rhythms of nature are very present as she incorporates the Celtic wheel of the year and the lunar cycles into her work.
She is the founder of Story Arte, a centre for Art Therapy and Storytelling in the village where she lives, in the foothills near Madrid.
