In this interactive workshop, we journey deep into the Japanese tale, The Crescent Moon Bear, to see what is waiting to be revealed.
We will be working with the version of the story found in the book Woman who Run with the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.
We will explore the story using tools from the Story Arte creative toolbox. Gestalt therapy, expressive arts therapies and psychodrama will accompany as we travel up the mountain to find the cave of the crescent moon bear.
This workshop is experiential, and participants will be invited to explore the story in depth and engage actively in the creative activities. Please have some paper and something to write and draw with available.
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.
When we gather together around the virtual fire, we can discover some of the hidden messages which may have been encoded in the tales.
In this workshop:
- We will call upon the ancient wisdom of this Japanese tale to guide us.
- We will step into the story through drawing, journaling, and if possible psychodrama.
- We will explore the symbolic language of the story.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- You will see how to work with fairy tales in a therapeutic setting for wellbeing.
- You will learn how to explore the symbolic language and how it relates to our modern lives.
- You will see how to work with some of the themes that this story may bring up in the group.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- Therapists, counsellors, storytellers, and anyone else with a deep interest in exploring the world of fairy tales.
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- The inherent wisdom in this tale could be a powerful tool to have in your toolbox as symbolic language may provide a safe way for clients to explore their inner world from a safe distance. This tale could be used to discuss PTSD, issues with anxiety and unexpressed rage.
Story Arte Online school on Teachable https://storyarte.teachable.com/
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.
