More than storytelling

“If you don’t know the trees
Then you are lost in the forest,
But if you don’t know the stories,
Then you are lost in life.” Siberian Elder

In July I went to an international symposium for Storytelling as a Healing Art in Tappernøje, Denmark; ‘Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope’. I have recently started working with storytelling as a healing art, it having been my goal since I became accredited as a storyteller with the Scottish Storytelling Centre, and I felt the time was right to attend a gathering such as this.

I was fortunate to be funded by The Scottish Arts Council’s Professional Development Fund, a process I have used before and one I am very grateful for. I told them it would be an incredible experience for me to attend such a symposium, and indeed it was!

The symposium was offering an opportunity to meet many other people from around the world who work in this way as well as attending a workshop each day. There was a choice of 6 workshops and I chose Nancy Mellon’s workshop; The Eloquence of the Body “…a practical approach to self-transformation through the wise old art of storytelling. Discover how to speak to and from heart, liver, lungs and all your bodily parts.”

This was an incredibly well organised event hosted by storyteller Marianne Christensen and set in the beautiful surroundings of Marjatta it was so much more than attending workshops and discussions but was a place of sharing and experiencing. The workshop leaders spoke with great inspiration each morning of their experiences in their field of work and as the week progressed there were also fascinating stories from the workshop participants of how they use storytelling in their work.

As well as all the organised events and workshops there was valuable networking time. Often as storytellers we work alone and are at risk of becoming isolated which was why this was as important and something I found so wonderful as I heard of all the many ways people work. We laughed together, we cried together and we shared, so much. By the end of the week it was like leaving a new found family. It was enriching to be among these people for this time and to have affirmed that the work we are doing is good, appropriate and worthwhile.

I would recommend checking their website (below) for details on how this symposium and previous ones went.
Wendy Woolfson, Glasgow

http://www.nordiskalba.org/symposium.htm
http://www.mariannechristensen.dk
http://www.healingstory.org