Myths and fairytales are our rich heritage; a veritable feast of ancient wisdom passed down through the ages in the memorable form of stories. While almost any story will have deep meaning to some individuals, some of the time, this book presents a collection of stories that these maestros of dramatherapy have found to have a powerful effect almost without fail. These are the 'golden' stories of Sesame.

The authors introduce the Sesame approach and describe the advantages of using myth and fairy tale as a central theme in a therapy session. The Sesame approach has been found to produce striking results with myriad client groups, including individuals with learning difficulties, offenders in psychiatric settings and children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and adults in mental health care. Dramatherapy with Myth and Fairytale provides a treasure trove of timeless stories that can be adapted and applied to the needs of different client groups and the style of each therapist. It also includes introductory exercises, warm-ups and scene setting suggestions.

The book will be an invaluable source of inspiration for dramatherapists and dramatherapy students, creative arts therapists, storytellers, psychotherapists, Jungian psychoanalysts, teachers and play therapists.

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.