Long before Imhotep began unraveling biological mysteries, there were stories, and all stories have heroes. Heroes are the first working model of human psychology—Vitruvian Man for the mind. The hero shows us struggle yielding to strength and the developmental milestones that we all must reach to maintain good health. Superheroes hold the mirror to our authentic path to health. There can be no doubt that stories are meant to help us make sense of and maintain mental health.
The hero’s path is a special path and like a fingerprint, no two are alike. The reflection we see in our heroes can show the way to our special path. The way is necessarily divergent from the common road that nurtures and provides shelter. Malady will always be found away from the yellow bricks of convention; monsters are always waiting for us to step off the golden road and dwelling too long in the wild will result in sickness. However, the beasties there are teachers. They force to the surface unique qualities that neither us nor our communities could ever know. We learn the truth of ourselves when tested by the poppies and monkeys.
I’ve developed my practice around navigating the wilderness—getting out of it and going back in. I believe that for millennia we have known of the treasures (superpowers) to be discovered in the wild. Campbell and Jung crystalized these ideas for me more than most. My work with clients begins with establishing a meaningful understanding of psychology and developing skills in self-evaluation (we are all alone in the wilds). Finally, I aim to show how to cultivate hope and a zeal for discovery. I show that stories can be the maps to individual purpose, vision and destiny. I suggest that we easily find superpowers by following the hero’s path. I believe our stories are meant to guide us on this quest.
I have yet to read or watch a good story that lacked the elements of human development. It seems we love to see the growth and change of the dynamic characters. Even the static heroes, like Dean, Wick and Godzilla, are catalysts that transform those around them. My work depends on exposing the primordial psychology of storytelling to the benefit of those searching or lost, and to help people know how and when to wander from the safety of the conventional path and seek the path that is theirs and theirs alone.
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