You can entertain, heal and inform with
story. Kim Billington's work and research is around the potential of stories for inner
renewal and healing.
Kim joined The Storytelling Guild (Vic) in 1992.
At the time she was doing a BEd Thesis on Storytelling in the Curriculum. During
the 90s, the storytellers gathered for regular conferences, and it was at a
weekend away in Lorne where Kim first enjoyed hearing people tell stories to adults.
An experience that was transformative.
Last year Kim rejoined the storytelling
community that is now known as Storytelling Australia Victoria, "I wanted to
reconnect with storytellers."
Kim’s professional journey began in education
as a State and Steiner-trained teacher, "I told stories mainly in the
classroom, as a Steiner teacher; stories are a big part of the method of
bringing information to the children, engaging their interest and bringing
wonder and joy. Later I completed a Grad Cert in Narrative
Therapy at Bouverie in Melbourne, and now I’m completing a Masters of Narrative
at Melbourne Uni."
What
is Narrative Therapy?
"In a nutshell, Narrative Therapy is a
practice developed in the 70s and 80s by Michael White and David Epston (social
workers and family therapists). It’s about acknowledging the ‘problem story’ by
hearing and then listening for ‘alternative story-threads’ about the person’s values
and hopes that ‘the problem’ has not been able to destroy. It’s about getting
curious about ‘the absent, but implied’ stories of courage or determination.
It’s being with the person as they get to ‘re-author’ their story."
Influences
"In the 80s, I read Bruno Bettelheim’s ‘Uses of
Enchantment’ and later, I read a book called ‘The
Heroic Client’ as part of a Masters of Counselling course, and the title
got me thinking. So, I began to bring my love of story into counselling and talk
about the heroic journey with clients, and slowly I started researching it. I admire
the recent work of Native American Indian psychiatrist Lewis Mel-Medrona and Marie-Louise von
Franz’s Jungian studies from the 1930s. Rob Parkinson’s book,
‘Transforming Tales’ gave me lots of confidence. I also must acknowledge Joseph Campbell's work 'The Hero
with a Thousand Faces'."
What
makes a good listener?
"When a storytelling therapist has made a
connection to a story, their own imagination brings that story to life. In the
shared, sacred space, the listener is drawn-to, and tunes-into the resurrected
life of the story, regardless of content.
In ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’ Lewis
Carroll said
the listener receives the story as a ‘love gift’."
You
use folk and fairy tales. Are there inherent dangers in using old stories?
"Fairy tales have an ‘ordinary’ hero, often
not named. The stories are mostly optimistic - promoting hope and promising a
happy solution for the hero who has struggled. As the listener identifies with
the hero, they can experience an ‘inner renewal’. Fairy tale heroes have inner
and outer conflicts that are very human, pointing to human nature and identity
development through symbol and metaphor.
Myths on the other hand, have unique, named
central characters who are more super-heroes, almost god-like, and there are
many tragic endings. Listeners always feel slightly inferior to mythic heroes.
Some fairy tales are well suited to older
people; the work of Allan Chinen
would be useful for people who particularly want to address the developmental
needs of middle and older-aged clients.
* Kim is looking for listeners to help with her
research
Kim is currently working on researching the
therapeutic value of stories – Master of Narrative Therapy at Melbourne University.
She is keen to meet people who are willing to listen to a ten-minute story, and
a month later be sent ten questions about the ‘story-echo and reverberations’
around how the story might have changed one’s response to problems or
stimulated identity reflection and renewal.
If you would like to be part this research please contact Kim. She is happy to work over Skype or phone.
