PORTRAITS OF A COUNSELLOR-IN-TRAINING

 

Reflections are a form of self-portraiture; they illuminate personal worldviews, the narratives that uphold those worldviews, and the many images that we have of ourselves. When tasked with a self-reflection project for my counselling practicum course, I wanted to move beyond intellectually unraveling my thoughts, deep into my mythos where self, culture, and experience intersect. My counselling interests are in narrative, constructive, and expressive arts modalities; what better way to embody those paradigms than to engage in a series of here and now self-portraits viewed through the lens of mythology that capture the language, learnings, experiences, and inspiration of each week of my practicum?  

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Self-reflection is a critical catalyst for growth. The mythology and stories that form the scaffolding for cultural knowing provide a stable framework through which to delve deeply into metaphor and meaning. Mythology and self-actualization have long been linked through such seminal thinkers as Carl Jung and Joseph Cambell. Campbell's voice still rings with his cry to artistically reassemble myth to serve the present and our awakening humanity (Campbell, 1969). We are wired for stories, it is how we organize our experiences, how we share them with others, and how we come to understand them. For me, using a storied, mythological approach to self-reflection integrates the teachings more cohesively and holistically.

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I am of European descent and have built my spiritual practice around what I consider to be the legacy of my heritage; Greco-Roman mythos. The Romans conquered much of Europe, amalgamating their gods and mythology with that of the local people. Greco-Roman mythology is embedded everywhere in Western art and literature; it also is the bedrock of many of the terms found within psychological practice. Indeed the word psychology comes from the Greek word 'psyche'. I believe that stories endure when they have something relevant to say about the human condition. While our world has changed greatly since many of the classic Greco-Roman myths were crafted, they continue to inform cultural practice and offerings; they continue to change and be changed by those that engage with them.

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The portraits were created using an image overlay technique on my Nikon D3000 camera. The process of layering photos in varying opacities was intriguing not only creatively, but as a metaphor for how therapeutic interventions develop over time. Most of the photos were taken by me however credit is due to my daughter, Naia, who helped me with the photography for Narcissus, Hypnos, Sisyphus, and Herakles.

 

Campbell, J. (1969). The masks of god: Primitive mythology. The Viking Press.   

 

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