Myth as Medicine for Companions

Adola McWilliam is a curative teacher and social therapist who has lived in Camphill villages all her life. As Adola explains, that the word “companion” is used in most Camphill villages around the world to describe the “villagers” who are cared for in Camphill.

In working with companions we explore the art of human encounter, translating one’s life into a fairy tale and bringing it to life in the form of a puppet show shown to friends and family. Through sharing our stories through the lens of mythical puppetry, we can begin to sense a deeper meaning in our lives. Puppets invite us to experience empathy, opening our hearts and strengthen us as human beings.

How can one’s pain and many life experiences be safely explored and healed by writing your individual myth? Through the responses to these questions and working with the art of human encounter and biographical theory, I discovered that through myth and fairy tale we are reminded that we are supported.

We learn to know that human beings are divine in their origin and potent with mysterious capacities. I discovered that everyone has unique and wondrous mythical stories. We can find an openness to trust in the benevolent wisdom-filled direction of our lives. Knowing this, enables us to trust and move more confidently in the outer world.

For eight years I have worked in this way with some of the companions at Glenora farm, a Camphill village on Vancouver Island, B.C.

Here is Adola’s description about my work with companions:

“For the last eight years Hannah has been working intensively in our community .The Glenora farm Community. We are a Camphill community working with and sharing our life with mentally, but educable, handicapped adults.

Hannah worked with them biographically. They learned how to share their biography and how to transform it into a fairy tale. The healing effect was incredible. They had to accept and face their handicap and how to use it as a gift for the community. They began to understand themselves and their reason for being and how they could relate to their families, their friends and the world.

I, personally, went through this process with Hannah, also. Hannah created my life as a mythical puppet show. So I speak from experience. Hannah gave us a lot of homework on this path of self-recognition.
So these newly-created fairy tales were performed for our community, invited friends and parents. Many of the performers had never worked with puppets, including some of the challenged adults.

Hannah trained them all. The results were amazing. And a hard work. Hannah is a true artist, an artist at heart and indeed. She is also a social, loving, gentle yet strong person. Puppets are magically healing.” – Adola McWilliam      

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