“Myths provide guidance for difficult times. They can give encouragement as we struggle to survive horrendous ordeals. I have found that in clinical work, and in my own journey, it is useful to study mythic stories for hope. After all, those classic heroic seekers did get through their awesome challenges. The tales also provide hints on dealing with mid-life crises or other difficult transitions.” (Jonathan Young)
Campbell distinguishes the folk tale from the myth in the following way: “The folk tale is for entertainment. The myth is for spiritual instruction.” (The Power of Myth, pg. 59). Campbell tells us that myths exist in two forms; the personal myth and the societal myth. He says that dreams are personal experiences of “that deep dark ground that is the support of our conscious lives. A myth is society’s dream. The myth is the public dream and the dream is the private myth…If your private myth, your dream, happens to coincide with that of the society, you are in good accord with your group. If it isn’t, you’ve got an adventure in the dark forest ahead of you” (ibid pg 40). It would appear that mental health therapy must consider the time period in which the individual feels he belongs.
While there are several variations of the Hero’s Journey, the themes of these variations remain consistent. These adaptations seem to exist in order to accommodate the movie industry. Other variations include meetings with a goddess. The following twelve stages are in keeping with Joseph Campbell’s structure found in The Hero With A Thousand Faces.
Case Study
Melissa (not her real name) is a mid-life woman who has gone through many trying experiences in her life, including a very difficult divorce. She has a grown daughter who is living independently. Melissa has returned to school and is studying business and art. If we apply the twelve stages of The Hero’s Journey to Melissa’s personal history it becomes a tangible tool for observing her life challenges and changes. She can clearly acknowledge her personal growth and transformations. More importantly, however, she can see how far she has come in her hero’s journey.
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