The Role of the Great Arts and Literature in Narrative Counselling to Reveal Beauty as a Life-Giving Healing Experience and a Rediscovery of the Human Spirit as a Noetic Spirit

Dante wrote in a letter to his patron that the meaning of the Commedia is to guide those that live in the absence of hope towards a state of cheerfulness (Latham in Dreher 2015:43). Aristotle originally explained in the Poetics that art has the ability to heal by means of balancing the two fundamental passions, namely pity and fear (Kearney 2002:137-138). The ancient Egyptians and Greeks “employed drama and music as a means to help the disturbed achieve catharsis, relieve themselves of pent-up emotions, and return to balanced lives” (Gladding 1985:2). Therefore, the purpose of the great arts is to employ the imagination which responds to both comedy and tragedy, and thereby keep a balanced and realistic perspective on life (Gladding 2016:6). In January 2017, a meaningful story unfolded in my life that became a great source of creativity, whereby the great arts and literature were utilised, resulting in the working-through of a personal narrative of imbalance into a cathartic retelling of a narrative of balance - a rediscovery of my human spirit as a noetic spirit. When reading this in Chapter 3, I invite you, the reader, to allow yourself to freely enter your imagination and become part of our ‘Creative Protagonist’ narrative. I encourage you to chronologically view the attached video clips (Part I, II & III - Prynnsberg Part I.mp4; Prynnsberg Part II.mp4; Prynnsberg Part III.mp4) that was produced as invitations to the weekend at Prynnsberg, and to watch the final mythical clip (Part IV - Prynnsberg Part IV.mp4) that was produced after the weekend at Prynnsberg. Furthermore, I invite you to join me on this odyssey in exploring my idiosyncratic journey through a narrative therapeutic lens whilst undergoing a theoretical study of the balancing act of the great arts and literature, and how it can be used to influence and facilitate the working-through of problem narratives in the therapeutic process of re-writing one’s narrative.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Pretoria

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Meylahn, Johann-Albrecht

• UCTD
• Narrative counselling
• Art therapy
• Literature and theology
• Beauty and spirituality
• Healing and restoration

Statement dc:rights

• © 2020 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

A2020

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/75286