“Roving” and Recovery in Storytelling for Mental Health: Reclaiming the City, Resingularizing Ourselves

Abstract:The therapeutic potential of stories and the interpersonal connections created during storytelling are often encapsulated in the image of a storytelling circle. This resonates with the two key characteristics of the CHIME model of mental health recovery, “meaning” and “connection” (Leamy et al.). Based on an experience of facilitating multiple interactions between trainee storytellers and local organizations, this article proposes a third, equally characteristic side of the storytelling craft, its roving side. Like Walter Benjamin's idea of the “sailor storyteller,” this aspect encompasses the often risky and adventurous physical and social journeys storytellers undertake to discover, research, and experiment with new material.