Friday Fairytale

Like any art, stories are a pleasure in and of themselves. They also serve as a tool for remembering, carrying hope, expressing sorrow, and shocking us into rebalancing our understanding, allowing for growth in awareness (de Botton, 2020). They can both guide and manipulate us in our social and political contexts. Myths, Folklore, and Fairy tales can be particularly potent, as they have been collectively crafted over time, carrying ancient truths that can be understood on multiple levels simultaneously: the conscious, the unconscious, the individual experience, and the social world.

This series of workshops explores the psychology behind a different fairytale each month.

We will also examine some of the symbols and motifs in relevant stories and how they can help us deepen our understanding.

Upcoming Sessions (2:00–3:30pm UK time):

• The Juniper Tree — Friday, 28th November 2025
• The Fisherman and His Wife — Friday, 23rd January 2026
• Bearskin — Friday, 27th February 2026
• The Girl with No Hands — Friday, 20th March 2026

AIM OF THE SESSIONS:

These sessions aim to introduce the audience to the use of fairytale, their archetypal symbols and imagery as a creative resource and potential therapeutic tool. As part of the experience, there will be a reading of the fairytale and then a presentation given to discuss:

Common archetypes and imagery used in fairytales.

The psychotherapeutic relevance of the fairytale from several different psychological perspectives.

Following the presented material, the group will spend the remaining time in the session reflecting on the presented material. Experiencing in action how, through the group‘s discussion, meeting our reactions, our connection to symbols, imagery, and association along the way, we might enable each other to better understand this way of formulating and deepening our connection to some of the stories we all live.

EACH SESSION OUTLINE:

Introductions & Housekeeping

Reading of the tale

Informal group discussion, questions, and reflections

Presentation

Further informal group discussion exploring:

- Common Symbolism and Archetypal Imagery in Fairy tales

- -The links between psychology and fairytales/myths