About Storytelling

Storytelling is an enormously valuable form of communication and a marvellous instrument for focusing and using imagination – and of course it’s wonderful entertainment too. Human beings are natural storytellers in all sorts of ways.

Statements like that might have been taken as pure hype a few years back. In recent times, they have been backed up with hard evidence from all sorts of studies. It’s becoming clear that our narrative skills are as important to our intelligent effectiveness in life as our reason.

Imaginary Journeys draws together information and ideas about storytelling for developing the skill of the story in both children and adults in exciting, fun ways – from educational uses of storytelling, to entertainment, to therapy and healing.

We currently publish the Natural Storytellers series of booklets and have various free downloads of articles and story plots. We plan to add many more as time goes by. We passionately believe that many ancient story plots still have much to offer in the way of insight and wisdom as well as food for developing twenty-first century imaginations.

We are interested in exploring, re-discovering the possibilities of the art of telling stories for working directly with the imagination and with the metaphorical dreaming mind. Publications on this theme such as Transforming Tales, Powerful Stories and the guided imagination CD, Just Imagine are available from our shop. We also run occasional courses in therapeutic storytelling and on storytelling as guided imagery.

Imaginary Journeys runs various other courses and training for adults interested in developing story skills, such as The Art of Storytelling.

Over the past quarter of a century, there has been a growing revival of interest in oral storytelling and there is now an international storytelling movement. For information about the storytelling scene in England, National Storytelling Week, various interesting publications and online forums, contact the Society for Storytelling. For fascinating articles and more information about the world of storytelling, see also Facts & Fiction magazine.