The Metaphoric Body

Guide to Expressive Therapy through Images and Archetypes

...a tour de force...a series of exquisite exercises which translate the philosophical ideas into practical and clearly understood directives for activities that are immediately experienced in the body. This work is useful to anyone engaged in education, the creative arts, and the art therapies. It is useful for all ages and all people and all time. In a word this volume is practical. Dear reader, you are about to embark on an exciting adventure.'

- from the Foreword

'A rich confluence of Eastern and Western influences shape the content of this expressive arts resource book... provides numerous movement ideas and themes suitable for educational workshops, body awareness classes as well as for work with individuals...a rich source of developmental material for professionals in fields such as movement education, the expressive arts or expressive art therapies...an important practical supplement to professionals working through the expressive arts.'

- The Arts in Psychotherapy

'This well-researched book... offers creative arts therapists, educators and artists a wealth of resources on myth, metaphor and the creative process... Personal stories, poems, drawings and photos vividly report the imaginative responses these tasks evoke... Photos and diagrams help focus the directions for the movement experiences that follow... The authors, with their extensive background in Hebrew literature, give us a new dimension of mythic exploration through Biblical Stories... Certain selected Greek myths...also provide rich experiences in visualization and improvisation... The Metaphoric Body is a book to be read carefully. It opens many doors to creativity and will appeal to everyone interested in the creative process, especially teachers and dancers... We applaud Nira Ne'eman and Leah Bartal for their loving work in bringing us this treasure.'

- American Journal of Dance Therapy

'This book is a beautiful and timely gift to all expressive therapists, and indeed to verbal therapists as well. It expands the traditional art therapy repertoire... The authors are owed a debt of gratitude for their dedication to the 10-year task of assembling their accumulated experiences, both professional and personal, from a wide variety of therapeutic, artistic, philosophical, and religious schools and playgrounds.'

- American Journal of Art Therapy

'This excellent resource book links the mystery and movement of the body to the psychological process of transformation... Starting with a powerful and sensitive awareness of the body, readers can explore relationships with the world and nature, communication with others and themselves and set out on allegorical journeys through the great truths of being as set out in ancient myths and symbols.'

- Caduceus

'This is undoubtedly exceptional... It is unique because the writers have followed their own paths, their own search eclectically and with integrity, to find and fashion the tools of the therapeutic process... The book is beautifully structured - the chapters unfold organically... This book is copiously illustrated with authentic artwork and photographs of clients and students actively and expressively engaged in their process. Quotations are refreshingly drawn from many sources: educators, philosophers, artists, politicians, and therapists; and always relevant and insightful.'

- Association for Dance Movement Therapy Newsletter

'...this book has a strong contribution to make...[and] will be useful to workshop leaders and therapists.'

- Marian Liebmann, Art therapist

'...a very important book and is highly recommended both for teachers and students. The book is abundant with creative ideas... takes the reader step-by-step to understanding the subject. As the book is on a high academic level, it is also understandable and pleasant reading.'

- Director, Israel Dance Library

The Metaphoric Body is a resource book based on the development of practical and spiritual awareness which allows readers to experience transformation directly. It offers suggestions, ideas, and exercises, acting as a guide to a way of working to enhance personal growth and the therapeutic process. The authors, who have been international pioneers since the 1950s in the fields of movement, dance, dance therapy, drama and art, emphasise a holistic approach which goes beyond the purely cognitive and verbal. They link the body to the psychological process, employing the tools of artistic expression to gain personal insights - to open new channels in the mind's eye.

Using movement, improvised drama, mask work, visual arts and written work, the activities and exercises draw on images and symbols from Greek mythology, the Old Testament and the Taoist Five Elements.