From tale to transformation: Modern storytelling as spiritual therapy in Türkiye

Abstract

It is a warm summer evening; cushions are spread in a circle on the grass, linen curtains fluttering in the gentle breeze between the trees, and the scent of incense from a burner mingles with the smell of summer in the air … An excited crowd waits in anticipation and thrill for what is about to unfold. Breaths are held, and phones are silenced, with only perhaps a few whispers heard occasionally here and there. Accompanied by the cheerful melody of a kalimba, a deep rhythmic beat is coming from a frame drum on which the name “Hū” was beautifully inscribed. A woman in white, eyes lined with kohl, stands barefoot, adorned with striking necklaces and earrings, reminiscent of a shaman from the steppes of Central Asia. Everyone instinctively straightens up, their attention snapping into focus, as some sort of mystical breath fills the air, signal that something magical is about to happen. Then the enchanting words flow from the woman’s lips, “Once upon a tale …"