In moments of transition, stories are often told and enacted in order to enable smooth passage between experiences (Gersie, 1997). Metaphorical or analogical bootstrapping occurs as we seek to link one unknown or unfamiliar moment to another (Gentner, 2010). In a similar vein, Boal’s (1995) concept of metaxic action takes place in the space between experiences, potentially within multiple stories told in order to move the individual across aesthetic and emotional distance, from where they were before that reflexive moment, to where they need to be. Based on my doctoral research, this paper invites exploration of the concept of reflexing in the moment of embodied story creating/telling/ listening as a shared, physical experience. Through collective experience, individual’s sense of self is altered, changed and sometimes transformed. This paper explores the sometimes stormy journey through the embodied storying process for me as researcher/participant, questioning my shifting perspectives on my own practice.
Elinor Vettraino:
Currently heading up the business and enterprise area at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, England, Elinor has worked extensively with applied theatre processes, recently using storytelling as a method of reflective practice processing with education professionals and leaders. Her most recent book “Playing in a House of Mirrors: Applied Theatre as Reflective Practice” co-edited with Dr Warren Linds, was stimulated by her doctoral research into the 6-Part-Story Method. Current areas of interest for Elinor focus on building on the embodied reflexivity work she developed in her doctoral research, and considering how emotions impact on the facilitators of learning experiences; in particular those using coaching as a model of education delivery.
