Transplanting the Soul-Tree: an analytical perspective on how the Sesame approach and movement with touch and sound became the fertile soil for the psychological support and therapy for refugee women

Abstract

This case study explores how the Sesame approach and specifically Marian Lindkvist’s ‘Movement with Touch and Sound’ (MTS) became the fertile soil for the psychological support and healing of refugee women in an innovative community centre in Athens. Expression through movement, ritual, imagination and play created the fine line of working obliquely yet deeply with severely traumatised women, most of whom were survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). The archetypal image of the tree, which develops new roots after the so called ‘transplant shock’, is a guiding metaphor that emerged through the therapeutic process and held an enormous significance as a representative unconscious image of the women’s inner and outer journey of transformation.

Keywords:

• Movement with Touch and Sound (MTS)
• refugees
• ritual
• trust
• play
• child archetype
• attunement
• womanhood

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thaleia Portokaloglou

Thaleia Portokaloglou is a Greek Psychologist (BA), Psychodrama Psychotherapist (PGDip) and Sesame trained Dramatherapist (MA). Since her graduation from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2013, she works in Athens as a therapist with various client groups. She also travels systematically to Thessaloniki, where she teaches Movement with Touch and Sound (MTS) and Myth in the Postgraduate Training in Dramatherapy at Epineio – Institute of Therapy and Education Through the Arts. Since 2016 Thaleia has been working with refugee women, survivors of gender based violence, and is interested in researching further how Dramatherapy and Psychodrama contribute to their psychological support and therapy.