‘The Hero’s Journey’ at HMP Thameside 

Over the summer, we held 6 workshops with a group of inmates exploring their personal mythology - the stories of their lives and how they relate to them - via Joseph Campbell’s concept of ‘The Hero’s Journey’. ‘The Hero’s Journey’ is made up of several universal stages that make up the structure of all stories, from ancient myths and scriptures, to modern films and TV episodes, and ultimately the stories that we are living in our own lives. 

In weekly group discussions inspired by the stages of the journey e.g. ‘The Ordinary World’, ‘Meeting The Mentor’, ‘The Ordeal’ and ‘Resurrection’, the participants were encouraged to look at their lives from a mythological perspective, and to recognise any patterns and themes that they might share with each other. 

Along the way, discussions were supported and inspired by meditations and visualisations, e.g. asking the members to imagine and then draw items given to them by their mentors to help them with that particular stage of the journey. The process was highly bonding for the group, with honesty and vulnerability on show once trust had been established, and with personal insights often revealing themselves to the increasingly supportive group. As we reached the end of the journey, it became clear that many members had really benefitted from the process, learning not just about themselves and their own qualities but being able to recognise those in others by connecting to the group. In prison it can be difficult for inmates to access or seek therapeutic resources, especially due to the stigma attached to the perception of seeking therapy, so it seems ‘The Hero’s Journey’-style workshops can be an effective way for participants to find themselves engaging in a process without feeling self-conscious. 

The mythological element also allows for them to talk about difficult aspects of their lives from a safely detached distance when necessary, and share with an understanding group. As became apparent during our sessions, when themes in their collective backstories emerged e.g. abuse and addiction, it allowed them the opportunity to connect with each other and see themselves and their behaviour as possible adaptations to challenging circumstances rather than to view themselves as ‘bad’ or ‘broken’, and therefore fully capable of rehabilitation. Overall, ‘The Hero’s Journey’ seemed like a great success with a powerful potential to be applied to more groups at Thameside in the coming year.