Loki and Grendel: Imagery Therapy for Two Classes of Emotional Problems

Abstract

Two causes of emotional disorders are those caused by attitudes or behaviors inflicted upon the client for which the client needs not to take responsibility and those caused by some unwise decision made by the client for which the client needs to take responsibility. A combination is most likely, yet this distinction influences the style and course of therapy as well portrayed in two ancient myths. When the problems are caused by torment from outside the client, therapy is empathetic and the healing process of the death of the internal torment is portrayed by the story of Beowulf. When the problem is due to a client's unwise decisions, therapy is more confrontive and requires death of the unwise inner part and a rebirth of innocence as illustrated in the Nordic myth of Loki's children.