The Imagine Model™: Creating A New Mythology

By Jim Savage, LCDC

Every three months at Imagine we hold an event we call the Art Lock-In. This happens on a Saturday, and goes from 3pm till midnight. It is basically a party in which we provide art supplies for everyone to have some fun and let their inner artistic ambitions out. Everyone who is part of the Imagine community attends- clients, aftercare, parents, and siblings. We cook burgers out in the parking lot and include some fun activities like face-painting or cake decorating contests. Imagine Band kids play music to provide the entertainment, and we include an AA/Alanon meeting.

On the surface most will recognize the value of this kind of an activity as a positive addition to a treatment program. But from the perspective of The Imagine Model™ there is more to what’s happening than most realize. Therefore, I always open the Art Lock-In with a little talk about some of my thoughts as to what the event means on a deeper level. I begin with a story about some things that inspired me greatly back when Imagine was just a dream in the back of mind.

Cultural Mythology

Joseph Campbell was a leading scholar in the field of literature and cultural anthropology, and was author of a significant book entitled The Hero With A Thousand Faces. He identified how the Hero’s Journey- a universal theme found throughout storytelling and mythology- serves as a metaphor for the spiritual journey of life and holds relevance for the study of psychological growth and personal development. In an interview with Bill Moyers, Campbell discussed the relationship between the mythology of a culture and the beliefs and behavior of the people. He stated that it is the role of the religious leaders of the community to present the mythology to the culture, which in turn shapes beliefs and attitudes. When asked who presents the message if the community rejects the religious leaders (referring to current cultural divides, especially among youth). His answer was short and direct: “The artists”.

Campbell went on to illustrate his point, drawing attention to the power that popular music or Hollywood movies have over shaping ideas of individuals, and how they in turn reflect the psychological makeup of the culture. I remember that I was quite struck by this notion- I was inspired! For this is exactly what I wanted to do with Imagine- use the creative arts to help influence personal growth. But at that time this was all still just a dream. That was about eighteen years ago.

Fast forward to about one year ago. Imagine has become a successful IOP treatment program, with a unique facility that includes a theater, musical equipment, and an abundance of inspirational artwork created by clients. We’ve been conducting wilderness retreats for years in which kids go through a symbolic rite of passage ceremony that results in a transformational experience. Kids perform play productions that portray their real-life experiences of struggling with personal demons and achieving happiness and fulfillment. Imagine has become most of what I had dreamed of back in those early days when I was reading Joseph Campbell. It was around that time I started noticing an increasingly consistent response from visitors when they entered our building: ”It just feels good in here…”

At that time I had begun to turn my attention towards articulating on a more academic level what goes on here- I was beginning to define “The Imagine Model™”. One day something struck me of great significance. Remembering Joseph Campbell’s discussion on how the mythology of the culture is portrayed through the arts, it occurred to me that this is in fact what we have accomplished here at Imagine. While the inference in Campbell’s discussion was that the current mythology that is presented through pop culture tends to be dark or hopeless- such as rock bands with names like Suicidal Tendencies- it occurred to me that the positive, inspirational feeling people experience when they enter our building is their response to the mythology we have created here in our little environment. And this mythology is the Hero’s Journey. We overcome our challenges, we face our demons.  We rise out of the darkness and are transformed. We have new life. This is exactly what recovery from addiction is, and we are portraying this through creative expression in virtually everything we do as part of our treatment program.

“…it occurred to me that the positive, inspirational feeling people experience when they enter our building is their response to the mythology we have created here in our little environment.” 

The Art Lock-In

As the client’s art is a significant element of what creates this “mini-mythology” found at Imagine, I have begun to share these thoughts with the group at the beginning of each Art Lock-In. Taking a few moments to bring a serious element into an otherwise fun and “not-therapy” event, we discuss the idea of accessing the creative muse within us, and expressing our feelings and experience of life through the art that will be created that day. This art will tell our stories, as it goes up on the walls around the office and, perhaps, on display out in the community. We are contributing to the portrayal of a mythology that ultimately serves to inspire and influence others.

This represents the aspect of Imagine of which I am perhaps most proud. I believe the “good feeling” people have when they are at our facility is an unconscious awareness of all that goes on here with regard to healing and transformation. An implication of Joseph Campbell’s work with the Hero’s Journey is that to affect a positive change in behavior, such as treatment or prevention efforts with youth, it is the underlying mythology that must be addressed and redefined. However, this is no small task; if this is in fact something that’s occurring here at Imagine, it’s work that I’m excited to be part of.

However, the art-mythology connection is simply one aspect of the Art Lock-In that supports the principles of The Imagine Model™. I’ll briefly mention some other dynamics that an activity like this creates in the context of a treatment program.

Community

Effective outpatient treatment needs more than just group sessions 3 nights per week. It is the “extracurricular events” we provide at Imagine that really strengthen the program. Campouts, lock-ins, play productions- all of these create the opportunity for bonding that won’t typically occur in the regular group setting. Clients bond with their peers. Parents bond with other parents. Parents get to know the other kids. When this occurs in a positive, inspiring environment, the result is the establishment of community. It creates a sense of having something to belong to. And this is one of the principles of The Imagine Model™:

An effective treatment program is one that develops a community of support for clients that extends beyond the scheduled program times.

The opportunity to be on a committee to plan and coordinate an activity such as this allows clients and parents a way to be involved in their treatment without “being in treatment”. It allows an opportunity for “service work”, which always brings out the best in a person and increases self esteem. Taking responsibility for a task- whether it’s taking inventory of art supplies or planning a cake decorating contest- helps people get involved and ultimately results in feeling good about themselves.

Another aspect of the extracurricular activity in treatment is “sober fun”. Many kids in substance abuse treatment just plain don’t have anything to do given the typical restrictions that go along with being in treatment. So just having something to do- even if it’s a “corny event at their rehab”- is better than sitting at home. However, a consistent response heard from kids after one of these activities is the significant realization for them to see that they can have fun being sober.

The net result of group bonding and having sober fun is that recovery becomes more attractive and participation in treatment is more enjoyable. I believe that attending the Art Lock-In over the weekend impacted each client in some way that made them look a little more forward to coming to group on Monday and feel more part of the program. For many clients, sometimes one positive experience such as this can make the difference in their entire treatment experience.

Another way of understanding the cultural impact on personal behavior is to consider that mythology is to a community as a dream is to the individual. From this perspective we can see the importance of establishing a sense of community that is influenced by a positive mythology in an arena such as substance abuse treatment. For this represents perhaps the most powerful underlying factor in influencing positive change.

Click here for pictures of art from the recent art lock-in, with artist statements about the pieces.

We would welcome anyone to come and tour our facility and learn more about Imagine. Please call (972) 423-6007 to schedule a time to visit. Or email Jim Savage directly at jim@imagineprogram.com. 

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