Held via Zoom
Menachem Cohen
CEUs: 2

The Hero’s Journey has long informed humanity, even before it was named. However, many find it inadequate for the diversity of human experience (Craig Chalquist, Michelle Kenney).

In tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons & others, players create characters—wizards, warriors, space pirates, film noir detectives, etc.—often based on archetypes. They imbue them with backstories, personality, quirks & abilities. They then go on adventures delivering strange cargo, defending villages from marauders, repatriating cultural artifacts, or simply wandering, encountering fantastic & whimsical people and places.

Increasingly, practitioners use TTRPGs in education, therapy & spiritual direction. Clients can heal from crisis and explore existential questions. TTRPGs are fantastic for playing out the Hero’s Journey & experiencing how it works. However, a sizable number eschew it. In this experiential workshop we will discuss how TTRPGs are used for growth, exploration, & healing and examine the Hero’s Journey & alternatives, and why some may discard the heroic archetype.

About the Instructor
Menachem is a spiritual director, inter-spiritual rabbi & tabletop game designer. Much of his work is in the design & use of games for growth, exploration & healing.

Menachem has a special commitment to queer people, polyamorous people, sex-workers, and the kink/fetish community. Not because people in these communities need to be saved, rather in his time in/with them he has seen people not feeling comfortable or safe asking for spiritual care and being passed over and ignored by those providing spiritual care. He works with people of all faiths and no faith. Many are spiritual but not religious.

Menachem has played TTRPGs for 42+ years. He earned a Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Loyola University and received rabbinic ordination at Hebrew Seminary.

Most important, he is a dad.

Find more about Menachem at https://linktr.ee/menachemcohen

*Program CEUs are an additional $15 processing fee. Please note that the current CEU processing time is around 3-4 weeks.