http://www.safeshare.tv/w/gNUHuTsZYr

The Healing Powerof Stories

Alli GriffinSept. 30, 2011

Where is the Power?• Definitions• Ways of Using Stories• Benefits• Going Digital• Uniqueness– Who we are– How we live

http://www.journeyofhearts.org/kirstimd/tellstory.htm

Definitions• Storyteller: one who writes or reads stories.• Meaning Making: process by which we cope

with death or loss, or trauma• Digital Story: brief individual storylines

created on a personal computer. It is personal to the creator, last two to five minutes, contain pictures, words, music, and video.

http://www.journeyofhearts.org/kirstimd/tellstory.htm

Ways to Use Stories• Communicating • Educating and Informing • Building rapport • Establishing connections • Inspiring and

Encouraging • Preserving cultural

identity • Recreating and

Entertaining

• Clarifying emotions • Remembering • Translating memories

into stories • Coping with death,

illness, tragedy • Healing from loss • Leaving a legacy • Honoring the dying

person’s final journey

Benefits of Storytelling• Stories translate memories into concrete

matter that can be handed down.• Stories help us explain the world.• Stories help grievers to assimilate and accept

the loss.• Personal stories inspire others and can provide

hope.

Counseling Today, Dec. 2009

Going Digital• Words once spoken, or typed in black and

white, are now colorful movies.• Counselors and health care workers use digital

media to help children and adults “talk” about traumas and issues.

• The use of pictures, sounds, music and their voice gives them a place to share what they are feeling and it feels “safe”.

http://www.pelinks4u.org/articles/beagle0408.htm

Types o f D ig i ta l S tor ies

• Personal Narratives• Historical Themes and Events

based on student explored materials

• Stories that inform or instruct

A thought…

“We are a society that in general denies grief, avoids the emotion whenever possible, and expects those grieving to quickly ‘deal with it’ and ‘get over the loss.’ In our fast-paced, efficiency-focused society, people often do not recognize the benefits of telling or listening to the story.” Dyer, 2001.

• Each person has a story all their own. • It is constantly changing and being rewritten

by our actions and daily encounters. • Our stories shape who we are and what we

become. We are one

unique story!

Uniqueness

ResourcesBeagle, M & Hodges, D. (2009). Digital storytelling-What is your story? Retrieved

from: http://www.pelinks4u.org/articles/beagle0408.htm Center for Digital Storytelling. (n.d). Center for Digital Storytelling. Retreived

September 29, 2011, from http://storycenter.org/Dorado, J. (2010). Who are we, but for the stories we tell: Family stories and

healing. Psychology Trauma: Theory Research, Practice and Policy, Vol. 10, No. 3, 243-249. doi:10.1037/a0019893

Dyer, K. (2001). The importance of telling (and listening) to the story. Retrieved from http://www.journeyofthehearts.org/kristimd/tellstory.htm

Jencius, M. (2009). Every picture tells a story. Counseling Today, Vol. 52, Issue 6, 24-25.

Pitts, M. (2006). CFK top article pick: Telling stories that teach, and heal. Retrieved from http://sparkaction.org/content/cfk-top-article-pick-telling-stories-that-heal