At the heart of any therapeutic encounter there is always a story. Patients seeking help bring with them stories, spoken or untold, fragmentary and whole, that collectively make up their own personal narrative, their lived autobiography. Whatever else their tasks, a central part of the doctor's or therapist's job is to facilitate the telling of these stories, to make meaning out of them and find the patterns within them. The aim of this book is to rehabilitate stories and story telling within medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy and to consider a narrative approach both as a theoretical paradigm and a practical, therapeutic tool.
Singing Story, Healing Drumexplores the shamanic practices, oral traditions, and music of the Turkic Republics of Tuva and Khakassia in south Siberia. Based on extensive field-work, it includes folktales, legends, and shamanic poems that illuminate spiritual traditions, as well as descriptions of rituals practised by the people of this region. Kira Van Deusen's travels and her acquaintance with scholars, shamans, and storytellers who have been active in reviving traditional culture give her a unique perspective that allows her to present views from inside and outside the culture. Lively personal accounts are combined with scholarly research to show the importance of oral literature and music in connection with shamanism.Singing Story, Healing Drumhelps the reader find a way through the often confusing phenomena of the "shamanic revival," both in Russia and abroad.
Do angels really exist? What is their purpose? Do they interact with us? And what about demons and fallen angels? What should we do about them? Angel Stories answers these questions and more through a collection of encounters told by a “who’s who” of Christian prophetic and apostolic leaders.
Experience the extraordinary potential that stories hold-the power to heal, calm, and rejuvenate. This magical collection of more than 40 tales from around the world brims with wise words that illustrate many mysterious and sometimes simple ways to wellness and happiness. Through introductions, comments, and discussion starters, Livo provides guidance for reading and reflecting on each tale. The stories are organized into four main areas: healing the self, healing relationships, healing the community, and healing the Earth. In addition to an extensive bibliography, Livo offers a treasure trove of traditional proverbs and old-time herblore. An absolutely wonderful reading experience and resource for educators, parents, students, librarians, folklorists, storytellers, medical professionals, therapists, and anyone interested in folktales and healing. All Levels.
Caleb invites you on a journey to learn about attachment and trauma in this interactive story and workbook intended for children and the adults who support them. Caleb shares his own story about healing from his difficult early experiences, and encourages readers to join him in sharing their stories and completing the healing activities included in the book. Caleb's Healing Story identifies the common challenges that children who have experienced attachment or trauma issues will encounter and offers easy to use interventions in the form of activities and worksheets. Fully illustrated, it is suitable for children aged 5-14, as well as their family, friends and those working with children who present with these issues. It is the ideal companion to A Safe Place for Caleb, by the same author, which outlines theories, definitions and strategies for addressing attachment and trauma-related disorders.
More than 90 healing stories for telling during difficult times, written and collated by acclaimed therapeutic storyteller Susan Perrow, including 30 contributions from different cultures and countries worldwide. The book covers issues of grief, bereavement, separation, and loss. Chapters include: Loss of a Loved One; Loss of Place; Loss of Family Connection; Loss of a Pet; Loss of Health and Well-being; Other Kinds of Loss; Environmental Grief and Loss; Cycles of Life and Change; plus Patterns and Templates for Extension Activities (provided for some of the stories).
In this masterful interweaving of narrative psychology, literature, religion, ethics, and philosophy, Dr. Daniel Taylor invites readers to tell their stories, to take responsibility for their lives, and to made whole, because well-being is not a matter of repairing the psyche, but of reshaping a person's character.
Reframe your story—and reclaim your life—through writing and storytelling in this “invaluable guide for patients, families, medical professionals, and all of us ordinary mortals grappling with life” (Danielle Ofri, MD, PHD, author of What Doctors Feel). A Harvard-trained doctor draws on the tenants of narrative therapy and her own multiple sclerosis diagnosis to offer chronic illness patients a way through anxiety, confusion, and trauma. When Harvard-trained physician Dr. Annie Brewster was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001, she realized firsthand that the medical system to which she’d devoted her entire career was failing patients. The experience was dehumanizing. Her doctors weren’t listening. And the confusion, fear, and shame she felt around her diagnosis was preventing her from truly healing, claiming her story, and living her fullest, richest life. Here, Dr. Brewster and journalist Rachel Zimmerman each share their own personal stories, acting as expert guides as you move forward on your healing journey. With exercises, reflections, writing prompts, and stories from other real patients, Dr. Brewster and Zimmerman show how you can: • Process the difficult emotions that come with life-changing diagnosis • Move beyond being the hero of your own story to become the author of your own story • Craft your narrative and share it in whatever medium speaks to you • Integrate a traumatic health event into a new and evolving identity • Use applied storytelling techniques to strengthen connections with loved ones and care providers • Cultivate resilience to move forward amid uncertainty and fear The fact is, doctors can give you a life-changing diagnosis, but they’re not equipped to help you deal with the inner fallout: the confusion, anxiety, trauma, and dread that comes after “I have some bad news.” Dr. Brewster shows how writing your own unique healing story can help you process what comes next—to come to terms, create new ways to thrive, and even reclaim your personal power amid fear, change, and uncertainty.
Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments are presented in creative ways to help children understand God's work and His presence in their everyday lives. Each story is accompanied by discussion questions, a memory verse, and a fun craft activity.
Stories and narratives aimed at helping families work through an array of subjects like health, illness, grief, adoption, sexual identity, and school. The Healing Heart provides powerful examples of the use of stories and storytelling in encouraging resiliency, empathy, respect, and healing. These engaging books contain stories, and narratives about the use of the stories in activities with different populations (children, teens, those with disabilities, seniors, inmates, etc.) or which address specific social or community problems (addictions, poverty, violence, racism, environmental degradation, homelessness, abuse). The books are a collective effort containing the expertise of more than 60 storytellers and health professionals who illustrate the power of story in moving others to commitment and action, in building self-esteem and mutual respect. The Healing Heart ~ Families focuses on families, dealing specifically with healing through story, health promotion, disease prevention, early childhood intervention, children with medical problems, adopting families, schools, sexual identities, grief, and spiritual healing. The Healing Heart ~ Communities focuses on community-building, with sections on youth, violence prevention, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse and addiction, racism, elders, culture, environmental protection, homelessness, and community development. Praise for The Healing Heart ~ Families “Both children and adults, sick or well, need the embrace of soulful storytelling. They need to witness and be witnessed, for it is in this state that healing occurs . . . . If newscasters were to read aloud each night to their listeners for 1,001 nights one of the stories from this treasury, we would all be healed and lose our fear, recapturing real security in our homeland.” —N. Michael Murphy, MD, author of The Wisdom of Dying “An extraordinary work . . . . Hit the bulls eye by providing both process and practice. Thought provoking and insightful theory is intertwined with appropriate stories for direct application. It makes clear that story can be a powerful catalyst for change, giving eloquent voice to what many of us have known for some time but have been unable to express. What a gift for those who work with families!” —Elizabeth Ellis, co-author of Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking about Difficult Stories
