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Description
Flashcards by Maedean Myers, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Maedean Myers
over 8 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| 1. Intro Part One | These are pictures of the three high schools I attended. As a child, my family and i moved a lot and books, stories were my anchor during times of stress and transition. My name is Maedean Yvonne Myers, I am a counsellor, drama instructor, and writer and I want to share with you three ways you can use come of the concepts of storytelling to support your wellbeing. |
| (Optional) Intro Part Two | They made sense of out of their experiences by creating stories. reshaping them in the retelling. The sharing of these stories created connection, empowerment, capacity, and identity in the face of oppressive circumstances. Little did they know were helping me develop tools to deal with challenges in my own life in the process. This immersion in story probably shaped how I myself interact with people as well as informing my career choices. I was an actor for many years and then became a counsellor. My thesis explored therapeutic storytelling and here I am today. |
| 2. Intro Part Three | We use stories everyday to talk to ourselves, our friends, and the larger communities we are a part of. Stories help us explore personal thoughts and feelings to better connect with our genuine needs and wants. (show slide). Swapping stories can build knowledge which in turn can serve to us empower us to make better choices ((show slide). Sharing stories can help us gain While sharing stories within larger contexts can strengthen community, connection, and cultural identity. (show slides) |
| 3. Purpose | I am here today to give you three ways you can use storytelling principles to improve your mental health. |
| 4. Definitions Mental Health | First let me explain the definition of mental health that I find most helpful in framing our work today. The Canadian Mental Association defines mental health as "striking a balance in all aspects of your life: social, physical, spiritual, economic and mental. Reaching a balance is a learning process.” Now I love the use of the word "striking"-indicating a forcible muscular movement. Now, I don't know about you, but sometimes I wind up telling myself a story about that I should just naturally be able to cope with life's challenges-that in fact, when I've made a mistake, or am suffering over something, or actually dealing with a mental challenge like anxiety or depression that its some sorf failure of character. When in fact, this definintion suggests to me the energy and hard work it takes to develop this kind of mental health muscle. It ain't easy. And maybe it invites to be us to be a little gentler to ourselves, when we get caught in the story of "there must be something wrong with me". (on the slide?) http://www.cmha.ca/mental-health/your-mental-health/ |
| Definitions Storytelling | For our purposes today, the elements of storytelling I am interested in are: 1. setting, plot, characters, problem, a solution (sometimes happily ever after, sometimes not). 2. Third Person/Distancing Narrative 3. beginning, middle and end 4. Theme |
| 1. Basic Story Elements | setting, plot, characters, problem, a solution (sometimes happily ever after, sometimes not). Then briefly explain what these things are. So for example, you might write or talk aloud about your problem describing things like the place it happened, what happened, the characters involved, and how you might like the problem resolved. Considering the setting, other characters, help us get a broader picture more holistic picture of what's happening. |
| 2. Third Person/Distancing Narrative | psychotherapists such as Kim Schneiderman, author of “Step out of your story” found that by referring to yourself in a story, you can sidestep the ego, and view yourself and situation from a distance. Other researchers, such as Ethan Kross have found that by distancing we can view our problems from more holistic perspective, rather than the narrowly focused I decreasing -decreases emotional reactivity and facilitating meaning making. I focused conversation. I am so frustrated that_________keeps showing up. I am just no good at____________. Maedean, you seem frustrated that______keeps showing up. Maedean, I wonder if you feel like sometimes you are just no good at_________? |
| 4. beginning, middle and end | In a study out of the University of California done in 2006 they found that those who just thought about a very difficult experience had the poorest health even compared to those who even just talked into a tape recorder. One of the defining features of rumination as you know, as that you seem to go in a loop. It never ends, it just ping pongs back and forth, over and over again on repeat. I see story as having a beginning, middle, and end. Studies have shown that just thinking about problems does not actually have any benefit |
| 5. Theme | Since we learned to put to chalk to cave wall, we loved to tell our stories. Stories in our blood and go beyond the rational to evoke the language of metaphor. They help us move from the micro view of the ego to the larger macro view connecting us to humanity. We may notice a theme, a recurring pattern, or perhaps some larger life lesson or moral emerging when we can either speak to ourselves or another through a story. Some themes include: Love and Loss Power Corrupts Inevitabitily of change Life Death Vision and Blindness Forgiveness Love conquers all small is okay too War and Peace Innocence returns love matters never give up heroism in small acts |
| 6. So what are three domains to use story in your daily life to improve your mental health? | 1. Intrapersonal (within yourself) 2. Interpersonal ( with others-friends, colleagues, more casual social circles) 3. Family-Unchosen and Chosen/Circle of Caring/ Community (with others) |
| 7. Intra-personal Examples of Storytelling | 1. journaling -dialogic, compassionate friend, hero's journey (The process is personal, intimate, and uniquely individual.) 2. Reading about fictional characters 3. recording yourself on your iphone 4. Talking out loud to yourself 5. Using various writing exercises such as storyboarding or other structured writing exercises. We will try one. |
| 8. Intrapersonal Practice Exercise: Writing | Take out the paper in front of you. : This is an exercise inspired by Kim Schneidermans “Stepping out your story” that I have just modified a bit” for our purposes today. For this exercise I want to about a mildly troublesome situation that on a scale of 1 to 10 being maximum stress inducing, this aobut a 3. Think about the situation and then ask yourself: the chapter would be called: The chapter would be about: 3-5 Sentences The theme would be about : One word What did you notice about how you feel? Did you learn anything new about this situation? |
| 9. Inter personal Uses of Storytelling Part One | Studies have found that talking to someone, sharing your narrative with someone else can have a profound impact on your mental wellbeing. In one of the studies I used in my paper, Julia Vadja (2007), a researcher conducting interviews with Hungarian Shoah survivors, noted a therapeutic effect on one of her interviewees. Vadja interviewed a woman sterilized in Auschwitz who for years held in painful memories. The woman reported relief and requested more of the “technology” (Vadja, 2007, p. 92) used in the interview. |
| 10. Inter personal Uses of Storytelling Part 2 | I love how the term “technology” is here applied to the process of listening. it makes listening as this kind of applied science. And perhaps it science, a science that often gets lost in our busy lives. It’s hard to find the time to just listen to someone or to have the courage to ask for someone to listen to us. I mean when was the last time you said to friend, hey, do you mind just listening to me without interruption or advice giving for about 90 seconds? “ And yet, that’s sometimes all it takes. A recent article in the Huffington Post also talks about research that talking release dopamine-the feel good chemical in the brain”. |
| 11. Interpersonal Practice: 2 minutes | So I would now like to invite to try an exercise with me taken from Compassion Cultivation Training. Please find a person next to you, and just move your chair around to kind of be facing them. I need person A, then Person B. Person B will speak first for 1 minute about anything that is on their mind today, keeping it confined for the purpose of this exercise, again to situations that are mildly irritating. Speaking about what they are feeling and what they hope for. The other person is to listen with their full presence without interruption. I will call time. Person A will say “thank you for sharing” and Person B will say “thank you for listening” –you can then switch roles, person A will speak for 90 seconds. I will call time. Person B will say “thank you for sharing” and Person A will say “thank you for listening. |
| 12. 3. Family-Unchosen and Chosen/Circle of Caring/ Community (with others) | A third way to use storytelling in your everyday life is by sharing stories within your larger communities both chosen and un-chosen. |
| 5. Part 2: Definitions Mental Health | Parable of the Second Arrow |
| 13a. Family Story: Uncle Stanley | 2. “The men would get work on the trains as porters. Work their up north until they wound up in New York City. There was still a lot of racism at the time, so lots of folks were eager to get out of the South. Your grandfather, Jitter Myers, got a job as a building custodian in the Bronx. He made sure anyone of the family who made up to New York had a place to stay. He always knew people so somehow he always managed to hook people with some kind of job. After a few years, you couldn’t walk around the Bronx without running into a Myers and we started doing alright. Your grandfather was a big part of that. “ |
| 13b. Family Story Option 2: Oma | Christmas in Berlin On December 1943, during Chisttmas they announced there would be no bombing. We went shopping. My father did the tree... This is what we did in 19434. It was a quiet Christmas, sad, but...I was so happy with my child, really happy inside, I can’t even describe. . I kept falling asleep, but kept thinking I have to hold on to her... you know how it is the first time you have someone to take care of. |
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