I nearly fainted. My vision goes gray, a cold sweat comes over me, and my knees buckle. I look for the nearest seat. There in the corner. I hope no one noticed. I’m a new medical student assigned to this patient. The resident said I should watch and see how this is done. This is …Read More
Month: October 2020
Meditation: Space
Don’t think of a purple elephant! What do you do? … You think of a purple elephant. Let’s use the science of the mind in our favor. What you focus on is what persists. Let’s practice shifting our focus onto space. If your mind goes to the tightness and dense spots, just shift your focus …Read More
Election Stories
How will the next generation enter politics? No matter what your political beliefs, we all must look to the next generation to vote and run for office. This week, I interview members of the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) community about their “Election Stories” gearing up for the November 3rd elections. What inspires young people …Read More
Honey Cake, a gruesome tale
“Beware, there really are monsters in the world.” Ken Oguss recorded this original story LIVE at the Festival of Ghost Stories in 2017. HONEY CAKE is a work of fiction based on his work in recording oral histories and a folk tale collected by two brothers in Germany. It is a dark tale, but it …Read More
International Week of InterPlay 2020
Why would adults play? Isn’t that a waste of time? My friends, Olaf and Jamie, invited me to an InterPlay workshop. After quick introductions, the group of us started off with “warm up” exercises. (If you haven’t used your play muscles in a long time, you might strain them.) Stretching, playful, free movements loosened the …Read More
Homework for Life ~ Matthew Dicks
“As you begin to take stock of your days, find those [story] moments — see them and record them — time will begin to slow down for you. The pace of your life will relax.” ~ Matthew Dicks, Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling Matthew Dicks assigns his …Read More
Storytelling as Medicine ~ Workshop
For many indigenous peoples, “medicine” is anything that heals the body, mind, emotions, or spirit. Beyond the herbs and drugs to heal the physical body, this expanded definition of “medicine” includes the healing power of stories to change our hearts, inspire our spirits, and move our minds past limiting beliefs. When we release our raw …Read More
Telling the Difficult Story
“We know from the testimony of both victims and perpetrators that silence makes abuse possible.” ~Loren Neimi and Elizabeth Ellis, Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories We tell our difficult stories to make the world a better place. In therapy or therapeutic safe space, sharing our raw stories allows us to process emotions, …Read More
I absorbed the stories
We live in a multimedia world of sound and images moving across screens. It takes a lot to hold attention these days. Or so it seems? The first time that I unknowingly walked into a live performance of a twenty-minute story, I was surprised. One person, front of the room, one voice, no multimedia, no …Read More