Love arrives exactly when Love is supposed to and Love leaves exactly when Love must.When Love arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.”If Love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her.Turn off the music. Listen to the quiet.Whisper, “Thank you for stopping by.”— Sarah Kay & Phil Kaye “When Love Arrives” ~ Sarah …Read More
Author: Dr. Joel Ying, MD
Physician-Educator-Storyteller. Integrating the power of story into medicine, healing sessions, workshops, speaking and performance.
Night Terrors – Shane Koyczan
“Where words leave off, music begins.” ~ Heinrich Heine Music can bypass the mind and go straight to the heart. The Snap Judgment series pairs live instrumental music with live oral storytelling for a powerful performance — creating “stories with a beat.” Music creates the mood for the words to have an even deeper emotional …Read More
Storytelling as Medicine, Online Courses
I’m a physician and storyteller. How does a physician become a storyteller? Well, that’s a long story (coming soon), but right now I’ll just say that “healing” comes to us in so many different way. Today, along with my stethoscope and my prescription pad … I carry stories as my medicine. Stories are Medicine Stories …Read More
What is sex?
Sara could not believe this was her first day as a substitute teacher for 2nd grade. This was supposed to be an easy day. They were practicing for the standardized test required by the state. The number two pencils were sharpened. She had passed out the sheets for bubbling in their answers. The students were …Read More
Stigma & Medicine ~ Nathalia Holt, PhD
“We can’t possibly change medicine until we change opinions.”~ Dr. Nathalia Holt, PhD In 1940, Mary Woodward Lasker married Albert Lasker, a retired advertising executive. This union would change the face of medical research. Together, they launched a campaign to promote medical research. They did not just donate money to researchers. They did not just …Read More
The Hill We Climb ~ Amanda Gorman
This 22-year-old took the stage as Inaugural Poet with such grace and poise that I have no words to add. Watch Amanda Gorman reads her Inaugural Poem, The Hill We Climb Read the transcript here. Read other inaugural poems here.
Man rain, woman rain
My mom once told me the difference between man rain and woman rain. Here in Florida, the humid summer months bring rainstorms every afternoon like clockwork. “The weather is horrible! It rains every day,” complained a friend who recently moved from New York. “But the rest of the day is fine,” I said. Growing up …Read More
Qarrtsiluni ~ in the darkness
Qarrtsiluni. Inuit, Iñupiaq / v. / kʌːrʒ.sɪ.luːnɪ / kartz-sih-loo-nih – Sitting together in the darkness, perhaps expectantly (e.g., waiting for something to happen or to ‘burst forth’); the strange quiet before a momentous event. The hunters gather quietly inside. One by one, they enter and sit in the silent darkness. No lamps, no light, they …Read More
A Doctor’s Touch ~ Abraham Verghese
“The doctor did not even touch me,” a patient complains about a recent visit to an emergency room. The diagnostic tool of the physical examination fades into the background as more modern diagnostic tools take over. In a strange paradox, technology allows the doctor to peer deep inside the body, but at the same time …Read More
The Cliché of Cinderella
Nearly every child in America can tell you the story of Cinderella. Some of them have watched the Disney version of the movie so often they can recite the dialogue. By the time they are old enough for the story of Cinderella to be of real emotional help to them, they have heard it so …Read More